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Slinkachuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adventures in Lilliput

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CONTENTS 054 8 Roadmap Double Dutch

It’s all about the smaller things in life. The incredible joy of that first spring time galette on the street corner in Paris. The secret pleasure of that raspberry scone when no-one’s looking. The dizzying splendour of those funky shoelaces. Or that very moment while walking through the Iveagh Gardens realising you don’t really have to be anywhere and that life’s actually pretty darn sweet. Busy as we are, we all have many places we have to be at different times of the day. Is it only me that can take enormous pleasure from the walk in between them? Or even from seeing someone else do it - that lady with the headscarf, carrying that enormous model aeroplane (well, probably just me then). But still, it’s the finer details in everyday life that make it special. Among the smaller things in life, and in London, are Slinkachu’s little people - even smaller are his graffiti snails (a slow moving art project), but that’s another story. Street artist Slinkachu has for the last year or two been setting free his really small friends in their natural, but gigantic, habitat. We don’t know for how long they survived, if anyone actually saw them, or if they hate us for not sending them to Lilliput. But thankfully our dear friend Slink, creative as he is, has taken photographs of them and made a terrific book on the whole project. We thought it was among the more amazinger things we’ve seen in a long time and are proud to have an interview and a couple of the great shots in Totally Dublin. As for more great shots, photographer Richard Gilligan knew of this wasteland near Blanchardstown...

18 Slinkachu Final proof that it’s the little things in life that make you swoon 24 BLK JKS Bldy brl Sth Afrcn bnd 30 Fever Ray May heighten heart rate and induce shivering 32 Transmission What a wasteland, what a bloody wasteland

72 Gastro Don’t worry, our ink is drool-proof 76 Restaurant Guide Trust us, we know our restaurants better than we know beans on toast 79 Bitesize Something to nibble on 80 Cinema We bid a weepy farewell to Clint 82 DVD Put on your striped pyjamas and curl up on the sofa

41 Listings Where do you think you’re going?

83 Games Flower power

58 Krakow Managing to avoid “Craicow” puns throughout

84 Books An invitation to read An Invitation To Dance

64 Monitor A who’s who with the 202s

86 Audio Ten rounds of fun for your freakin’ ears

66 Upstage Smithfield, Stephen Rea, and supernatural forces

90 Paddy’s Day We don’t do days, but if we did it would probably...

68 Artsdesk We ain’t scared of no ghosts 70 Barfly Fancy dress and Bertie’s best

Peter Steen-Christensen

EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH AISLING FARINELLA & RICHARD GILLIGAN

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When Rich and Aisling (or Richling Farinelligan as we've come to refer to them as) approached us with an idea for a fashion shoot, we knew we'd be on to a winner. Aisling is part-owner of Circus store in Powerscourt, high fashion Mecca for those who want something a bit edgier than the BT2 brigade, and Richard is one of Dublin's best known photographers. Their idea was simple. Rich had a location, Aisling had some lovely clothes, and together they came up with Transmission, a shot of 'whimsical Americana' in, eh, Blanchardstown. Off they went, on the first sunny day of the year and took some gorgeous photos, which can be see on page 32. The austerity of the landscape by some disused railway tracks works in perfect contrast to the prettiness of the clothes. We were blown away by their work and that along with their super-enthusiasm and all-round niceness inspired us to make them our very first double act Employee(s) of the Month. Hip hip, and indeed, hooray.

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CREDITS 054 Totally Dublin Camden House 7 Upr. Camden St Dublin 2 (01) 479 1111

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Editor Peter Steen-Christensen peter@hkm.ie 087 665 2908 (01) 479 1112 Assistant Editor Daniel Gray daniel@hkm.ie (01) 479 1112 Art Director Lauren Kavanagh lauren@hkm.ie Designer Eimear Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor ads@hkm.ie Advertising Stefan Hallenius stefan@hkm.ie (01) 479 1111 087 139 0031 Sofia Thorsell sofia@hkm.ie 085 7611107 Sean Jackson, sean@hkm.ie (01) 479 1111

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Credit Control & Accounts John Devine accounts@hkm.ie (01) 479 1115 Contributors Rich Ashcroft Henry Barnes Emma Brereton Brian Coldrick Aisling Farinella Fiona Gillan Rich Gilligan Katie Gilroy Daniel Gray Jonas GrĂśnlund Ruth Hegarty Dave Hendrick Andrew Judge Chris Judge James Kelleher Olivia Mai Sheena Madden Cillian McDonnell Kieran McGuinness Ailbhe Malone Katie Mooney-Sheppard Elaine Murphy Ciara Norton Jade Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Callaghan Anita Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Leary James Redmond Slinkachu Ben Thomas Adam Trzcionka

All advertising enquiries contact (01) 4791114 Read more at www.totallydublin.ie Totally Dublin is a monthly HKM publication and is distributed from 500 selected distribution points. The average monthly audit of Totally Dublin for the period January - June 2008 was 50,003 as certified by the Audit Bureau of Circulations. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without the permission from the publishers. The views expressed in Totally Dublin are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff. The magazine welcomes ideas and new contributors but can assume no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations.

Totally Dublin ISSN 1649-511X

Front cover image: Last Kiss by Slinkachu

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Feeling Lightheaded :: In Levi van Veluw’s latest photographic series Light the Dutch artist has covered his head with strips of light generating foil, creating a set of striking Glow-In-TheDark Art images. Deconstructing the perceptions of the artist’s regular facial features is van Veluw’s forté, as exhibited in previous works such as Natural Transfers and Landscapes. Rather, the emphasis is on the form of light, obscuring the face in a veil of invisibility. Are they self-portraits, or a different blue-lit beast altogether? www.levivanveluw.com

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2 10

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Some Candy Talking: As Roadmap regulars will have noticed we dote over wicked design and triumphs of creativity like old grannies over Derek Mooney. The folks at Candy are like our friends at the Bingo Hall - theirs is an independently produced PDF magazine dedicated to showcasing exceptional creative talent from across the globe. Started by Richard Seabrooke, it originally set out to showcase the product of the mute Irish creative community, but has since burgeoned to highlighting the vibrance of the world around us. Sweet. Issue 12 is out now www.candycollective.com

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Moodwall :: ‘Shroomheads across Amsterdam have a new tourist attraction - the 24 meter long “Moodwall”. The Moodwall is situated in a pedestrian tunnel and interacts with people passing by, improving the atmosphere in the tunnel and making people happy and feel less unsafe. The interactive urban wallpaper is built out of about 2500 LED lights behind a ribbed semi-transparent wall. The wall’s curves are virtually grafitti-proof as an added bonus. But really, it just looks psychedelically sumptuous. The Moodwall was designed by Jasper Klinkhamer (Studio Klink) in collaboration with Remco Wilcke (Cube), who was also responsible for the construction. It is a pilot version of a mooted 90 meter project likely to surface in 2010. www.urbanalliance.nl

Cannonball Run :: If your idea of a learning curve involves diving in at the deep end, then March's Cannonball Run might hold some shades of interest for budding film makers in Dublin. Lining itself up to be the amphetamine-fueled X-Factor of off-kilter filmmaking, it's based on Stateside events like the NYC Midnight Run and the screenwriters challenge that put creatives under pressure cooker conditions to churn out a product. With just 24 hours to shoot, script and edit a three minute film, the organisers are promising moments of Darwinian natural selection with digital meltdowns at the edit stage and scrambles for locations and a cast. Teams of three are asked to make a pitch, and the best ten then get through. The winning entry getting a serious makeover courtesy of the support from Dublin Community TV.

It's on March 29th and full details will soon be at dctv.ie/cannonball/

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Deep Red :: Did you fall head over heels in love with the disco of Hercules & Love Affair last year? The hit single Blind, with Antony Hegarty as an exceptional disco diva, lent a seldom-witnessed level of hype and Andrew Butler - the man behind the affair in question - quickly had to reassemble all the friends involved and tell them to pack their bags for a lap of honour around the planet. Some of the guests - bass player Andrew Raposo, keyboard player Morgan Wiley and vocalist Nomi had such chemistry they decided to form a new project called Deep Red.

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So far we have only had the opportunity to be enamoured by two songs of their soulful and languid brand of disco. That kind of slower paced disco seems to be the order of the day in New York at the moment, with more examples to be found from Chromatics, Glass Candy and others at the Italians Do It Better label, but Nomiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s incredible voice gives Deep Red a whole other dimension.

Debut single Fun Girl is to be released in March with an album to follow in the summer

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Headgear:: Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones is a collaboration between the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and one of the world's foremost milliners, Stephen Jones. The exhibition displays more than 300 hats chosen by Jones, ranging from a 17th-century Puritan's hat through 1950s Balenciaga design to creations by Jones and up and coming new milliners. The exhibition is arranged in four main themes - Inspiration looks at the myriad of sources including historicism, exoticism and the natural world; Creation explores the techniques, materials and processes; The Salon focuses on the buying and selling of hats and the millinery shop; and The Clients examines the wearing and etiquette of hats and features headgear worn by Audrey Hepburn, Anna Piaggi and Dita von Teese to name a few. Displayed in a box-hedged, Baroque garden setting, Hats: An Anthology is the V&A's first exhibition devoted to hats, with many pieces from its extensive hat collection on display for the first time. Words Lisa Kjellsson Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones runs until May 31st 2009. For more info visit www.vam.ac.uk

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MY OTHER CAR IS A MINI WORDS HENRY BARNES PICTURES SLINKACHU

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Company Car

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“They’re not pets, Susan” 20

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n a city you brush past hundreds of people you know nothing about. You’re anonymous to everyone, but intimate with them too. Street artist Slinkachu focuses on this transitory aspect of human interaction, his fear and fondness of urban isolation chronicled through pairs of photos of modified toy models placed all over his home city: London. The first photo is a close-up: in one a mum pulls her kid on a sledge through thick snow. The second is shot from further away: the ‘snow’ is the white line dividing two spaces in an inner-city car park. The first is beautiful and comforting, the second is grubby and remote. Both say a lot about the cities we live in. How do you feel your work expresses what you like and dislike about urban environments? I love the feeling of anonymity that you get in a big city, but with that you have to accept that you will often feel lonely and over-looked. I like to explore the contrasts between the architecture of the city and the people in it - the large buildings and the small, hidden thoughts and fears of city inhabitants.

Majestic

What do you mean when you talk about letting your figures “fend for themselves”? All the figures I use get left on the street. The installations are ephemeral and probably get stepped on or swept away pretty quickly. I like to think of it like passing someone in the street - you might watch them have an argument, drop their shopping or leer at someone; and then you never see them again. How does the internet fit into your work? Without my blog (http://little-people.blogspot.com/) you would be hard-pressed to see the work - so many people must walk by it without realising it is there. The photos almost work as reportage to the scenes and dramas of the installations. A lot of urban art - just because it’s site-specific - has really benefited from the internet and digital cameras. Now, for the first time anyone across the world can look at work on a street corner in Tokyo, London or San Francisco. My kind of work just wouldn't have been seen globally before.

The Great Escape

What do you say to people who feel that your art is just a fad that looks good on the internet? It’s often the ideas behind the style of work that are more important. The minute I start feeling that my work is just about, say, a little model standing on a stone and it has no heart, soul or humour to it then I would probably down-tools and do something different. Playing with toys is just fun and being in London I have a huge playroom.

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Cash Machine

Cash Machine (a year and a half later)

Little People in the City is out now through Boxtree/ Pan Macmillan For more on Slinkachu see little-people.blogspot.com and slinkachu.blogspot.com

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Authentic French patisserie baked in house everyday. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner until 10pm Mon-Fri Opening Hours: Mon- Fri: 7am- 10pm Sat- Sun: 8am-9pm 10- 11 Camden Street Dublin 2 T: 01 476 3818

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Youtube, April 27, 2008 – from Harriet’s Alter Ego, Brooklyn Afternoon has quietly turned into evening. Midway down the bustling Flatbush Avenue a small boutique has been filled by about 50 people, perhaps more, equally restless, equally hip New Yorkers waiting for tonight’s gig. It’s overcrowded. The floor beneath the red brick wall has been transformed into a makeshift stage. Cords, speakers, amps and instruments stand on top of each other between coat hangers and clothing racks. Along the wall in the middle of the room stand a quartet of musicians. They look like a mixture between the old rastafari punksters Bad Brains and a bunch of local art students. The time has now reached around eight o’clock. Some of the crowd look as uncomfortable as people can only do on such occasions. Some of the others have now, because of the long and patient wait, become enthusiastic enough to jump up and down, clap their hands, say yeah. But most enthusiastic of them all is Tshepang Ramoba, the drummer of the band. He’s so worked up that he’s bouncing up and down behind his drum kit while stamping on the bass drum. His thick dreads fly around his head like ears on a cocker spaniel. The rocking guitar riffs are becoming more and more intensive until an ambu-

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Real world, seven months later

lance flies by outside and, for a couple of seconds, drowns out the music. One minute into the clip – one of those which has made sure Blk Jks have generated more mentions in magazines than they have songs – Tshepang Ramoba has sat down behind the drums to start singing in Zulu. Naturally I don’t understand him. The only thing I suss out is the name of the band he plays in: Blk Jks (that’s ”Black Jacks” by the way). The song they’re playing is called Umzabalazo and is built upon the same chanting as the protest songs during the Apartheid regime. By interweaving the repetitive vowels in plucking guitar strings and bass the band lets them build up until the soundscape seems to cover a whole stadium rather than a little boutique in Brooklyn. In the hands of a rock band from the shanty towns of South Africa the protest song transforms into such a charged kind of rock music that it feels like it could well be the most exciting thing that has happened to dub rock since The Clash released Combat Rock way back in 1982.

Mpumi Mcata, who plays guitar and acts as the band's spokesperson, formed Blk Jks with singer and front man Linda Buthelezi. They had grown up together in East Rand, a shanty town in East Johannesburg. In anticipation of a couple of gigs outside of town bass player Molefi Makananise and drummer Tshepang Ramoba were recruited to the band. “Tshepang probably thought we played jazz or something similar. After I had played the first song for him he still couldn't understand he was actually joining a rock band. It wasn't until Linda and Molefi came in to the room, turned their amplifiers on that he understood what he had gotten into,” Mpumi Mcata says, laughing. Tshepang Ramoba and Molefi Makananise both hail from Soweto in the south-western part of Johannesburg, a city that with all its suburbs is home to close to eight million inhabitants. In contrast to Mpumi Mcata and Linda Buthelezi who both went straight from trying to churn out acoustic poetry to buying electric guitars, both Ramoba and Makananise have a background in jazz and more traditional African music. From a Western perspective the prospect of a black rock band is hardly mind-boggling, but in South Africa a rock band from the shanty towns is still controversial. Much due to the fact that to many rock is still viewed as the music of the enemy, the white. Blk Jks seem to strive towards openly showing the same affection and appreciation for everything from African legends such as Fela Kuti, local stars like reggae singer Lucky Dube and Busi Mhlongo to the western pop and rock that was the only thing playing on the radio as they grew up during Apartheid. But more than anything they seem to have a will to embed their influences in as many layers of electric guitars as possible. “Right when we started Blk Jks it was precisely that mix we were looking for, musically. None of us needed to be pushed in a certain direction. It just happened”, Mpumi Mcata tells me. South African journalist Miles Keylock has described Blk Jks music “like slowly driving through Johannesburg with your windows rolled down.” I wouldn't really know. I've never been to Jo-burg, as the locals call it, but Blk Jks' rock – just like jazz from the shanty towns, Jamaican dub and various traditional African styles of music – makes me think that at least I can envisage how it would be. “South Africa has a long history of making their own renditions of popular songs from the western world. If you

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liked a song from overseas you tried to recreate it with new lyrics and in a different tempo. It occurred in every genre, from jazz to pop,” Mpumi Mcata explains. “The music was very modern, but at the same time it was also very concious of its South African identity. You never tried to adapt to a gimmick or an American sound, we had to be proud as a people and as a nation. Especially when it came to music,” he continues. One of the South African bands that blended contemporary pop music with the native sounds most successfully was disco rock outfit Harari. At the beginning of the 80s the band was enormous in South Africa, and they also toured the US and sold over a half a million albums. Today they are not only one of Blk Jks' most important role models, but possibly that most important individual piece of the jigsaw that connects epic rock music with African pop and uplifting disco. The indie rock scene in South Africa loved Blk Jks from the word go. For a country whose rock bands never sounded like anything other than pale copies of the American or British originals, and very rarely was anything other than snowwhite, Blk Jks brand of rock 'n' roll quite naturally stood out.

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The band had opportunities to start recording at the best recording studio in the country – SABC Studios. The idea was that the work would lead to the debut album After Robots. But Blk Jks never succeeded in agreeing with any of the major record labels that wanted them on their roster, so the master tapes remained untouched. “No one said what we wanted to hear at this stage and we didn't say what they wanted us to either. And we definitely weren't the people they wanted us to be,” Mpumi Mcata says. “For us it was never about reclaiming rock, or just mix the rock with African music or similar. What we do, is not really something new per se, but a blueprint several people have done before us. The unique thing would be these specific songs. You can play whichever genre you want in any way you want, new or old, it doesn't matter. What differentiates a song that five people like to one five million like is that little bit of magic in the song,” he states. With the experience from their previous recording taken onboard the quartet started to seek new opportunities. It resulted in the enthralling songs Lakeside and One Must Die that were pressed up

on vinyl in 500 copies last year – a record that soon began a life of its own on the internet. Then later last year the Mystery EP was recorded in the legendary Electric Ladyland Studios in New York. The four track record was produced by Brandon Curtis from the American rock group Secret Machine (and now of School of Seven Bells). Still without a record deal they had to rely on contacts. And with celebrity fans like the backpacker-funkster Diplo and the world-concious Bono I'm sure it was somewhat easier. When I talk to them they have just finished one little tour and are preparing for the next. They have already been touring around both Europe and the States as well as extensively in their native counrty. 27th April, the day they played in that clothing store in Brooklyn, is actually Freedom Day in South Africa. A national day instated to celebrate the day they, for the first time ever, elected a president Nelson Mandela - through a democratic election. It'll be 15 years ago this year. A lot has changed for the better since. And a lot hasn't. “What I like about Blk Jks is that we as a band always have to make sure that everything we say through are music is something that will strengthen people. There has to be something in the music that everyone can take in and to feel that it belongs to them, speak to them or about them, Molefi Makananise points out. As a country South Africa has opened itself up, mentally as well as economically. After the sanctions during the Apartheid regime were lifted, foreign investors have had the opportunity to spend as much as they want in the country. Although, despite the economic growth, the distinction between social classes are as apparent as ever. A lot of the people from the poorer areas around Johannesburg and Cape Town, whose friends and family died on the streets during the struggle against Apartheid, are still as poor as before. A significant difference between now and then is that there is no obvious enemy to direct their frustration and anger at. Neither is there an obvious leader or political party to assemble behind. “Everything that has happened, and everything still going on to this day, affects us because we allow it to affect us. We do all we can to not try and escape from reality. In that way, there is always a lot to write about,” Molefi Makananise continues. “Even if we don't say it directly, you can hear that our music mirrors a reality that sometimes is a horror movie, sometimes an action and at times a romantic comedy. We find so much inspiration and so many topics to write about just because of the political and social change in the country. It's our home. But every mother must one day let their child see the world,” concludes Mpumi Mcata. Blk Jks debut EP Mystery is out March 10 on Secretly Canadian

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YOU GIVE ME FEVER My friends in the voice machine

WORDS DANIEL GRAY

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The facts: Fever Ray is the solo vehicle for the musical experiments of one half of Swedish switchblade-electronica proponents The Knife, Karin Dreijer-Andersson. The Knife create dance music with an emphasis on emotive storytelling. Fever Ray creates head music where psychomotor reactions are a curious by-product of her motorik beats. Dark adaptation is the process where your eyes adapt to pitchblackness in shady light, pupils dilating and retinal sensitivity heightening, searching out any ray of light illuminating the blackness. Fever Ray is dark adaptation for the ears. Now we've cleared the facts up. Let's get on to the fiction. There's a duality in a lot of your music, the conflict between the 'female' and 'male' voices, the contrast between the pop music and the more ambient music, the sense of physical mystery you create with the masks and the confessional, open nature of the lyrics - do you set out to obscure the true nature of your music and your identity as Fever Ray, and as The Knife, or is it a case that you don't have a strictly defined concept of what Fever Ray/The Knife is? The Knife and Fever Ray are just free to do whatever they want. They are projects

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of concept, as soon you get close to a too defined idea, then you have to work towards it in some way. Ralph Emerson wrote that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures.â&#x20AC;? Since your writing is usually fiction do you find that it sometimes illuminates truths in your life you hadn't been conscious of? I think working through Fever Ray makes many things get clearer. It feels more real than if I would have tried to say something without a mask of some kind, for example. 'Natural' is also a construction, but it's not said out loud enough. Can you compare the Fever Ray album with any other works of fiction, or even see traces of other's creations in it in terms of theme or style? It is close to a scene in Julio Medem's film The Red Squirrel where the band Las Mosqas stand on a cliff playing their music dressed in fur. I know you admire Jim Jarmusch's 'Dead Man' a lot - what elements of it did you associate with your music? First I like the tempo. The long scenes, the loads of time that passes and with little things going on. There is room for

delicate details. And I like the photo too, a little bit rough and very beautiful. Fever Ray is a new character/set of characters from the cast you've played as the Knife. Do you define the characters you play before you inhabit them, or do they develop as you go on? I see them more as mental characters or emotional characters. A steady ongoing development, they change shape a lot. Is Fever Ray predominantly for your own catharsis and as an outlet for your own creative urges, or is it made for mass consumption? Do you ever create a song with an audience's reaction in mind? How much of it is pop music, and how much of it is art? I never think of an audience, I make the music by myself and my bunch of pitched friends in the voice machine. It's only us present at the recordings and I think of no one else. I think pop music definitely can be art, I am not so interested in separating it, both can be both, I guess. The Knife's success was unprecedented, in a sense. While there's a core pop sensibility to a lot of Knife songs, it's wrapped up in a darkness and a musical obliqueness

that most would consider too weird for a mainstream audience to latch on to, to enjoy. Do you think Fever Ray is even more challenging for new listeners? And do you think music is essentially a waste of time if it doesn't challenge an existing template? I think music and art should be challenging, yes. Brain exercise. But you can create challenge in many ways, it can be a tone out of tune and it can be voices cut in different ways, it's very hard to say how to create it, but you know it when you feel it, I hope. I try to always [challenge myself while making music]. Making working routine for example. I worked from almost 7 to 4 every day for 8 months. That's a good start. I think making music in itself means challenge, cause I don't think it's easy at all. Is the darkness of your videos and of your music there to make the little candlelights and the moments of brightness more valuable and more precious, because they're rarer? Are you an optimist, a pessimist, or a realist? Yes, that's a fine way to say it. I am a hopeless optimist, I expect everything to work, always. I have a very unrealistic confidence many times. The ocean is a motif through the album what attracts you most to the sea? I am brought up by the west coast of Sweden and the sea means summer, holiday and something free. It is also very nice to sleep in boats. Now I live on the east coast which is not really the sea, a real sea must have salt water and jellyfish. Will there always be mystery surrounding your work, or are you gradually shedding more light on your personality, removing the mask a little bit? Music is mystery in itself, and beauty and possibilities and freedom. You destroy that when mixing it up with the private, a face or fashion. Most articles pin the Knife and Fever Ray down as this morose, macabre acts with a zealous approach to your work, but really there's an awful lot of humour in some of your stuff. I don't think anybody who's listened to Hangin' Out could accuse you of having no sense of humour. But Fever Ray seems far less cheerful, bleaker than the music you've made before, even in the range of sounds on it. Was it less of a fun and playful album to make? I guess I had no one to laugh together with in the studio. And there was no need, my hands were full of other matters this time. Given your love for Miami Vice did you think about getting Jan Hammer in on the album for a collaboration? I like to keep the writing process for myself. And production-wise, I am very happy with the more minimal guys I have produced together with. But remix-wise, why not? Fever Ray the album is out on March 27th

www.totallydublin.ie

TOTALLY DUBLIN

Transmission

PHOTOGRAPHY RICH GILLIGAN FASHION AISLING FARINELLA

TOTALLY DUBLIN

Previous page: Thermal leggings €15 from Marks

Top: Bodysuit, €40 from American Apparel

Bottom: Viscose lace knit embellished dress,

& Spencer

Denim dress, €260, by Henrik Vibskov at Circus

€1500, with organza underskirt, €575, by John

Dress by YSL, €695 from Brown Thomas

Check shirt-dress, €189 by Peter Jenson at Dolls

Rocha

White broderie anglaise shirt, €425 by Junya

thermal vest €15 from Marks & Spencer

Thermal & leggings as before

Watanabe for Comme des Garcons at Havana

Mesh hat by Funeral Fog from

Floral chiffon top, €53 by Topshop boutique

Denim and lace waistcoat, €65 from Urban

www.tapedcopies.com

Mesh hat by Funeral Fog from

Outfitters

www.tapedcopies.com

Shoes, stylists own

TOTALLY DUBLIN

Vintage jumpsuit, €24.99 by Alice by Katie-Lilga, available from Filmbase market, first Saturday of every month, Filmbase, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 Thermals & shoes as before Floral chiffon top, €51 from Urban Outfitters Denim and check skirt (wrapped around shoulders), €645 Junya Watanabe for Comme des Garcons at Havana

TOTALLY DUBLIN

Photography Rich Gilligan, www.richgilligan.com Assisted by Johnny Savage Fashion by Aisling Farinella, www.aislingfarinella.com Assisted by Emma Turpin Make-Up by Eimear Sweeney Hair by Paul Davey, Toni & Guy, Dame Street, D2 Assisted by Niamh Hegerty Model Heidi @ Compton, www.compton.ie Special thanks to Sheila-Ann Gilligan for soup and sambos Stockists American Apparel, www.americanapparel.net Brown Thomas, 88-95 Grafton Street, D2, 01- 605 6666, www.brownthomas.com Circus, Powerscourt townhouse, D2, 01-6724736, www.circusstore.net Dolls, Clarendon Street, D2, 01- 6729004 Havana, Donnybrook, D4, 01-2602720 John Rocha available from Havana, Donnybrook and The Design Centre, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, D2 Marks & Spencer’s, 15-20 Grafton Street, 01 6797855 www.marksandspencer.com Topshop, St Stephen’s Green, D2, 01-6725009 www.topshop.com Urban Outfitters, 4 Cecilia Street/7 1/2 Fownes Street, Temple Bar, D2, 01-670-6202 www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk

Thermals and bodysuit as before Sequin dress by John Rocha, price on request Floral print jacket, €99 from Topshop

TOTALLY DUBLIN

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ďŹ lm live music clubs classical theatre art comedy

listings

where do you think youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going?

Cinema Q American

Teen

Visit our new website for comprehensive Cinema, Gig, Club, Theatre, Exhibition, Comedy and Festival listings - www.totallydublin.ie

who must defeat Vikings and a

super heroes make up the fabric

Q Marley

Director: Nanette Burstein

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée

Q The

Young Victoria

serpent god to find a crystal and

of everyday society.

Director: David Frankel

Questions About Time Travel

Cast: Hannah Bailey, Colin

Cast: Emily Blunt, Miranda

complete the legendary Book

Cast: Owen Wilson, Jennifer

Director: Gareth Garrivick

Clemens, Megan Krizmanich,

Richardson, Jim Broadbent

of Kells in this Irish animation

Q Flame

Aniston

Cast: Anna Faris, Dean Lennox

Jake Tusing, Mitch Reinholt.

Release Date: 6 March

featuring the voices of Brendan

Director: Ole Christian Madsen

Release Date: 13 March

Kelly, Chris O’Dowd

Release Date: 6 March

Rating: PG

Gleeson and Mick Lally.

Cast: Thure Lindhardt, Mads

Rating: PG

Release Date: 13 March

Rating: 15A

From Academy Award winners

Mikkelsen, Jesper Christensen,

Newly weds John and Jenny

Rating: 15A

Experience senior year of

Graham King and Martin

Q Watchmen

Peter Mygind, Stine Stengade

Grogan (Owen Wilson and

A regular trip to the local pub

high-school through the eyes

Scorsese comes the story of

Director: Zack Snyder

Release Date: 6 March

Jennifer Aniston) work as

turns into a very significant

of five very different American

Queen Victoria’s early rise

Cast: Malin Akerman, Billy

Rating: 15A

journalists at competing

event for three average Joes,

adolescents in this revealing

to power, and details of her

Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla

While the Danes are praying for

newspapers, and can’t agree on

when a woman from the future

feature that documents the

legendary marriage to Prince

Gugino, Jackie Earle Haley,

a swift end to the war, freedom

whether or not they are ready

shows up and sets an adventure

heartbreak, hilarity and drama

Albert.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Patrick

fighters Bent Faurschou-Hviid

to start a family, so they get a

involving space and time in

Wilson.

a.k.a. Flame, and Jorgen

dog. Despite growing into a 100

motion.

Release Date: 6 March

Haagen Schmith a.k.a. Citron,

pound bulldozer that destroys

of teenage life. Q The Q Wendy

And Lucy

Secret Of Kells

And Citron

& Me

Director: Tom Moore

Rating: 18

are planning a covert operation

everything in its path, Marley

Q Hush

Director: Kelly Reichardt

Cast: Evan McGuire, Mick

A complex, multi-layered

for the Holger Danske

helps the couple through the

Director: Mark Tonderai

Cast: Michelle Williams, Will

Lally, Brendan Gleeson

mystery adventure based upon

Resistance Group that will

ups and downs of family life,

Cast: Will Ash, Christine

Patton

Release Date: 6 March

the award-winning graphic

put them in grave danger. In a

and ironically enough, brings

Bottomley

Release Date: 6 March

Rating: PG

novel published by DC Comics

difficult lesson they learn that

out the best in them.

Release Date: 13 March

Rating: 15A

Adventure, action and danger

that is set in an alternate 1985

all is not fair in love and war.

Wendy Carroll (Michelle

await 12 year old Brendan

America in which costumed

Rating: 16 Q Frequently

Asked

Williams) is forced to confront

that we are scared to cross.

her dire financial situation when

Writer/director Mark Tonderai’s

Two Lovers

her car breaks down on the

psychological thriller asks

way to Alaska where she hopes

where the line is drawn when it

to spend the summer working

Wendy witnesses the sympathy and generosity at the edges of American life, as the limits and depths of people’s duty to each other are revealed..

TDLOVES

at the North-western Fish cannery. In these tough times,

Within us there is a moral line

comes to a loved one.

New York-born filmmaker James Gray has assembled a fine cast to tell the story of a man torn between two lovers, in his appropriately titled movie, Two Lovers. A welcome complaint for most, but an awful predicament for one tortured soul, Joaquin Phoenix’s character Leonard must choose between a beautiful, enigmatic neighbour played by Gwyneth Paltrow, and the sweet and conscientious Sandra (Vinessa Shaw). His decision could not only alter the course of his life, but could also influence his family’s future.

Q Lesbian

Director: Phil Claydon Cast: Paul McGann, James Corden, Mathew Horne, MyAnna Buring, Silvia

national irish visual arts library

Public Research Library of 20th Century Irish Art & Design

National College of Art & Design 100 Thomas Street Dublin 8 T: 01 636 4347 romanod@ncad.ie www.ncad.ie/nival

Vampire

Killers

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TDLOVES

Paul Rudd, Jimmy Kimmel.

Rating: TBC

inventor who takes on the U.S

a businessman who is buying

Release Date: 27 March

Assembled from over 30

automobile industry in a fight

out his family’s dry-cleaning

Rating: PG

hours of interviews with the

for recognition for his ingenuity

business.

When California Resident Susan

controversial heavyweight

but quickly learns the hefty

Murphy (Reese Witherspoon)

champion, James Toback

price of justice.

mysteriously grows to 49 ft

explores the life and career

11in, she is labelled a monster

of the self-destructive boxer

Q Two

and captured by the military

Mike Tyson, from his early

Director: James Gray

Panjabi, Guy Pearce, Aly Khan,

and remanded to an institution

years to his notorious match

Cast: Joaquin Phoenix,

Simon Reynolds

that houses a whole host of

with Evander Holyfield and his

Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa

Release Date: 27 March

other eccentric creatures. Not

conviction on sexual assault

Shaw.

Rating: 15A

entirely useless, the monsters

charges.

Release Date: 27 March

When FBI agent Roy Clayton

Rating: 15A

(Guy Pearce) heads up the

Following a recent heartbreak,

investigation into a dangerous

are called upon by the president

American Teen

Lovers

Q Flash

are threatening to take over the

Director: Gerald McMorrow

Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix)

international conspiracy, all

Earth.

Cast: Greg Kinnear, Lauren

moves back into the family

clues lead to former U.S Special

Graham, Dermot Mulroney

home, and falls in love

Operation’s officer, Samir Horn

Damned United

(Don Cheadle). Obsessed with

Director: Tom Hooper Cast: Michael Sheen, Jim

Remember what it was like, those spot-infested years of wishing you were dead, hating your parents, and trying to fit in by experimenting with all sorts of chemical substances? Multiply your irrelevant Irish adolescence by a million and you’ve got a 95 minute documentary-style movie called American Teen. Through the eyes of a promqueen, the school heart throb, an obnoxious jock, a rebel and of course, the unfortunate geek, witness the true agony of growing up, and be thankful for your petit experience.

Cast: Don Cheadle, Archie

to defeat an army of UFOs who

Q The

Of Genius

Q Traitor Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff

Broadbent

discovering the truth, Clayton follows Horn across the

TDLOVES

globe as the elusive ex-soldier

Release Date: 27 March

burrows deeper and deeper

Rating: TBC

into a world of shadows and

A look at Brian Clough’s 44

intrigue.

day reign as the coach of Leeds United. Q Religulous Q Genova

Director: Larry Charles

Director: Michael

Cast: Bill Maher and

Colloca, Vera Filatova, Tiffany

Adapted from the 2002 best-

Winterbottom

Interviewees

Mulheron.

selling novel by Alice Sebold,

Cast: Colin Firth, Catherine

Release Date: 3 April

Release Date: 20 March

The Lovely Bones tells the story

Keener, Hope Davis

Rating: 16

of a young girl who after being

Release Date: 27 March

Lesbian vampires have captured

brutally raped and murdered,

Rating: 15A

the entire female population of

watches over her family from

In search of a fresh start after

a rural Welsh town and it’s up

heaven, but also keeps an eye

the sudden death of their

to the remaining men folk to

on her killer. She must weigh

mother, Joe (Colin Firth) moves

free them from an ancient curse.

her desire for vengeance against

his two daughters to the exotic

her desire for her family to heal.

Italian town of Genova, where

Q The

Lovely Bones

his 16 year old teen explores the

Director: Peter Jackson

Q Monsters

Vs Aliens

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Rachel

Director: Conrad Vernon &

Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley

Rob Letterman

Tucci, Michael Imperioli,

Cast: Reese Witherspoon,

Saoirse Ronan.

The Secret of Kells

Rating: 15A A range of views on the various world religions are explored as

Set in the 9th Century, The Secret of Kells is a colourful animation directed by Tom Moore, co-founder of Irish company Cartoon Saloon. The adventure revolves around a young boy, Brendan, who discovers a hidden talent in the art of illumination, and in a secret quest to finish the magnificent Book of Kells, Brendan learns to overcome his deepest, darkest fears.

Bill Maher travels to numerous religious destinations, such as Jerusalem, the Vatican, and Salt Lake City, interviewing believers from a variety of backgrounds and groups, including Jews for Jesus,

sexy and dangerous underbelly

Christians, Muslims, former

of this mysterious new world. Release Date: 27 March

with two different women

Mormons, and Hasidic Jews.

Q Tyson

Rating: PG

in quick succession. He is

He travels to Speakers’ Corner

Rainn Wilson, Hugh Laurie,

Director: James Toback

Based on a true story, Greg

forced to choose between the

in Hyde Park, London and

Release Date: 20 March

Seth Rogan, Will Arnett, Kiefer

Cast: Mike Tyson

Kinnear stars as a college

exotic Michelle (Gwyneth

satirically preaches Scientology

Rating: TBC

Sutherland, Stephen Colbert,

Release Date: 27 March

professor and part-time

Paltrow), and the daughter of

beliefs.

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Live gigs Friday 6 March

Visit our new website for comprehensive Cinema, Gig, Club, Theatre, Exhibition, Comedy and Festival listings - www.totallydublin.ie

band flex their Death Magnetic

Q Ponytail

Q Baby Jenx

7.30pm €10

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

Irish shoestarers play Club

Q Torc

8pm, €15.45

8pm, €10

AC30.

With Goldfish Syndrome

launch their album

prowess. Q Andrea Bocelli The O2, Northwall Quay, D1

Q Deerhunter

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

Baltimore sugar-rush wonky

7pm, €55

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

8pm, €14

rock. With Adebisi Shank and

Some Il Divo rip-off lad.

RESCHEDULED

20:00

Jogging.

Saturday 14 March

Q Emiliana Torrini

Q One For The Road

€7

The Academy

Andrew’s Lane

Upstairs.

7.30pm, €21

8pm, €20

Ambitious, aspirational, and

Road Records benefit gig

quite awesome folk songstress.

with Jape, the Jimmy Cake, Si

Trip-hop three piece launch Q Ledd Zepp

Q Peter Bjorn & John

The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

The Button Factory

8pm, €15

8pm, €18

The closest you’ll get to seeing

Proof that PBJ sandwiches are

Page and Plant on the same

the best of all.

stage in your lifetime.

their new EP.

Sunday 8 March Q Il Divo

Q Bravado Whelan’s 20:00

Schroeder and more.

The O2, Northwall Quay, D1

Tuesday 17 March Q Meteor Ireland Music Awards

Q Scott H. Biram

7pm, €61.80/72.70

Q Joe Echo

Q 202s

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

The world’s most expensive

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

Q Junior Boys

8pm, €30

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

8pm, €13

Armani models strut their stuff

8pm, €8

The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

Support the Keep Amanda

8pm, €8

It’s been said that rock and

on the 02 catwalk.

Upstairs.

POSTPONED

Byram Off The Dole Fund this

The subjects of our new

roll came from the blues on

schoolboy crush take to the

the right hand and country on

Q Smokie

Thursday 12 March

Q Lionel Richie

Whelan’s stage upstairs.

the left; Scott H. Biram is the

Olympia Theatre

middle finger on both.

7.30pm, €30

Q Sonas

Glam, bam, bring your gran.

Vicar Street

Q Secret Affair Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

Q Emmy The Great

8pm, €25

Crawdaddy

A revival of the mod revivalist mod band. Absolute modness.

Saturday 7 March

The Royal Dublin Society (RDS)

Patrick’s Day. The O2, Northwall Quay, D1

Q You Am I

8pm, €76.25/65.70/59.80

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2 7.30pm, TBC

8pm, €28

Q Gojira

Australian rock oldies, with

Q Joscho Stephan Trio

A birra Celtic mysticism from

Whelan’s

support from Irish indie newies

8pm, €15/12

The Sugar Club

Kila and company.

8pm, €15

The Minutes

We’re not sure if the name is

8pm, €18

meant to be ironic or not.

Gypsy guitarist and friends.

They are Godzilla, and Dublin Q Imelda May

is Tokyo for the night.

Wed 18 March

The Button Factory Q Paranoid Visions

Q Caruso

7.30pm, €15

Q Jezz

Q Limehouse Lizzy

Q Metallitia

The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

New queen of rockabilly.

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

The Scene

The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

8.30pm, TBC

8pm, Free

8pm, €8

8.30pm, €15

8pm, €15

Authors of such hits as ‘Fritzl’s

Upstairs.

Phil Lynott fans apply only.

Ireland’s own Metallica tribute

Basement’ and ‘Sex Kills’

Sunday 15 March

Thursday 19 March

Wed 11 March

Q Carus Thompson Whelan’s (Upstairs) 8pm, €8 Australireggae songwriter.

Q Joshua Radin

Q X Factor Live Tour

Q Skeleton$

The Sugar Club

The O2, Northwall Quay, D1

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

8pm, €14.50

8pm, €49.20/44.20/40.20

8pm, €12

Ellen DeGeneres likes him.

With support from the Spook

Scrubs likes him. Grey’s

Of Thirteenth Lock

Anatomy love him. We’re

The Sugar Club

indifferent.

8pm, TBC

Friday 13 March

Where Do You Think You're Going? Story of Hair What's the best budget-free way to spend a day out in Dublin? Cash your bus receipts, buy ice-cream and sit in St. Stephens Green. What are your March gig recommendations? March is looking pretty busy already but I imagine you'll catch a few memebrs of the band propping up the bar, or in the front row of First Aid Kit on the 7th in the Button Factory, at Ponytail on the 11th in Whelan's, Skeletons the night afterwards, New Amusement on the 13th in the Academy, the Road Records Benefit on the 14th in Andrews Lane Theatre, Animal Collective on the 27th in Tripod, and... Story of Hair & So Cow on the 19th in Whelan's!

With support from Captain Q The Beat

Moonlight and Stephen James

Q The Stone Roses Experience

The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

Smith

The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

8pm, €22.50

11pm, €15

Skankers extraordinaire

Q Frances Black

A night of apeing King Monkey

celebrate their 30th anniversary.

National Concert Hall

Ian Brown at the Academy.

8pm, €37.50/20 Q The Laundry Shop

Not the Black Francis you

Q QTIP

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

actually want to see.

The Button Factory

8pm, €8

7.30pm, €30

Swedish/Irish indie three-piece.

The coolest way to clear your

Are Story of Hair a night-in or night-out band? It depends on the night really. Predominantly we're a night-in band due to chronic fatigue, age, apathy etc. We have been known to have band nights out however. They're like staff nights out but less awkward (marginally). What's Dublin's biggest no-go night out? Anwhere that requires uncomfortable shoes, smoking across the road from the entrance and compulsory cloakroom (you know who you are!)

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

Monday 16 March

Q Lionel Richie

Q Aslan

lo-fi acts stuck together with

The O2, Northwall Quay, D1

Olympia Theatre

sellotape for your listening

7.30pm, Sold Out

8pm, €30

pleasure.

Richie, we’re told, can still go

Keep on truckin’, lads.

8pm, €10 Two of Ireland’s sweetest

row though?

Friday 20 March

Q Lily Allen The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

Q Mogwai

Q Johnny McEvoy

7.30pm, €33.30

The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

Transformer

Lily tries to fit her entire gob

8pm, €30

8pm, €22.50

into the Academy.

Scot’s clan do a three night

The Banagher Banger back with a bang.

stand. Q Felix Da Housecat The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

Saturday 21 March

Q Halfset & Adrian Crowley

8pm, €25

Whelan’s

The electro feline brings the

Q Mogwai

8pm, €12

Illinoise back to Dublin.

The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

Two of Ireland’s lushest prospects in one building.

Story of Hair play with fellow lo-fi lover So Cow in Whelan’s on the 19th March

Q Story of Hair + So Cow

ears out this Friday night.

All Night Long. Two nights in a

What are Story of Hair's Paddy's Day Plans? We are gonna lift the ban on all the snakes in Ireland, climb Croagh Patrick, find a four-leafed clover whilst simultaneously getting drunk on green Guinness. Some of the band are known to make a small fortune painting people's faces at the parade.

Q Jinx Lennon

8pm, €30 Q Butterfly Explosion Whelan’s

Q Grades of Shade

ďŹ lm music listings nightlife culture comedy events festivals features

less inky

more linky

WWW.TOTALLYDUBLIN.IE

Crawdaddy

Midori Hirano

Q Duke Special

8pm, €10

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

Vicar Street

Beat-heavy live band, with

8pm, €13

8pm, €23

support from Speakertreatz and

Experimental Japanase pianist

The Dread-ful Duke in an all-

Barry Brennan

and ambient princess.

ages show.

Q Crayonsmith &

Monday 23 March

Q The High Kings

Giveamanakick

Olympia Theatre

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

Q Jackson Browne

7.30pm, €33.50/25

8pm, €10

Olympia Theatre

Billboard World Music Chart-

Out On A Limb’s top acts in a

8pm, €70/65

toppers and platinum disc

two-for-one bargain.

He might even play ‘Lawyers

paddies.

In Love’. Q Joe Dolan- The Reunion Show

Tuesday 24 March

Q Kamelot The Button Factory 8pm, €24.50

Vicar Street 8.30pm, €45

Q Jackson Browne

Power metal for post-14 year

The spirit of Joe winking at

Olympia

olds.

mammies from the front row.

8pm, €70/65

Q 8Ball

Q Kenny Rogers

Crawdaddy

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

The O2

7.30pm, €8/5

8pm, €10

6.30pm, €65

Get warmed up for Animal

7-piece somnambulists.

Best known for his

Collective. Support from Talula

contribution to Jackass and

Does The Hula.

Q Jabbas

Q Iain Archer

menwholooklikennyrogers.com

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

Thursday 26 March

8pm, TBC

Q Mike Bartlett

Once hotly-tipped singer-

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

Q Biz Markie

songwriter plays Upstairs

8pm, €10

Whelan’s

Social commentator and

8pm, €23

country strummer.

He just wants a friend.

Sunday 22 March Q Mogwai The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

Wednesday 25 March

8pm, €30

One For The Road Andrew's Lane Saturday 14 March, 8pm, €20 The announcement that Dublin indie institution Road Records is on the verge of folding last month was greeted with a pre-mortem mourning usually reserved for a Pope on his Vatican deathbed. If you, racked with guilt that you bought the last Dudley Corporation album from HMV instead of this heroic institution, feel like sending proprieters Dave and Julie off to their post-record shop lives in style pop down to ALT tonight for a gig featuring Jape, The Jimmy Cake, Si Schroeder, Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Adrian Crowley, The Large Corporation and Road Record DJs and chip in for one last whipround for the one shop in Dublin you could always find a Somadrone mini-CD in.

Q Finbar Furey

8pm, Sold Out

8pm, €20/24.50

8pm, €19.50

Vicar Street

What’s love got to do with it?

The idiosyncratic Animals bring

Former Stranglers frontman

8pm, €39.20

Tina’s all about the money.

their psychedelic noisefest back

flys solo.

Q Alphastates

Ballyfermot’s finest strums

Q Joe Dolan- The Reunion Show

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

again.

Friday 27 March

Olympia Theatre

8pm, €10

8.30pm, €45

Alphasnores, more like.

Q Tina Turner

Q Animal Collective

Q Hugh Cornwell

The O2, Northwall Quay, D1

Tripod

The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

to Dublin in a rescheduling of last year’s cancelled gig.

Q Tina Turner The O2, Northwall Quay, D1 8pm, Sold Out

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Q Sweet Jane

19:30

Vicar Street

BBC Radio 2 presenter and last

Q The Presidents of the United

Crawdaddy

€33.50/25

9.30pm, €35

year’s British Jazz Vocalist of

States of America

They’re bigger than me, they’re

the Year.

Vicar Street

Q Maximo Park

8pm, €26

The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

Watch out for the Barack

8pm, €25

Attack.

Geordies!

Wednesday 8 April

22:30 TBC

Q Dirty Projectors

bigger than you, and they’re

22:30

Crawdaddy

bigger than Vicar Street...

With Talulah Does The Hula

7.30pm, €17

Q Michael English

Thursday 2 April

With Polar Bear and Lucky

Q Chernobyl Children’s Appeal

Q Jack L

Dragons.

Concert

Olympia Theatre

Q Definitely Mightbe

The Helix

8pm, €26

The Academy

The Helix

big night.

8pm, €30

Q Barry McCormack

9.30pm, €16

The Kildare man plays his 60th

11.30pm, €17.50

Q Bell X1

Praise Jesus. And let Michael

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

With youth orchestras, chorus

or so Olympia gig.

Definitely dodgy Gallagher

Vicar Street

help.

8pm, €10

and dancing groups.

tribute band.

8pm, €35

Q Eagles of Death Metal

Former Jubilee Allstars man Q Tidal District

and excellent songwriter in his

Q The Dolldrums

The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

ThinkTank

own right.

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

8pm, €20

8pm, TBC

Josh and Jesse do their dirtiest.

8pm, €10 Launch their single with help

Sunday 29 March

from PilotLight and the Dying Seconds.

Q Ben Lee The Sugar Club

The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

Q Eskimo Joe

8pm, €20

Whelan’s

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

Fresh from almost-victory on

8pm, €16

20:00

Failte Towers the harmonica

Australian rockers boomerang

guru returns.

back for another slice of

Q Hoarsebox

8pm, €30

Q A Place To Bury Strangers

€10

The Button Factory

Former nominee for PETA’s

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

Don’t get too comfy now.

9pm, €10

World’s Sexiest Vegetarian.

8pm, €15

Fingermouse is watching us.

Also, sings a little bit.

NYC ear-terrorists return.

Apparently.

Thursday 9 April

Q The Don Baker Band

Q House of Cosy Cushions

Upstairs.

Tuesday 31 March

Saturday 4 April

Dublin. Q Kevin Doyle

Q D12

Olympia Theatre

Q Jason Mraz

Tripod

7.30pm, €33.60

The Academy, Middle Abbey St, D1

Q Chris Smither

Q Bell X1

7.30, €30/25

Mammy’s boy and all-round

8pm, €30

Q Sickboy

The Button Factory

Vicar Street

The Dirty Dozen rescheduled

softie sings covers, covers and

Grammy-nominated for Best

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

8pm, €27

8pm, €35

show.

covers.

Engineered Album. Must be

8pm, €10

DVD star of Chris Smither

SXSW-bound Irish indie.

Teaches Six Outstanding

Q Lyle Lovett

Friday 3 April

Q The Fureys and Davey Arthur

Fingerpicking Arrangements

Olympia Theatre

awesome, therefore. Vicar St.

Q Bell X1

8pm, €44.20

Q One Day International

8.30pm, €30

Vicar Street

Q Children of Soweto

Promoting his intriguingly-

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

They’re mad out of it.

8.30pm, €35

Q Fred

Crawdaddy

named album ‘It’s Not Big-It’s

8pm, €15

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

8pm, €20

Large’.

The Hedge Schools support.

Sunday 5 April

8pm, €16

First winners of the All Ireland

Corkonians “put the Fred back

Community Gospel Choir

Wednesday 1 April

Q Ash Grunwald

Q Kings of Swing

in freedom”.

Competition.

Whelan’s, Wexford St, D2

Olympia Theatre

Q Frightened Rabbit

8pm, €13.80

8pm, €30/25

Saturday 28 March

Q Messiah J and the Expert

Q John Shelly and the Creatures

The Academy

Australian blues man and

The Academy

Whelan’s

8pm, €13.50

owner of fine dreadlocks.

Monday 6 April

20:00

8pm, €5

Scottish band that sound like

€14.45

Upstairs.

wooly cardigans.

Q Fujiya & Miyagi

Q David Byrne

Tripod

National Concert Hall

Q Clare Teal

7.30pm, €20/25

8pm, €61.50/55.50

The Sugar Club

Exemplary Kraut-inflected

The Talking Heads legend is dry

9.30pm, €29

white-boy funk.

cleaning his white suit for the

Choice-nominated hip-hop.

Monday 30 March

Q The High Kings Olympia Theatre

Q Bell X1

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Clubs - once-offs Friday 6 March

Q Lerosa Live (Enclave) The Twisted Pepper

Weekly clubs Button Factory stage.

Monday 16 March

soundtrack live from the man in question.

Mondays

Friday 27 March

Q Island Culture

11pm, €5 Funky House, R‘n’B

Q Apex

11pm, Price TBC

Tripod

Techno label Enclave bring Irish-

11pm, €15

Italian producer Lerosa to the

Q Laurent Garnier

The mastermind behind the

basement stage at The Twisted

Tripod

Q Sibin Festival Launch Party

St, D2

Q Ready Steady Go-Go!

Unknown Error production force,

Pepper.

9pm, €33.85

The Twisted Pepper

Caribbean cocktail party

South William, 52 South William

Iconic dance luminary Laurent

11pm

Garnier plays live and a DJ slot at

See highlight

Rob Dickeson AKA Apex, makes his debut appearance in Ireland.

Friday 13th March

Tripod on St. Patrick’s Eve. Q Hype meets 515

Q Outrage & Modular,

Pod

Space2Pace Launch Party

11pm, €15

The Twisted Pepper

Three room special at the Pod

Tuesdays

South William, 52 South William

St, D2 Q Fionn Davenport

8pm

Sin, Sycamore St, Temple Bar, D2

Femmepop, Motown, 60s Soul

Q Hed Kandi

9pm, €5

Q Roni Size

Tripod

No cheese eclectic mix

The Button Factory

11pm, €21.50

11pm, Price TBC

11pm, €25

Hed Kandi is all about style and

Q Dice Sessions

11pm, Free before 11.30 €5

complex. Pod: Special guest DJ

Ricky Force, one of the main

Mercury Prize winning DJ

their sound has almost become

The Dice Bar, Queen St,

after

T. (Get Physical). Lobby Bar:

movers in the Dublin’s Reach

Ronnie Size is joined by DJ Hype,

a genre in itself. Hed Kandi DJs:

Smithfield, D7

Classic and Alternative Rock

Bill Scurry & Calvin James.

collective, is all set to launch his

Dynamite MC and MC Daddy

Jamie Richards & Sarah Louise.

Free

Crawdaddy: 515 guests TBC.

own label Space2Pace records.

Earl for one of the most exciting

Justin Martin

drum ‘n’ bass line-ups of recent

Q Firehouse Skank

Pod

times.

South William

Q The Mission

Smithfield, D7

10pm, Free

Think Tank, 24 Eustace St,

Free

Q Airbound

The cream of roots, reggae and

Temple Bar, D2

Laid back French Hip Hop and

The Twisted Pepper

culture music since the early 90s.

11pm

Groove

10pm

Last Friday of every month Q Past, Present and Future Funk

Q Star DJs

The Village, 26 Wexford St, D2

Sin, Sycamore St, Temple Bar, D2

11pm, Free

9pm

Funk, Soul, Disco

Disco, House, R’n’B

Q Midfield General & The

The first Airbound party in the run up to the summertime Croatian festival that it precedes.

Q Ivan Smagghe

TDLOVES

Nick Hoppner

Q Sneaky Sound System - Bacardi

The Twisted Pepper

B-Live

11pm, €10 in advance / €15 at

Q Dolly Does Dragon

Q Jelly Donut

Pod

the door

The Dragon, Sth Great Georges

The Village, 26 Wexford St, D2

11pm (bar from 6pm), €17

Ivan Smagghe makes a open

St, D2

10.30pm, Free

Bacardi B-Live kick start 2009s

armed return to The Twisted

10pm, Free

Minimal Techno

first bank holiday with a launch

Pepper with straight up driving,

Cocktails, Candy & Classic

featuring Sneaky Sound System

jackin’ techno sounds

Tunes

Q The Recession Club

Q Soap Marathon Monday/

Cassidys, Westmoreland St

Mashed Up Monday

With guest dj Mat Mcmanamon

The George, Sth Great Georges

Q Jezabelle

from The Dead 60s playing an

St, D2

The Purty Kitchen, 34/35 East

Q Benga

eclectic mix from punk rockabilly

6.30pm, Free

Essex St, Temple Bar, D2

Crawdaddy

and Ska

Chill out with a bowl of mash

7pm, Free before 11pm

11.30, €20

Free admin 9pm till late

and catch up with all the soaps.

Live Classic Rock

inimitable underground sound to

Q Zombie Nation

Q The Industry Night

Q Glam

Crawdaddy for an alternative to

The Button Factory

Break for the Border, 2 Johnstons

The Dragon, Sth Great Georges

your traditional St. Patrick’s Day.

11pm

Place, Lr Stephens Stt, D2.

St, D2

Rescheduled show - tickets for

Zombie Nation mastermind

8pm

8pm, Free

6th Feb show still valid

Florian Senfter brings funky,

Pool competition, Karaoke

A pre-Glitz special

dirty grooves, that lie somewhere

& DJ

Disco Brasil amongst others.

There are few reasons good enough to get you into a nightclub on a Monday night. Nick Hoppner, owner of ascending German minimal label Ostgut Ton makes that particularly lofty grade. The Berghain/Ostgut Ton sound resembles the Kompakt minimal sound so inescapable across the last decade, with an even more inhuman, harsh sound. Recent releases from Shed and Marcel Dettmann have underlined the label, and Hoppner's fetish-like love for nebulous sonic atmospheres and attentive development of beats. An argument has been made that Ostgut's popularity is due to its zeitgeisty relevance, bleakness to reflect the economic drought, like Depression-era cinema and literature. One suspects, though, were we still in the throes of a tiger economy Hoppner would still be minted by the musical quality of his roster.

Tuesday 17 March

Friday 20 March

Make and Do-Do with Panti

Break for the Border, Johnstons

Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel St, D1

Place, Lr Stephens St, D2.

10pm

11pm

Gay arts and crafts night

Gay club night

South William

Q DJ Ken Halford

Q Trashed

10pm, Free

Buskers, Temple Bar, D2

Andrews Lane Theatre, Andrews

at local battles and parties. His

DJs Leroy Culture and Lex Woo

10pm

Lane, D2

debut album, Ultrasound, was

turn out Dancehall, Jungle and

Chart Pop, Indie, Rock

10.30pm, €5

released in January and features

Dubstep on the first Friday of the

a host of quality UK producers

month.

Justin Martin is one of the few

Q Durrty Goodz

11pm, Price TBC

house DJs that successfully

The Twisted Pepper

MUD at The Twisted Pepper

bridges the gap between being

11pm

kickstarts a series of guest

commercially successful and

Londoner Durrty Goodz has

Q Afrobass

nights with UK Big Beat pioneer

staying true to the underground.

worked his way up the Grime

and founder of Skint Records,

His sound has been described as

ladder starting out as a teenager

Damien Harris AKA Midfield

both melodic and tough.

collective, The Breakdown Band,

Q Scope & Tu-ki

control the stage upstairs.

The Twisted Pepper 11pm, Price TBC

Q Glitz

between electro and house, to the

The Twisted Pepper

beatboxing, percussion pounding

Penny’s in the bar!

Dubstep warrior Benga brings his

11pm, €10/€12

Saturday 14 March

Q Give a Dog a Bone Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel St, D1

Breakdown Band

basement stage. MC-ing, human

Q Le Nouveau Wasteland The Dice Bar, Queen St,

(DJ Set), Who Made Who and

Kennedy's 11pm, €12

General downstairs on the

Ri-Ra, Dame Court, Dublin 2

DJ Alley

Sat 28 March

Q Ruby Tuesdays

Button Factory.

including Joker & Nocturnal.

Saturday 21 March

Friday 3 April

Saturday 4 April

Indie and Electro Q Euro Saver Mondays Twentyone Club and Lounge,

Q DJ Stephen James

D’Olier St, D2

Buskers, Temple Bar, Dublin 2

11pm, €1 (with flyer)

10pm

DJ Al Redmond

Chart Pop, Indie

Q Afrobass

A live visual mix throughout the

South William

night matches Scope & Tu-Ki’s

Q Paul Kalkbrenner

The Twisted Pepper

10pm, Free

soul, funk, hip-hop and house

The Twisted Pepper

11pm, €10 in advance / €15 at

DJs Leroy Culture and Lex Woo

beats.

11pm, €12

the door

Q Recess

B-Pitch Control producer-turned-

Detroit newcomer Omar S. is

Ruaille Buaille, South King St, D2

11pm, €5 DJ Andy Preston (FM104)

turn out Dancehall, Jungle and

Q Omar S

Q Funky Sourz Club M, Blooms Hotel, Dublin 2

Dubstep on the first Friday of the

Q Vicarious Bliss

movie director, Paul Kalkbrenner

a current favourite amongst

11pm, €8/6

month.

The Button Factory

delivers the perfect soundtrack

house and techno heads alike.

Student night

11pm, Price TBC

to his movie about a Berlin

The driving force behind Ed

electronic music composer.

Q Therapy

Dandelion Café Bar Club, St.

Banger Records takes to the

The Twisted Pepper deliver the

Club M, Blooms Hotel, D2,

Stephens Green West, Dublin 2

Saturday 7 March

Q Hed-Dandi

DJs Dave McGuire & Steve O

Gay student night

Street, Dublin 2

Dublin 2

9pm, Free before 10pm, after

Q The Panti Show

9pm, Free before 10pm, after

11pm, €5

10pm €8/€4 with student ID

Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel Street,

Indie Rock

Game show followed by 80s

Dublin 1

and 90s music.

10pm

Q Takeover

Q Wednesdays @ Spy

10pm €8/€4 with student ID

Twentyone Club and Lounge,

Spy, Powerscourt Townhouse

Performance and dance. Retro

D’Olier St, Dublin 2

Centre, South William Street,

50s, 60s, 70s.

11pm, €5

Dublin 2

Electro, Techno

10pm Late club night

Wednesdays

Q Re-Session

Gay cabaret.

Wax @ Spy, Powerscourt

Q Muzik

Q DJ Alan Healy

Townhouse Centre, South

The Button Factory, Curved

Buskers, Temple Bar, Dublin 2

William Street, Dublin 2

Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2

Fridays

10pm

11pm

Q Mud

Q Antics

Q The Song Room

Chart Pop, Current Indie and

Minimal, House, Techno

Up Beat Indie, New Wave,

The Twisted Pepper, 54 Middle

POD, Old Harcourt Station,

The Globe, 11 South Great

Rock Music

Bouncy Electro

Abbey Street, Dublin 2

Harcourt Street, Dublin 2

Georges St, Dublin 2

11pm, €5

8.30pm, Free

Q Sexy Salsa

Think Tank, 24 Eustace Street,

Q Thursday night DJ

Indie Rock ‘n’ Roll student

Live music

Dandelion Café Bar Club, St.

Temple Bar, Dublin 2

The Globe, 11 South Great

Q Jam

11pm, €10 (varies if guest) Bass, Dubstep, Dancehall

Stephens Green West, Dublin 2

11pm

Georges St, Dublin 2

Q Babalonia Tropical

Q We got Soul, the Funk, and

8pm, Free

Student/ Erasmus party

11pm, Free

Soundclash

Q Ragga Reggae Wednesdays

the Kitchen Sink

Latin, Salsa

Indie

South William, 52 South William

Think Tank, 24 Eustace Street,

Ri-Ra, Dame Court, Dublin 2

Temple Bar, Dublin 2

11pm, Free before 11.30, €5

10pm, €3 donation

after

DJs, MCs and live percussion

Soul and Funk

Q Dean Sherry

Q Unplugged @ The Purty

Abbey Street, Dublin 2

Sin, Sycamore Street, Temple Bar,

The Purty Kitchen, 34/35 East

11pm, €8/5

Q Jason Mackay

Dublin 2

Essex Street, Temple Bar, D2

House, Electro, Bassline

Sin, Sycamore Street, Temple Bar,

Q Moog 69s

9pm

7pm, Free before 11pm

Dublin 2

Thomas Reads, Parliment Street,

Underground House, Techno,

Live acoustic set with Gavin

Q Soundcheck

9pm

Dublin 2

Q Foreplay Friday

Funk

Edwards.

Spy, Powerscourt Townhouse

Dance, R’n’B, House

9.30pm, Free

The Academy, Middle Abbey

Live covers band + DJ. Funk,

Street, Dublin 2

Soul, Pop

10.30pm, €10 after 11pm

night with live music slots.

Thursdays

Q Mash

Street, Dublin 2

South William, 52 South William

Q After Work Party

8.30pm, Free

Street, Dublin 2

The Purty Kitchen, 34/35 East

Dub, Ska, Afrobeat

Q Mr. Jones

9pm, Free

Essex Street, Temple Bar, D2

The Twisted Pepper, 54 Middle

Mash-ups, Bootlegs, Covers

6pm, Free before 11pm

Q Nightflight

Live Rock with Totally Wired.

The Button Factory, Curved

Centre, South William Street,

Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 11pm, €5

Q 1957

Q King Kong Club

Dublin 2

Q Fromage

The Dice Bar, Queen St,

Pravda, Lwr. Liffey Street,

7pm – 11pm

The Dice Bar, Queen St,

Smithfield, Dublin 7

Dublin 1

Unarocks and Sarah J Fox play

Smithfield, Dublin 7

Q Big Time!

Free

indie rock ‘n’ roll

Free

The Bernard Shaw, 11 - 12 South

Q NoDisko

Blues, Ska

Open mic night with special

Motown Soul, Rock

Richmond Street, Portobello, D2

The Academy, Middle Abbey

YouTube nights, hat parties,

Street, Dublin 2

guests. Q Soup Bitchin’

Q Soundcheck Afterparty Vs

R ‘n’ B, Hip Hop, Garage

Le Cirque

Q Annie’s Family Fortunes

make and do for grown ups!

€5 after 11pm

With a DJ.

Indie Rock with regular guest

Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel Street,

Q Space ‘N’ Veda

Spy, Powerscourt Townhouse

The George, South Great Georges

Dublin 1

The George, South Great Georges

Centre, South William Street,

Street, Dublin 2

DJs

Transformer (below The Oak),

Marine Rd, Dun Laoghaire, Co.

11pm, €15

Parliment Street, Dublin 2

Dublin

Salsa, Swing, Ska, Latin

11pm, Free

11pm, €10 (ladies free before

Indie, Rock, Mod.

midnight)

Q Freaks Come Out

Soul, Indie, Disco, Rock

The Academy, Middle Abbey

Q Stephens Street Social Club Q Scribble

€15

Street, Dublin 2

The Bernard Shaw, 11 - 12 South

Dirty Electro and House with

8pm, Free

Richmond Street, Portobello,

regular guest DJs.

Funk, Soul, Timeless Classics

Dublin 2

Q Friday @ The Village The Village, 26 Wexford Street, Dublin 2

12 Sundays

Street, Dublin 2

Bia Bar, 28/30 Lower Stephens

Funk, House, Dubstep, Hip

Q Saturday Night Globe DJ

Hop

The Globe, 11 South Great

Saturdays

11pm

You know that girl that sits opposite you every Monday morning with bleary eyes that somehow retain that glint of divilment and, even though you suspect that she may not have showered that morning due to the faint aroma of Capt’n & Coke that’s steadily wafting from her direction, her lazily tousled tresses and slightly smudged eyeliner give her an air of cool indifference that you couldn’t achieve even if you rose with the morning sun? Yeah, she’s probably had a good Sunday. Healthy? Questionable. But definitely a whole pitcher full of fun. To achieve said look, or to attract girl with same, ditch the Sunday morning running gear and nurse your hangover until it’s party time again at the 12 hour drinking and dancing extravaganza that is 12 Sundays at The Bernard Shaw. With pitchers for €10 and a lazy funk and disco soundtrack that builds momentum throughout the day, you’ll forget tomorrow’s Monday in no time. If Carlsberg made Sundays...

Q Strictly Handbag

11pm, Free DJ Dave Cleary plays an

Q Pogo

DJs Frankie & Jay The Bernard Shaw, 11 - 12 South Richmond Street, Portobello, Dublin 2 12pm – 12am, Free

Georges St, Dublin 2

eclectic mix.

The Twisted Pepper, 54 Middle Q DJ Fluffy in the Box

Abbey Street, Dublin 2

Q Space... The Vinyl Frontier

The George, South Great Georges

11pm, €10 (varies if guest)

Ri-Ra, Dame Court, Dublin 2

Street, Dublin 2

House, Soul, Funk

11pm, €10 after 11.30

9pm, Free before 10pm €9 after Camp, Commercial, Dance

Soul, Funk, Disco, Electro Q Download + Tripod Saturdays

Q The Promised Land

Q Karaoke Friday

POD, Old Harcourt Station,

The Dice Bar, Queen St,

Break for the Border,

Harcourt Street, Dublin 2

Smithfield, Dublin 7

Johnstons Place, Lr Stephens

11pm, €12

Free

Street,Dublin 2.

Access all areas at the Pod

Soul, Funk, Disco

10pm

complex with local residents

Karaoke night.

and special guest dj slots over

Q Saturdays @ V1

five rooms.

The Vaults, Harbourmaster Plase,

Q Hells Kitchen

The Sugar Club, 8 Lwr. Leeson St,

Q Al Redmond

The Dice Bar, Queen St,

Dublin 2

Sin, Sycamore Street, Temple Bar,

Q Panticlub

Smithfield, Dublin 7

11pm, €10 (2 for 1 before

Dublin 2

Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel Street,

Q Gossip

R ‘n’ B, Soul and Hip Hop with

Free

midnight)

9pm

Dublin 1

Spy, Powerscourt Townhouse

regular guest DJs.

R’n’B, House, Chart

DJ Paddy Scahill

Centre, South William Street,

Funk and Soul classics

IFSC, Dublin 1

Dublin 2

Q Wes Darcy

Q Friday Night Globe DJ

Spy, Powerscourt Townhouse

Q Fridays @ V1

Q Music with Words

Free before 11pm, €10 after

Sin, Sycamore Street, Temple Bar,

The Globe, 11 South Great

Centre, South William Street,

The Vaults, Harbourmaster Plase,

Pravda, Lwr Liffey St, D1

80s, Disco, Hip Hop, House

Dublin 2

Georges St, Dublin 2

Dublin 2

IFSC, Dublin 1

9.30pm, Free

11pm, Free

11pm, €5

Progressive Tribal, Techno and

Indie, Ska, Soul, Electro

DJ Eamonn Barrett plays an

Indie, Pop

Trance Q Processed Beats

Townhouse Centre, South

Q Basement Traxx

Q Hospital

Q The Friday Night Project

Searsons, 42-44 Baggot St. Upper,

William Street, Dublin 2

Transformer (below The Oak),

Q Ri-Ra Guest Night

Wax @ Spy, Powerscourt

The Purty Kitchen, 34/35 East

Dublin 4

11pm, €10 (€8 with student ID)

Parliment Street, Dublin 2

Ri-Ra, Dame Court, Dublin 2

Townhouse Centre, South

Essex Street, Temple Bar, D2

9pm, Free

House, Techno

11pm, Free

11pm, €10 from 11.30pm

William Street, Dublin 2

10pm, Free before 11pm

Indie, Rock, Electro

International and homegrown

11pm, €5 before midnight, €7

DJ Austin Carter

DJ talent.

after

Q Rock Steady

eclectic mix.

Electro, Techno, House

Q Sub Zero

9pm Q Rubberband

R’n’B

Wax @ Spy, Powerscourt

Indie, Rock Q Sugar Club Saturdays

Q Go!

The Sugar Club, 8 Lwr. Leeson St,

Q Downtown

Bodega Club, Pavilion Centre,

Dublin 2

Searsons, 42-44 Baggot St. Upper,

?dYh[Z_Xb[ l_i_ed _d oekh ^WdZi J^[ d[m 8bWYa8[hho Ijehc m_j^ ^_]^#h[iebkj_ed iYh[[d" fkhfei[#Xk_bj \eh LeZW\ed[$ @kj _`^_$i\jfclk`fe [`jgcXp c\kj pfl m`\n g_fkfj Xe[ ]`cdj è î\Xk [\kX`c% Kf ]è[ flk dfi\ XYflk k_\ 9cXZb9\iip Jkfid jdXikg_fe\# ZXcc è jkfi\ fi m`j`k nnn%mf[X]fe\%`\&YcXZbY\iipjkfid

CWa[ j^[ ceij e\ dem

Dublin 4

9pm, Free

10pm, Free

Rock, Indie, Funk, Soul

Classical

Indie, Soul, Chart Q Gay Cabaret Q Saturdazed

The Purty Kitchen, 34/35 East

Saturday 7 March

Q Finnish-Irish Musical

Terrace, Dublin 2

One of the world’s greatest

Bodega Club, Pavilion Centre,

Essex Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2

Q Rebecca Storm: You Don’t

Collaboration

8pm, €10/18/24/30/35

living pianists plays with the

Marine Rd, Dun Laoghaire, Co.

9pm, Free before 11pm

Bring Me Flowers

Holy Trinity Church, Killiney

Haydn, Liszt, Brahms.

Irish Chamber Orchestra for

Dublin

Gay cabaret shows.

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

20:00

Terrace, Dublin 2

€15/10

11pm, €10 Chart, Dance, R ‘n’ B

Q 12 Sundays

8pm, €20/30/40/50

The Bernard Shaw, 11 - 12 South

The Streisand Songbook

Thursday 12 March

Saturday 21 March

the first time

Q Handel: Samson

Tuesday 31 March

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

Q UCD Symphony Orchestra:

Terrace, Dublin 2

Russian Festival

Q Toejam

Richmond Street, Portobello,

The Bernard Shaw, 11 - 12 South

Dublin 2

Monday 9 March

Q Waltons World Masters

8pm, €25/28

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

Richmond Street, Portobello,

12pm – 12am, Free

Q Barry Douglas and Camerata

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

Dun Laoighre Choral Society.

Terrace, Dublin 2

Dublin 2

Funk, Disco, House

Ireland

Terrace, Dublin 2

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

8pm, €28/38/46

Sunday 22 March

The Jean Luc Ponty Quartet.

Q Glenn Miller Orchestra

Conducted by Ciarán Crilly.

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

The Badke String Quartet

Terrace, Dublin 2

Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoighre

Q RTE National Symphony

3.15pm, 8pm,

8pm, €17/15

Orchestra

€23/33/41.50/45.50

Performing works by Haydn

Q Co. Dublin VEC Festival of

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

One of the foremost UK

and Schumann.

Afternoon: Car boot sales, film clubs, music lectures, t-shirt

Q Songs of Praise

Terrace, Dublin 2

making etc.

The Village, 26 Wexford Street,

8pm, €25/30/40

Later on: Resident DJs playing

Dublin 2

An all-Mozart program

Soul, Funk, House, Electro

10pm, Free Rock ‘n’ Roll Karaoke

Q Sidesteppin’

Tuesday 10 March

Friday 13 March

Bia Bar, 28/30 Lower Stephens

Q Zrazy Jazz

Music

Terrace, Dublin 2

big bands play two shows

Street, Dublin 2

The George, South Great Georges

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

8pm, €10/18/24/30/35

throughout the day.

8pm, Free

Street, Dublin 2

Terrace, Dublin 2

Gerhard Markson, and Simon

Old School Hip Hop, Funk 45s,

4pm – 7pm, Free

7.30pm, €10

Trpceski

Reggae

Lazy Jazz Sunday

An evening of classical, popular,

Monday 23 March

20:00 €12/18

Wednesday 1 April Q Philharmonia Orchestra National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

Q Karishmeh Felfeli Presents

Terrace, Dublin 2

Q Darragh O’Neill

Musicians of the Future 2009

8pm, €55/70/80/90/110

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

With German violinist Julia

Terrace, Dublin 2

Fischer amongst the many

Dublin 2

1.05pm, €15/12

8pm, €20

esteemed musicians.

11pm

Award-winning composer and

A presentation of Dublin’s

DJs Pete Pamf, Morgan, Dave

guitarist plays music spanning

most promising musicians from

Friday 3 April

Redetta & Special Guests

from Bach to Japanese folk.

diverse backgrounds.

Q Anna Devin and Lina

Q DJ Karen @ The Dragon

Sunday 15 March

The Dragon, South Great

Q Carlos Nunez

Wednesday 25th March

Georges Street, Dublin 2

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

Q Catherine Leonard and

1.05pm, €14

10pm

Terrace, Dublin 2

Warren Jones

A programme of popular opera.

House music.

8pm, €30/40/45

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

Charismatic Galician piper live

Terrace, Dublin 2

Q RTÉ National Symphony

in concert.

8pm, €15/20/25/30/35

Orchestra

Part of the Irish Times Celebrity

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

Concert Series 2008/2009

Terrace, Dublin 2

Q Saturday @ The Village

TDLOVES

The Village, 26 Wexford Street,

Q Beauty Spot Karaoke The George, South Great

Butorina Kiva National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2

Georges Street, Dublin 2

Q Diversus Guitar Ensemble

9pm, Free before 10pm, €10

Unitarian Church, St. Stephen’s

after

Green, Dublin 2

Friday 27 March

6pm, €TBC

Q Anthony Byrne

Peforming works by Vivaldi

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

and Stalling, led by Ross

Terrace, Dublin 2

O’Farrell

1.05pm, €12

Q RTÉ Concert Orchestra At

Celebrating 200 years since the

The Movies

birth of Mendelssohn.

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

Q Signature Series: Aled Jones

Saturday 28 March

8pm, €22/27/33/38

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

Q Meet the Orchestra Fancy

With music from ‘The Ten

Terrace, Dublin 2

Dress Family Concert

Commandments ‘ and ‘Samson

8pm, €30/45

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

and Delilah’.

With the RTÉ Concert

Terrace, Dublin 2

Orchestra.

12pm, €10/32

Sunday 5 April

An interactive family concert

Q Susan McFadden with David

Stefan Ionut-Corlade & Trudi

with help from Den Tot Emma

Hayes and Big Band

Carberry

O’Driscoll.

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

Karaoke followed by DJs

Paul G. Smyth

playing camp commercial pop. Q Panticlub Panti Bar, 7-8 Capel Street, Dublin 1 DJ Philth & Guests

Sundays Q Worries Outernational The Button Factory, Curved

Goethe-Institut 19th Mar 6.30pm, €5 Paul G. Smyth is the piano behind lavishly-garlanded 9-piece band The Jimmy Cake, and Ireland’s foremost freeimprovising pianist. After studying fine-art painting in the National College of Art + Design, Smyth toured with New York free-jazz veteran Charles Gayle, and since then has played with such luminaries as Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Keiji Haino, Barry Guy, John Russell, Chris Corsano and Damo Suzuki, been a featured composer in the National Concert Hall, written music for theatre, and performed in 17 countries. He makes us feel very lazy.

Wednesday 18 March

Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 11pm and traditional music.

Dancehall Styles Q Shirley’s Bingo Sundays

Rathmines Library, Rathmines

Q The Workers Party

Street, Dublin 2

Wednesday 11th March

Sin, Sycamore Street, Temple Bar,

8.30pm, Free

Q America

Dublin 2

Bingo & Cabaret with Shirley

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

9pm

Temple Bar

Terrace, Dublin 2

Thursday 19 March

The George, South Great Georges

Mendelssohn.

Saturday 4th April

Terrace, Dublin 2

Rd., Dublin 6

Q The Priests In Concert

8pm, €30/35

1pm, Free

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

The West End Star makes her

Baritone and piano duet.

Terrace, Dublin 2

debut solo performance in

20:00

Dublin.

€45/50/60

8pm, €44.50

Q Winteriser: Paul G Smyth

Mind the bunnies, Ted, our

Q Get Over Your Weekend

Fronted by Gerry Beckley and

Goethe-Institut, 37 Merrion

current hottest superstars

Q Jazz @ The Globe

All Day

Dewey Bunnell.

Square, Dublin 2.

perform an in-demand Irish

The Globe, 11 South Great

Lounge around with Penny the

6.30pm, €5

show.

Georges St, Dublin 2

Hound!

With DJ Ilk

8pm, €10/18/24/30/35.

Q Gráinne Stafford + Trudi

Ireland’s foremost free-

5.30 – 7.30pm

Carberry

improvising pianist.

Sunday evening jazz

Rathmines Library, Rathmines

Sunday 29 March Q Stephen Hough and the Irish

Rd., Dublin 6

Friday 20 March

Q Hang the DJ

1pm, Free

Q RTÉ National Symphony

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

The Globe, 11 South Great

Soprano and piano

Orchestra

Terrace, Dublin 2

Georges St, Dublin 2

collaboration.

National Concert Hall, Earlsfort

8pm, €10/20/30

Chamber Orchestra

Visit our new website for comprehensive Cinema, Gig, Club, Theatre, Exhibition, Comedy and Festival listings www.totallydublin.ie

Theatre March 2009

Visit our new website for comprehensive Cinema, Gig, Club, Theatre, Exhibition, Comedy and Festival listings - www.totallydublin.ie

Q The Giant Blue Hand

Q Solemn Mass for a Full

The Mill Theatre, Dundrum.

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin 2.

on a series of pleasure seeking

By Marina Carr

Moon in Summer

Funny and brilliantly crafted

Your favourite movie brought

misadventures.

Q The Real Thing

The Ark

Project Arts Centre, Space

masterpiece which juggles time

to life.

8:15pm, €9/6

By Tom Stoppard

Two little boys, a giant blue

Upstairs

and space to present the lives

Tues-Thurs 7pm, Fri 5pm, 8pm,

March 17 – 21

The Gate Theatre, Cavendish

hand and the wide open sea in

A provocative and emotional

and loves, passion and panic of

Sat 7:30pm, matinees Wed, Sat,

Row, Parnell Square, Dublin 1.

an adventure where children

play about love, sex, faith and

three married couples in a play

Sun 2:30pm. €55/35

Q Little Gem

Multi award winning play

must be braver than adults to

forgiveness.

of love and laughter, meals and

March 17 – April 25

By Elaine Murphy

about a successful playwright

recover the ones they love.

7:30pm, €25/15

mayhem.

who fails to write meaningfully

2pm, 4pm €8/10

Until 28 March

8pm, €18/15

Q One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s

24.

about love.

Until 22 March

March 24 - 28

Nest

Debut play from Elaine Murphy

Draiocht, The Blanchardstown

takes us on a journey through

Civic Theatre, Tallaght, Dublin

Q My Brilliant Divorce

Mon-Sat 8pm, Saturday matinee 3pm €34/25

Q Mum’s The Word

By Geraldine Aron

Q Red Roses and Petrol

Centre, Dublin 15.

three generations of Dublin

Until 28 March

Tivoli Theatre, Francis Street,

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin 2.

The Mill Theatre, Dundrum.

Ken Kesey classic from the

women.

Dublin 8.

An exploration of divorce,

Love, betrayal and secrets

1960s.

8pm, €15/10

Q Marble

The hit comedy for anyone

dating and the search for love,

within a Dublin middle class

8pm, €17/15

March 24 – 28

By Marina Carr

who ever had a mother, starring

starring Deirdre O’Kane.

family in a dark comedy,

The Abbey Theatre, Dublin 1.

Adele King (Twink).

8pm, matinee 3pm €32/15

written by acclaimed novelist

Q Puckoon

Q The Lost Field

Marina Carr’s new play

7:30pm, €25/35

Until 14 March

and playwright Joseph

Civic Theatre, Tallaght, Dublin

which focuses on friendship,

Until 14 March

O’Connor.

24.

Q Complexity

8pm, €18

Adapted by Vincent Higgins &

Meridian Theatre Company

March 31 – April 4

Zoë Seaton and based on Spike

presents two plays in two

Milligan’s legendary comic

venues both dealing with

marriage and the power of the subconscious.

Q Stags and Hens

Block C, Smithfield Market

7:30pm, Saturday matinee 2pm

By Willy Russell

A new play about regeneration

€18/35

The New Theatre, 43 East Essex

and its consequences.

Q The Happy Prince

masterpiece first published in

families torn apart and reunited

Until 14 March

Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2.

8pm, €15

By Oscar Wilde

1963, Puckoon is a hilarious

in odd circumstances.

Magnificently vulgar assault on

March 9 - 21

Bewley’s Café Theatre, 78 Grafton

and irreverent look at rural

Raccoon by Tom Hall and Exit

Street, Dublin 2.

community life.

Wound by Johnny Hanrahan.

Q Ages of the Moon

the threadbare idyll of young

By Sam Shepard

love and marriage.

Q The Dublin Drama Festival

The bittersweet tale of a

8pm, €20/16

8:15pm, €20/16

The Peacock Theatre, Dublin 1.

8pm, €20/15

The Mill Theatre, Dundrum.

gregarious swallow who

March 10 – 14

March 24 – 28

Stephen Rea and Sean

Until 5 April

7 plays over 7 days by amateur

befriends a melancholy statue

theatre groups from around the

while en route to Egypt.

Q The Libertine

Q Boxes

Shepard/Abbey commission.

Q King Lear

country.

1pm, €15, includes special St.

By Thomas Shadwell

CoisCeim Dance Theatre

8pm, Saturday matinee 2:30pm

The Helix

8pm, €16/13

Patrick’s Day Irish stew!

Civic Theatre, Tallaght, Dublin

Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray.

€15/22

8pm, €25/18

March 8 – 14

March 15 – 21

24.

Dance, imagination and

Until 4 April

Until 20 March

Riotous unrepentant seduction

spectacle are packed away in

and debauchery fill the action

this touching duet.

McGinley star in second

Q How the Other Half Loves

Q Disney’s High School Musical

Improvised Music Company presents

Mjpofm! Mpvflf! Usjp from Benin

Lionel Loueke guitar Massimo Biolcati bass Ferenc Nemeth drums

“Lionel is an amazing guitarist. He’s like a musical painter and full of surprises.” Herbie Hancock

Sun 15th & Mon 16th March 09 JJ Smyth’s Aungier St Dublin 2 Doors 8.30pm Adm A18 Book www.tickets.ie www.improvisedmusic.ie

Visual art 8pm, €18/16

IMMA

Three artists hold

locomotion and showed

will show the artist’s

March 14

Royal Hospital, Military

an exhibition raising

in frieze frame stills how

evolution into an

Road, Kilmainham,

questions on ethics, and

the human body and

accomplished painter

Dublin 8

secular society through

animal moves.

who has successfully

their works.

Until 3rd May 2009

battled against the formal

BIFE Mermaid Arts Theatre, Bray.

Q James Coleman

8pm, €15/12

Collections of various

March 17 – 20

works by internationally

Q Hugh Lane Centenary

credited Irish Artist

Print Collection

Chester Beatty Library

Q Once Upon A Mattress

James Coleman are to be

Mindful of the concept

Dublin Castle, Dublin 2

27th March- 25th April

Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire.

showcased from March

and the ethos of Hugh

A musical fairy tale from the era

7th to April 26th in The

Lane supporting

Q Arts of the Book

Q Sean Shanahan

of great Broadway musicals.

IMMA, Project Arts

contemporary practice,

Visitors can view books

A painter of refined

8pm, €20/18

Centre and the Royal

the resulting prints are

from the ancient world

geometric abstractions,

March 10 – 15

Hibernian Academy.

as exceptional as they

including the world

Sean Shanahan has

Coleman’s work, which

are rare.

famous Chester Beatty

often pitted an elegantly

Q DLR Poetry Now

range from photography,

Until 26th Apr 2009

Love Poems (c.1160 BC),

understated use of line

Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire.

projected still images with

Egyptian Books of the

and colour against

Annual international poetry

soundtracks, film, video

Q The Golden Bough:

Dead and beautifully

the more naturally

festival in its 14th year.

and performance, will be

Grace Weir: In my own

illuminated medieval

recalcitrant qualities of

March 26 – 29

split between these venues

time

European manuscripts

a variety of occasionally

and it is the first time he

An Installation based on

and fine European printed

improbable supports.

has had an exhibition

Weir’s film-In My Own

books, as well as Old

20 February 2009 – 21

of this size in his home

Time, The film explores

Master prints.

March 2009

country.

the relationship between

Ongoing.

March 7th-April 26th

the sense of life as a

26th Feb-17th May

structure of the art world

3rd- 5th April Dublin Castle/Alliance Francaise

by developing his own style of avant-garde painting.

Paddy Irishman and Paddy Frenchman walk into an old English castle. Other than dissing that castle's former occupants, what do they have to bond about? This year's Franco-Irish Literary Festival suggests their topic of conversation could fall to the two border-crossing topics inescapable in every culture: L'amour et la mort, Love and Death. Why is the theme of love so closely linked to that of death? Is passionate love a source of pleasure or pain? How far would one go for live. These questions are raised in this 10th year of inter-cultural discourse, and the discussion will be stimulated by such literati illuminati as Nicole Brossard, Joseph O' Connor, Claire Keegan, and Noelle Chatelet. Find a full program at www.francoirishliteraryfestival.com/ and start re-reading your Baudelaire anthology now.

Stone Gallery

Q Exquisite Corpse

of one’s self as a being

Project Arts Theatre

An exhibition of 17

in time.

39 East Essex Street,

Q Bing Bang Bong

works that seek to reveal

26th Feb-24th May

Temple Bar, Dublin 2

An exhibition combining

narrative, ad the concept

time, this is the first major

TDLOVES

Franco-Irish Literary Festival

Q A Midsummer Night’s Dream

levels.

70 Pearse Street, Dublin 2 19th Feb-21st March

exhibition of his works since 1978.

on the IMMA’s

Q Francis Bacon Studio

Q James Coleman; See

Artists; Oisin Byrne,

National Gallery Of Ireland

permanent collection.

Display Cases

IMMA

Emma Roche, Liam Ryan

Merrion Square West and

& De Hooch: Three

Until 29th March

The work of pioneering

and Ben Mullen, Bing

Clare Street, Dublin 2

Masterpieces from Delft

photographer Eadweard

Bang Bong celebrates the

a variety of perspectives

Hugh Lane Gallery

the works of four Irish

Muybridge (1830–1904)

Kerlin Gallery

was of crucial importance

Charlemont House, Parnell

and of enormous interest

Square North, Dublin 1

to Francis Bacon.

28th March-28th June Q VerMeer, Fabritius

This small, but

artists obsessive realm

Q Thomas Roberts

exceptional display will

Anne’s Lane, South Anne

of the handmade. There

Presenting an exhibition

explore the outstanding

St, Dublin 2

works are subversive,

of over 50 works

talents of three master

comedic, insightful,

dedicated to Waterford-

painters of the Delft

Muybridge undertook

Q Guggi

and various: they leave

born artist, Thomas

School: Carel Fabritius,

Q Frequency: Mark

extensive high-speed

Dublin-based Artist

their meanings open to

Roberts (1748-1777).

Pieter de Hooch and

Garry, Padraig Timoney,

photographic studies

Guggi’s third exhibition

a viewer to interact with

Regarded as the top

Johannes Vermeer.

Hayley Tompkins

of human and animal

with Kerlin Gallery

them on a variety of

landscape artist of his

Fabritius’s interest in

CWa[ j^[ ceij e\ dem

unique collaboration between

Comedy once-offs

painter Padraig McCaul and songwriter Will Merriman with live performances from the band every Saturday in the

Q Who’s Lounge Is It Anyway?

6th April-18 April

Comedy Improv

gallery.

Laughter Lounge

20:00

€8/10

19 February 2009 – 19 March

25th Feb

Mrs. Brown rides again...erm,

2009

19:00

again.

Q Tuesdays

Based on the style of the

€28.50/33.50

20:30

Monster Truck & Studio

Gallery Number One 1 Castle Street Dublin 2 March 26th - May 27th Wed to Fri: 11am - 6pm; Sat & Sun: 1pm - 6pm Seinfeld. Volkswagen. Germany. All of these rank among NYC pop artist James Rizzi's fans. Whether being asked to design an entire house in Braunschweig, or commissioned to decorate a Beetle, Rizzi's colourful, maximalist style brightens up any greyscale environment. Rizzi is most famous for his 3D silkscreens, especially the large, elaborate prints of teeming anthropomorphic cityscapes. And for his painting hanging on the back wall of Jerry Seinfeld's house. Gallery Number One presents his debut Irish exhibition from the end of this month.

Q Neil Delamere

Mash (Brand new comedy

audience with suggestions, so

Vicar St.

showcase)

expect a fast paced show full

13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, 20th

€8/10

Q Niall Flaherty - The President

of madcap comedy sketches.

Mar

Grid

The line up this week are Ian

20:30

Q Wednesdays

Monster Truck gallery and

Coppinger, Dermot Whelan,

Avec sa nouvelle comédie

21:30

Studios presents a solo

Michelle Read, Paul Tylak and

‘Créme De Le Mere’

With Andrew Stanley.

exhibition of new work by Irish

guest host Barry Murphy.

€28

€8/10

artist Niall Flaherty. Niall’s

€15 Q John Bishop

Q Thursdays, Fridays and

inquiry into the modern world

Q Paddy Courtney

Vicar St.

Saturdays

and the manner in which its

Laughter Lounge

27th Mar

20:30

systems replicate themselves

26th, 27th, 28th Feb

20:00

With resident MC Aidan Bishop

within the modern subject.

19:00

The cardinal of comedy blesses

€8/10

27th Feb- 2nd March

Plus Ian Coppinger, Michael

practice consists of an ongoing

thisisnotashop

Mee, Caimh McDonnell/

PJ Gallagher

€26

26 Benburb Street, Dublin 7 Q Father Ted Weekend

James Rizzi

Q James Marrigan - Hardware

Laughter Lounge

For thisisnotashop, Merrigan

12th, 13th, 14th Mar

has fabricated a site-specific

19:00

installation that plays with the

Eoin McLove, Father Stone,

image of a hardware store as

and Father Cave all chip in for

a site of possibility. From this

this year’s TedFest. €26

perspective and illusionism is

No Grants Gallery

highlighted in his painting

Temple Bar Cultural Information

fabricated stage, he invites

14th Feb-24th May

Centre, 12 East Essex Street,

the audience to extract the

Temple Bar, Dublin 2

end, beginning and centre of a

Q Best at the Fest! Best of Irish

potentially hazardous narrative.

weekend in association with St

Feb 27th-Mar 8th

Patrick’s Festival

Draiocht

Andrew Stanley’s Comedy Mish

this show is made for an

73 Francis St, Dublin 8

TDLOVES

popular Channel 4 program,

The Blanchardstown Centre,

Q Kathirn Baumbach - Big

Dublin 15

City Life

Q Ross McDonnell

Kathirn Baumbach exhibits her

Temple Bar Gallery and Studios

The title for this exhibition

work.

5-9 Temple bar Gallery, D2

came from the name of a

20th Feb-4th March

DIT photography student

Laughter Lounge 12th/13th/14th Mar

TDLOVES

19:00 Eric Lalor, John Lynn, Colum McDonnell, Steve Cummins and

Q Bonfires

Chinese restaurant that the

Vicar St. 2nd April 20:30

a mystery special guest. €26

Heads down, make no eye contact, PJ Gallagher is in the room. The man whose fame rests on making celebrities feel uncomfortable in the back of his taxi, brings his live show to Vicar St on the 2nd of April. Expect fast-paced wit, impromptu audience interaction and the energy of a small child stuffed to the ear-holes with cheap sweets and Super-Valu cola. Having returned from his travels to America to film Makin' Jake, Gallagher promises tales of Erik Estrada, shotguns and visa trouble. Not only that, but popular characters from both Naked Camera and Makin' Jake are scheduled to feature also - we're talking Jake Stevens, and, fingers crossed, the Dirty Aul Wan. No mention yet of whether or not Gallagher will warble his Christmas smash - ‘Merry Christmas, Jakey Boy', though, chances are anything could happen on the night... €28

artist noticed while working in

Q Carol Eakins - Stages

Photographer John Duncan

India earlier this year. Executed

Eakin’s Latest collection mixes

presents a large body of work

Q Robbie Bonham Plus Guests

in the very traditional medium

art with poetry. Drawing

documenting the long-standing

Laughter Lounge

of oil on canvas, these paintings

influences from Japanese

tradition of Bonfire building

19th, 20th, 21st Mar

present somewhat obscured

culture, Carol’s art is her

by Protestant communities in

19:00 The Laughter Lounge’s

representations, partially legible

interpretation of life. She

Belfast. Duncan’s photographs

agony uncle, plus Aussie

through a layering of large

draws a direct influence from

capture bonfires waiting to be

Damien Clarke, Gareth Berliner,

cubist-like expanses of colour.

her relationships, situations,

set alight, built in preparation

and Keith Farnan.

us with his presence.

30th January 2009- 4th April

sexuality youth and Japan in

for the annual 11th July

€26

€23

2009

her paintings.

celebrations and are a way in

9th-23rd March

which Protestant indentity an

Q Geoff Boyz Plus Guests

Q Ed Byrne

be assessed

Laughter Lounge

Vicar St.

Q Fridays and Saturdays

27th Feb-4th April

26th, 27th, 28th Mar

28th Mar

The Bankers Comedy Club

19:00

7.30pm, €28

21:00

Much-appreciated Scottish

RTÉ-funded weasel with

€10/8

jester, plus Paddy Courtney, Eric

comedy as lank as his hair.

Rubicon 10 St. Stephens Green, Dublin 2

The Green and Red Gallery

The Bankers 16 Trinity St, Dublin 2

Q Martin Healy

26-28 Lombard Street East,

Axis Ballymun

Facsimile

Dublin 2

Main Street, Ballymun, D-9

For almost ten years, Martin

Q Niamh McCann - Purlieu

Q Day is Curious- Outer

Healy has investigated the

In Niamh McCann’s first solo

Reaches

fragile relationship between

exhibition at the Green On Red

Self-taught artist Stano will

Q Des Bishop-Unbéarlable

belief and the observable

Gallery, entitled Purlieu, she

exhibit his latest collection

Vicar St.

20:30

phenomena that furnish the

continues her investigation into

of paintings entitled “Day is

26/26th Feb, 5/6/7/8th Mar

The Jake Stevens joke still isn’t

Q Battle of the Axe

evidentiary basis for faith.

how we construct our social

Curious-outer reaches”. The

20:30

old.

Tuesday and Thursday Nights

26th Feb-28th March

relations through a visual and

collection is inspired by the

After a sell out tour of his last

€28

21:00

linguistic framework.

natural landscape and cultures

show Tongues, Des Bishop is

19th Feb-21st March

of Australia, New Zealand and

set to bring his brand new show

Ireland.

Unbéarlable on a national tour

March 5th-28th

for the first time in November.

The Douglas Hyde Gallery Trinity College, Dublin 2

Q PJ Gallagher

Ha’ penny Bridge Inn

Vicar St.

Wellington Quay, Temple Bar,

2nd April

Shantz, and John Colleary.

Video

The Bad Art Gallery 79 Francis Street, Dublin 8

€26

€28

Q Mamma Anderson (Gallery

Dublin’s most-loved open-mic Weekly Comedy Nights

The International Comedy Club 23 Wicklow St, Dublin 2

night. €9 Q Capital Comedy Club Wednesdays and Sundays

Q Padraig McCaul “The Light

Q Brendan O’Carroll- For the

Nina Canell (Gallery 2)

of Which I Speak”

Love of Mrs Brown

Q Mondays

The club’s flagship night.

Until 18 March 2009

The light of which I speak is a

Olympia Theatre

20:30

€7/5

21:30

Skyfest

GRAVEYARD CITY DRAGONS, GHOSTS AND KINGS WORDS OLIVIA MAI PICTURES ADAM TRZCIONKA

TOTALLY DUBLIN

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t is both eerie and beautifully poignant, and somehow encapsulates the wonder of the Polish city of Krakow; every hour on the hour a bugle is played out the four windows of St. Mary's church tower on the main, and very beautiful Rynek Glowny (Market Square). The haunting music fills the entire square, which is the second largest in Europe after St. Mark's in Venice, but then suddenly stops, mid-song. Legend has it that the trumpeter, who traditionally announced the opening and closing of the city gateways, was forever silenced by a Tartar's arrow, and this tragic moment, like so many in Krakow's rich history has become a part of everyday life in a city that easily combines history with modernity. When writing about Krakow, it is almost impossible not to sound like a brochure - the city is a tourist heaven; a beautiful, medieval town with layers and layers of history and myth oozing from every corner. The entire historic centre of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site; Wawel Castle on the hill with its stories of kings and dragons is magical; the miles and miles of underground passages at the Wieliczka and Bochnia salt mines are a marvel - you can even attend a concert in the huge, subterranean Cathedral, followed by a meal in the restaurant at Wieliczka or stay the night in the sanatorium of the Bochnia mine. Students of the centuries-old Jagiellonian University fill the tiny, smoky cafĂŠs and candlelit bars. Religion plays a strong part in city life too, with images of the pope everywhere in the centre and the presence of habited novices certainly more numerous and noticeable than in Dublin, as well as the Jewish area, Kazimierz, with its synagogues and many Jewish festivals. The Vistula River and surrounding park offer a break from the commercial bustle of the city, as does the 'Planty'; a green belt which was originally the medieval fortification system of walls and gates that enclosed the centre, but which was demolished in the 19th century and replaced with the park. It is impossible to describe or even list all the tourist attractions in Krakow, but regardless of whether you are there to follow the Copernicus route, sample the Polish nightlife, or simply to wander and sightsee, each tourist (with one exception, but more on that later) will discover their own Krakow. Like Dubliners in Temple Bar, locals in

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the historic centre of Krakow are a rarity, mainly seen with their head down, going from A to B. Their lack of presence is not so noticeable in the shops and cafĂŠs, which are all filled with tourists anyway, but it is initially quite strange to walk into a restaurant or bar a little off the beaten track and find it completely empty - it instinctively puts you on your guard. Yet before you think the reason for this has something to do with the dubious (and admittedly not altogether unfounded) reputation of Polish cuisine it is more likely to be a cultural leftover of communistic times. Poles, unlike most other Europeans, rarely go to restaurants for dinner; they tend to go to each other's houses for meals or drink at home before they go out, so unlike in Ireland where an empty restaurant is generally a bad sign, over there it has absolutely no reflection on the quality of the food. This however does not mean you can relax altogether and presume every empty restaurant serves good food - au contraire. Be wary, be very wary! Usually of the 'when in Romeâ&#x20AC;Ś' frame of mind, I did sample some of the local pierogi (dumplings) and barszcz (beetroot soup with egg) etc. and I would even go so far as to forewarn you against being too adventurous, food wise, in Poland. So here it is - Krakow's one failing in my mind is that it is absolutely not for the foodie tourist or gourmet traveller seeking Michelin Stars. Fortunately, for everyone else, Krakow has plenty of European restaurants to chose from, most of which are more than adequate. On the subject of a communist legacy, it is unlikely that you will see the tell-tale mullet amongst fashionable Krakowians, and shopping in the centre of the city is the same now as in any European city. Fortunately so, for local stories abound of black market trading in the communist era, long queues and shops full of vinegar. One man remembers his dad going out to buy a television and coming back with a sewing machine because it was all they had. Nowadays however, dotted amongst the generic Zaras and Mangos omnipresent in every other European city, Krakow still boasts a multitude of boutiques and small shops. Admittedly, the further outside the tourist centre you go the less expensive and shabbier the shops get, but they certainly provide the curious traveller with a window to peer in at the Krakow of the recent past. Within walking distance of the centre and a stone's throw from Wawel Castle is the Jewish Quarter, Kazimierz. Probably the equivalent of Temple Bar fifteen years ago, Kazimierz is in the process of rejuvenation but still

enjoys a mix of old and new. The buildings there are in various states of repair and renovation, and while there are some great new bars and hotels in the area, it hasn't succumbed to a trendy makeover and lost all sense of identity. There is a feeling of cobwebs and dust to the place; nestled among the cafes, galleries and bars are unrecognisable, unbranded, small shops where you can still get things repaired (a very old-fashioned notion in post-Tiger Ireland which I predict will make a rapid comeback). Watchmakers, shoemakers, and pawn shops are still very much busy trades here, alongside dressmakers and second-hand shops of every type. On a Sunday morning Plac Nowy turns into an (authentic) flea market and the bric-a-brac and antique shops are packed to the creaking rafters with all manner of curios and second hand jumble, from 1940s typewriters to old radios, books and clothes. Wandering among the buildings, stalls and artefacts of Kazimierz, you cannot help but imagine what life was like there some seventy years ago. For me, the sense of proximity to the immensely tragic World War II occupation, both in the sense of

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SAVING GRACES Alison Bell was a high yer in a Forbes Top 500 company when the urge to set up a business for herself became too hard to hold back. She had worked hard and achieved great things with Travelport, the multinational travel services and technology company, but all the while the idea of doing something for herself was gaining momentum. “It’s almost like a run-away train in you,” she says. “There’s something that just forces you to do it. Your head argues against it all the time – the security of an income against all that personal risk. But readiness has a lot to do with it - you reach a point in your life when you just have to try it.” “For me, success was going to be actually doing it, getting out of the corporate environment and standing on my own two feet. Nobody can really prepare you for the sleepless nights you’ll have worrying about nances and so on - you’ll always spend more than you thought you would. There are enormous highs and lows, but you ride that out you get used to the ups and downs and you begin to react better. The fact that you’re on your own can be daunting, but you gain condence in yourself. Unless you get out there you won’t really know what you can and cannot do. “It’s denitely changed me. Even if for some reason it didn’t work out, I’d still feel it’s been a success for me.” The idea for her business came from a wellearned break she’d taken in Enniscorthy. “I was looking around for a nice spa break and realised that getting details on what was available around the country was tricky.” She set up spa-ireland.com entirely with her own nances. The concept was to bring together all the top quality spas in the country on a website, to provide an independent, clear description of what they offer, and to provide the facility to book packages and treatments online. “I had a fair idea what I wanted from the site, but what I really knew was what I did not want. I didn’t want a pink girly site, and I didn’t want ads – I needed to appeal to as many people as possible.” The hard work has paid off, and the site is a joy to use, with clear, clean and fast presentation of information and a simple yet comprehensive range of the best that’s on offer in spa treatments and breaks. “You can see a pattern with our enquiries, you know, three or four girls looking for a weekend package, or a mother and daughter mid-week deal,

a husband who wants to send his wife and a friend away for a treat. We can match what they’re looking for,” says Alison. Around 90% of her bookings and enquiries require some sort of input from the Spa-Ireland team. “It’s great because we have a wonderful online resource but we’re also really reaching out to the customer. We email them with our conrmation or suggestion, and then after a few hours we call and ask if they’ve any questions or anything they need, and they’re usually a bit taken aback that we actually follow through on the enquiry!”. “Being able to talk to them means you understand what they need. It means you can then drive your business based on customer expectations, not on anonymous transactions. Part of the value that we bring is that we are a neutral voice, we don’t own any of the properties, we chose them, and we can stand over every service offered on our site. “There’s huge diversity in demand. We just added the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon where they do a ‘Spa and Surf’ package, and we know from the enquiries we’ve had that there’s a market for that. It’s amazing value and their spa is run by an excellent Malaysian guy who’s won Conde Naste awards. You really have to keep an open mind as to what your market is.” Going forward, Alison is keeping an eye on trends in America, where spa-type treatments are increasingly used as part of medical treatments, offering alternative routes back to wellness. She’s also built up an excellent package of information on spas in Ireland and she has been approached by potential partners in the tourism sector keen to pass on her unbiased view of the market. On top of that, she’s also secured a number of international spa domains, including spa-newzealand and spasouthafrica, which should prove fruitful when it comes to expanding beyond Ireland. “Revenue is straightforward,” Alison explains. “There are three streams, one is a participation fee for the partners which is a very small monthly fee for handling and promoting their packages. Then we get commission on transactions. Obviously the commission has huge potential for growth as trafc

increases on the site. And then we sell gift vouchers. “So far we haven’t felt the pinch. October was incredible. But then November was slower. Vouchers ew out in December, and January has been exceptional, surpassing our wildest expectations. “Dublin City Enterprise Board has been great. I did a start your own business course, which really helped me decide what exactly I wanted to do. I also did a nance course with them, which was heavy going, but again, really well worth it. But the big thing is the people that you meet. There’s a great support network should you chose to tap into it, and meeting like-minded people at networking events such as those organized by the Enterprise Network for women has been a great benet to me. It’s a friendly environment, very focused and I’d recommend it to anyone looking to start a business or in the early days of start-up. ”

Spa Ireland won the Rising Star award at the Dublin City Enterprise Board annual awards for 2008

Dublin City Enterprise Board Can Help You Start or Develop Your Business • Business Advice & Mentoring • Enterprise Training • Business Networks – Link!, PLATO, Women • Financial Assistance • Tech-Check • Online ‘Knowledge Centre’ • Online calendar of enterprise events • Free E-Newsletter Contact: Dublin City Enterprise Board 5th Floor, O’Connell Bridge House D’Olier Street Dublin 2 Tel: 01 635 1144 Email: ecurley@dceb.ie Web: www.dceb.ie

time and location, was overwhelming. There are daily tours offered to the nearby concentration camp Auschwitz/Birkenau, but just walking around Kazimierz and the Podgórze district is enough for anyone with pause for thought. Part of the reason behind the desolation and still remaining tenements of Kazimierz was due to the simple fact that all its inhabitants were rounded up and herded across the river to the Krakow Ghetto. Following the Holocaust most of the homes lay unclaimed and deserted for decades. The Kraków Ghetto, formally established in 1941, is actually in the Podgórze district and not in Kazimierz as portrayed in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List. Podgórze today, well off Krakow's main tourist track, looks like any other typical urban suburb, with high rise apartments and small supermarkets, where busy residents queue for trams and the Krakow minibuses wait to fill up, before moving off. Perhaps it is due to the ordinariness of the place compared with the blatant grandeur and beauty of the centre, that this area is not often highlighted in guide books. Little remains of the wartime ghetto now. There are fragments of the wall which once surrounded the ghetto separating the Jews from the rest of the city, and dotted around Plac Bohaterow Getta (once Zgody Square) are giant bronze chairs which we later discovered were a memorial to the great tragedy that took place there. It was in this square where Jews were divided by the Nazi authorities, into those who could work and those who, infirmed, too young or too old, were sent to the nearby concentration camps. It was here the story of Schindler's List actually took place. Oscar Schindler's factory is still nearby, and looks like all the other functioning factories there, and a small ghetto museum is found in the building of the former Apteka Pod Orem (Under the Eagle Pharmacy), the significance of which, admittedly was lost on me until I subsequently read up on Tadeusz Pankiewicz, the chemist (Pankiewicz is another quiet hero of World War II - a Polish nonJew who persuaded German authorities to allow him to remain in Podgórze and continue selling his medicine. His pharmacy evolved into a hiding place and a clearing house for escape information for the Jewish resistance, and he also created a secret vault under the shop that was used to store Torahs and other religious artefacts). It is interesting that Podgórze, a staging point for the Holocaust and the location of some of the era's worst crimes is so low-key compared with the more hard hitting stacks of shoes, bags and human hair presented at Auschwitz, or even the prominence given by tourist centres to the

TOTALLY DUBLIN

Kazimierz as the home of the Jews leading up to World War II. I don't know why it is, but in Podgórze plaques are discreet, and the memorial monument of bronze chairs, while prominently positioned, is barely marked or explained; a sense of history weighs heavily here, but only if you know what took place among the regular streets and buildings of the district during World War II. The innumerable amount of historic buildings, monuments, museums, art galleries, and statues found in Krakow means any visitor could spend their time busily going from sight to sight and not get a sense of the city today. Not just a gigantic relic of the past, Krakow's burgeoning student population, for example, forms an integral part of the city's economic and social life, bringing a vibrancy and youthfulness to the place and an energy to the city's nightlife. Football is another important feature of Krakowian life and aside from actually getting tickets to one of the local games, a look at the graffiti surrounding the sport is akin to a tour of the Belfast murals. As in many European countries, football is a major sport in Poland, and nowhere is this more apparent then in Krakow. On the walls surrounding the stadium a virtual outdoor gallery lays testimony to another of Krakow's many stories. Home to Poland's two oldest clubs, Wisla Krakow and Cracovia, their one hundred plus years of history has been one of antagonism, marred by a hooliganism and violence which locally became known as The Holy War. It would seem a more appropriate nick-name could not have been found, as on the deathbed of Pope John Paul II (himself an avid Cracovia supporter), fans from both teams agreed to a truce and even went as far as entwining their scarves on the day of his funeral, as a mark of respect and a symbol of their peace. Although there is still occasional fighting between fans, it is, I am told, kept off the pitch and outside the John Paul II Stadium. Many anthropologists would argue you can't really understand a culture fully until you see how they bury their dead. This may seem morbid, yet consider the Huguenot Cemetery just off St. Stephen's Green or Glasnevin graveyard; far from the generic image of a creepy, or worse, overly manicured and sanitised graveyard, cemeteries can be places of great history and beauty. Besides, given Krakow's past of war and invasion the sixteenth century Remuh Cemetery in the Kazimierz quarter is a surprisingly well kept secret and a magical place to find. Hidden in the centre of the city, the place has an abandoned feel to it; it is surrounded by mature sycamore trees and overtaken

by weeds, one of the walls on the north side of the graveyard is propped up by planks of wood. It is both unkempt and wildly atmospheric and if you are lucky you may well find yourself completely alone there, as we did. Of course the most evocative elements of the graveyard are the headstones themselves. Much of the lettering has long since faded and is often illegible, yet the graveyard casts its spell as much through the craftsmanship of the headstones as through the associations of who is resting there. Lions, trees, snakes and other such organic motifs enliven the stones - you really don't need to be aware of who's buried there to feel the magic of the place. Apparently we are lucky the headstones are still there at all, as many of them were smashed by the Nazis during the German occupation of the city. After the Second World War however the broken fragments were rescued and put back together to form a kind of Wailing Wall, just at the entrance to the graveyard. It is a deeply poignant monument and yet a distinctly un-depressing place. Krakow has so much to offer, anyone I've spoken to has described very different experiences to my own. Some of the locals I met confessed to never having visited Wawel Castle, let alone heard of the Remuh Cemetery. An Irish friend spent a long weekend there whiling away the time sitting outside cafes and bars, and down at the river enjoying the beautiful autumn sunshine without so much as setting foot inside a museum; another told me of the romance of the city in winter; dark and mistily cold, and lit by the twinkling of candles and lanterns. Admittedly, I originally visited the city for the dual purpose of combining a city break with a visit to the dentist, but in my defence I have returned since then. As European cities go, Krakow is on a par with the more reputedly beautiful cities of Paris, Vienna and Rome and can easily compete (though not in the culinary stakes) with any of the major capitals in terms of history, things to do and nightlife. We may be the land of Saints and Scholars, but Krakow is the only place to learn, as far as I know, how to slay a dragon, and that in my book, gives it the edge.

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TOTALLY DUBLIN

Monitor

202S AND HEARTBREAK EVEN TONY FENTON LIKES THEM WORDS Daniel Gray

Imagine the potential joy of a record shop lucky dip. You thrust your hand into a paper bag and might pull out a gem from any given era or genre of inspirational music. You might pick a kosmische classic, an ambient masterwork, an indie-pop opus or a jazz juggernaut. You might also, theoretically, be lumbered with Nik Kershaw’s Radio Musicola. 202s offer this lucky bag thrill of the unexpected with none of the risk. Grope blindly at any track on their debut self-titled album and you’ll have as much a chance of finding a winner as an Italian match fixer. Born in a studio from the ashes of a former project some time in 2007, the pair gel like Brylcream to create a sound so self-assured and cerebrally appealing you’d swear they’ve been at it since the 70s. With ears already pricking up to listen, the band are preparing for the launch of their debut, and some suitable support slots with Mancunian post-punk deities A Certain Ratio, and Krautfunk killers Fujiya & Miyagi. Speaking of whom... Mike: Great band, seen them a couple of times. I wouldn’t count them as an influence, but I think we share the same umbrella of influences - Neu! and Can, and so on. We both put our own spin on things though. I think there’s a resemblance in your textures. Did you spend as much time texturalising the album as you did on the songwriting? M: That’s true enough. We’re big into sounds, and finding new ones. We’re both just big music fans, so it’s important for us to represent the different things we listen to, and more so to serve the song best. You know, you’ll have one song that has a 60’s surf song vibe, and you find a group of sounds that fits in with that. It’s very much a studio act, right? It started up in the studio, and you’ve spent a lot of time there. M: I wouldn’t say it was a total studio thing. I think the idea of using the recording process as part of the songwriting process is completely natural for us now. The guitar-and-synth-and-laptop guy is just as natural now as the guitar-and-

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harmonica guy was 40 years ago. The problem with most bands is everybody wanting to play something all the time, everytime. We’re much less like that. There doesn’t have to be lyrics, there doesn’t have to be vocals, there doesn’t have to be anything. When did the label [Le Son De Maquis] pick up on you? How does a boutique French label come across an Irish band with no material out? M: It was a fluke really. We recorded the album over the course of a year. Every couple of months when we had the money, time and ideas we’d go in for a couple of days, and put the finished tracks online. These guys found them, and sent us message one day saying “We really like your stuff, can you send us the full album maybe?” We said “Eh, thanks very much, but we don’t actually have an album.” We like the stuff they put out, it’s quite diverse - Afrobeat, electronic, spoken word stuff, psych comps... So we kept in touch, and when the album was finished they said they wanted to put it out. Any chance of getting a free trip to Paris out of it? M: Heh heh, actually yeah, the album’s

already out there so we’re going over in a couple of months. It was a bit strange that Tony Fenton played one of your songs, of all people. M: Haha, that was strange, but I can kind of see where it came from. There are definitely pop songs on there, but there’s also stuff I don’t think Tony Fenton would go near with a bargepole. We’re delighted that anybody likes it at all. The main goal for us is to make music we’d listen to if we weren’t the 202s. Is there a certain kind of affect you want the music to have on a listener? M: I suppose the point is for it to have an effect, whatever the effect is. If it makes a person feel any emotion it’s a success, in my eyes. It’s not music to contemplate to, or to dance to, or anything specific like that. Steve: [sarcastically] It’s music to hang picture frames to. M&S: Haha. S: Don’t quote that, it might be the only part somebody reads. Whoops. Read the full interview on totallydublin.ie

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TOTALLY CORK 17

Upstage

MOON LANDING

AGES OF THE MOON AT THE PEACOCK THEATRE WORDS

WORDS

Jade O’ Callaghan

Following the success of 2007’s double run of Sam Shepard’s collaboration with acclaimed actor Stephen Rea, Kicking a Dead Horse, the Abbey have once again commissioned Shepard to write an original piece for the National Theatre. Again Shepard has written a piece specifically for Stephen Rea and this time also for renowned actor Sean McGinley. Ages of the Moon follows a similar theme to some of Shepard’s earlier work, featuring as it does a hot dusty southern night, a lot of whiskey, a soundtrack comprising of slide guitar and a character having woman troubles, all of which are recognisable elements from the likes of Kicking a Dead Horse and the film Paris, Texas to name but two. In this new play Rea plays Ames, who has been kicked out by his wife and seeks the rapport of an old friend, Byron, played by McGinley. Over a bottle of

whiskey they sit, reflect and bicker until fifty years of love, friendship and rivalry are put to the test at the barrel of a gun. This play is about memory, fragility and friendship. The characters are ultimately kids of the sixties and we are presented with them fifty years on from that hippydippy era of hope and love and peace, and we learn if their original dreams and hopes ever became reality. As such audiences can undoubtedly expect a certain degree of fraility and despair in this exploration of deep friendship. Stephen Rea has also suggested that the Beckettian rhythm which has been ascribed to Shepard’s work lends a great sense of sensuality to the play. Ages of the Moon runs from March 3 to April 4 at the Peacock Theatre

A disused warehouse in Smithfield Square next to the Lighthouse Cinema is being turned into a theatre venue for a short spell this month to facilitate a new sitespecific production called Complexity. Written by playwright Anthony Goulding, Complexity is a play that looks at the nature of regeneration and deals with the changes it can make to a community. With over twenty characters this play presents the manifold effects regeneration can have and each character has a different story to tell. The play is set in a Dublin inner-city flat complex on the verge of being regenerated, and the set-design reflects this, as it is comprised of a scaffolding installation and is sculpted to abstractly represent a flat complex, with balconies, stairwells and secret corners. Whilst there are resting spaces available the audience should be prepared to be mobile as immersing with the action of the play is encouraged, though this is not an invitation to participate but to be an active observer, and wheelchair users are welcome. This epic piece of drama offers the audience a unique, immediate, human experience whose onus will be placed on regeneration and its wider implications. Complexity runs at Block C, Smithfield Indoor Market, Dublin 7 between March 11– 21, with previews March 9–10. Concessions are available to D7 residents

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Ros Kavanagh

COMPLEXITY

DON GIOVANNI (MOZART) Mozart’s setting of the legend of Don Juan, the great seducer, brings together elements of comedy, melodrama and supernatural forces and is one of the most enduring, popular works in the operatic repertoire. Since its premiere in 1787 Don Giovanni has continued to astonish audiences with its virtuosic arias, ensemble singing and powerful orchestral writing. The stellar cast sees the return to Opera Ireland of some of Europe’s finest Mozart interpreters, led by the Austrian brothers Paul Armin and Peter Edelmann in the roles of the Don and his servant Leporello, and the great Irish soprano Cara O’Sullivan singing the role of Donna Anna. Daria Masiero will return in the role of Donna Elvira. With other Irish audience favourite Mari Moriya also starring and dynamic Irish conductor David Brophy at the helm of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, this promises to be one of the operatic events of the year. Don Giovanni runs February 28, March 2, 4, 5, 7 and 8 at the Gaiety Theatre

For more theatre and exhibition previews, interviews and comprehensive listings throughout the month, visit our website - www.totallydublin.ie

Dublin Theatre Guide// March-April 09 Peacock Theatre 01 8787222 (No Booking Fee) http://www.abbeytheatre.ie

Abbey Theatre 01 8787222 (No Booking Fee) http://www.abbeytheatre.ie

Peacock Theatre 01 8787222 (No Booking Fee) http://www.abbeytheatre.ie

Lambert Puppet Theatre

01 2800974 (Booking number) www.lambertpuppettheatre.com

Ages of the Moon

The Comedy of Errors

Byron and Ames are old friends, re-united by mutual desperation. Over bourbon on ice, they sit, reflect and bicker until fifty years of love, friendship and rivalry are put to the test at the barrel of a gun. Following our sell out productions of Fool for Love, Kicking a Dead Horse and True West, we are delighted to further our relationship with Sam Shepard by presenting the world premiere of his new play Ages of the Moon. 3 March - 4 April (No Performance Tuesday 17 Marc Nightly, 8.00pm Saturday Matinee , 2.30pm Sign Language interpreted performance Saturday 21st March 2.30pm In Shakespeare’s darkly mischievous The Comedy of Errors, two sets of identical twins are separated in childhood. Years later, they all show up in the same place at the same time. The Comedy of Errors tells the story of a father, mother, brothers, sisters, masters and servants, all of whom find themselves confused, baffled and bewildered by the events of a single day. Tuesday 31 March – Saturday 2 May (No performances Friday 10 or Monday 13 April) School matinees -Wednesday 22 and Wednesday 29 April

Only an Apple On the brink of being overthrown by upstart Government Chief Whip By Tom Mac Intyre McPhrunty, the Taoiseach must act fast. Enter surprise guests - Queen Eliza-

beth the First and Grace O’Malley. The brazen administrations of these fantasy creatures wreak havoc among the men. Are these women sexual playthings or more sinister messengers of fate? Tom Mac Intyre is one of the most daring and original Irish writers working today. His new play, Only an Apple, takes us on a characteristically mischievous and theatrical journey between our world and that of the imagination. Tuesday 28 April – Saturday 30 May Nightly - 8.00pm Saturday Matinee - 2.30pm

Jack & The Beanstalk

Help Jack climb the beanstalk and face the giant to save the family farm. In a spectacular, & colourful puppet production. 7 Mar - April 26, 2009 15:30 15:30 €11.00 / €13.00

Arts Desk

Smithfield: cultural melting pot and meeting place for artistic minds and free souls of Dublin. Not to mention the most desirable postcode for young city dwellers looking to shack up after fleeing mammy’s nest. Cosy dive bars with urban soundtracks and an air of cool aloofness adorn its corners whilst art-house cinemas and intimate galleries line its streets. The monthly horse market has been a prominent feature of Dublin life since the mid 17th century and is one of the few links that remains between us and our Jackeen brethren that made our capital the tradition-steeped city that it is today. On the first Sunday of every month the cobble-locked streets of Smithfield Square whisper back to simpler times of old Dublin and in the crisp air there are eerie echoes of days gone by. Smithfield has long been associated with the ghosts of forgotten tenants; the adjoining houses on Hendrick Street that were haunted by the spirit of a man standing by the fireplace or shoeless footsteps echoing through the corridors. So what is it about the paranormal and the supernatural that holds such fascination for so many of us? This is a question that Andréa Stanislav seeks to answer in many of her artistic endeavours, the latest of which is Fogtíogarburn, a two part multimedia installation being exhibited in Smithfield. The exhibition draws inspiration from Andréa’s past installations and from the atmospherically numinous nature of Smithfield Market. Two of Andréa’s previous interactive installations have been particularly stirring in her venture to erode the boundaries between subject and object. House of Red on White (2004) was a site specific installa-

GHOST TOWN ANDRÉA STANISLAV BRINGS A BURNING TIGER TO SMITHFIELD MARKET WORDS SHEENA MADDEN tion within the confines of a bungalow located on the borders of an impoverished Alabama town. The house was transformed into a shrine of acknowledgement to the local ghosts of Alabama, through a succession of mirrors, mixed media sculptures, pictures and atmospheric soundbites that worked together to give the illusion of people moving through the rooms. The stories were used as a metaphor for the town’s unsettled and racially charged history. 1000 Kisses involved interviewing members of a community about their favourite memories and then transforming those memories into tangible, sensory images and sounds in an interactive installation that featured 22 nine-foot-high mirrored obelisks. Fogtíogarburn is a spectacle event that explores the past, present and future ghosts of Smithfield Market. The multimedia installation will take place in two parts. Part one will make use of Smithfield Market itself by enveloping it in a mystic fog of pink smoke from which the ‘ghosts’ will emerge in a choreographed performance; a burning tiger, a trotting horse and a projection of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, which was shot in the market in 1965. All the while, beams of piercing, crepuscular light will fracture the smoke

which envelopes the market. Part two of the installation will be set up at Thisisnotashop Gallery. The exhibition will see the video shoot of the Market event projected from the rear of the gallery and through the windows, making it observable to passers-by and passengers of the window’s flanking Luas line, dynamically activating the public sphere once again. Within the confines of the gallery itself, multiple rows of clay figurines will garnish the shelves; the figurines will make tangible the characters from the market installation. Aligned with the figurines will be a series of photographs and sculptures representative of the ghosts of Smithfield Market. Andréa Stanislav lives and works in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and New York City. She is an Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Minnesota and regularly exhibits her work both in the USA and abroad. This is her first exhibition in the Republic of Ireland. Fogtíogarburn opens on Thursday March 19th and will run until April 2nd at Thisisnotashop Gallery, Blackhall Place, Dublin 7 Pictured: The Vanishing Points, 2008

RESPONSE ROOM Art is more than just pretty landscapes and intricately precise portraits. Nowadays, the public demand far more from their artists and, as is becoming more and more apparent, so too are the artists demanding more from their audience. Recent years have seen a surge in participatory art that requires the viewer to literally become a part of the work by interacting with its process on a variety of levels. Response Room at the Talbot Gallery is exploiting this process of interaction by inviting the public to get involved in every aspect of creative progression. Louise Butler, Joe Stanley, Barbara Vasic and Clare Henderson are four artists committed to enveloping their audience within the folds of their canvasses through the participatory nature of their upcoming exhibition. The gallery becomes not just a display vehicle, but also a creative space in which the artists work under the direction of the public through a blog that is updated daily. Here in this cyber realm artist and audience conspire to bring the obsolete to life, which is in turn actualised by the artist in their creative space. The artists are faced with the inhibiting factors of time constraints and adhering to a predetermined theme along with having to share their creative outlet with additional contributors. Response Room, The Talbot Gallery, March 9– April 11

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For more theatre and exhibition previews, interviews and comprehensive listings throughout the month, visit our website - www.totallydublin.ie

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Irish Museum of Modern Art

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TONGUE AND CHEEK ALL THE PRETTY PEOPLE WORDS

Daniel Gray Katie Mooney-Sheppard

PICTURE

"Lookit dat faggih!" "Don't know which a' dem's de girl and which a' dem's the fella!" I've been out the door for approximately a minute and a half, draped with two paisley rug-scarves, face painted with a jaundice-gold glitter, pointy-shoed and scruffy-haired and the abuse has already started. I've spent the last hour playing Dress Up with the giddiness of a blueSmartie-stoned toddler in preparation for Dublin's third monthly TAC (Tongue and Cheek) night. One of the city's newest club nights, it's a fancy dress indie-hip night which is thus far being whispered about in hallowed tones by the Skinny Jeans Brigade Dublin Branch. Tonight's theme is 'circus', and I'm wearing a half-arsed assemblage of vaguely wizardrelated accoutrement. Not exactly in full Lily Savage mode, though Drumcondra's locals haven't taken a shine to me anyway. I fear to think what these eloquent commentators' reactions would be, then, had they joined me on the number 16 bus townward and made their way to the Button Factory-based club night with me. If I've earned slaggings for vaguely resembling a lady from behind, they'd

have a field day with the statuesque transvestite who courteously welcomes us in through the TAC doors. Candy, as I later discover her name is, is a perfect manifestation of all the things that are best about TAC: a cup of creamy, classy glam with a teaspoon of knowing campness, an incongruous openness and friskiness for a straight night, and unconventional , yet undeniable beauty. It's maybe due to the flyer's rather cringeworthy orders to â&#x20AC;&#x153;squeeze into your skinniest pair of jeans', or perhaps down to the bouncers having a secret stringent No Squares door policy that TAC's clientele are all so pristinely hip and hip-thrustingly attractive (beauty, it would seem, is in the eye of the tasteful). All the totems of 21st scenesterism abound: a lomography camera snaps here, a wet-look legging slinks by there, and the words 'well, on my blog...' are caught in passing more than once. Anamolously, however, the atmosphere is not so much 'my fur coat is well more vintage than yours' so much as a genial come-onecome-all vibe fitting of its circus theme. Much of this positivity can be credited to some shrewd choices of DJ and band. Populist and party-startingly poppy, Waterford's half twee/half filth indie pop couple Ugly Megan may well have been born

with a TAC residency as their ultimate destiny. Not only do their Chronic-era gangsta rap cover versions reflect perfectly the retro playfulness in the room, but they even have the magnetic pulling power to incite an onstage invasion of 12 or so revellers in naught but their silky drawers and Topman boxers towards the end of their set. Imagine the Button Factory reaction to nearly-naked nineteen year olds on an ordinary night.. Quelle horreur! At TAC however, the assorted denizens of the scenester circus around me look as if they're regretting wearing so many layers of ringmaster paraphernalia and mime (American) apparel so they too could join in the Dionysian dryad dance. Equally as democratic is the DJ set, a colourful Dolly Mix of non-ironic 90s house and hi-NRG trance classics, indie-but-not-too-indie rock, and sweetchorused synthpop. The potential for an hour's intense work-out is so great that the attendees ought to be offered exercise mats at the door on their way in. Rather than settling into the 2 o' clock tendency of migration to the smoking area/shady corner with a new object of befringed affection the dancefloor fills and fills as if it were the last lifeboat off the sinking Titanic. The ship stays afloat, courtesy of a buoyant mix between Rhythm Is A Dancer and Time To Pretend, and sails safely into the harbour as scheduled, to a joyful round of applause. TAC's premise is not a singular one. Even Dublin now offers at least two fancy-dress arty party alternatives. Along with swop-shops and mini flea markets, TAC is one of many new enterprises being set up by fashion blog devotees and subscribers of i-D. It has not yet descended into a messy conglomerate of bitchy in-fighting and oneupmanship. One day soon, however, their fur coat will be well more vintage than yours. Wear it out while you can. TAC takes place in the Button Factory on the final Tuesday of every month. For each month's theme and last month's photos visit www.myspace.com/tacdublin.

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Love Food.. Love Life.. Love Kids..

THE GLIMMERMAN ALL THAT GLIMMERS WORDS

Jade O’ Callaghan Emma Brereton

PICTURE

It is not hard to see that there has been, in the last few years, a migration of barflys from the shiny new superbars and clubs that dominated the weekend itinerary as the primary watering holes in the early part of the noughties towards the more traditional pub, noted as it is for its popularity among the older drinkers among us, hence giving them the title ‘old man’s pubs’. The Glimmerman in Stoneybatter may qualify as one such place. While much has been made in recent times of the questionable authenticity of pubs which have been adorned with material items posing as relics from Ireland’s past, items which have more often than not been procured online, all of these old man’s pubs certainly contain such items. The Glimmerman however manages to successfully straddle the uneasy partition between traditional and kitsch, for while its excessive and impressive paraphernalia predate the pub’s 1990 opening, the bric-a-brac was acquired in more amusing circumstances than simply being bought over the internet. The building itself was assembled with bricks robbed from the remains of an infirmary hospital in Arbour Hill, much of the walls’ trinkets were given to the proprietor in lieu of money owed and he threw it all up on the walls to save himself the bother of wallpapering the place afresh. A bed suspended from the ceiling sees Charlie Haughey bedding down with Margaret Thatcher, while Jimmy Dean looks on from the Boulevard on one wall as Bertie looks on from another, emblazoned as he is on an original 1997

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campaign poster. Overlapping discs of vinyl decorate much of the ceiling while the bar is plastered with very old match boxes, beer mats and coins, and a succession of jugs hangs overhead. I visited The Glimmerman on a quiet Tuesday but for the football match on the big screen, so my disinterest in the Championship was certainly appeased by all the artefacts which held my attention while my partner’s was preoccupied with the match. The pub generally seems to be populated by Dublin 7 locals and the staff are extremely friendly and accommodating. The smoking section/beer garden is certainly the finest in the area boasting a large decking area and furniture and the exterior and interior areas of the pub are perfect for having a chilled out chinwag. Whatever can be said about the authenticity of the rest of the city’s old man pubs The Glimmerman certainly takes on the properties of kitsch given its décor; cultural artefacts from the last twenty years and beyond, spanning politics, music and pop culture, pinned to every conceivable space. I for one am looking forward to many more spring evenings being spent in these confines. The Glimmerman 14/15 Stoneybatter Dublin 7

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ELY HQ COMFORT EATING? WORDS Ruth Hegarty

PICTURE Emma Brereton

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There's a new Ely in town. It's on the south of the Liffey and not in the CHQ building in the IFSC as I thought. That's called Ely CHQ. The place I was supposed to be in was Ely HQ. Got it? As in Hanover Quay. Not to worry, it's just a short ferry over (€2) and then you are on the water front opposite Ocean Bar in what is a completely new part of the city. Apartments, a theatre, restaurants, cafés and play areas have all sprung up. It feels like it has been properly done. It feels like someone wanted to make a space that people would truly spend time in. They may have made some weird and, in my opinion, shocking decisions, like banding a public space with a string of green lighting and sticking red light sticks at odd angles to ruin what was a perfectly nice and plain open area, but there is still a sense of possibility down here. It feels

like city living and that a city community could happen here. And Ely is there serving what has become their trademark, well-cooked food with a good emphasis on the comfort end of the spectrum. My companion’s starter was pretty fantastic, intense mushroom on a foccacia base with spinach. The asparagus and cheese tart I had to start was light and airy (without much evidence of the asparagus I must say). Overpowered by a red onion compote, it would have been better with my main course, a minute steak with handcut beautiful chips and onion rings (€14). Fantastic wines are paired with each dish which gives you the chance to take advantage of Ely’s owners' expertise and taste a wide range of wines without committing to a full bottle. Coffee and sparkling water brought the meal to a close. Desserts, if you were to have them are all homemade (as you'd expect) and €6.95. Ely has responded to the downturn with keen offers and a simplified menu. The ambition of a year ago is sadly no longer there. Langoustines don't feature on the menu. Winter-warming comfort food features, lightened by some simple fish dishes. They have designed a Supper Club to encourage you to eat out more regularly. A main dish, a glass or wine or beer and a coffee is guaranteed not to set you back more than €20. And they're taking An Bord Snip seriously and cutting back on the expense-account wine, with 30% coming off any bottle of wine over €60. The decor is retro. Sixties, I think. It's a large modern warehouse space broken up by a big banquette which cuts across the room. The seating is a bit weird. Once we'd noticed our own discomfort, me on a banquette, comfortable enough but passing cushion after cushion to my date who was sliding on a 60s leatherette chair, we looked around and saw two men perched forward on white scoop chairs, leaning over their food, obviously quite uncomfortable. I think they're better chairs for leaning back and sipping the cocktails in which they do a brisk business in the early evening (none more than €8). It's exactly the kind of place I love to go to after work and start with one, sit outside, buy cigarettes I never smoke and talk intensely so far into the evening that your work the next day is a distant memory. The bonus is that instead of a few peanuts, I can order a full meal, increasing my chance of making it in close to 9 the next morning. I'm getting old, I'll be complaining about the music next. Turn down that noise somebody... Ely HQ Hanover Quay Dublin 2 Closed Sundays T: 01 6339986

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GREEN 19 THE COLOUR OF NOT MUCH MONEY

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WORDS Elaine Murphy PICTURE Emma Brereton

and black pudding sandwich or Gubeen and grilled veg sandwich), as does organic beef, as in the burger (€10) which we devoured with relish (literally - homemade relish, with pickles and cheese and onions... perfect!). We also devoured the roasted Portobello mushroom with creamy white wine sauce on toasted Foccaccia (€5) which was exactly as it should be: marinated, seasoned and roasted perfectly, and served with just a little frisée lettuce to cut through the creaminess. Afterwards, apple crumble (€5) was served with an unbelievable mojito ice-cream and the combination was delightful. The crumble was buttery and rich with just the right amount of crunch and a chocolate brownie (€5) was just as good, sinfully gooey inside and brittle outside: divine. The beer, wine and cocktail lists are well-priced and imaginative. There are twenty funky cocktails available, some interesting Rieslings and Ribera del Duero wines at keen price points and it's obvious that serious thought has gone into their choosing. With coffee and water, the bill hit a non-bank-breaking €32, unbelievable value for seriously competent cooking. Proprietor Stephen Murray, chef Adam Dickson and front of house director Colin Dickson have captured the zeitgeist perfectly here. Dishes such as pot roast chicken, corned beef and cabbage and smoked paprika winter veg stew know and demonstrate exactly what they're about and the value is phenomenal. Here's hoping that, at those prices, they survive these hard times. They certainly deserve to.

Green 19 19 Lower Camden Street, Dublin 2 T: 01 4789626

There has been much talk, maybe too much talk, about the need for cutting back, belt tightening, girth shrinking, streamlining and all the other ways to say spend less, calm down and generally be miserable. Although it's true that in these recessionary times excess, sloth and pointless hedonism are but distant memories (and, indeed, ones best forgotten), it is also true that such climes bring a resurgence of creativity. Music, art, film and even food all become more acutely concentrated, more real and even more necessary. On the food front, people begin pining for all that is familiar, all that is comforting; aromas and flavours that conjure up good times, family times, stable and secure times. Green 19 on Dublin's Camden Street brings together all of these notions. Located in the so-called 'Village Quarter', it is a simple, local café-bar with a reasonably minimalist interior. The walls are a stark (maybe too stark) white, tables pale wood with metal pedestals, and chairs are comfortable with grey and red backs and cushioned seats. The steel and glass staircase dominates the downstairs room but upstairs is more forgiving with a great outside space to tempt you back, weather permitting. The clientèle is a credit-crunch-lunch mix of local business folk, architects and legal eagles, and local hipsters fresh from gigs in Whelan's and pints in Anseo. Remarkably, nothing on the menu (lunch or dinner) is over €10. Yes... €10. And that's not to say they have scrimped on quality. Decent farmhouse cheeses make an appearance (think Cashel Blue

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CHINASICHUAN FINE CHINA WORDS Elaine Murphy PICTURE Emma Brereton So far, it has been a hit! The move of Dublin’s best known Chinese restaurant from its inauspicious former home in Stillorgan shopping centre could have been disastrous for its exceedingly loyal customer base. A demographic like this (generally local and creatures of habit) sometimes resist change, particularly that of a geographical nature and it was a risky strategy that has certainly paid off. In some respects, I miss the charm of the old, unassuming, if slightly frayedaround-the-edges location. Their new home is undoubtedly a far more grownup restaurant. Its industrial estate setting has been cleverly disguised by a room made warm by bricked wall features, interesting mood lighting and drapes which create a serene atmosphere and keep out the uninteresting streetscape outside. All around, on the Sunday evening we visited, were families, chatting and not so chatting, all clearly enjoying the food in its new setting. With a gaggle of new chefs, ChinaSichuan appears to be taking its food even more seriously. Sichuan cuisine is based around seven main flavour components: spice, salt, sour, sweet, fragrant, nut and bitter and the menu is beautifully pitched around all of these. Unable to decide, we chose two soups, followed by three appetisers. Both soups (€6.50) were wonderful - Hot and Sour, a self-explanatory delightfully balanced soup with prawns, pea puree and chicken, and Taichi, a rich, spicy noodle, peanut and beef broth. With this, we chose a glass of '07 Riesling form Max Ferd. Richter (€7.50) and a glass of Roussane from Dom de Fondréche (€9.50). A word here about the wine list which deserves special mention - Tim Sacklin (sadly now departed these shores) has created another of his perfectly, highly researched lists although this time, he has opted for the Australian preference of listing by grape varietal rather than style or region and in fact, this works rather a lot better, given the style of food involved here. He has done a wonderful job of sourcing Sakes, cocktails and wines which complement the challenging flavours of Sichuan food.

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Our next course is equally successful. Crispy soft shell crab (€8.50) is a wonderfully fresh, flavousome combination of wok fried crab, crushed soya beans and ground Sichuan pepper. Crispy beancurd skins (€7.00) are a subtly flavoured stuffed parcel of beancurd skins wrapped around sliced black Chinese mushrooms, soaked in sweet soya sauce and Har Kow (€7.00) is perhaps the most delightful of all, steamed prawn and ginger dumplings in a delicate rice flour wrapper - the flavours balance beautifully, the prawns juicy, plump and tasting of the sea… fantastic! For mains, we choose the rather unappealingly named Sichuan boiled spicy beef (€19.50), which turns out to be a stunningly aromatic hotpot-type dish, bursting with spice, succulent beef and completely redolent of the seven spice components of this cuisine. The dry fried squid with chilli (€18.00) is less successful and we just can’t figure out why. Sichuan pepper is very strong and has a not unpleasant, mildly numbing effect on the palate. This, however, was unbearable. The squid itself was perfectly cooked, tender and tasty but the overwhelming intensity of the pepper rendered it inedible even to a palate that can withstand a lot of spice. We didn’t establish whether this

is normally how the dish is served or not but we were quite replete with the rest of the wonderful food to worry too much. Soft boiled noodles (€5.00) and egg fried rice (€3.50) were both delicious, perfectly seasoned and ideal with the beef. Desserts are definitely a cut above the usual fare. Red bean pancake (€6.50) was indulgent and rich and banana pudding (€7.50) was just as it should be - sticky, moist and sweet, with caramel and toffee sauce. The staff at the new location are wonderful. They still have the charm of the old crew but are well-trained, slick and well-informed about the nuances and provenance of the food. China Sichuan were offering a twenty euro lunch menu for February and possibly March. This offers a wonderful opportunity to revisit this delicious cuisine in its new home. If you have not already done so, this trip to Sandyford is imperative! China-Sichuan The Forum, Ballymoss Road Sandyford, Dublin 18 T: 01 2935100

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Restaurant Guide

Brasserie Sixty6 66-67 South Great Georges St, Dublin 2 Stylish, buzzy restaurant, right in the heart of Dublin’s shopping and entertainment district. Great food and drink, fantastic surroundings, exciting atmosphere, reasonable prices. Whether it's a lazy brunch at the weekend or a business lunch, or simply a romantic dinner at brasserie sixty6 is always our pleasure. Finger-licking desserts, a full vegetarian menu, carefully selected wine list chosen with accessibility, value and good taste, delicious cocktails to start your evening… you will not be disappointed. Open: Mon-Fri at 11am, Sat-Sun 10am, Until: Sun-Wed til 10.30pm, Wed-Sat til 11pm

t: (01) 4005878 www.brasseriesixty6.com

Café Novo

Harry St, Dublin 2, South Dublin Centre Café Novo, a chic new international bar and brasserie opened it doors in October 2008. This fun and flirty eatery will woo diners with a carefully selected menu that offers traditional favourites with a twist - making it the perfect brunch stop for peckish shoppers or evening dinner and drinks spot for city slickers. Conveniently located on Harry Street, just a few steps from Grafton Street, Café Novo offers informal style drop–in dining, whether you want to grab a modern take on a club sandwich or to simply sip on a cocktail. Mon - Sun 10am to 10pm, bar open to 12.30am.

t: (01) 6463353 dine@cafenovo.ie

Bull and Castle Gastro Pub and Beer Hall Christchurch Place, Christchurch

Ireland’s first and only gastro pub and beer hall, providing restaurant quality food in a pub style atmosphere. Owned and run by FXB, an establishment already well known for its free-range cuisine, we also match different styles of beer with our food menu, providing an interesting twist to dining. We have now extended our opening hours on a Friday and Saturday night to 2.30am. Upstairs our beer hall stocks over 150 different beers from around the world and we are a premiere distributor of Irish craft beers. Mon – Thurs: 11.00-23.30, Fri - Sat: 11.00-02.30 Sun: 12.00-23.00

ely chq

Café Carlo

ely chq is perfectly located just moments walk from both the O2 and Croke Park, making it the perfect destination for pre or post event dinner or drinks. The menu is developed around the family's organic farm in the Burren, Co. Clare. Quality is key with simple preparation and presentation. ely chq is fully licensed with a full range of beers both bottled and on tap. All this comes alongside a wine list which ely has become famous for.

The relaxed and intimate setting of Café Carlo, coupled with its high-quality, reasonably priced food and friendly, attentive staff has made this restaurant a huge favourite with Dublin diners. Not only is it a popular choice with visitors to our fair city, it's also found a place in the hearts of the discerning locals, who return time and again to soak up the Cafe Carlo atmosphere and enjoy some genuinely delicious food. Free glass of wine with every main course when mentioning this ad!

Custom House Quay, Dublin 1

Mon – Sat 12.00 till close

T: (01) 672 0010 www.elywinebar.ie

63 - 64 O’Connell Street, Dublin 1

t: (01) 888 08 56 www.cafecarlo.net

t: (01) 475 1122

FXB Grill @ Ryans 28 Parkgate Street, South Dublin Centre Ryan’s of Parkgate St. is the latest addition to FXB Restaurants. An establishment of outstanding heritage, character and distinction, Ryan’s is one of Dublin’s authentic Victorian pubs. With a history as long as Ryan’s itself, FXB’s is synonymous with award-winning, free range cuisine. Patrons can enjoy a nice bite to eat or just wander in for what is reputably the best pint in Dublin. Whatever you decide, a friendly welcome awaits you in Ryan’s of Parkgate St. Everyday from 5.30pm, Lunch: Friday to Sunday

TOTALLY DUBLIN

t: (01) 677 6097 www.fxbrestaurants.com

ely hq

Hanover Quay, Dublin 2 ely hq is located in the newly developed area of Hanover Quay in Dublin’s South Docklands. The food menu is based on ely’s popular signature dishes, and the all day menu includes such comfort foods as Organic steak sandwich on homemade foccacia bread with red onion marmalade, salad and hand-cut chips, the massively popular ely organic burger with a choice of mouth watering toppings, all this alongside over 200 wines, a full bar serving beers (both bottled and on tap) and a perfect selection of cocktails, making ely hq the gastro pub of the ely trio. Mon – Sat 12.00 till close

T: (01) 633 9986 www.elywinebar.ie

www.totallydublin.ie

SoHo

ely winebar

La Mere Zou

La Paloma

Unpretentious cooking, laid back surroundings, nice sounds, reasonable prices, easy dining and a friendly welcome. Bang in the middle of Dublin city centre - right where you want to be. One all day menu, whether for a quick bite, or a shared platter, or lunch, or casual dinner with friends or colleagues. We offer simple classics and staples prepared using the best ingredients, and executed with style..What you want, how you want it. Laid back eating at SoHo.

Tucked away on Ely Place, ely winebar has earned a reputation for being one of the best places in town to enjoy simple honest food, with all beef, pork and lamb organically sourced through the family farm in the Burren, Co. Clare. ely winebar has over 500 wines available starting from 23.00 Euro, and over 80 of these are available by the glass - sample as many as often as possible!

This is a basement French restaurant with a real lovers air to it. Great for first dates and romantic interludes. The food and wine list are top class too.

Open: Mon-Fri 12pm, Sat & Sun 10.30am Last Orders: Sun- Wed 10.30pm, Thurs-Sat 11pm

t: (01) 676 8986 www.elywinebar.ie

La Paloma is a casual family run bar/restaurant in the very heart of Temple Bar serving Spanish influenced dishes since 1990.The warm colourful decor with Spanish football on TV and a small bar serving beer, sangria, wines including Riojas by the glass completes a laid back feeling.The menu includes Calamares, Gambas Ajillo, Albondigas, Paellas including Vegetarian, Many Fish dishes, Pinchitos con Gambas and more including a Tapas menu. A Two course Early Bird is available with Seafood or Chicken Paella as main course from 6pm to 7pm at 13.95.

17 South Great Georges Street, Dublin 2

22 Ely Place, Dublin 2

Mon – Sat 12.00 till close

t: (01) 7079596 www.sohodublin.com

22 St Stephens Green, Dublin 2

Lunch: Monday - Friday 12.00 -14.30 Dinner: Monday - Sunday 18.00 - 23.00

t: (01) 61 6669 www.lamerezou.ie

Asdills Row, Temple Bar, Dublin 2

Tues-Sun 6pm-11.30pm

t: (01) 6777392 www.lapalomadublin.com

Gotham Café

8 South Anne St, Dublin 2 Open since 1993 one of the first casual restaurants in Dublin, Gotham still has the reputation for serving consistently great food at reasonable prices. Most famous for our Gourmet Pizzas, we also offer a full range of light breakfast, lunch and dinner options to suit any time of the day or night. Sun to Thurs 10.30am-11pm Fri & Sat 10.30am-12 Sunday Brunch 11.30-4pm

t: (01) 679 52 66 www.gothamcafe.ie

DAX

23 Pembroke Street Upper A welcoming bar area offers a post-work winddown or light evening meal, perfect for you and your colleagues to enjoy with hot and cold tapas, available Tuesday to Saturday. Ideal for business and perfect for pleasure, or to dine privately for groups of between 10 and 14 people, Dax Restaurant is only a stones throw away from you and your business so why not take the time to visit a restaurant of refreshment, rejuvenation and reinvigoration. LUNCH: Tuesday to Friday from 12.30pm to 2pm DINNER: Tuesday to Saturday from 6pm to 10pm

t: 01 6761494 olivier@dax.ie www.dax.ie

La Vie Restaurant

1-5 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2 La Vie Restaurant on Exchequer St is one of Dublins most exciting new openings. Situated where the Central Hotel’s Ross & Wallpole Bar used to be it boasts one of Dublins brightest and most spacious dining rooms. Serving delicious European cuisine. There are three rooms which can cater for parties of up to 80 people, or you can book a single room for smaller more intimate gatherings warmed by an open fireplace. Check for special events like Salsa and Karaoke. Special menu available on St Patrick’s Day. Also, check out our new cocktail menu. Open 7 days, 12-11pm

www.totallydublin.ie

t: (01) 764 51 77 www.lavie.ie

TOTALLY DUBLIN

Y L L A T O T

FOOD

Restaurant Guide

Sinners

The Pig’s Ear

Belly dancing and Baba Ganoush, Sinner’s is a traditional Lebanese restaurant in the heart of Dublin City, which combines good food with a vibrant atmosphere. Sinners Lebanese Restaurant is a former recipient of a “Best Ethnic Cuisine” Temple Bar award and continues to serve patrons a wide variety of tantalising Lebanese fare. Guests at Sinners will find a welcoming staff, who provide an excellent service to ensure you have an authentic, fun night out.

The pigs ear restaurant specialises in traditional irish fare which is sumptuous and at afforable prices. The décor is comfy and casual but the real gem is its location, on nassau st situated on the second floor overlooking Trinity college. The food ranges from hearthy shepards pie to bacon and cabbage ,and is sure to cheer you up on a chilly spring night. Open 6 days.

12 Parliament Street, Dublin 2

4 Nassau St, Dublin 2

t: (01) 6703865 www.thepigsear.ie

Open 5pm til late

t: (01) 675 0050

Ukiyo Bar

La Peniche

7-9 Exchequer Street, Dublin 2

Grand Canal, Mespil Road, Dublin 4

Ukiyo Bar is Dublin’s premier late night bar, restaurant and entertainment venue. Open from 12pm till late 7 days a week, especially on Thursday, Friday and Saturday when we keep our kitchen open past midnight. At Ukiyo we strive to provide our customers with a unique dining and entertainment experience - from the best value lunches to great sushi and sake in the evening, attentive and knowledgeable service, top shelf cocktails and some of the best club nights in Dublin at the weekend. Not to mention our private karaoke booths, making Ukiyo the immediate choice for a first date, a birthday party or a corporate bash.

La Peniche offers a beautiful dinner cruise from Tuesday to Thursday. The cruise is available for private hire also by prior arrangement. Lunch Tues - Fri: 12.00-14.30 Dinner Tues - Sat: 18.00-22.30 Dinner Cruises Tues-Thurs

T: (01) 790 0077 www.lapeniche.ie

Punjab Balti

Venu

Old favourite Punjab Balti retains it's popularity and success after 13 years by consistently serving authentic Punjabi cuisine, prepared in the same traditional manner as in the Indian subcontinent's Punjab region for centuries. Over the years this famous Ranelagh restaurant has won major recognition for it's top quality food, intimate ambience, excellent value and service. You can bring your own beer or wine and there are also takeaway and delivery services available that are perfect for a Balti night in. For current special offers check out www.punjabbalti.ie'

Venu has enjoyed a loyal following since it opened in 2006 and it has been renowned for its wellexecuted, varied food menu and for its award winning cocktail bar. If you are looking for a vibrant place that serves great cocktails and quality ‘home-made’ dishes at reasonable prices it is hard to look much further than Venu Brasserie.

15 Ranelagh Village, Dublin 6

t: (01) 496 0808 / (01) 491 2222 info@punjabbalti.ie

TOTALLY DUBLIN

Anne’s Lane, off South Anne St, Dublin 2

Tues - Sat: Dinner 5.30 til late Saturday Brunch: 12pm til 4pm

t: (01) 67 06 755 www.venu.ie charles@venubrasserie.com

t: (01) 6334071 www.ukiyobar.com

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

Gastronaut

BITESIZE ALL THE NEWS THAT'S FIT TO EAT WORDS Katie Gilroy

PICTURE Emma Brereton

HEART OF THE HARBOUR

A new twinkling star on Dun Laoghaire’s horizon is Hartley’s Restaurant, a coastal culinary haven of glowing lights and glimmering glassware that beckon from its immaculate interior to the sea-sprayed wanderers outside. Kirsty Argyle and Julie Sheils are the chefs and captains of this vessel, well weathered in the running of a restaurant since they also own Dali’s in Blackrock. While the dining room exudes sophistication, and the menu offers everything from T-bone steak to fillet of halibut and organic salmon, Hartley’s is not as snooty as its high-class appearance might suggest, and is fast becoming known for its hot and spicy chicken wings. Prices are fair; a starter of steamed mussels is €9, a burger with smoked applewood cheddar and streaky bacon is €15, and an 8oz fillet of steak is €32 and shouldn’t rock the boat too much. Hartley’s Restaurant 1 Harbour Road Dun Laoghaire Co. Dublin T: 01 2806767

www.totallydublin.ie

A SHINY NEW TRINKET

Aungier Street has got all sorts; A Turkish barber, a Chinese Medical Centre, a handful of hostels brimming with backpackers as well as the Mecca of vegetarian cuisine, Govinda’s. Now adding to the eclectic mix is Brioche, a shiny new trinket on a vast and varied string of jewels. Situated between Crystal Wings and Second Chance vintage store, this little café brings a touch of class to the street. The chic, low hanging chandeliers give an immediate French vibe, and a stack of brightly coloured cupcakes, piled high on the counter, demand attention on entering the premises. Rivalling the recession-busting offers at the many coffee chains around the city, Brioche will set you up for the day with a fresh boxed salad, soft drink and darling spud crisps for €6.50, or if you’d prefer, a tasty sandwich with homemade soup for €5.50. The hot dish of the day is usually a Thai curry, casserole or stew accompanied by rice or potatoes priced at just under a tenner.

CHEAPEATS

Cheapeats is a straight-talking food blog that covers everything from useful recipes to restaurant reviews, current bargains to handy tips for food shopping. Lidl and Aldi price comparisons are often featured, and there’s no mincing of words when it comes to Tesco and their opportunistic attempts to boost fish sales on Ash Wednesday of last month. Advice on how to use up stale bread may help you save a few pennies, and rumours are put to rest about whether or not certain restaurants offering meals for €5 are holding up their end of the bargain (you know who you are!). Recently garnering praise in the Irish Times and on Today FM, and now with Bitesize approval, Cheapeats’ hits are set to soar. www.cheapeats.ie

Brioche 8 Aungier Street Dublin 2 T: 01 4763771

TOTALLY DUBLIN

Cinema

Cadillac Records

Director: Darnell Martin Talent: Adrian Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Beyoncé Knowles Released: 20 February Unlike many biopics that have been made in the past, Cadillac Records does not steadily follow the career of one musical artist. Instead it summarizes the rise of a record company and is a jigsaw of five mini-biopics of musical legends during the 50s and 60s. The film uses Leonard Chess (Brody) as the glue for the film, as he transforms his bar into a recording studio in Chicago with a mind to record blues music. His first protégé is Muddy Waters, but soon the record company is booming and we see Little Walter, Howlin’ Wolf, rock ’n’ roll pioneer Chuck Berry and Etta James (played somewhat shakily by Beyoncé Knowles). The nature of this film - cramming so much story and music into a two hour slot - means that one must allow for poetic license and it is not as true to life as past musical biopics such as Walk The Line or Ray. Director Darnell Martin, who also wrote the script, clearly has a passion for this era of music, and she brings a suitably gritty feel to the live music scenes; we can literally see the sweat stains on Muddy’s shirt as he croons away in a smoky bar. The performances are stellar. Beyoncé isn’t necessarily awful, but it’s hard to fully lose yourself when watching her. One is far too aware one is watching Beyoncé, and not Etta James. Brody and Wright are in fine form as the protagonists of the story, but it is the secondary characters that shine the brightest. Columbus Short is excellent as the unpredictable Little Walter, remaining likeable despite his violent and aggressive demeanour, and Gabrielle Union oozes charm as Muddy’s kind but taken-for-granted wife Geneva. As expected, racism plays a major theme in the film with the artists treading the field between superstars and second-class citizens. James is rejected by her white father, and Holly is arrested and jailed for having under-age sex with a white girl, despite a blind eye being turned to white men committing the same crime. The film, although not perfect, is a great summation of the transition of blues music to rock 'n' roll. With an exemplary soundtrack (drawn, as it is, from such a rich seam of soulful acts) and a colourful array of performances, Cadillac Records is a film for anyone who loves this genre of music. Paul Cleary

TOTALLY DUBLIN

Director: Clint Eastwood Talent: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her Released: 20 February True, Clint Eastwood’s virility now seethes through thinning flesh, brittle bones and puckered cheeks but its impact is still almighty. The aged Dirty Harry star’s impending octogenarian status does nothing to diminish Clint Eastwood as the all-time American action hero. On the contrary, his latest film, Gran Torino, proves that the Hollywood legend’s verbal prowess is as commanding today as his physical presence was during his early career. Set in the industrial scrapheap of Detroit, Gran Torino opens with a disgruntled Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) who sneers his way through his late wife’s funeral. He scoffs at the insincerity of the inexperienced Father Janovich’s (Christopher Carley) eulogy, and has little patience for his two sons, who avoid him unless for their own personal gain. As a retired Ford automobile assembly line worker and Korean War veteran, Walt’s patriotism verges on racism, and the stars and stripes flag proudly fixed to his house in Highland Park, Michigan, cannot ward off the immigrants who now dominate the neighbourhood. Next door to Walt live two Hmong kids, the shy Thao (Bee Vang) and his sister Sue (Ahney Her). Thao’s attempt at stealing Walt’s prized 1972 Gran Torino in a gang initiation sets a chain of events in motion, and when Walt intervenes in a fight that occurs on his lawn between Thao and the gang, he’s soon regarded as a local hero. Gradually, Walt assumes role of protector to Sue and Thao, and a friendship blossoms. He learns that the Hmongs had sided with the US in the Korean War only to end up in refugee camps, a fact that fascinated script writer Nick Schenk whilst working with Hmongs in a factory in Minnesota during the 90s. Greatly enhanced by Eastwood’s subtle comedic snarls, this drama gathers pace in an unexpected, tragic ending that is almost as shocking as the movie’s failure to garner a single Oscar nomination. Katie Gilroy

Waveriders

5 Minutes of Heaven

Director: Joel Conroy Talent: Cillian Murphy, Kelly Slater, Richard Fitzgerald Released: 3 April

Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel Talent: James Nesbitt, Liam Neeson Released: 27 February

This uniquely indigenous Irish Surfing film chronicles the rise of surf culture on our shores. Waveriders documents the rise of surfing in Ireland, opening with the story of the legendary Hawaiian George Freeth. The son of an Ulsterman, Freeth is a pioneer of surfing who helped bring surfing back to the masses after it had been previously banned by missionaries when they reached Hawaii in the 1700s. References to Freeth's surfing influence permeate the film. His spirit is kept alive by one Kevin Naughton, a surfing regular in Ireland. Naughton arrived in Ireland during the 1970s when surfing was barely finding its feet. Waveriders gives an unbiased view of Irish surfing. The essence of the sport is the film’s focus, and it carefully avoids any of the usual snobbery, clichés and banal stereotypical surfing vernacular. Interviews with top Irish 'big wave’ surfers' such as the Malloy brothers, Richard Fitzgerald and John McCarthy reinforce this ethos. A testimonial from American Kelly Slater, surfing's most famous son, lends the film a certain credibility and respect it deserves both in Ireland and internationally. Waveriders spills the beans on Ireland’s best kept surfing secret to the rest of the world. A highlight of the film is the unveiling of massive Atlantic swells capable of producing 50 foot waves. 'Big wave’ surfing, it would seem, is no longer confined to the shores of North Hawaii, California or South Africa. An eclectic soundtrack compliments the grainy shots of Ireland’s untamed coastline. It's a refreshing reprieve from the usual hardcore punk sonic backdrops, which tend to be a staple in other flicks of this ilk. The stunning shots of Ireland alone (normally reserved for postcard shots) merit a big screen viewing. As a result this is a film which can be enjoyed by anyone, surfer and landlubber alike. John Devine

Gran Torino

There have been many films made to document the Troubles and the lasting effect that the indiscriminate violence has had on the people of Northern Ireland as a whole. It is always difficult to watch scenes of widespread bloodshed that has happened, and is still happening, so close to home. Sundance Film Festival award-winning Five Minutes of Heaven, however, focuses not on the grand scheme of what is still a conflict with no clear good guy/bad guy line, but rather on two individuals and how an incident that took place over thirty years ago would shape the rest of their lives. Thanks to the flawless and emphatic acting talents of Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt, the victim/villain line is blurred further in what would, under normal circumstances, be an open and shut case. Nesbitt plays Joe, a Catholic who witnessed his brother being gunned down outside his Belfast home 30 years earlier by a 17-year-old Alistair (Neeson). Now, as adults, the time has come for Joe and Alistair to come face to face with the man that has invaded their respective dreams and haunted their every waking moment for their entire adult lives – on television. A film crew have set up a meeting between unhinged, bitter Joe and reformed, remorseful Alistair in the hopes of achieving reconciliation live on camera. Five Minutes of Heaven analyses the stark, confrontational emotions felt by both men in the build-up to their necessary showdown and explores all the grey areas amid right, wrong and revenge. It exposes the futility of remorse and the difficulty of forgiveness in a startlingly relatable manner that will leave you both anxious and hopeful about the humanity of man. Sheena Madden

For more movie reviews, trailers, DVD reviews, interviews, movie news and comprehensive cinema listings throughout the month, visit our new website www.totallydublin.ie

The International

Marley and Me

Director: Tom Tykwer Talent: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts Released: 27 February

Director: David Frankel Talent: Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane, Kathleen Turner Release date: 13 March

This thriller pits Naomi Watts and Clive Owen as the good guys, in a lame attempt to bring to justice one of the world’s largest, most powerful and most corrupt banks. The action of the film spans Berlin, Milan, New York and Istanbul. Owen and Watts, as Interpol Agent Louis Salinger and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman respectively, indulge in over-acted theatrical chases across these cities in what feels like an endless pursuit of the baddie bank guys. One is left wondering what motivates these characters to put their own lives and the lives of their families at risk; yes their colleague is believed to have been murdered in unseemly circumstances but Salinger soon starts posing to fight for the greater good, inspired by an ageing Communist whom he initially believed to be an ally of the bank’s, while really it seems he is just venting his own inner rage. Much is made of Salinger’s shady past in London with countless references to how he may be on a crusade to bring justice to his colleague’s death in order to compensate for his previous shortcomings. The International, while the subject matter is undoubtedly timely, caters more for the action/adventure fan with its ubiquitous violence and globetrotting. Most notable on the violence front is a lengthy shoot-out in New York’s Guggenheim museum, where bad guys become good guys and nobody is safe. The International also serves to highlight how none of us is free from the all-encompassing control of the world’s largest financial institutions and endeavours to remedy this; a futile notion in anyone’s eyes. All in all a disappointing drawn-out watch and a very long two hours. Jade O'Callaghan

You’ll either love or hate this film. If you belong to the former group you’ll more than likely have read Marley and Me and will be familiar with the loveable yet roguish Labrador Marley and his thoroughly likeable owner John Grogan. Based on a series of columns Grogan wrote while working as a journalist in Florida the film charts the lifespan of Marley as he enters the lives of John (Owen Wilson) and his wife Jennifer (Jennifer Aniston). The couple are entering a stage of life when the question of children has begun to arise and their respective careers are suddenly more than a pastime. Enter Marley, a substitute child for the couple while they make their minds up, who proves to be more trouble than any baby could ever be. The movie is screenplay-by-numbers, the actors slide effortlessly into the roles of the happy-go-lucky, sun-kissed Floridians and the plot rarely thickens beyond a row in which not one but both parties raise their voice. Serious problems, the fear they may not be able to conceive and the crime level in their neighbourhood are problems the couple easily deal with and solve. Wilson and Aniston are convincing in their roles as husband and wife with Aniston showcasing a versatility rarely seen before. When Marley’s time to head to dog heaven arrives - time is not as kind to the canines of this world as it is to us humans - the only dry eyes in the cinema must be the ones attached to hearts of stone. If you find terms like ‘feelgood’ and ‘life lessons’ grating and prefer to see Owen Wilson under the direction of Wes Anderson then perhaps staying away from Marley and Me is advised. If you’re a dog owner, bring tissues. Ciara Norton

Mall Cop

American Teen

Director: Steve Carr Talent: Kevin James, Jayma May, Shirley Knight, Keir O’Donnell Released: 20 March

Director: Nanette Burstein Talent: Hannah Bailey, Colin Clemens, Geoff Haase, Megan Krismanich Released: 6 March

The sheer seriousness of the Oscars and its darling nominees has sucked Hollywood dry of a bit of silliness, so it’s no wonder that in the wake of the whole sober affair, people are ravenous for a giggle, and maybe even a cheeseburger now that all pre-award starvation diets have been called off. In that vein, it’s not entirely surprising that Paul Blart: Mall Cop has grossed nearly $130 million worldwide thus far. Not surprising, but perhaps a little worrying. Divorced dad, Paul Blart (Kevin James), is an overweight security guard in a New Jersey shopping mall, whose proficiency on his Segway (his mode of transport around the mall) does little to compensate for his ineptness with women. Still living with his mother, and with dashed dreams of becoming a State Trooper due to fluctuating blood sugar levels, it would seem that Paul couldn’t get any more pathetic. But then, the usually teetotal Paul chugs a few pitchers of margaritas on a work night out thinking they are alcohol-free, and humiliates himself in front of Amy (Jayma Mays), the girl he likes. A chance to prove that he is more than just a waste of space presents itself when a crew of free-jumping bandits take over the mall and hold some of the staff and shoppers hostage, and with Amy as one of the captives, Paul sheds his loser guise, transforming into a hero and saving the day through a series of Home Alone-like stunts. Heavily relying on fat jokes as a source of humour, with an unbelievable and shoddy plot, this farce of a movie gives ‘silly’ a bad name. Katie Gilroy

American Teen is a docu-drama following the lives of five teenagers in their senior year of high school in Warsaw, Indiana, as they tackle their studies and personal lives while looking forward to graduation, prom and college. The film features all the archetypal teenagers one would expect; the nerd, the jock, the misfit, the princess and the heartthrob, along with these we are also ensconced in the lives of a bunch of other high school kids who weave in and out of the main characters’ stories. Each character is given their own slots within the film and they talk openly about their feelings, insecurities and hopes at this point in their lives while they struggle to make tough decisions about their post-high school futures and their first loves simultaneously. They are also the subjects of short animations illustrating their own particular position. American Teen is poignant and likely to be nostalgia inducing, no matter what role you slipped into during your own teenage years. Each character portrays excellently the very fine line between fear and excitement as one treads the path starting out as a teenager and endeavours to enter the world of adults as they turn eighteen and leave home for college. Often painful but ultimately feel-good. Jade O' Callaghan

ENTERTAINING THRILLS WITHOUT THE BILLS! WHEN YOU RENT MOVIES AND GAMES AT XTRA-VISION. www.xtravision.ie

WHERE RENTING COSTS LESS. TOTALLY DUBLIN

DVD

How to Lose Friends & Alienate People n Director: Robert B. Weide Talent: Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Jeff Bridges, Megan Fox Released: 16 March Poor boy (Simon Pegg - Sean of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) travels to the big city, accidentally meets beautiful savvy girl (Kirstin Dunst) and it’s hate at first sight. Boy is seriously out of his depth and and it’s all turning to custard. At the last gasp lady luck smiles on boy and a tremendous metamorphosis ensues. Newly moneyed boy now feels shallow emptiness of fame, fortune, and stick insect on his arm - so realising that all along he loved beautiful savvy girl. Boy chucks away new life and sets off to go get her. This amiable and genuinely funny flick (which is based on Toby Young’s time at Vanity Fair portrayed in his book with the same name) is a modern take on Fellini’s Oscar winning classic La Dolce Vita, in which a journalist who struggles to find his place in the world is torn between the allure of New York’s sensationalist celebrity elite - the glossy posse - and remaining true to himself as a serious journalist who wants to shake things up. Incidentally, Fellnini’s film is credited as the birthplace of term paparazzi - literally buzzing mosquito. As “Sidney Young” viewers will be treated to Simon Pegg’s best film performance to date, even the preview audience of hard bitten hacks were laughing out loud. A clumsy hero who always seems to be drying up, cocking up or putting his foot in his mouth, but which you can’t help loving despite the foibles. The scripting and editing is taut as is evidenced by some genuinely memorable one liners and silky smooth comic timing. A slight criticism is that the film starts to meander in the final third perhaps in trying to figure out a perfect ending. Nonetheless, whether you are a big corporate dick-lick or enjoy celebrity fluff it matters not a jot, because this Fourweddingesque frolic will not disappoint. Rich Ashcroft

TOTALLY DUBLIN

Director: Mark Herman Talent: David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga, Rupert Friend Released: 2 March If any book could benefit from a big screen adaptation, surely John Boyne’s 2005 fable is ripe for the choosing. Boyne created a wonderful plot premise: Bruno, a nineyear-old German boy and his family leave their Berlin home to live at “Out-With” death camp, where his father is the commanding officer, but his execution of the story was at times sloppy, patronizing, and unfulfilling. Thankfully, Mark Herman’s directorial lead evens out any of the tonal malfunctions from what Boyne’s narrative suffered. Where Boyne made a ham-fisted attempt to underline Bruno’s wide-eyed innocence and childlike egocentricity through basic language and imagery, Herman recreates a suitably kiddish world, showing Bruno (Asa Butterfield) playing with his chums around their mansion and creating an air of giddiness and exploration in the opening movement. A greater complexity of mood comes with Bruno and his family’s move to the fringes of the death camp. The sense of exploration is counterbalanced with a sense of anxiety. Bruno finds out something that could well mark the end of his innocence. Similarly, the childlike arguments between Bruno and his sister, Gretel (Amber Beattle), are contrasted with the sinister work of their father. Gretel’s flirtation with a Nazi officer and her closeness to her father – played with superb conviction by the evercharismatic David Thewlis – allow the sinister aura to creep overwhelmingly into the atmosphere, up until the final, fatal close. Youth coming to terms with the oftentimes viciousness of the world around it in a wartime environment recalls del Toro’s recent masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth on several occasions – Bruno’s discovery in the forest, in particular. While The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas does not quite scale the complex heights of Pan, it still makes for a suitably hard-hitting fable about the loss of innocence. Daniel Gray

Get Smart

Incendiary

Director: Peter Segal Talent: Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, James Caan, Dwayne Johnson Released: 23 February

Director: Sharon Maguire Talent: Ewan McGregor, Michelle Williams, Matthew Macfayden Released: 2 March

Get Smart is a remake of the satirical 60s sitcom that tracks the adventures of a bumbling American spy, and his more competent female partner, Agent 99. The film provides a slack-jawed 110 minutes of explosions, loudly-voiced wisecracks, and comedy groin-kicks. Not that these elements are without merit – heavens no! - but everything here is yawningly tedious and irritatingly familiar. Steve Carell stars as Maxwell Smart, and if he grates on you half as much as he grates on me – with the in-on-the-joke smugness that taints all of his parody – then you will be squirming in your seat. Anne Hathaway is massively, massively underwhelming as Agent 99. Her career is slowly ticking off all the key Hollywood female roles – teen princess; insipid 18th century heroine; sweet-natured girl in the big city. Here she is unimpressive as the steely dominatrix whom only love can tame. Perhaps a role that might have been redeemed with a grittier, wittier incarnation than her pink-cheeked efforts provide. The smaller roles are reasonably well-played. There is a randomly delightful Bill Murray cameo but he far from redeems the script. As you might predict, the writers even manage to foist a cringey Carell/Hathaway love-affair on us. How do they sleep at night? If you enjoy witty, reproduced versions of your favourite childhood US sitcoms – steer clear. But if deadeyed rehashings of an exhausted formula are your cup of tea, this might just be the movie for you. Not Smart enough for me. Fiona Gillan

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

In a move away from the chick-flick comedy of Bridget Jones Diary director Sharon Maguire returns with this emotional drama, dealing with a young mother’s anguish and guilt following her husband and son’s death during a terrorist attack on Arsenal’s football stadium. The young working-class mother - played brilliantly by Michelle Williams - watches the match on television in her tenement flat home while in a tryst with local hack Jasper Black (Ewan McGregor). Incendiary explores the current climate of anxiety and fear manufactured by the hysteria surrounding the ‘war on terror’ and aligns the rebuilding of the city and the spirit of Londoners, in the aftermath of the fictional Mayday bomb, with that of post-blitz London. Williams’ character writes letters to Bin Laden, and narrates most of the film through voiceover while McGregor uncovers the identity of one of the suicide bombers and splashes it all over the front page. In an odd twist Williams’ character has befriended the bomber’s son; who believed his father had merely gone away for a while. Following a day out with Williams’ character the bomber’s son sees the headlines, obviously distraught he runs through Waterloo station and is shot at by the armed forces, only to be blocked by the young mother in a scene that perfectly highlights the moral panic being generated today in the name of national security. Incendiary may be accused of a sluggish storyline and some overly-sentimental ideas, but Williams’ performance combined with a fresh look at contemporary society and the culture of terrorism makes for a worthwhile watch. Jade O’Callaghan

DVD - For more DVD reviews, trailers, movie reviews, interviews, movie news and comprehensive cinema listings throughout the month, visit our website - www.totallydublin.ie

Games

Flower

PS3 [thatgamecompany] Flower is the natural successor to Flow, a somewhat offbeat downloadable game created by thatgamecompany. Flow attempted to affect the player on a previously untapped emotional level but did so at the risk of being a little aimless and dull. Flower is a good bit closer to fufilling that high-falutin’ claim, but contrary to Sony's hopes I don’t think everyone will see Flower as a breath of fresh air. Each of the six landscapes or dreams in Flower begin by presenting you with a single petal sitting on the breeze which you send forwards by pressing any button and direct by tilting the controller. As you come into contact with other flowers they’re awakened and a petal is added to your ever growing swarm of swirling foliage. Awakening large groups of flowers trigger various actions; wind turbines are activated causing previously darkened grassland to flush vibrant green, clustered monoliths part exposing canyons that you race through while trying to touch the many closed flowers in your path. Flower looks very pretty. Flying close to the ground will cause seemingly infinite blades of grass to part in your wake with a lovely swooshing sound. Revitalising roads in the later levels will make them flood with colour in front of you which is actually very reminicsent of the zone mode in Wipeout HD. Another similarity with Wipeout HD is how well the motion controls are implemented. Playing these two games would lead one to believe that the developers know something about the Sixaxis controller they’re not sharing with anyone else. The mandatory motion controls in Flower are thankfully responsive and intuitive. The soundtrack in Flower is an achievement in its own right. The music is understated, organic and steadily builds subtle crescendoes as you progress through the levels. But what's really nice is how it manages to seamlessly integrate the random chimes of awakened flowers into the music. Flower will, for the most part, be met with two very different reactions. For those of us who find it simple and elegant there’ll be many who see it as nothing but a lofty and pretentious tech demo. With no instructions, way to die, clock to beat, or points to score where's the fun? Fair enough. The conventions missing from Flower are exactly what will please some and discombobulate others. David Hendrick

Metal Slug 7

Cluedo

Nintendo DS [SNK Playmore]

[Hasbro]

When you're up to the seventh iteration of a much-loved series like Metal Slug, you can expect more in the way of subtle evolution than radical shakedown, and so it is with this latest outing. Best not to tamper with the formula too much, or the devoted might get tetchy – it's lasted this long for a reason. Which is fine as far as it goes, but means that the game I remember playing in a smoke-filled Ned Kelly's twelve years ago, on a then impossibly exotic Neo Geo is, for good or for ill, almost the same game that I now find myself playing on the DS. To its credit, it's just as much instant fun as it always was. For the uninitiated, Metal Slug is essentially an elaborate side-scrolling Ikari Warriors (tough luck if you don't get that reference, youngster) – you pick one of six characters, each with their own combat speciality, to run around single-handedly taking on an entire army, including some fantastically baroque boss contraptions. To even up the odds you'll occasionally stumble across the titular slugs – essentially tanks that'll increase your firepower and armour for as long as you can keep them rolling. The touchstones of the series are still there: great animation and sprite work, a healthy dollop of surreal humour and above all, frenetic bullet-dodging that'll see you killed in a mis-timed blink. On the other hand, Metal Slug 7 doesn't play to the DS' unique hardware setup in the slightest, unless you count a slapdash map on the bottom screen, it's as short as you'd expect of a game with its origins in the arcades, and there's no co-op. The Combat School mode goes some way to mitigate the brief play time, but it's more for the obsessive-compulsive completists out there. While it lasts though, Metal Slug 7 is a real blast: nicely balanced, highly amusing, and perfect for short bouts of all-out warfare on the way to work.

I suggest it was Rev. Green in the Billiard Room with a dagger! Back in the sepiatoned days of 1949, kids, murder mysteries were solved the old school way - with a magnifying glass, a tall whiskey, and a lot of blind speculation. It's 60 years later, and much has changed (excepting the blind speculation, of course). Today we have a little something called forensics, which is essentially like discovering an invincibility cheat for Final Fantasy 40 hours into being repeatedly killed by vicious Malboros. Cluedo, as such, feels a bit like stuffy, middle-aged sex: really you both just want to put your feet up on the leather couch and watch CSI: Miami instead. So how can we bring the masses back to speculating as to just what Miss Scarlett was doing with the candlestick in the library? Horatio Caine, that's bloody how. Instead of the quaint world of lead-piping murders we need to instate the gratuitousness of graphic violence, sexual content and downright flashy bullshit only the CSI franchise can offer. Instead of Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum and Mrs. Peacock the available characters will include Marquez, the mustachioed Mexican medical examiner, Dr. Focxx the homicide detective with a no-holds-barred attitude to life, and Celina Lovedigits, the fingerprint identifier with a split-personality disorder. And none of this namby-pamby death in the dining room business. Real criminals slaughter their victims in public playgrounds and string them from the monkey bars, or cyberstalk them via their Blackberries before ambushing them on a Starbuck's jacks mid-flush. And if you truly, madly, deeply bear a deathly grudge against a transgressor of your dignity you're not going to do them in with a spanner now, are you? No. A new arsenal is required: The makeshift Lynx-can-and-lighter-fluid flamethrower, the anthrax-laced cocaine stash, and the Tony Soprano-approved hedge-trimmers. Of course, the fun of Cluedo is not how the murder was committed, but sleuthing out the almighty bastard what done it. In the 1950s all crimes were solved by rolling dice and waiting your turn. Only shambolic organizations like the Garda Siochana depend on such methods now. Each Cluedo box ought to include a DIY DNA-swab kit, trajectory lasers and satellite iPhone descramblifiers so that instead of relying on blind luck you can have the crime wrapped up within an hour, and probably squeeze in a sweaty sex scene for good measure.

James Kelleher

Daniel Gray

www.totallydublin.ie

TOTALLY DUBLIN

Books

An Invitation to Dance Marion Urch [Brandon]

If Lola Montez were alive today she would be a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother. The life of the Irish-Spanish dancer is fictionalised in Marion Urch’s latest novel, An Invitation to Dance - and what a fascinating account it is. Sligo-born Eliza Gilbert moved with her parents, an ambitious, social-climbing, hat-maker mother and Ensign Edward Gilbert of the 25th Regiment, her father, to live in India at an early age. From there Urch carefully lays out the biography of the dancer’s tumultuous life; her re-invention of herself from Eliza Gilbert, adulteress and disgraced ex-wife, to Lola Montez, the original femme fatale. Urch’s Montez comes across as a deeply flawed yet extraordinary woman. Her initial fall from grace within the upper echelons of European society because of her flight from an unhappy marriage and public love affair in London is spectacular, but not as much as her subsequent struggle against, and ultimate defiance of the constraining face of rigid respectability in a class-bound society. She is the ultimate feminist; independent and strong in a patriarchal era. Yet Urch’s prose does not pander to the heroine; behind the words is a clear sense of the violent unpredictability of the woman. The apple did not fall far from the tree either, as this Eve is as ambitious and calculating as the woman she loves and despises most - her mother. Lola’s affairs are born of either love or of necessity, she falls passionately for a man and gives him everything, or she deliberately and often callously chooses him for what he can give her. Her disdain and disgust for her lover King Ludwig I of Bavaria and her attempts to influence him are a particularly unflattering, yet fascinating part of her biography. That her unpopular relationship with the king would eventually force him to abdicate and her to flee only highlights her notoriety. Like a modern-day celebrity seeker, she seemed to relish the scandalous life and notoriety that followed, and often preceded her from city to city, lover to lover; she looked for the celebrity, at whatever cost. I did not expect to enjoy An Invitation to Dance, but I did, very much. The author moves the plot forward on a colourful whirlwind through Europe and America that echoes the dancer’s life. The urgency, violence and sensuality of her life is found in the beautiful and evocative prose. The glamorous and celebrity circles of Europe at that time; of Liszt and Alexander Dumas, of courtesans, duels and revolution, all lend themselves to the romance of Lola Montez’ life. Jerry Springer and Big Brother would line up and bow to Ms. Montez. Olivia Mai

TOTALLY DUBLIN

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House Kate Summerscale [Bloomsbury]

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is the story of a real murder committed in a respectable middle-class home in Victorian Britain. The three year old son of the Kent family, Saville was taken from his bed during the night and found the next day in the outside servants’ privy of their country house with his throat slit. The house had been bolted for the night, which meant someone from inside, either family or servants, had to have committed the crime. The murder was devoured in daily detail by the press, and the whodunnit nature of the crime enthralled the entire nation. Following a botched attempt by local police to solve the case, DetectiveInspective Jonathan Whicher of Scotland Yard was sent to the house to investigate. Detectives, the author Kate Summerscale tells us, were a new breed at the time, the first ever were only appointed by the London Metropolitan Police in 1842 several years prior to the Road Hill murder. The young Detective Whicher, one of only eight detectives in the country (who were referred to by the great Charles Dickens as ‘models of modernity‘), was already somewhat of a celebrity. The obsession with the murder is traced by Summerscale through the media archives, with all the British papers analysing and surmising, condemning and hypothesising. Letters flooded into Scotland Yard about the murder at Road Hill House. It obsessed the nation and reads as something akin to the Madeleine McCann coverage of the Victorian age. Its impact, Summerscale explains, shaped the literature of its time from the Penny Dreadfuls to the likes of Dickens and Wilkie Collins, all finding inspiration and intrigue in the dark secrets inside a Victorian middle class home. A murder tale in the style of Agatha Christie, this non-fiction thriller is peppered with all the elements of a great murder mystery: scheming servants, rebellious children, insanity, jealousy and loathing. It’s the kind of story where there are multiple motives and many suspects. Yet, readers who are looking for a murder mystery along the lines of Gosford Park should be aware that much of the book is given over to archival newspaper clippings, letters and features. This in no way detracts from the book, which effortlessly combines factual material with fictitious re-creation, providing an adroit mix of social and literary history. The depth of information and colourful detail are treated with such a light touch by Summerscale that you barely realise all the information you have taken in. One such example is a letter printed in the Bristol Daily Post which demonstrates some early, if misguided interest in forensic science; the letter was from a man who believed that an examination of the victim’s eyes might reveal the image of the killer. Apparently the correspondent based his suggestion on some inclusive experiments conducted in the US in 1857. Interestingly, the letter was reprinted and debated in newspapers all over England but was ultimately dismissed on the grounds that Saville was asleep when the killer struck. Elementary, my dear Watson, elementary. Olivia Mai

www.totallydublin.ie

Audio

202s

Ida Maria

202s [Le Son De Maquis]

Fortress Around My Heart [Waterfall Records]

Dublin's 202s are a topsy-turvy band in many senses. Their arrival at a debut album release, for one, is the converse of most Irish band's model of Shit Support Gigs/ EP/Higher Profile Shit Support Gigs/EP2/ Whelan's Headline Gig/Album/Repeat. Formed as a studio outfit last year the boys eschewed gigs to hone their sound to studioized perfection (in the Art of Noise, rather than the Steps sense), and their debut album is an antithesis to the theory that band dynamic is learnt on the stage rather than the studio. 202s are as together as a tangled ball of elastic bands, and twice as bouncy. Album opener Shoot You Down is the aural equivalent of that ten year old thrill of ringing up emergency services and asking can they send an ambulance to detach your willy from a lamp-post, before hanging up in a fit of giggles. Taking German kosmische synths and motorik beats, the band place traditionally krautrock content in a more eclectic template. Harmonicas and melodicas adorn lush Faustian landscapes, resulting in the band sounding like a bastard child of Stereolab and the Flaming Lips, or Fujiya and Miyagi strung out on mushrooms at a kitschy seaside resort. Who Cares About Sunshine is made for hammocks and evening light, surfboards and psychedelic hallucinogens, while Repeat sounds like the band went shopping at Grandaddy's clearout car boot sale and left with all the best bargains. The album plays like a gold-and-blue beachside amble as out of time and place in noughties Dublin as a Union Jack dispensary. With a surreal take on their standardized craft and signed to a French boutique label 202s may just be Irish pop music's own Joyce or Beckett, and are thankfully as compelling for their composition as for their upside-down methodology. Daniel Gray SEE ALSO: Stereolab - Emperor Tomato Ketchup [Elektra], Faust - Ravvivando [Klangbad], Grand Pocket Orchestra - Odd Socks EP [Fifa Records]

There are some pop outfits that reek of a desperation that’s almost tangible. Indiepopettes that, five years ago, would have been gyrating onstage at the MTV Awards in a pair of sequined tights and nipple tassels whilst lip-syncing to their latest hit (which all the kids know, thanks to a guest slot on Hannah Montana) are copping that, for the moment, indie-lite is where the money’s at. So our would-be songstresses are picking up their guitars and pimping their MySpace pages with ‘kooky’ pictures of Converse boots and neon cassette tapes to within an inch of their sparkle-font lives. Mercifully, Ida Maria Sivertsen seems to know exactly what she is. She’s pop – pure pop. And pop can be a beautiful thing when it’s not desperately trying to be something cooler. Sure, there are some punky overtones on the likes of album opener Oh My God, but this seems to emerge from a genuine excitable nature rather than any conscious decision to invoke her inner Sid Vicious. On Queen of the World she beseeches in a perplexingly joyous manner, “Dear God. Oh let me be young, Let me stay, please, Oh let me stay like this, ohhhh...”, and henceforth and so on. Ida apparently suffers from synaesthesia, a sensory condition that evokes one kind of sensation when a seemingly unrelated sense is stimulated; meaning that, theoretically, Ida can see colour when she hears music. Maybe this somewhat explains the barrage of bewildering emotion that is so apparent on the majority of Fortress Around My Heart. On this, the re-release of her debut album, the original nine tracks are joined by three new songs. In sharp contrast to the heady rollercoaster of unhinged scuzz pop that makes up the initial release, the new additions see Ida channelling her emotions in a slightly more composed manner. The songs are essentially ballads, although they do avoid smacking of insincere sentimental mush thanks to Ida’s refreshingly raw voice that sound like she’s been on a strict diet of Marlboro Reds and whiskey for the best part of 20 years (yes, it’s a compliment). If you can get over Ida’s forced ‘zany’ attitude you will find yourself rewarded with an album that isn’t going to make Ida Maria the next Blondie, but is nevertheless fine, high-octane pop music. Sheena Madden SEE ALSO: Thomas Tantrum - Swan Lake [Cool for Cats Records], Tilly and the Wall - O [Team Love]

N.A.S.A.

The Spirit of Apollo [Anti Records] A student's life is often a difficult one. You stagger home on Monday afternoon after 65 consecutive hours partying. You're drenched in party foam, you have an 11 o' clock shadow. Into the kitchen. Remove the crusty kitchen utensils from the murky, stagnant water in the battered sink and drop a rusty pot on your antiquated gas cooker. Need food. Need food. Search the cupboards. A packet of pasta, three pods of Babybel, a couple of dirty potatoes, a stick of celery, and a lemon. You know there's some kind of new dish just waiting to be invented with the dregs of your last remaining foodstuffs, so you throw them all in the pot for twenty minutes. The resulting concoction is a mulch as attractive as smushed leaves on a rainy roadside, and about as edible. N.A.S.A., the hipster-hop collaboration between well-connected L.A. producers Squeek E. Clean and DJ Zegon, can associate with this student life all too easily - they've stumbled home after three nights partying and tried to rustle up something edible for our ears with some rather disparate ingredients and a seriously wonky stove too. The project's aim is to make as much money as possible by throwing over 40 superstar musicians onto one record connect music of all genres and culture and seemlessly blend them into one universal sound. On this count, the N.A.S.A. project succeeds. It just happens that the 'universal sound' is the aural equivalent of the aforementioned leafy mulch. Let's be fair though. Potatoes, pasta, and Babybel pods are all nutritious and tasty within the correct context. Even if you mash the crap out of them, some remnants of the wholesomeness remains. As such, guest appearances from David Byrne, Chuck D, Tom Waits, Kanye West and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien are all excellent in isolation. N.A.S.A.'s gelatinous conglomerate is toxic when taken as a full meal. Pick the best bits out with your fingers and have a nibble every now and then, however, and you can find something at least vaguely identifiable and memorable amongst the mass confusion. Daniel Gray SEE ALSO: Jurassic 5 - S/T [PIAS], Handsome Boy Modeling School - White People [Atlantic], Doug Lowe - Networking For Dummies [For Dummies

Charles Spearin The Happiness Project [Arts and Crafts] Judging music with 'originality' and 'individuality' as the criteria is common, though often nonsensical practice. True innovation is as rare as a complimentary word about Brian Cowen at a SIPTU rally, and when it crops up it's usually so jarring as to be maligned as pretentious, inaccessible, fleeting. Often true progress begins in the vanguard of experimental music, artists and composers away from the comparitively conservative music-listening masses. Terry Riley and Steve Reich's minimalist composition, and the post-rock of Talk Talk and Disco Inferno is only truly entering indie-mainstream currency now - that's wanker music, right? Charles Spearin, of Canadian post-rock outfit Do Make Say Think and indie deities Broken Social Scene, is in a better position than most to force his vision into a wider music-making consciousness, given the relative normality and accessibility of his other projects. The Happiness Project process is as follows: Spearin has interviewed members of his neighbourhood regarding their history and their happiness. In these interviews he has cut up portions of the speech, found the melody and the cadence of the subjects speech, and wrought these together with different instrumentation. Mrs. Morris states 'happiness is love', and an alto sax toots in time and pitch with her, as further orchestration unfurls around her. The same treatment is given to Vanessa (whose tone is equal to a rinky-dink piano), Mr. Gowrie (he's a bass-string guitar guy) and four other members of Spearin's community. The impact of this approach, at first, requires some cerebral adjustment. When the album's presentations do click, it's a brainprocess melting experience. It has a direct effect on your subsequent life, after enlightenment you too go looking for the music in every day conversation. Thankfully Spearin doesn't treat his subject as guinea pigs, but the most precious instruments of all. He turns the ordinary into poetry, and sets that poetry to majestic, though understated jazz and post-rock backing. Musically, he hasn't invented an entirely new idiom, but has weaved a potentially highlyinfluential maxim in to an existing one: Our lives are soaked with melody even when our iPods are turned off. Daniel Gray

Publishing] SEE ALSO: The Books - The Lemon of Pink [Tomlab]

TOTALLY DUBLIN

For more album reviews, videos, mp3s, single reviews, live previews, interviews, music news and comprehensive gig listings throughout the month, visit our new website www.totallydublin.ie

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone Advance Base Battery Life [Tomlab] I once found an artist's sketch notebook outside a Bank Of Ireland on Wexford Street. Perusing it was an incomparably bewitching experience, offering a tantalizing insight into the mechanics of a stranger's mind that I'd probably never see fully rendered. Where Owen Ashworth's Casiotone For The Painfully Alone project often recalls reading a dear friend's diary or an exercise copy of short story ideas, this stopgap rarities release almost exactly replicates that same appetency the artist's notebook stoked up. Ashworth is both a painter of poignant portraits and a cripplingly accurate character actor. Rather than shoot clear-focussed photographs of hearts breaking in two or a teardrop running down the face of a man alone in the cinema he employs the soft-edged daub of nostalgia to make his emotional narratives all the more potent - fuzzy like the sine waves from his mewing vintage keyboard speakers. Acutely aware of his own miserablist tendencies he hones his schmaltz rather than waltzing around it. Thus when he whispers “I've been searching this town and all I have found/Are nights of bad sex with stupid boyfriends I shouldn't have kept” on Old Panda Days it's a gilt-edged Morriseyist treat rather than a guilty-pleasure Bright Eyes trick. Picking up Advance Base Battery Life, however, is a most unrecommendable idea. Like the chanced-upon sketchbook it offers only frustrating insights into possible masterworks, stick-figure men where Michaelangelo's David might one day stand erect. Holly Hobby, the collection's most heart-rending rendition is available in even more grievous glory on the excellent Etiquette album, and the sumptuous covers of Bruce Springsteen's Born In The USA and Streets of Philadelphia, along with Paul Simon's Graceland and Missy Elliot's Hot Boyz, are available as freebies elsewhere. If you need to ready your tear ducts for the tear-fest his forthcoming Vs. Children album will undoubtedly be, revisit previous efforts Etiquette or Twinkle Echo in the meantime, and stock up on the Kleenex Man-Sizes. Daniel Gray SEE ALSO: DNTEL - Life Is Full Of Possibilites [Plug Research], The Smiths Hatful of Hollow [Rough Trade], Dear Nora - We'll Have A Time [Magic Marker]

Phosphorescent To Willie [Dead Oceans] Willie Nelson knows pain. He’s been through it, he’s wallowed in it, he’s come out the other side of it. Though to younger listeners he may come across as a somewhat washed-up kitsch nostalgia emblem, his songs bear the brunt of his experiences and embody the outlaw country movement that saw Willie, along with Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash, eschewing the normal constraints of Nashville. In 1975 Willie recorded To Lefty, from Willie, an accolade to the honky-tonk innovator comprising an entire album of Lefty’s material. Now, 35 years on, it’s Willies turn to bask in the rays of his own sunshine. To Willie sees Matthew Houck’s Phosphorescent digging deep into Willie Nelson’s back catalogue and emerging with an album of eleven songs that you won’t find neatly lined up like soldiers on a greatest hits collection. Covering a multitude of sins washed down with a big ol’ spoonful of remorse, To Willie is a drunken haze of booze, women, Jesus, regret and redemption. Houck’s worldweary voice splinters and chokes with emotion over songs such as Permanently Lonely and It’s Not Supposed To Be That Way and you just fucking KNOW that he’s feeling it for real. Whereas Willie can sing “So excuse me for lookin' like my world just ended / And excuse me for lookin' like I just lost my best friend / But the last thing I needed / The first thing this mornin’ / Was to have you walk out on me” with the reflective luxury of a man who’s made his mistakes, with Houck’s renditions you can nigh on hear the dressing ripping away from freshly dressed wounds. But it’s not all heartbreak and retribution; the honky-tonktastic I Gotta Get Drunk has all the charm of that stage of a messy night that there’s just no fixing - the only thing that’s left to do is pour another whiskey, laugh and say ‘fuck it!’. Fans of Phosphorescent’s beautiful 2007 album, Pride, be warned: this is not a follow-up album filled with hymnal etudes. Rather it’s a pensive pause in Houck’s career that allows him to pay delicate respect and admiration to the music that made him the man that he is today. Sheena Madden SEE ALSO: Willie Nelson - Shotgun Willie [Atlantic], The Highwaymen Highwayman [HMV]

Fever Ray

The Rakes

Fever Ray [Rabid Records]

Klang [V2 Records International]

On her first album without brother Olof, the Knife's Karin Dreijer (the Wednesday to his Pugsley) explores the soundscape developed on Silent Shout, their 2006 magnum opus. Given Pugsley's obsession with minimal techno and complex beatmaking, Fever Ray's lack of visceral impact and polyrhythmic beat cleverness is understandable. You'll find a foot tapping of its own accord throughout, but this album is all about ambience, atmosphere building, and scavenging a glacial landscape for anything even barely edible. From the trademark pitch-shifted vocals to the snowstorm synths all seems solid until you touch it- the ground dissolves beneath you, walls are optical illusions (the song title Concrete Walls exists only to befuddle you all the better), and the regular rules of space and time seem an outdated mode. The physical release Like A Pen and We Share Our Mother's Health offered on Silent Shout is inverted - the album raises its hood like a cobra, but never pounces. On Keep The Streets Empty For Me Dreijer sings of a spider web (a mention that evokes The Cure's Lullaby), and the rhythm suitably resembles a black widow's slow pace towards an ensnared fly in her web. Dreijer is both predator and victim, depending on the chosen pitch of her vocoder. When she's in control Dreijer demands physical enslavement and psychological dominion over her listener (Now's The Only Time I Know’s xylophonic rhythm insists your heart speed up to keep time with its metronomic beat), and when she's more submissive you want to rescue her from vulnerability (Seven represents her most emotional, and therefore accessible moment on the album). She's either a sinister whisper in a dank laneway, or an urgent “Help!” heard outside a bedroom window. Either way, you oughtn't take your eye off her for an instant. Daniel Gray

The Rakes may not have had the international success of tourmates and sound-a-likes Franz Ferdinand, but damn if they don’t have stubborn longevity. Klang, their third album, resumes the band’s long standing theme of the struggles of the everyday monotony of working class life. Well, it worked for their hit 22 Grand Job, and if it ain’t broke... The problem is that, well, it is broke. Excuse me Sir, but is that the latest Prada button-down blazer you’re sporting? Spiffing. The Rakes have ironically carved out an image for themselves as dedicated followers of fashion, providing soundtracks to Dior catwalk shows and having designers base clothing lines around their style. Call me crazy, but I believe that the music should evolve with the people in order to ring true; it’s a little hard to take serious someone who’s droning about the woes of a wage packet that ain’t worth a pittance when they’re wearing a gold-leaf suit. Then again, maybe that’s just the recession depression talking. Let’s put a pin in it for the moment, shall we? Musically, Klang is a raucous 28 minutes of riff-reliant lecky guitar tunes with familiar ‘Lahnndan’ inflections laid on top. Lyrically, you’re looking at formations akin to this: Verse: “Punks were hangin’ out in the park/While someone practiced electric guitar” Chorus: “La la la la la laaaa.... la lala la la laaa” If this type of vernacular titillates you beyond your wildest dreams, rush out and buy Klang immediately. All-in-all, The Rakes don’t produce bad indie rock if you like your meat and two veg served without gravy. However, if you’d rather stick a rake in your ear than wallow along with The Rakes to songs such as The Woes of the Working Woman then curl up on the sofa with a box set of The Hills instead and ponder over what colour your next custom-built Bentley should be. Sheena Madden

SEE ALSO: Thom Yorke - The Eraser [XL], The Knife - Silent Shout [V2], David Lynch - Eraserhead

SEE ALSO: Razorlight - Up All Night [Vertigo], Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have it So Much Better [Domino]

TOTALLY DUBLIN

Audio

Peter Bjorn and John

Various Artists

Living Thing [Wichita]

Dark Was The Night [Red Hot Aids

If you happen to bump into Peter Moren, Bjorn Yttling or John Eriksson on your travels treat them with the utmost respect, and perhaps try to wangle an invite back to their Stockholm house. For in the basement of their pop laboratory, we suspect, they've finally developed that invention man has striven towards for since HG Wells put pen to paper: the time machine. Evidence? Living Thing, their fifth official album. Where their previous albums were created in a quantum vacuum trapped somewhere between 1966 and 1971 they've finally worked out how to manipulate the fabric of time to allow them access to any epoch they want. And dammit, they're heading for the 80s faster than you can say “Michael J Fox”. PBJ have talked up their love of the decade that produced both fantastic (Pet Shop Boys) and cheesetastic (Howard Jones) pop in the run-up to this album's release, going so far as to employ the Miami Vice sountracker Jan Hammer (truly the embodiment of the 80s) to remix lead single Nothing To Worry About. In the process the Swedish trio have finally found a vehicle for their schoolboyish playfulness, creating an album short on guitars, heavy on vocals hooks, and dense with joyful musical tricks. Songs like Lay It Down (which features the album's catchiest chorus in 'Hey shut the fuck up boy/You're starting to piss me of', and plays out like a sinister Kanye rap track) and It Don't Move Me (which employs the same minor key minimalism the Kills attempted to emulate on their last album, with stratospheric success) are unapologetic stabs at 7'' single perfection. Just The Past channels the ghost of Paul Simon (who's had a rather busy time of it of late), Stay This Way recalls Toto's swashy global village ode Africa, and Bernard Sumner seems to have mauled Blue Period Picasso with his Mancunian mitts. Not that the album exists only as a monument for bygone bands - as with previous album Writer's Block PBJ employ an aesthetic to work under, but mould it to their own wicked pop plans. The result is a collection far more compelling than not just their earlier efforts, but nigh-on anything else that's graced these ears in a long, long time. Where they're going, they don't need roads. Daniel Gray SEE ALSO: Jan Hammer - Escape From Television [MCA], Kanye West - Late Registration [Roc-A-Fella]

Benefit] The Red Hot Organization has been raising funds and awareness for HIV and Aids for the last two decades, and has released 18 or so charity multi-artist compilations of various genres to promote their cause, notably 1993’s NoAlternative (featuring Sonic Youth and Nirvana) and Red Hot and Blue (featuring U2 and Tom Waits). This album follows the same lines, and with 31 tracks and 41 listed artists over two CDs, it’s a big, sprawling release. However, don’t be put off by the “charity album” tag, as a finer collection of songs probably won’t come into your earshot for a while. Curated by the Dessner brothers from The National, there are lots of classic cover versions, collaborations, and a rake of new songs from acts like Spoon, The Decemberists and Arcade Fire to keep you interested. The contributors are a who’s who of current North American indie music, and while such a diverse selection of acts and styles could be irritating, overall it feels quite concise, a testament to its curators. The first disk is mellower, opening with Knotty Pine, a David Byrne/Dirty Projectors collaboration, and sets a high bar for the rest of the disc, with its loping rhythm and child-like piano tapping out a call to order. The songs take a few listens to emerge but after a while the haunting cover of Dylan’s I Was Young When I Left Home by Anthony (of the Johnsons) and Bruce Dessner, and Sufjan Stevens’ weird-but-fantastic You Are The Blood stand strongly out. On the second CD Arcade Fire’s sixties-ish Lenin is a bit disappointing, but Beirut’s Mimizan and Yo La Tengo’s sleepy version of Gentle Hour more than makes up for it. There’s a slightly more experimental and choppy feel to the second CD, but it doesn’t really suffer for that. My Morning Jacket sound a bit like a Mexican Beatles on El Caporal, Cat Power does a great cover of Amazing Grace, and while a couple of the songs, such as Spoon’s Well Alright don’t really call you back to your headphones, there are plenty of others that do. Overall there’s a melancholy and bittersweet tone, which is a bit much over the 2-hour-10-minute running time, but with such a diverse range of acts there really is something for everyone, especially a lover of alternative music. Kieran McGuinness SEE ALSO: The National- Boxer [Beggar's Banquet], Bright Eyes- I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning [Saddle Creek]

TOTALLY DUBLIN

www.totallydublin.ie

The new Peter Bjorn and John album is available in Tower Records from March 27th

Sofia I’m going to be drinking loads - celebrating Vikingstyle!

Eimear Celebrating Irish style – downing pints/ spirits/ anything mildly alchoholic, then eating a traditional Irish meal of kebabs in Zaytoon at 5am.

Sheena I’ll bring my little boy to the parade and the funfair and later on, babysitter permitting, I’ll head down to see Benga in Crawdaddy!

WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR PADDY’S DAY?

Kaitlin Sleeping off my hangover from the night before then go out to a bar and listen to some live music. I’m gonna go to bed early though so I can get to work the next day.

TOTALLY DUBLIN

John I’m going to dress myself up in lots of shamrock and run down O’Connell St. shouting ‘bibble’ to passers-by.

Kara Parades, pints and even more shameless tourism!

www.totallydublin.ie

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6 months membership at â&#x201A;Ź249 Save over â&#x201A;Ź216 Terms & Conditions apply

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Dublin City Enterprise Spring Issue 2009

Welcome to our Spring Training Programme

he range of courses on offer in the coming months will enable you to enhance your management skills and at the same time give you the opportunity to network with other businesses in Dublin. One of the main objectives of Dublin City Enterprise Board is to assist people interested in starting a new small business, or developing an existing one. As part of its range of services to businesses, the Dublin City Enterprise Board provides a range of training programmes aimed at developing the business skills and capability of new start up entrepreneurs, existing business owner managers and their staff. These programmes generally involve workshops and inter-business networking. DCEB courses range from short one day courses to longer management development programmes. Courses are run mainly in the evening time and are usually held at the National College of Ireland and the Guinness Enterprise Centre. Topics include µMarketing on a Shoestring¶, µCredit Control¶, µCosting & Pricing¶ and µExporting for Small Business¶. The Management Development Training Programme deals with the managing change, negotiation, stress and time management. Other programmes include Marketing & Maximising Sales and Computerised Accounts. All courses are delivered by professional trainers to a very high standard and fees are kept to a minimum to facilitate participation. The training is supported by FAS One Step Up Programme. If you require any further information on business advice and/or training programmes, please click on the Event Calendar on the website www.dceb.ie and book online today.

Greg Swift, CEO, DCEB, with John Keogh and Brendan Kennedy of FAS

Six easy steps to networking T By MIRIAM AHERN

he closing months of last year exposed serious turbulence in the global economy. The year ahead will certainly present most of us with change and challenges as we steer our organisations through these difficult times. Our own personal time is becoming evermore precious. Make every minute that you spend networking this year count by following these six practical steps: STEP 1 - DETERMINE WHY YOU NEED TO NETWORK THIS YEAR AND SET NETWORKING OBJECTIVES There are lots of different reasons why we chose to network. Some people network solely to identify business opportunities. Some people network to expand their numbers of social and industry contacts. Some people network to find out what is going on in a particular sector or within a particular professional or vocational group. Many people network in order to learn more about a variety of things. You need to know exactly why you are networking so that you know how to network productively. Be aware that your networking needs may change subtly from time to time. It will pay you back enormously in terms of time, effort and efficiency if you periodi-

DCEB Link!, PLATO and Enterprise Network for Women members networking at a recent event cally review your networking strategy. Action - List the main (important and urgent) objectives for your networking activities during 2009. These objectives might be aligned to a personal or business plan that you have developed. Be very specific in terms of what you need to do and why and when you need to do it. Use the SMART principle so that your networking objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound.

STEP 2 - APPRAISE YOUR EXISTING NETWORKS Once you are very clear about your networking objectives you need to do a quick audit of all of your existing active networks . Informal networks might include groups such as family, friends, colleagues, school/college friends. Formal networks are groups such as industry or interest bodies, professional continued on page 2

How to get ahead in the recession

ow have you found the start of 2009 in your business? Are wondering how you can attract more leads to your business without spending a fortune? In a recessionary economy we all have to watch our overheads, but now is not the time to stop marketing. The DCEB half-day workshop on How To Market In a Recession provides a guide to marketing your business on a limited budget. You will discover easy to imple-

ment and cost effective marketing activities to boost your sales in a downturn economy. The workshop, to be held on March 4, will cover the key marketing strategies that every entrepreneur needs to master to ensure profitable growth. It will examine the importance of an internet strategy, and how to identify your irresistible offer so that you attract a steady stream of customers to your business. Marketing literature will also feature in the session hosted by Krishna De,

an award winning business strategy and brand engagement author, mentor, professional speaker and commentator. Meanwhile, on March 18, John Dempsey will host a workshop entitled Surviving the Downturn & Getting Paid. The half-day workshop will focus on better cost control, securing a customer base and better customer service, joint ventures, and µwhat to do when things go wrong. For full details and to register, log on www.dceb.ie.

Dublin City Enterprise

Spring Issue 2009

Best recipe for success

ive Dublin city-based food clients attended the third SHOP Exhibition, held at the RDS Simmonscourt Pavilion, which set out the stalls of over 50 food producers from all over the country. The ³CEB Food Village´ attracted visits from not one but two government ministers late last autumn. Minister for Food Trevor Sargeant opened the show and Minister John McGuinness met with many CEB clients, including the Windmill Project, Caribbean Enterprises, Gran Clarkes, Fibre Foods and M & M Foods. SHOP 2009, will be held in the RDS from September 28 to 30th at the RDS in Dublin. Contact Eibhlin Curley (ecurley@dceb.ie) for details.

John Murray, broadcaster, Ivan Mac Donald, Dial 2 Do, Ross Brennan, Cicero Networks, Tom Flanagan, Hothouse Programme, DIT and Greg Swift, CEO, Dublin City Enterprise Board at the µBe Inspired¶ series of free talks sponsored by DCEB.

Learn hard, play fast

team from Park Park School in Dublin, winners theSenior 2008 Student The E.T.O. team Muckross from Muckross School won the Dublin of City www.businessgame.ie Enterprise Awards 2009 competition

n Thursday 5 February in Croke Park the winners of the Dublin City Student Enterprise Awards were announced by Lord Mayor, Cllr Eibhlin Byrne. The winners in the Senior section are Muckross Park, Donnybrook. ETO, run by Sive Dooley, Eimear Mc Crann, Sabina Keane, Grace Joyce and Ellis Reilly won ¼500 and a Dublin glass trophy each. Each student-run enterprise set up an exhibition display stand at the competition venue before being interviewed by a panel of experienced judges. From a total of two hundred and fifty marks, the young

entrepreneurs are marked on areas such as Business Performance, Market Research, Interview Skills, Finance, Risk Management, Innovation and Personal Development. They will represent Dublin City in the National Schools Competition in Tullamore, Co Offaly on May 14 at the annual Student Enterprise Awards for secondary schools. It is the biggest programme of its kind for secondary schools in Ireland and is organised by the network of County and City Enterprise Boards. www.studententerprise.ie

Six easy steps to successful networking institutes, or organised business networks. Action - Make a µmaster list¶ of your existing networks on one sheet of paper. Then, for each of those networks, take a blank sheet of paper and brainstorm that network. STEP 3 ± ALIGN YOUR µMASTER LIST¶ TO YOUR NEW NETWORKING OBJECTIVES The purpose of this step is to identify whether your existing set of networks will support you in the achievement of this year¶s networking goals or whether you need to start networking with new groups or types of people. Action - Ask yourself this question. Are there other relevant groups of people that I need to network with to achieve my 2009 objectives? If the answer is yes, your immediate mission is to identify, locate

and engage with these new groups or individuals.

STEP 5 ±RE-EDUCATE YOUR EXISTING CONTACTS

STEP 4 ± GALVANISE YOUR EXISTING NETWORKS

If your priorities have changed this year, you need to let your acquaintances in your existing networks know. Action ± Make sure that your introduction, or µelevator pitch¶, is up to date. Make sure that if you have a µset¶ of introductions that they are all freshly aligned to your 2009 networking goals.

If your priorities have changed this year, you will probably benefit by engaging with new people within your previously-established networks. Action ± In the context of your new networking objectives, review the names on each of the sheets that you have prepared for each of your networks. Are there other people available to you through those existing networks that you have not included in your list? For example, are there wider family members, ex-colleagues, or co-professionals with whom it would benefit you to acquaint yourself this year? Plan to connect with these additional people at your earliest opportunity.

STEP 6 ± ENCOURAGE YOUR CONTACTS TO BE YOUR AMBASSADORS AND YOUR SALES FORCE! Remember, networking is as much about who knows you as it is about who you know. Action ± Make yourself memorable. Here are some suggestions:

Get to know your network organisers or facilitators Volunteer to µbuddy-up¶ with newcomers at formal networking events Become a connector, introduce your acquaintances to each-other Offer to present a short talk on your subject(s) of expertise Tender a special discount to fellownetwork members Follow up a promising chance encounter with a one-to-one over coffee or lunch In summary, our time is precious but we all need to network. Your networkingneeds change in tandem with your personal and professional needs. You can optimise the time you spend networking this year by having a sound and up-to-date networking strategy and setting relevant and clear networking objectives.

Dublin City Enterprise

Spring Issue 2009

Hard work pays off

Courage, patience and vision rewarded

(Main picture) Mary Ryan of Product Innovator, Pauline Logan, Manager of the Enterprise Network for Women, Eibhlin Curley, Assistant CEO, DCEB and Alison Bell of Spa Ireland. Above, (from left) Joe Haugh of Productful.com, Link! Network Manager, Miriam Ahern, and David Burke of Freightwise Ltd.

track. That¶s what I take from this; it¶s an ary Ryan of Product Innovator is the Dublin City honour to be recognised in this way and it gives me great faith as we head into Female Entrepreneur 2009´. Winner 2008. Mary started Founded by Alison Bell, Spaher company when she Ireland.com is a one-stop-shop for bookwas laid off from Iona Technologies in ing spas in Ireland launched at the end of 2002 and has since grown her business 2007. A fully functioning booking website, to international success. Her story may backed up with offline expertise, it proinspire others who are currently facing vides profiles, general infortough times. mation, booking access and ³I am delighted to have won this prestigious award, www.dceb.ie more to most of the premier spa facilities across Ireland, and would recommend that North and South. entrepreneurs take advanThe Dublin City David Burke of Freight tage of the great services Enterprise Wise won the 2008 Link! that are offered by Dublin Board website is Award for the 'Newcomer City Enterprise Board, and always evolving. with the Best Business Plan'. other regional Enterprise It now ³Winning award with LINK! Boards´ said Mary Ryan. includes an and DCEB gives us recogni³They provide great training online opinion tion that lets us know that we and mentoring programmes, poll and online are doing something right.´ as well as invaluable opporvideos of David said. tunities to network and make Entrepreneurs ³It has also encouraged us business contacts. They sharing their to revisit and update our busihave certainly helped me in experience and ness plan. We have also had my business´. business advice. to alter our business plan The Rising Star Award 2008 If you have because of the downturn in went to Alison Bell of Spanot already the economy. Ireland. signed up for ³The LINK! network has Alison says ³Winning this the free been invaluable to Freight award means a lot to me. e-Newsletter you Wise. We have expanded Starting a business is chalcan do so on the our own network and we also lenging and we all need a lithomepage. receive some great advice tle validation that we¶re on

from like-minded owner managers. The monthly meetings are very beneficial and the topics and speakers have been very relevant to start up companies". The award for Newcomer With The Best New Product or Service went to Joe Haugh of GuarReg Ltd./ Productful.com. ³We are delighted to win this award´ said Joe Haugh.

³We would like to thank the Dublin City Enterprise board for their assistance with the mentoring program they run which ProductFul.com has availed of,´ says Joe. ³Winning this prize is a big accomplishment for the management team of ProductFul.com, and we look to build upon this success in 2009 and beyond.´

Members of the DCEB Link!, PLATO and Enterprise Network for Women exchanging ideas at a recent event

Dublin City Enterprise

Top tips from the experts to help you improve cashflow

Dublin Women.

usan Lennon, Tax Manager and Anne Brady of McQuillans DFK presented a useful framework on how to best manage cashflow to the City Enterprise Network for

1. ACT ON REDUCING COSTS AND RISKS Recent research has shown that SME¶s are taking steps to reduce costs in a number of areas. By far the most important area is cutting overheads (90%), but other common measures are hiring freezes and reduction of the cost of sale. Less commonly used are pay freezes and redundancies. Telecommunication costs are the biggest source of overhead reduction (90% of companies) and other measures are cutting travel/entertainment and staff training.

Spring Issue 2009

Broadcaster John Bowman chairing 'The Big Debate' at the Enterprise Support Day in City Hall, on November 19, 2008 during Dublin City Enterprise Week. (Panel L-R) Damian Young, Bank of Ireland, Martin Murray, Interactive Return, Pat Lynch, DCEB, Paula Fitzsimons, GEM author, Mark Fielding, ISME, Brian Carey, Sunday Times, Jay Bourke, Cafe Bar Deli, Marc Coleman, NewsTalk 106.

You need to be careful with any new contracts: Can/will they pay? What if they can¶t? Staged payments can help. There are a number of steps you can take to reduce bad debts, such as asking for references. Most businesses are offering just 30 days credit, and some are even asking for cash up front. Recent research shows that small companies are taking measures to minimise bad debts, the most popular being cash up front (78%), followed by early payment discounts (28%), credit checking (13%) and finally by using collection agencies or cash collection technology. Invoices and statements must be issued on time (maximum two days after month¶s end). You need to keep a list of your debtors showing who owes money, and for how long?

A solicitor¶s letter can be very effective if you are getting no response. 4. ACCESSING CREDIT In order to access credit from banks, you will need: Business plan ± difficult to project forward at the moment but you have to make best estimate. Cash flow projections Latest financial report. There is no point in approaching the bank without all of these. 5. DEALING WITH DEBTS You need to divide your debts into priority (ones that have to be paid such as rent/mortgage/court fines) and secondary (no security - credit cards, etc)

2. TAKE ACTIONS TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY The mantra should be to work smarter and slicker. Use new technology ± this is a key means for SMEs to improve productivity. Research has found that most (70%) SMEs achieve productivity improvements through the use of technology and longer hours. 3. TAKE ACTIONS TO IMPROVE CASH FLOW AND MINIMISE BAD DEBTS Most companies are facing more bad debts or at least slow payment of debts.

Members of Dublin City Enterprise Board¶s team of mentors attend a recent think-in at the Board¶s city offices.

Telephone: 01 635 1144; Fax: 01 635 1811 Email: info@dceb.ie; Website: www.dceb.ie

Training programmes are supported by FÁS under the One Step Up Programme

The best thing is to be up front if you cannot pay a debt, especially with Revenue. If you write them a letter and ask for a month or so, they will normally grant the extension. You do need to meet whatever commitment you make. You need to have a budget to help you to maximise income and minimise expenditure. 6. DEALING WITH REVENUE CHALLENGES Companies are having to take measures to deal with lower revenue levels. The key thing is to let customers know about the value you offer rather than cutting prices across the board. You might be able to create a range of low and high value offerings to meet all parts of the market. Try to reduce costs/inefficiencies so that you can keep your prices keen. Streamline your product/services as much as possible ± strip out nonessential elements. Other tips offered at the presentation on recession pricing were as follows: Don¶t discount your products/services in order to compete. Don¶t reduce price of high value parts of your offering. Develop some low value products/services to meet the needs of customers with limited resources. Don¶t play poker with customers choosing purely on basis of price. These notes are from the presentation to the Dublin City Enterprise Network for Women. Join today for only ¼100 for 2009 membership.

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