Dublin Gig Guide : 28th August - 3rd September 2017
The most important musical weekend of the year has finally come around! Yes folks, this week sees the return of Electric Picnic! The countries most popular music & arts festival hits Stradbally once again! But let's not get ahead of ourselves!
Monday night we have the ex-One Direction-er Niall Horan playing at the Olympia Theatre! Horan rose to fame as part of the 5-piece boyband and since their split has gone on to release two successful singles, however the release date for an album is yet to be announced! Singles Slow Hands & This Town have fared quite well so he would be mad not to at least announce a release date, but who knows what he could be cooking up! Also on Monday, we have The Magnetic Fields playing at the National Concert Hall. The brainchild of Stephen Merritt, an American multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, producer and vocalist, he uses The Magnetic Field as an outlet for his song-writing and with this performance at NCH, Merritt and band will perform two distinct programmes of new songs, with a spectacular live show including 50 instruments! They play for two nights!
On Tuesday night, we have Courtney Marie Andrews playing at Whelan's! This is the Irish debut gig of the Arizona country singer. Her latest album "Honest Life" was released last year, which she recorded and produced herself. She captivates audiences with her melancholic voice, and has been compared to Joni Mitchell and Emmylou Harris. Over in the Workman's Club, we have Irish band Dreaming Of Jupiter, who blend ambient & electronic flavours with soulful vocals and deep grooves. Nialler9 named them New Irish Act of The Week earlier this year! Support on the night is provided by Not Monsters and American based duo Søltree! Wednesday night sees Whelan's host a great double header act as Nadia Reid and Julie Byrne will be performing. New Zealand born Reid will be playing her familiar style of soft acoustic drone, while Julie Byrne covers the folk side of things. Byrne has a warm and fixating voice that captivates and drags listeners in. Tickets for this double-header only €16!
Thursday, we have the City Of Birmingham Orchestra performing at the National Concert Hall who are opening the 2017/2018 concert season! Under new direction with Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla! The orchestra who haven't performed here since 2002 was founded in 1902 and their inaugural concert was conducted by Edward Elgar! Not one to miss! Upstairs in Whelan's we have Áine Tyrrell playing as part of her Irish Summer Tour which includes a final gig at Electric Picnic! Contemporary folk is the order of the day here!
Friday, we have the start of the best festival of the year, Electric Picnic! Growing massively in popularity and size since it began as a one-day festival in 2004! Uniting all different types of people, from all walks of life! This year sees big acts such as The XX, A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Tong, Duran Duran, Elbow, Interpol, Run The Jewels and many many more! The original Body & Soul stage began at Electric Picnic and gained such popularity that it began it's own festival! With many more parts to the EP puzzle including, Body & Soul, Other Voices, Salty Dog and many more! Tickets unsuspectingly sold out even before the headline acts were announced which just goes to show the popularity of the festival! The festival takes places across the weekend, make sure you pack all the essentials including sun cream and rain-gear! Nothing can possibly ruin the weekend more than arriving unprepared!
Monday 28th
Niall Horan @ Olympia Theatre - 7PM
The Magnetic Fields @ National Concert Hall - 7PM
Tuesday 29th
Courtney Marie Andrews @ Whelan's - 8PM
Dreaming Of Jupiter @ The Workman's Club - 8PM
Wednesday 30th
Nadia Reid & Julie Byrne @ Whelan's - 8PM
Thursday 31st
City Of Birmingham Orchestra @ National Concert Hall - 8PM
Áine Tyrrell @ Whelan's (Upstairs) - 8PM
Friday 1st
Electric Picnic - Stradbally, Co. Laois
Johnny Logan @ Vicar Street - 8PM
Saturday 2nd
Electric Picnic - Stradbally, Co. Laois
Celtic Woman "Voices Of Angles" @ 3 Arena - 8PM
Sunday 3rd