Posted by Ken McGuire on August 13th, 2008 at 10:29am

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A good first video from The Distractors, here they are for your midweek viewing with ‘Last Stand’.

Posted by Ken McGuire on August 12th, 2008 at 12:23pm

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House Of Cosy Cushions make an appearance in Kilkenny on Thursday alongside Dae Kim as part of the Wired @ Cleere’s leg of the 25th Kilkenny Arts Festival. Here they are with ‘Up And Down The Hill’, your daily video for Tuedsay (better late than never).

Tickets are €12, available for collection from the box office on Parliament Street or at the door on the night. Doors 8pm, music 9pm.

Posted by Ken McGuire on August 11th, 2008 at 10:17am

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Supernova Scotia were interviewed on KCLR recently by Martin Bridgeman (aired this Saturday night gone) looking at the band’s background and their involvement in the Wired @ Cleere’s strand as part of the Kilkenny Arts Festival this week.

You can also get a listen to a brand new track from the band at the end of the interview.

Last night saw some of the band as part of A Safe Dry Place take the stage with Halves (Dublin) but to catch Supernova Scotia in action you’ll have to get yourself to Cleere’s this coming Friday night (15th) with Somadrome the headline act. Doors open at 8pm with music from 9pm. Tickets are priced €12 with a limited number available from Cleere’s on the night, tickets available to purchase in person from the box office on Parliament Street or here via Ticketmaster.

Listen Here (or via MySpace)

Posted by Ken McGuire on August 11th, 2008 at 08:08am

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Dae Kim make a very welcome return to Kilkenny after what must be a year or two, or close to two years anyway. I last got to see the band perform in Cleere’s on a very quiet Thursday night but this Tuesday night should see a good crowd heading to Cleere’s once more to catch the band along with House Of Cosy Cushions as part of the Wired @ Cleere’s series for the Kilkenny Arts Festival.

Kickoff on Tuesday night (tomorrow) is 9pm with tickets available in advance from the box office on Parliament Street or via the Ticketmaster link below. A limited number of tickets will also be available on the door in Cleere’s. Enjoy their first video, Postcard, to start your week!

Book tickets here.

Posted by Ken McGuire on August 9th, 2008 at 07:25am

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3epkano make a return to the Kilkenny Arts Festival once again when they share the stage with Spiritualized at St. Canices’ Catherdral next weekend.

The Dublin-based music ensemble, no strangers to Kilkenny, specialise in producing original and innovative soundtracks for films from the silent movie era. Critically-acclaimed for their headline shows in Ireland and the US, they have also been commissioned to produce new music for such prestigious institutions as the National Gallery of Ireland, the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York.

Tickets for the performance scheduled for Sunday the 17th can be purchased here.

Posted by Ken McGuire on August 8th, 2008 at 05:57pm

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Wedged between the Wired @ Cleere’s performances for the opening weekend of the Arts Festival comes some top quality music through the form of Von Bizmark, this Saturday night in Cleere’s Theatre.

The four-piece of Tony Hoyne, John Coady, Jimmy Burke (all Kilkenny) and Paul Daly (Wexford) formed in Kilkenny just over 18 months ago. Evolving from a previous incarnation as ‘The Company’ in 2005 / 2006 in Kilkenny, the band have taken the platform laid out by The Company and built on it with a host of new material and a sharply distinct sound.

The band claim they don’t base their sound on any one particular band though elements of Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Stone Roses and Oasis echo through songs like ‘Eyes Drift Down’, ‘Lets Pretend’ and ‘Planets’.

Keeping their writing and performing going (fresh from an appearance at Isaac Butts in Dublin last weekend), Von Bizmark have recently hit the studio in the UK and are planning to return shortly following their first gig on hometown soil in several months.

Doors open at 9pm this Saturday with admission at six euro. You can find more about the band and download free copies of ‘Lets Pretend’ and ‘Eyes Drift Down’ from the band’s MySpace at http://myspace.com/vonbizmark. Additional tracks can be heard online at XRadioStage.com.

Posted by Ken McGuire on August 8th, 2008 at 09:21am

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In a previous life they may have been known as Skylight, a band I last saw perform in Kilkenny in November 2005. Almost three years on we’ve got a chance to see them in action again as Halves play Cleere’s this Sunday along with A Safe Dry Place as part of the Wired @ Cleere’s lineup for the Kilkenny Arts Festival.

Tickets for the gig are 12 euro and are available from the Kilkenny Arts Festival box office / Ticketmaster.

The video was directed and produced by Danny Belkin in association with New York University Tisch School of the Arts and Hotpress magazine.

Posted by Ken McGuire on August 7th, 2008 at 09:35pm

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Kerry based Tenpastseven kick off the fantastic lineup for Wired @ Cleere’s this coming week with music starting tomorrow night. Across the course of the Arts Festival, Cleere’s will host the likes of Tenpastseven, Halves, Dae Kim, Somadrome, House Of Cosy Cushions along with locals A Safe Dry Place, Supernova Scotia & Jazz Panda.

Tomorrow night’s lineup sees Tenpastseven join forces with Problems At The Pancake House favourites, Jazz Panda for the first in the series of Wired gigs.

Outside of Cleere’s, local revellers and festival goers have the likes of Lisa Hannigan (Saturday, Parade Tower), Mercury Rev (Tuesday, The Hub) and Spiritualized (next Sunday, St. Canice’s Cathedral).

Book online here or check out the full Wired programme.

(Tenpastseven, photo by Shane Serrano, Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters)

Posted by Ken McGuire on August 7th, 2008 at 07:35pm

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If you’re keeping track of the Dysart Festival website, it looks now like everything is taking place indoors at the alternative venue that is the Kilford on John Street.

The press release earlier in the week read

The event will take place across three areas of the hotel including Club 51, the largest nightclub in Kilkenny, O’ Faolains bar with its 16th Century Church interior, and the main stage outdoors in the grounds of the hotel.

However, changes spotted today on the site remove the outdoor main stage area.

The festival will go ahead on August 9 and 10 but at a new location in the heart of Kilkenny City at The Kilford Arms Hotel on John Street. The event will take place across two areas of the hotel including the main stage at Club 51, the largest nightclub in Kilkenny and O’Faolains bar with its 16th Century Church interior.

Looks like there’s still no additional changes to the festival lineup with The Blind Boys Of Alabama headlining Saturday and Republic Of Loose / John Martyn headlining on the Sunday.

General admission tickets are priced €40.

Posted by Ken McGuire on August 7th, 2008 at 04:12pm

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With the much revamped Dysart Festival still on track for this weekend at the Kilford Hotel / Club 51 / O’Faoilean’s on John Street (all the same place for those of you outside of Kilkenny), here’s a preview of the dance lineup for the weekend. Details courtesy of the Dysart Festival.

Nuno Dos Santos (3hr set)

Nuno was resident at the infamous Club 11 in Amsterdam along with his partner in crime - Patrice Baumel.He is a regular at all the worlds largest dance music events.Expect an unforgettable journey through 3hours of the finest deep-house and techno Europe has to offer.

Slippery People (2 and a half hour set)

Andro & Dan English

Andro and Dan are founding members of Manchester eclectic dance music night - Naive Melody and both hold residencies at British dance music institution - Bugged Out! Andro is the resident of Europe`s most ambitious dance venture - The Warehouse Project, spinning every week with the likes of Ricardo Villalobos, Felix Da Housecat, Luciano and Erol Alkin. Expect the unexpected - electro, deep-grooving house, italo-disco and techno.

There is also a “blissful” DJ set from The Orb between 7 and 9pm with music kicking off on Saturday courtesy of locals Sen-C, Cleveland Mike, Ms White and Sean B Doyle all between 4 and 10pm.

Due to time-slot restrictions, organisers announced earlier in the week that Kenny Larkin and Stacey Pullen, who were due to perform a joint five-hour set, will not be performing at the festival.

Day tickets are available at €40 per day from the festival box office in Market Cross, High Street, Kilkenny.