Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds at 3Arena: Thrilling, pulsating and stunning performance from restless prince of gloomNick Cave: Interplay between singer and instrument-bashing foil Warren Ellis helps to drive this spectacular showWed Nov 13 2024 - 09:37
Bad Sisters review: Beautiful Dublin shines again as Sharon Horgan serves up another course of zinging dark comedyTelevision: Beautiful Dublin shines again in series two of Apple’s comic thrillerWed Nov 13 2024 - 05:45
Crá review: Quality noir thriller puts both Donegal and the Irish language to beautiful use Television: It takes a while to get going and is not without flaws, but this show is good enough to almost convince us our native tongue is in everyday useMon Nov 11 2024 - 22:25
The Day of the Jackal review: Eddie Redmayne is underwhelming in the cat and mouse drama that cries out for more heartTelevision: Who better to embody an international man of mystery than Redmayne who seems half invisible even with the lights on?Thu Nov 07 2024 - 11:41
Christy Brown: Self Portrait - commendable attempt at disentangling man from Daniel Day-Lewis movieTelevision: Artist largely remembered as a posthumous muse in Oscar-winning My Left FootWed Nov 06 2024 - 22:34
The Old Man season two review: The double act of Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow is worth the admission priceTelevision: heartening to see two actors in their 70s fronting thriller where age is not played as punchlineWed Nov 06 2024 - 09:34
Max Richter in Dublin: Stunning show moves from gripping In a Landscape re-creation to breathtaking Blue Notebooks momentsOn the first of two evenings, the composer leads his ensemble through first his new album and then his Iraq War ‘protest record’Thu Oct 31 2024 - 15:07
Leathered: Violence in Irish Schools - ‘You looked at a teacher the wrong way and you got a slap’Television: There are so many victims of corporal punishment, and each of their stories is so upsetting, that after a while anger gives way to numbnessThu Oct 31 2024 - 14:28
More Than a Whistle: Who’d be a woman referee? You’d hear ‘You should be cooking the dinner,’ says oneTelevision: RTÉ’s enjoyable documentary charts the progress that Michelle O’Neill, Joy Neville and Maggie Farrelly have helped soccer, rugby and GAA makeTue Oct 29 2024 - 22:58
Kneecap at Vicar Street: A thrilling gig testament to their talents as rappers, ravers and conjurors of chaosThe vibe is one of community and solidarity, framed by love of the Irish language and irreverent humourTue Oct 29 2024 - 11:41
Soccer Mommy: ‘The whole thing with Liam Payne is really sad. The industry is very hard on people’s mental health’Going on the road as a young artist is psychologically and physically draining, says Sophie Allison, who has just released Evergreen, her new albumTue Oct 29 2024 - 05:15
Generation Z review: This mindless zombie horror could do with more brainpowerTelevision: Ben Wheatley’s zombie horror about iPhone-addicted kids and ravenous boomers suffers from muddled metaphors about intergenerational tensionsMon Oct 28 2024 - 21:54
Robert Smith of The Cure: ‘I still feel like that 10-year-old kid staring at the moon’The Cure’s power comes from the singer’s two sides – he’s ‘part of the world but also not part of it’. That’s still evident on Songs of Lost World, the band’s new albumSat Oct 26 2024 - 05:15
Pixies drummer David Lovering: ‘My advice for Oasis? Have us as your opening act’Drummer David Lovering recalls Pixies Boston roots as the punk-pop pioneers to whom Nirvana, Fontaines DC and even Olivia Rodrigo owe a debt surf a wave of renewed successFri Oct 25 2024 - 05:15
The Case I Can’t Forget: Ireland’s first human trafficking conviction is both a positive and depressing taleTelevision: The final episode of the true crime series highlighted Ireland’s poor record in tackling modern day slaveryThu Oct 24 2024 - 10:00
The Franchise review: Sharp satire and punchy energy aside, this parody of superhero films is a missTelevision: If you want to properly satirise a genre, you can’t look down on it to this extentMon Oct 21 2024 - 15:00
The Meaning of Life review: A shame Joe Duffy didn’t do better job of bringing context to Sinéad Burke’s lifeTelevision: RTÉ presenter is allowed to display a different side than on Liveline, but Burke needed more contextSun Oct 20 2024 - 23:15
Rivals: This Jilly Cooper bonkfest has too many pants around the ankles, not enough plotTelevision: Why is sex meant to be so funny? Perhaps we should ask the BritishFri Oct 18 2024 - 06:00
Liam Payne’s death is a tragic end to the story of five cheeky boys who charmed millionsOne Direction singer’s death begs questions about the pressures of fame and the support offered by the music industry to young artistThu Oct 17 2024 - 12:44
Confidence Man: ‘We wanted to create something that was surreal and immersive’Adrenaline-fuelled, London-based Brisbane band may be a couple, siblings or life-long friends but their dance music antics have brought them to the brink of stardomTue Oct 15 2024 - 05:15
Anorexia, My Family & Me review: Heartbreak and hope as Angela Scanlon narrates stories of Irish families hijacked by eating disordersTelevision: Commendable RTÉ documentary address an increasingly urgent issue with empathy and without sensationalismMon Oct 14 2024 - 22:33
The Unreal: RTÉ’s family-friendly caper adds a dash of Japanese horror to bring ancient Irish mythology into the present dayTelevision: The story’s púca, an ancient spirit who escapes from an old VHS tape, is genuinely creepy, a kid’s mascot as reimagined by Clive BarkerSun Oct 13 2024 - 17:39
Disclaimer review: Cate Blanchett and Alfonso Cuarón are far too good for this glib, preening disappointmentTelevision: Blanchett’s intense acting style and Cuarón’s auteur touch prove wildly unsuited to the demands of the binge-watch eraFri Oct 11 2024 - 10:00
Curfew review: Passable thriller set in dystopian near future where men aren’t allowed out after darkTelevision: Have the producers never heard of domestic violence? Do they think the patriarchy only does its dirty work at night?Thu Oct 10 2024 - 11:46
The Last Dinner Party at 3Olympia: A thrilling romp through the indie quintet’s knock-out goth popAbigail Morris, with her Wagner-in-the-mosh-pit vocals, is the night’s focal point, but the whole petticoat-positive band shine in DublinWed Oct 09 2024 - 10:13
Michael Smurfit: Succession review - A soft-spoken and thoughtful multi-millionaire with a killer instinctTelevision: With a who’s-who of interviewees, this RTÉ documentary is more of a hagiography than warts-and-all portraitMon Oct 07 2024 - 22:35
Heart of Philip Glass: A musical through line from Blondie and Talking Heads to maverick minimalismMichael Riesman, music director of the Philip Glass Ensemble, on the works by the composer that they’re bringing to IrelandSun Oct 06 2024 - 05:00
The Late Late Country Music Special: Not quite up there with the Toy Show but in the same ballparkTelevision: Evening reaches a high when Daniel O’Donnell and Shona McGarty perform Kris Kristofferson’s Me and Bobby McGee as host Patrick Kielty looks relievedSat Oct 05 2024 - 00:09
The 2 Johnnies Late Night Lock In review: It’s harmless fun but before long you just want it to end Television: The Tipperary duo return to RTÉ for a second season of the TV show after their exit from 2fm a few months agoFri Oct 04 2024 - 14:10
Accusations against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs read like something from a horror movieAllegations against the hip hop mogul – said to involve so-called ‘freak offs’ or days-long sex parties – may be the beginning of a moment of reckoning in an industry long associated with seedinessFri Oct 04 2024 - 12:47
Phillip Schofield: jaw-dropping Cast Away finale as the ex-presenter burns the names of his enemies and runs naked into the seaTelevision: The former ITV presenter seems determined to hold everyone accountable - except for himselfThu Oct 03 2024 - 10:34
Industry review: Overworked, over-medicated, over-sexed bankers? Tell us something we didn’t knowTelevision: Bankers ripping each other apart makes for an engaging blood sport until you realise there’s not much else going onWed Oct 02 2024 - 00:10
Phillip Schofield: Cast Away – cancelled presenter’s self-absorption on desert island is exhaustingTelevision: Former ITV frontman clearly feels betrayed but viewers will need to decide whether sympathy is merited or notTue Oct 01 2024 - 12:00
Extraordinary Life: The Ben Dunne Story review – the absurd adventures of a very 1980s Irish mogul laid bareTelevision: Ben Dunne’s story had everything, from kidnap to drugs to a Succession-style business rivalryMon Sept 30 2024 - 22:30
At Your Service review: in Francis and John Brennan’s hotel revamp show, the juicy bits are left off screenTelevision review: While Francis and John Brennan know what they are about, it isn’t their fault At Your Service returns with a fizz-free episode lacking dramaSun Sept 29 2024 - 20:30
Low’s Alan Sparhawk on the death of Mimi Parker, his wife and bandmate: ‘The loss is real and will be felt forever’ White Roses, My God, Sparhawk’s first solo album, is a gut-punchingly raw response to the loss of his partner and musical collaborator of nearly 30 yearsSat Sept 28 2024 - 05:15
U2’s Country Mile and Picture of You (X + W): Two fantastic songs – but it’s hard not to be haunted by what they representHow to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb was U2’s last artistically relevant album. These new releases are from the reboot How to Re-Assemble an Atomic BombFri Sept 27 2024 - 12:59
Alone, The Cure’s first new song in 16 years, is a huge aching sigh of darkness that brings great comfortThe track, which comes ahead of the release of new album Songs Of A Lost World, is refreshingly, gloomily Cure-ishThu Sept 26 2024 - 13:11
Nobody Wants This review: Breezy romcom lands like When Harry Met Sally for self-involved millennialsTelevision: Romcom starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody is full of zinging gags but lacks a heartThu Sept 26 2024 - 12:45
Ludwig review: David Mitchell is perfect as nerdy sleuth in comic thriller stuffed with laughsTelevision: This agreeably chortle-filled show is the perfect midweek distractionWed Sept 25 2024 - 22:00
Rebus review: The real mystery is why is RTÉ rehashing this BBC crime caper Television: Ian Rankin’s stoic copper is more character study than pulsating thriller but Edinburgh leaps off the screenTue Sept 24 2024 - 23:15
‘Reneé Rapp, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan – it feels like there’s a wave of queer artists now. It’s so good’Pale Waves singer Heather Baron-Gracie on learning to deal with online attacks, her enduring love of The Cranberries, and the ‘very nice’ Matty HealyTue Sept 24 2024 - 05:15
Autumn culture preview 2024: The biggest films, TV shows, books, music, theatre and exhibitions to catchFrom Paul Mescal in Gladiator II and Cate Blanchett in Disclaimer to Nick Cave at 3Arena and Brian Maguire at the Hugh LaneSat Sept 21 2024 - 05:15
The Penguin review: Colin Farrell’s powerhouse performance is the best thing about this Batman spin-offTelevision review: As a showcase for Colin Farrell, the series has its charms but The Penguin is hugely uneven and often extremely slow as a moribund script gets in the wayFri Sept 20 2024 - 08:00
Melanie Martinez at 3Arena review: a night of weird nightmarish pop. The under-12s lapped it upUnder-12s audience seem drawn to avalanche of disorienting imagery and candy-cane melodiesThu Sept 19 2024 - 10:27
Culture Night 2024: Wondering where to begin? These 20 events around Ireland caught our eyeFrom Seamus Heaney to hipster Dublin, and salon jazz to retro synthesisers, thousands of events will be going on across Ireland on Friday, September 20thTue Sept 17 2024 - 05:15
In My Own Words: Hanif Kureishi review – Author revisits hedonistic life after entering a zone of deathTelevision: The author and playwright, who suffered life-changing injuries after a fall in 2022, revisits his life and careerTue Sept 17 2024 - 00:15
Nightsleeper review: new BBC train thriller is as fantastical as an Irish Rail timetableTelevision review: For a high-octane caper, Nightsleeper simply doesn’t have enough oomphSun Sept 15 2024 - 22:00
The Late Late Show review: Patrick Kielty’s second season kicks off with serviceable monologue and just one flubTelevision: The host of the RTÉ chatshow seems to be enjoying himself – which is not something that could be said of some earlier presentersFri Sept 13 2024 - 23:50
The Grand Tour: One for the Road review - As Clarkson, Hammond and May motor into the great beyond, is this the end of car TV?Television: Their brand of television is Marmite on wheels, and some will cheer their departure, but is this the end for car-based telly?Fri Sept 13 2024 - 10:00
