Event of the week
Max Richter in Concert
Wednesday, October 30th, and Thursday, October 31st, National Concert Hall, Dublin, 8pm (sold out), nch.ie
Max Richter tells how, as a boy, his interest in composition was kindled by their milkman in Bedford, north of London, who, as an unusually proactive music fan, would deliver not just the family’s daily pints but also albums by Philip Glass, John Cage and Steve Reich. It certainly seems to have helped: one of the world’s most successful contemporary composers, Richter has sold more than a million albums and amassed more than a billion streams. His albums include Memoryhouse, the eight-hour Sleep, and Recomposed, which reworked Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. He has also composed for film, television, theatre and ballet.
These two sold-out concerts feature music from Richter’s new album, In a Landscape, and from The Blue Notebooks, with his ensemble of Eloisa Fleur Thom, Max Baillie, Connie Pharoah, Max Ruisi and Zara Hudson-Kozdoj.
Bambie Thug
Sunday, October 27th, and Thursday, October 31st, Academy, Dublin, 8pm, €24.50, ticketmaster.ie
Bambie Ray Robinson, the performer of this year’s Irish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, surprised most when they finished sixth, the best position for Ireland in the contest for almost 25 years. The song, Doomsday Blue, isn’t unlike Bambie Thug’s other material mixing industrial metal with elements of hip-hop, indie rock and alternative pop. These are their first Irish shows since the competition, so tricks and treats could well be in store. (Also November 2nd, Róisín Dubh, Galway; Thursday, November 7th, City Hall, Cork.)
Kneecap
From Monday, October 28th, until Friday, November 1st, Vicar Street, Dublin, 7pm (sold out), ticketmaster.ie
Between releasing their acclaimed album Fine Art and the self-titled biopic chosen as Ireland’s entry for next year’s best international feature Oscar, 2024 has been a wild and wonderful one for Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara and DJ Provaí. Five years ago they might have been viewed by some as niche: bilingual hip-hop performers whose quickfire, articulate and contemporaneous lyrics were difficult to pin down. Now? Through the force of personality and song structures, the Kneecap chaps have created a world where they rule and we just live in it.
The Big Irish Times Quiz of 2024
Nanci Griffith: From a Distance review – harrowing account of the country music star’s life that ended in isolation and alcoholism
Róisín Ingle: My profound, challenging, surprisingly joyful, life-changing year
Dancing with the Stars 2025: Who are the contestants, when is it on and more
Mercury Rev
Thursday, October 31st, Button Factory, Dublin, 8pm, €35, foggynotions.ie
Since 1989, Mercury Rev have made significant contributions to the soundscape of American music: they play with shape and form across music that incorporates roots, country, psychedelia, drone/noise and experimental rock. Spearheaded by Jonathan Donahue and Sean “Grasshopper” Mackowiak, this show will focus on their latest album, Born Horses, but you can bet your house that it will also feature songs from their three most successful albums: Deserter’s Songs, All Is Dream and The Secret Migration.
Dance
Floating on a Dead Sea
Saturday, October 26th, Siamsa Tíre, Tralee, Co Kerry, 8pm, €18/€16, siamsatire.com; Tuesday, October 29th, Town Hall Theatre, Galway, 8pm, €20/€18, tht.ie; Thursday, October 31st, Glór Theatre, Ennis, Co Clare, 8pm, €20/€18, glor.ie; Saturday, November 2nd, Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, 8pm, €24/€22, paviliontheatre.ie
Inspired by her experiences in Palestine in 2019 with the film-maker Luca Truffarelli, the choreographer Catherine Young returned home to create an immersive multidisciplinary work blending the titular documentary (which reflects on ordinary, prewar life in West Bank Palestine) with an emotive dance and live-music piece that encapsulates the anxious sense of injustice that permeates life in the region. This double bill will begin with a screening of the documentary. More details from catherineyoungdance.com.
Festival
Púca Festival
Thursday, October 31st, until Sunday, November 3rd, various times, prices and venues in Athboy and Trim, Co Meath, pucafestival.com
There are people for whom the ancient Celtic tradition of Samhain is significant, and there are people for whom seeing Gavin James perform in a large tent is momentous. Púca Festival successfully blends the folkloric with the here and now, which is why it has returned for another year, based in the two Co Meath towns that historically have connections with Halloween customs and beliefs. Mingling with the processions, storytelling, circus acts, heritage tours, workshops and trail walks are comedy (Deirdre O’Kane, Panti Bliss, Neil Delamere), and music (Gavin James, Leftfield, Bell X1, High Kings, Mary Coughlan).
Comedy
Ben Elton
Thursday, October 31st, Ulster Hall, Belfast, 7pm, £38; Friday, November 1st, 3Olympia, Dublin, 7.30pm, €48.70; Saturday, November 2nd, UCH , Limerick, 7pm, €48.70, ticketmaster.ie
The English writer and comedian Ben Elton, whose credits include The Young Ones, Blackadder and Upstart Crow, was once regarded as alternative comedy’s motormouth, flinging around funny barbs and rants on sexism, racism, misogyny and other serious topics. Now based in Australia, the 65-year-old rarely tours this side of the world, so if you’re in the mood for what he has described as “non-exploitative laughs and structured observations” on geopolitics and how aspects of technology have made us dim-witted (the tour is called Authentic Stupidity), nab a ticket.
Visual art
Ciara Roche: Honeymoon
Until Sunday, December 1st, Butler Gallery, Kilkenny, butlergallery.ie
Despite the broadly recognisable images of grand dining rooms, exclusive hotels, high-end bars and cafes (sourced from the artist’s photography, film stills and found imagery), there is an air of disquiet in Ciara Roche’s paintings, primarily due to the deliberate absence of people. Inherent in these faceless scenarios are suggestions of doubt and economic recklessness, which, says Roche, are resolved by painting “those fears, acknowledging the things that might happen, like exploring different versions of my life”.
Still running
Beards
From Tuesday, October 29th, until Saturday, November 2nd, New Theatre, Dublin, 7.30pm, €18/€16, thenewtheatre.com
A Middle Ages-set musical comedy about “queer families, belonging, and a very special second coming of Christ”? Sign us up for multidisciplinary artist HK Ní Shioradáin’s work of resilience and miraculous conceptions. Domhnall Herdman, Shane McCormick, Tierra Porter and Orla Scally feature. Ultan Pringle directs.
Book it this week
Tony Cantwell, Vicar Street, Dublin, December 12th, ticketmaster.ie
Countdown Concert, Dublin Castle, December 31st, ticketmaster.ie
Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin, January 15th-18th, ticketmaster.ie
Wynton Marsalis, NCH, Dublin, March 11th, nch.ie
