Event of the week
Out to Lunch
Saturday, January 7th-Sunday, January 29th, various venues/times/prices, Belfast; cqaf.com
Another excellent multistrand culture festival returns after time spent in the wilderness over the past two years, and if the bumper crop of music and author Q&As don’t grab your attention then maybe numerous film, theatre and comedy events will. Highlights?
We don’t have room for everything, but must-sees include an interview with musician/author Miki Berenyi (talking about her superb memoir, How Music Saved me from Success), a showing of the new Patti Smith documentary, Electric Poet, and the book launch of The Stamp of Beauty, the debut novel by Belfast-based writer Finola Meredith.
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Festival
Dublin Bowie Festival
Tuesday, January 10th-Sunday, January 15th, various venues/times/prices, Dublin; dublinbowiefestival.ie
Overseen by musician/writer John Brereton since its inception, the Dublin Bowie Festival has year-on-year accomplished remarkable work on a shoestring budget. This year’s highlights include Bowie: Icon, an exhibition of more than 60 photographs by the acclaimed Philippe Auliac (Rathfarnham Castle, until January 29th, admission free); The Prettiest Star, featuring supreme drag queen Veda Lady (The George, January 11th, admission free); An Evening with [formerly, Bowie’s musical director] Gerry Leonard (January 13th, Whelan’s, €20); and an audio-visual presentation by Leah Kardos, author of Blackstar Theory — The Last Works of David Bowie (January 15th, Whelan’s, adm free).
Beauty & the Beast review: On the way home, younger audience members re-enact scenes. There’s no higher recommendation
Matt Cooper: I’m an only child. I’ve always been conscious of not having brothers or sisters
A Dublin scam: After more than 10 years in New York, nothing like this had ever happened to me
Patrick Freyne: I am becoming a demotivational speaker – let’s all have an averagely productive December
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Gigs
Andy White
Sunday, January 8th, Black Box, Belfast; 8pm; £15; blackboxbelfast.com; Thursday, January 12th, Whelan’s, Dublin; 8pm; €20; whelanslive.com
“Belfast musician living in Melbourne. Has guitar, wants to travel.” So states Andy White’s Twitter bio, and true to his word he brings his guitar and travels back to Ireland this year for the season that’s in it.
White’s most recent album, 2022′s This Garden is Only Temporary, is one of his best and features songs that come across as ridiculously easygoing. Such perceived informality, however, belies his commitment to his craft. White’s Belfast show, by the way, is his first hometown one since before the pandemic, so expect a raucous welcome.
Wallows
Monday, January 9th, 3Olympia, Dublin; 7pm; €25.90 (sold out); ticketmaster.ie
You would be forgiven if you had never heard of Wallows — the Los Angeles-based pop/rock band has slowly but stealthily increased their fanbase over the past few years with two albums (2019′s Nothing Happens, 2022′s Tell Me That It’s Over) that have showcased an engaging, breezy approach to summery guitar-driven tunes. Make time, if you have it, for the support act, Belfast songwriter/singer Lucy Gaffney, whose songs are equal parts woozy, wonderful, and ready to admire.
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Comedy
Gearoid Farrelly
Saturday, January 7th, Kavanagh’s Bar, Portlaoise, Co Laois; 8pm; €16.50; kavanaghsportlaoise.com; Sunday January 8th, Everyman Theatre, Cork; 8pm; €18; everymancork.com; Friday, January 13th, Dolan’s Warehouse, Limerick; 7.30pm; €15 (sold out); dolans.ie
Beloved by Joanne McNally (“my absolute favourite”) and the dear departed Joan Rivers (“the best opening act in his price range”), Gearóid Farrelly takes his Glamour Hammer stand-up show around the country.
He is a trouper, that’s for sure — having spent many years supporting every Irish comedian you can think of Farrelly has earned his headline status from crafting acute observational comedy with a side order of wise and witty. As Rivers might say if she were still around, he is now the best headline act in his price range.
Bert Kreischer
Friday, January 13th, 3Arena, Dublin; 6.30pm; €55; ticketmaster.ie
US comedian Bert Kreischer brings his new stand-up comedy show, Tops Off to the World, on the back of Netflix’s 2020 docuseries The Cabin.
Along with two other Netflix specials (Hey Big Boy, Secret Time) and his comedy podcasts Bertcast and 2 Bears 1 Cave (two of the most popular in the world), Kreischer has effectively commandeered the market for 50-something male comedians who deliver (it says in the press release) “no-holds-barred humour”. This sounds a bit ho-hum, perhaps, although there is something quite unique about the guy: he delivers his schtick barefooted and shirtless. Let’s hope the venue is nice and toasty.
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Theatre
24-Hour Plays: Dublin
Saturday, January 8th, Abbey Theatre, Dublin; 7.30pm; €120-€35 ; abbeytheatre.ie
On your marks, get set, go! Seriously, keep still thy beating hearts — you have 24 hours to not only write six short plays but also to rehearse and present them to an audience. Back after the pandemic rudely interrupted proceedings, this year’s 24-Hour Plays: Dublin sees Irish writers and directors, a multitude of Irish actors from stage and screen and more than 30 theatre technicians gather to present creative work that will have a dual purpose — to entertain and (just in case you looked at the ticket prices and gasped for breath) raise funds for Dublin Youth Theatre.
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Ballet
Estonian National Ballet — Swan Lake
From Wednesday January 11th-Sunday, January 15th, Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin; 7.30pm; €31; bordgaisenergytheatre.ie
Making its Irish debut (finally, after many decades as a touring company), the Estonian National Ballet brings directly from its home at the Tallinn Opera House a full-length and sumptuous production of Swan Lake.
Accompanied by the Irish National Opera Orchestra, the 60-plus company of classically trained dancers are trained (and committed) to excel. Important to note for ballet-loving children is that next Saturday, January 14th, there is also a matinee at 2.30pm. On Sunday, January 15th, there is a matinee at 1pm, with the final show at 5.30pm.
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Still running
The Otolith Group: Xenogenesis
Until February 12th, Imma (east wing), Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin; €8 (under 18, admission free); imma.ie
London-based artist collective The Otolith Group (founded more than 20 years ago by Anjalika Sagar and Kodwo Eshun) present a multistrand exhibition that focuses on new technology, neo-colonialism, and societal/climate concerns.
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