According to Bling H2o’s website, the product is “strategically positioned to target the expanding super-luxury consumer market”. At almost €60 per litre, I’m curious as to what the ingredients of Bling H20 are to merit such a price. Perhaps it’s droplets of sweat from the foreheads of assorted Hollywood starlets? Maybe the water has been purified by filtering through 20 carat diamonds? Maybe it has a few shots of common sense thrown in there for good measure. Nope, it seems that you’re parting with your well earned 50 in exchange for nothing more than what we all have literally ‘on tap’ every day. Oh, and a fancy bottle. Whatever floats your boat.

Another shining example: I brought my 5-year-old son and 8-year-old cousin to Charlestown Shopping Centre during the week to run a few errands. After bribing them with anything their little hearts desired to ‘please behave for just half an hour’, I made good on my promise and told them to pick out 5 sweets each from the pick-n-mix vendor, Sweet Express. My jaw almost fell off when the assistant asked for payment of €7.90. Yes, you read right… €7.90. For 10 sweets.

More fool me for paying it you might say, but (note to self) doe eyes and quivering lips can be a powerful tool.

First up, a second date has just been announced for MGMT’s visit to the Ambassador, the pair now play 3rd and 4th of November with tickets for the second show going on sale this Friday 8th August priced €24.50. They are supported by new Canadian favorites Violens, who have been likened to everyone from The Zombies to Prefab Sprout. Their current single Violent Sensation Decends wouldn’t be out of place on a Shins album and is currently making the playlist of every radio station worth it’s salt.

Friday 7th November sees Tripod play host to Goldfrapp. Their latest album, Seventh Tree, saw Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory moving away from the much loved sparkly disco sounds of previous releases such as Supernature and moving in an altogether more grown-up, low-fi direction. Alison’s voice is beautiful enough to carry off their new ethereal sound and the Tripod show, which follows not long after their Electric Picnic date, should be a treat for fans and newcomers alike. Tickets are on sale now and are priced at €32.50 and €35.50 for standing or seated respectively.

November also sees the welcome return of Cold War Kids to our shores. After the unprecedented success of their first album, Robbers & Cowards, the Californian quartet return to Dublin on foot of the release of their follow up album, Loyalty to Loyalty, due for release September 23rd. Cold War Kids play The Academy on November 5th and tickets are €28.50.

AS if that isn’t enough to get excited about, Scottish indie rock veterans Primal Scream play an intimate gig in the sumptuous Olympia Theatre this November 17th. Their current album Beautiful Future sees the band move in an altogether more pop-orientated direction, but if we’re lucky they’ll still belt out some of the old favorites from the glory days of Screamadelica and XTRMNTR.
Tickets €33.60/€39.20

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If you can’t manage to stay indoors until November, there is also a veritable plethora of gigs to get excited about in October. The superlative Bon Iver plays Tripod on the 7th of October. After their sellout June show was moved from Crawdaddy to Tripod to accomadate unprecedented demand, Bon Iver’s popularity has been firmly cemented in Ireland and tickets to see Justin Vernon and co perform songs from the absolutely sublime album, For Emma, Forever Ago, will be snapped up. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised to see the October show echo that of the previous with a move to a larger venue.
Tickets €22.50/€27.50

If Black Kids infectious Summer anthem I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You is anything to go by, their gig in The Academy on the 21st October should be a high energy, dance-till-you-drop-sing-along night of fun. With tickets priced at just €17.50 it’d be just plain rude not to go.

Finally, celebrate Halloween night in style with the pioneer of scratrching, king of hip hop dj-ing, the legend that is Grandmaster Flash. He plays Tripod on October 31st and tickets to see one of the founding fathers of hip hop are a mere €20.00.

New liquor laws came into effect on Friday July 30th at midnight. The Intoxicating Liquor Act 2008, which seems to have slipped quietly under the radar of the alcohol-consuming public, includes the following changes:

New hours for off sales of alcohol.
• Tougher public order provisions allowing the Gardaí to seize alcohol from minors.
• A court procedure to secure a new wine-only off-licence.
• New grounds for objection to the granting of an off-licence.
• New conditions attaching to the granting of a special exemption order, and
• Holders of theatre licences will be restricted to the normal licensing hours unless additional hours are sanctioned by a special exemption order.

What this basically means people, is that we are being governmentally prevented from getting our drink on in the manner to which we have become accustomed. Now, I’m all for preventing underage drinking, but surely we could take a little guidance from our continental counterparts and encourage the education of children towards the dangers of over-indulgence and ensure more vigilant publicans and off-licence staff rather than giving the oul Gardai free reign to bait the shite out of poor little Timmy who’s been caught with a couple of cans of Dutchy down the shelters because he promised his ma he wouldn’t break ‘The Pledge’.

The bill also abolishes theatre licences, ensuring that all nightclubs, late bars and theatre bars now close at 2.30am. Currently in Ireland, we have relatively staggered closing hours, with pubs closing at 12.30am, late bars at 2.30am, and nightclubs and theatre bars at 3.30am. This sequential system has been found to reduce public order offences [UK Institute of Alcohol Studies], whereas there is no evidence to support the proposal that the new system of having a blanket closing time will have the same effect. The bill that has been passed effectively forces punters into the streets at the same time, putting added strain on taxi services, fast food outlets and local emergency services and gardai. Surely I am not the only one who can see that 1000’s of drunken Dubliners conglomerating on the banks of the Liffey to fight over a taxi or push their way up the que in Rik’s Burgers is going to cause more than a few squabbles? Minister for Justice, Equality & Law Reform, Dermot Ahern, doesn’t seem to think so. According to Deputy Ahern, “people would be staggering from premises to premises if we gave an opportunity to go from bar to late bar and then on to nightclubs”. Now, I am perfectly aware that we didn’t earn our reputation as a nation of drinkers for nothing, but since when is Dermot Ahern judge and jury in charge of enforcing punishment upon us for being fond of the sauce every once in a while? In the wise words of a friend, Ireland has grown into a “fierce progressive place”, and we’re no longer a nation of Jemmy-swilling ogre’s who need constant monitoring. As things were, revellers could finish up their drinks in their boozer of choice and then choose to either head to a nightclub/late bar/whatever or do a legger home. I’ll be the first to admit to occasionally succumbing to the alluring charms of The Gaiety and it’s promise of warm beer in plastic cups at 2.30 of a Sunday morning, but 9 times out of 10 the sight of a yellow taxi light taking the corner at Stephen’s Street is enough to have me skidding through the rain in 6 inch heels and hurling myself in front of said taxi screaming at the occupant to ‘take me home for the love of god’. My point is, most people know when its time to go home. Ok, there’s always going to be the odd hen party bride or drunken suit who’s been slumped at the bar in Cocoon since leaving Deloitte & Touche at 5 o’clock that evening – but if someone is determined to find the next drink, they’ll find it regardless. All the new licensing laws are doing is encouraging house parties, and in return domestic disturbance and neighbours from hell scenarios, along with turfing a load of drunk people out onto the streets of Dublin to make their way home in a city with an already sub-standard transport system.

The bill also prevents off-licences opening beyond 10pm 7 days a week with no exceptions. So if you decide to be a good little civilian and sit down to watch an RTE Saturday Night Movie rather than partaking in the nation’s apparent past-time of choice – binge drinking – you are no longer given the option to pop down the offie for a bottle of cab sav to accompany the giant bar of galaxy that you purchased for the occasion. Tough – you should’ve thought of it earlier.

Not to mention the fact that most nightclubs and theatre-licence holders will be losing an average of 8 hours business per week – with many of them choosing now to not open at all on a Sunday as they will have to close at 1am on ‘the Sabbath’. In a time of imminent recession, it hardly seems clever to be limiting the business hours of one of our most profitable industries now does it?

Call me a sceptic, but as far as I can see the new act achieves nothing but a quick fix to an age old problems. I’d love to stay and hash out some alternatives for our government to mull over between tribunals but it’s nearly 9.30 so I’ve to get myself down to the offo STAT.

Fight Like Apes play a free instore gig in Tower Records on Wicklow Street this evening at 5pm. Get there early to avoid being stuck at the back entrance to Brown Thomas with the Italian accordian playing mascot. Fresh from thier performance at Glastonbury, Fight Like Apes deliver their unique blend of shouty, high-octane, high-energy punk pop - if this doesn’t sound like your type of thing get yourself down to Bewleys on Grafton Street for a nice cup of tea and a sit down instead.

Tonight also sees Analog 2008 kick off in style with Dublin Docklands playing host to Lou Reed, Shane McGowan, Gavin Friday and Oscar-winning actor Tim Robbins, to name but a few. Rouge’s Gallery is the brainchild of Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski and music producer extrordinnaire, Hal Willner. Rouge’s Gallery is a collection of old sea shanties and pirate ballads given a modern day twist by a bevy of accomplished singers/songwriters/producers/etc. Willner’s impressive mish-mash of Hollywood A-listers and music industry legends is enough to get even the most discerning of gig-goers chomping at the bit. Go to see Lou Reed and Shane McGowan share a stage for the bargain price of €50.00 and, if this doesn’t stir up your senses, go to throw your knickers at Tim Robbins. A number of tickets are still available here.

The concerts kick off on Wednesday with a lunchtime performance by festival organiser, Alec O’Leary, and continue through to the evening with highly acclaimed Italian newcomers, Soloduo. Other highlights include performances by early music ensemble Tonos, and a collaboration of music by John Feely and Paraguayan Berta Rojas at the National Concert Hall. Croatian beauty Ana Vidovic brings her unsurpassed classical style to the National Gallery on Saturday lunchtime, followed by a performance in Tripod that evening by Tommy Emmanuel (Book early for this one, he really is amazing and the show is sure to be a sell out). The festival wraps up with the spectacular Joscho Stephan Trio who play an intimate show in the Sugar Club on Saturday night. As mentioned, the live shows are peppered with workshops and classes, including an exciting opportunity for budding guitarists to partake in ‘The G Factor’, a votes based competition on Wednesday with the winners being given the chance to perform a full concert at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. The full timetable of events is available here.

It was back to the Sugar Club for me on Friday night, this time to attend the Balcony TV Awards 2008. The awards mark the second anniversary of the show where many of Ireland’s finest new musicians have cut their teeth and made their first foray into the public eye. Started in 2006 by 3 flatmates (Stephen O’Regan, Pauline Freeman and Tom Millett), Balcony TV started out life recording up and coming Irish acts from a tiny balcony on Dame Street. The recordings quickly became an internet sensation and Balcony TV was recently nominated for a prestigious ‘Webby Award’. Balcony TV now boasts a sister site in Hamburg and rumours about expansion into the US and Europe are rife.

With free admission before 10.30 and a poster bearing the promise of FREE BEER, it was no surprise that the venue was packed tighter than a tin of sardines. Throw in entertainment from the likes of Royseven, The Kinetiks, John Spillane and Reader’s Wives amongst others, and you have all the right ingredients for a cracking showcase of the cream of new Irish talent. The awards, which came in the form of little golden guitars, were presented throughout the night by the likes of Leanne Harte (last year’s winner of the ‘Best Female’ award) and Una Mullally (journalist and Dublin music scene queen).

A special mention goes to The Kinetiks, who played an impressively tight set, and to German beatbox master, Alberto the Musicbox, who rapidly transfixed the crowd with his phenomenal ability to emulate an unbelievable variety of music genres and instruments. Check out his myspace page here.

Alberto the Musicbox.
(Photo courtesy of entertainment.ie)

Right, time to get down to business. And the award goes to…..

Best Male Keith O’Brien

Best Female Luan Parle

Best International Act Apes in the Orange Grove (Netherlands)

Best Alternative Show Raven

Balcony TV Hamburg Jan Baruschke & Markus Rollwage
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Best Show Zoe Conway & John McIntyre

Best Band The Script

Congrats to all the winners and thanks to the organisers for a great night!

All the best…
Sheena xx

The Sugar Club is renowned for it’s acoustically rich surroundings, perfectly suited to showcasing the honeysweet voice of Swedish songstress Lykke Li. Her impressive vocal range was particularly apparent on the beautifully melancholic Hanging High, which Lykke considerately dedicated to “the most heartbroken person in the room”. However, I can’t help but imagine how uncomfortable it must feel to take to the tiny stage at the foot of the theatre-style seating area that overwhelms the venue and be confronted with a bunch of be-trilbied scenesters with one resounding message held in their eyes: impress me. So it’s fortunate for Lykke Li that she’s as mad as a bag of spanners then isn’t it? Following her stupendous three piece band onto stage to the beat of Dance, Dance, Dance sporting a rather impressive giant drumstick and an array of musical paraphernalia adorning her chest like an elaborate necklace, Lykke proceeded to get involved with every aspect of the musical process from start to finish. Unlike the sultry-voiced but ultimately stoic El Perro del Mar (AKA Sarah Assbring) who played support with a sufficiently nonchalant air, Lykke utilised every inch of the tiny stage, grabbing drumsticks, bellowing into loudspeakers and tooting on kazoos like a Maori tribesman on speed. Her manic exuberance was catching and before long the solitary dancing couple at the bottom of the stairs were joined by the, until now, rather inhibited crowd. The set crescendo with radio favourite I’m Good, I’m Gone followed up with a loudspeaker intro to the infectiously catchy Breaking It Up.
Following a brief stage exit, defensively declaring ‘I’m a debut artist!’, Lykke and co. heeded calls for more, asking the crowd whether they wanted to dance or cry. Needless to say, there didn’t seem to be too many morose buzz wreckers in the house so Lykke improvised by performing ragga version of I’m Good I’m Gone and delighted the crowd by breaking into a rather impressive rap which, after a few seconds of dazed confusion, became apparent as A Tribe Called Quest’s Can I Kick It? The newly elated crowed voiced their appreciation for Lykke’s enthusiasm by replying with a resounding ‘Yes you can!’
AS the gig wound up, finishing on a high note and leaving the room buzzing with energy and hankering for just a little bit more, there was a general post-gig consensus that the we, the audience, had laid witness to something just a little bit special.