Saturday, March 9
IN CONVERSATION WITH VIV ALBERTINE
The Studio, National Concert Hall, Dublin 8.30pm €15 nch.ie Also Sunday, March 10th, same venue.
To some, Viv Albertine might be known primarily as the former guitarist in UK post-punk band The Slits; to others, she might be best known for having written two of the best autobiographical books of the past five years: 2014's Clothes Music Boys and last year's To Throw Away Unopened. The former sharply outlined a view of punk rock's patriarchal structures, while the latter honed in on far more private matters. Each book is written with a fearless honesty that can often be breathtaking, so these "In Conversation" events promise to be, as poor old Sid Vicious once sang, something else. Sinéad Gleeson asks the questions tonight, while Una Mullally's turn is Sunday. TCL
DALI LIVE: AE MAK
Dali, Cork €10 (on the door only) facebook.com/dalicork
As AE Mak, Dundalk performer and musician Aoife McCann takes pop, dance, folk and electronic music together and unleashes them in a kaleidoscope of colour. This is the second instalment of Cork's Dali Live sessions and AE Mak will deliver her slice of art pop as she runs through her eclectic collection of singles, from 2016's rhythmic I Can Feel It in My Bones to 2018's choppy Too Sad to Sing. LB
NICK HARPER
Whelan's Upstairs, Dublin 8pm €15 whelanslive.com
He has long since come out from the protective veil of being known as the son of acclaimed UK singer-songwriter Roy Harper (himself a long-time resident of Co Cork), but to see him in performance is to realise that apples don't fall too far from the tree. This said, not only is Harper Jr a fine songwriter in his own right, but he's also an exceptional acoustic guitar player, causing one music critic to write that he "does things to his guitar that would have had Segovia weeping into his Rioja". You have been duly advised. TCL
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S WEEKENDER
The Bernard Shaw, Dublin Adm Free thebernardshaw.com Also Sunday 10th, same venue
Why restrict International Women's Day to March 8th when you can make a weekend out of it? On the 9th, 2FM DJ Tara Stewart is hosting a panel discussion with experts in activism, fashion and fitness before sharing the decks with Sohotsospicy and Tamisya Smith. On the 10th, H&G Creations are running Glitter Tits, their pop-up DJ crash course led by Le Boom's Aimie Mallon. You can apply for a spot through H&G Creations' Facebook page. LB
KELSEY LU
The Workman's Club, Dublin 8pm €15 theworkmansclub.com
Frankly, it doesn't get any more on-trend than North Carolina School of Arts alumnus Kelsey Lu, who has worked with the likes of Solange, Sampha, Dev Hynes and Florence Welch. When she isn't providing string accompaniment to other musicians, Lu pitches up with her own (nominally) alt-classical music, which features loop-pedalled cello and freeform variations of ballads, pop and whatever you might be having yourself. Very different and really quite gorgeous. This is Lu's Dublin debut - tell her you love her, eh? TCL
Monday March 11
JACK & JACK
Olympia Theatre, Dublin 7pm €26 ticketmaster.ie
The good Lord knows what Grandmaster Flash would say, but let's give it up nonetheless for Jack Gilinsky and Jack Johnson, two 20-somethings from Omaha, Nebraska. Starting off as teenage "viral sensations" (via comedic skits on the Vine app), the duo soon drifted towards music. Several years later, a debut album, A Good Friend Is Nice, has just been released, and so the rise of the electro/hip-hop guys continues. Special guest is London-based singer and songwriter Casey Lowry. TCL
DOJA CAT
Green Room, Academy, Dublin 7pm €23 ticketmaster.ie
Los Angeles songwriter/performer Doja Cat is no slouch when it comes to self-confidence. In 2013, when she was 16 years of age – after being inspired by the music of Nicki Minaj, Drake and Erykah Badu – she uploaded her first piece of music to Soundcloud. Since then, it has been all systems go for the singer whose songs Mooo! and Go to Town (and their highly sexualised videos) have snagged the attention. Last year's debut album, Amala, will provide most of tonight's tunes. Special guest is Dublin producer/rapper Why-Axis. TCL
Tuesday March 12
COLTER WALL
Whelan's, Dublin 8pm €17.35 (sold out) whelanslive.com
Look – anyone from a city by the name of Swift Current is okay with us. The Saskatchewan, Canada city is the birthplace of 23-year-old Colter Wall, a singer-songwriter who has superb reference points and influences (from Woody Guthrie, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash to Gram Parsons, George Jones and Townes Van Zandt) while still aiming for the personalised output that makes for a distinctive artist. Wall has two albums to cull a set from – his self-titled debut from 2017, and last year's Songs of the Plain, throughout which he pays rugged and affecting tribute to his place and country of birth. TCL
BASTILLE
Olympia Theatre, Dublin €51.66 ticketmaster.ie
Having had to cancel their Dublin stop from their Still Avoiding Tomorrow Tour due to bad weather in January, London indie-pop band Bastille are making their return, and the weather is positively more balmy now than it was for the original date. While they're counting down the days for the release of their third album Doom Days (due to be released in April), this gig is their precursor for festival season. Scottish singer-songwriter ONR. is supporting them on the night. LB
P.O.D. & ALIEN ANT FARM
Dolans Warehouse, Limerick €33.50 ticketmaster.ie
No, your eyes are not deceiving you. P.O.D., the American Christian nu-metal band that released the singles Alive and Youth of the Nation in 2001, and the pop-punk band Alien Ant Farm, who covered Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal, also in 2001, are hitting the road together. At last, you cry. If Limerick doesn't suit you, they will be bringing the show to Dublin's The Button Factory on March 14th. LB
PEACE, LOVE & PROTEST: UCD 1969
John Field Room, National Concert Hall, Dublin 8pm €20 nch.ie
The days of wine and roses? Or nights of beer and Woodbines? Looking back at University College Dublin's "Gentle Revolution" and presented by the SDA (Students for Democratic Action) Anniversary Committee, this is a celebration of a unique time in Irish student history when words were replaced with civil action. Participating in an evening of music, drama and spoken word are musicians Dónal Lunny, Jim Lockhart, Barry Devlin and Keith Donald, actors Jeananne Crowley, Barry McGovern, Susan Slott and Patrick Bergin, and many more. All proceeds, after costs, will be donated to the Peter McVerry Trust. TCL
Thursday March 14
A SMYTH
Whelan's Upstairs, Dublin 8pm €11.80 whelanslive.com
Just because a band you were once a member of doesn't make the grade – or at least the grade you wanted them to – it's no reason to give up. That's what Aaron Smyth reckons, anyway, and he's right. His former band, Vann Music, had been doing the right things, playing the right gigs, working with the right people, yet there was something amiss. What to do? Rip it up and start again, this time under his given name. What has transpired is a fine songwriter coming into his own, with tunes such as Fever (his new single) acting as a juicy teaser for this forthcoming debut album. TCL
Friday March 15
NICKI MINAJ
3Arena, Dublin 6.30pm €95.76/€74.41/€69.20 ticketmaster.ie
Nicki Minaj (born Onika Tanya Maraj) seems far from ending her tenure as one of the world's best-selling female artists and one of the most influential female rappers. With the New York Times calling her "a sparkling rapper with a gift for comic accents and unexpected turns of phrases", and Exclaim! magazine extolling her "ability to adapt to an ever-changing landscape", there's little doubt that Minaj isn't going away anytime soon. A divisive presence for some (hello, Cardi B and Miley Cyrus), Minaj has enough smarts to offset most if not all of the backbiting. Plugging last year's album, Queen, the show is sectioned into three parts and is as hits-heavy as you can imagine. TCL
ROYAL YELLOW x SENU
The Grand Social, Dublin €15 thegrandsocial.ie
Royal Yellow, the solo project of former Enemies member Mark O'Brien, and SENU, the Dublin-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Sam Killeen, are joining forces for their first headlining gig in Dublin. The pair worked together on O'Brien's tropical dreamwave single Aruba, which is already one of the most exciting Irish singles to be released this year. This is set to be one hell of a gig. Support on the night comes from Cidot and Jeag. LB
CONOR WALSH: THE LUCID ALBUM LAUNCH
The Sugar Club, Dublin €15 thesugarclub.com
It's just short of three years since the Mayo pianist Conor Walsh passed away, and this gig has been arranged by Walsh's friends and family to launch his album The Lucid. A host of artists, musicians and his friends will be performing pieces dedicated to his memory on the night. Donal Dineen will be picking the tunes for the after-party. The Lucid is available to buy on vinyl and stream from March 11th. LB
