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DFI Renaissance - Crowbar Terrace, Dublin 28th October 2023

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  Saturday night saw the return of Don't Flop Ireland after a lengthy hiatus. The excitement had been buzzing about this event online for weeks and the packed venue was an obvious sign of that. In the lead up to the event, there was abuse flying from all sides which helped to create even more hype but thats all part of the pageantry as they embrace each other and show love and respect towards each other immediately after the battle has ended.  The battles on the night included Kid B vs The County Hunter, Sea High vs Intimidation, RapThor vs Lizzie C and an on beat battle between Scauldy and JMAC. All four battles were very impressive and calling a winner in each is extremely hard. If I was to pick winners though I would personally have chosen Kid B, Sea High, RapThor and then I honestly couldn't pick between Scauldy and JMAC. All the battlers brought their A game. This was my first time at a live battle rap event though I have been watching them online for almost a decade. As a
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Vladimir Jablokov - Oriel Centre, Dundalk Gaol 11th June 2022

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Vladimir Jablokov is used to playing large venues such as National Concert Hall, 3Arena and BBC Proms Belfast, which is why it was such a rare treat to have the Slovakian violinist grace the stage at the intimate Oriel Centre. Vladimir shared the stage with Russian pianist Inna Firsova who studied piano in Ukraine and Germany. The two, dressed impeccably for the occasion descended the stairs ready to delight the eager audience.  Vladimir, who is currently touring Vivaldi's Four Seasons began with "1st Movement From Spring" followed by "2nd Movement Winter". They they moved on to Mazart's "March a la Turka" and Brahm's "Hungarian Dance No.5" before completing this segment of the show with "Meditations" by Massenet. Next the audience were treated to a sublime piano solo from Inna which captivated everybody in the venue. Between songs, Vladimir regaled with stories from his childhood growing up with violinist parents and tourin
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Just Mustard - Spirit Store, Dundalk 4th June 2022

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  Saturday night saw the return of Just Mustard to their home town of Dundalk. The five piece rock group are fresh off the back of a support slot on Fontaines D.C.'s recent tour. This sold out show was rescheduled from January and to say the crowd were hyped up and frothing at the mouth for this one would be an understatement. At exactly 10pm, the crowd got what they wanted. The music was turned off and the lights went out. The excitement that had been bubbling all evening came to the top as Katie, David, Mete, Shane and Rob walked on stage.  The band launched straight into "23", "Early" and "Mirrors" which are all taken from their recently released second album "Heart Under". Then came the crowd pleasing "Deaf" which features the now iconic moment when David Noonan sings about the money monkey man before letting out a guttural scream. "Seven" was next followed by "Sore". It was around this point that Shane Magui
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The Frank & Walters - Oriel Centre, Dundalk Gaol 13th November 2021

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  The most renowned band from Cork graced the stage at Dundalk Gaol last night to a packed house. The stripped back acoustic gig saw half of The Frank & Walters, Paul Linehan and Rory Murphy, perform hits from their extensive back catalogue over 90 minutes. The duo took a few minutes to get started as they tuned guitars and pulled "a rabbit out of a sock" before kicking off with "Memory Lane" and "Tony Cochrane". It was evident early on that it was going to be a raucous affair with most of that emanating from one particular section of the audience. Paul joked that they had their very own percussionist in the front row who was offering hand claps both in and out of time. Undeterred they went into "Looking For America', "Trust In The Future" and "Each Tree" which saw Rory switch to the electric guitar. There was an awkward silence in the room when Paul asked a member of the audience why they were coughing and not wearing a ma
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Mundy - Oriel Centre, Dundalk Gaol 6th November 2021

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  Mundy took to the stage donning his trademark hat at Dundalk Gaol a mere 13 months later than originally planned. The audience in attendance had waited long enough and now they had their chance to see the multi platinum selling artist strut his stuff. He began with "Window Shopping For Faith" and then went into a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Kathy's Song". The socially distanced audience were enthralled as was Mundy when he spoke of the sound achieved thanks to the walls of the prison. "Linchpin" was next up followed by "Raining Down Arrows". A funny story of how he and a girlfriend ended up on accidentally on holiday in Cuba inspired "10,000 Miles". "Rescue Remedy", "Mayday" and the lockdown inspired "Healthy" continued the show. The latter featuring a very off beat jazz drum machine. The crowd favourite "Mexico" ended the first part of the show and it was time for Mundy to ascend
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Finnian - Under The Influence Album Review

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  Finnian is a singer songwriter from Dundalk, Co. Louth. The singer has been building his fanbase for many years on the Irish and European scene. He has toured extensively and supported the wonderful David Keenan on many occasions. He released his debut single Even Flow in March 2019 and followed up with two more singles Where We Go and I Don't Want To Fall In Love. All three songs were taken from his debut album Under The Influence which was recorded in Dundalk at Black Mountain Studios. The album came to fruition thanks to Finnian's Fundit campaign which saw the very popular artist greatly exceed the amount he was asking for. The album was released on July 24th and more recently pressed to vinyl.  The album kicks off with the single Where We Go which is a chilled out track with positive vibes, a delightful brass section and some beautiful guitar playing. Stay is a jazz soaked offering featuring Jess Kav and Booka Brass which again emits a relaxing vibe whilst Finnian's v
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Dark Tropics - Moroccan Sun Single Review

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  Back in February which seems like a lifetime ago in a very different world, Dark Tropics emerged on the scene with their debut single Badlands. The single was at the time and remains one of the best releases of the whole year. Following on from the hype created by the single, the Belfast duo return with new single Moroccan Sun. Watch the video here: Moroccan Sun is a dreamy pop song that captivates you instantly. Rio's voice entices you in and you hang on every word she sings. The music creates the nostalgic atmosphere and together they deliver yet another stunning record. Dark Tropics are easily one of the best things to happen in 2020. Follow Dark Tropics: Instagram Spotify Twitter YouTube Facebook
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