In a few hours I will be here:

Carcassonne. How awesome does it look? I can't wait!

Courtney shows Britney some Love

Courtney Love is my hero, but still, when you're getting endorsement from her, you know you're a bit fucked

Una

My new favourite band?

I love these guys

They play the Boom Boom room on March 9th.

It's the day after my barfday, so I am there like Fred Astaire

Una

Jared Leto... pretending to be weird again.

It's not enough to have a by numbers emo band, now you have to do spreads for French magazines to confirm 'alt' status, t'wud seem.

Why have I never been to LA?

In fact, I've never been to the West Coast (of the Shtates). All this dreary-Oscar fever is making me mentally book plans to go to the City of Angels. Hopefully, not starring Nicholas Cage. Apart from blanket coverage of the Awards on E!, good ol' Lise Hand wrote a charming piece in the Indo today about her one night at the Oscars where she made Tom Hanks cry by stabbing his toe with her stiletto and ended up running soaking and naked through the Chateau. In case none of you know this already, Lise Hand rocks.

When it comes to Amerikay, I'm an East Coast person. In my steroytype-endorsing mind, the East Coast is culture, the West is tack. East is real, West is fake. I love New York more than any city in the world. Like millions before, it felt like home the very first time I visited (I think I was around seven or eight), and the next time aged 18, it felt like a partner in crime and adventure - both of which I am skilled at. Aged 19, our relationship had matured to old friends who keep finding out new things about each other and aged 21 (when I visited about four times) we were on heavy partying terms. I haven't been back for two or so years, but will revisit again in April, just to check up on how she's doing without me.

Anyway, back to LA. I've grown distantly and imaginarily (word?) attached to it, following some serious gorging on Entourage and The L Word. Hopefully in May, I'll make it over, if I can work out something to write that will neccesitate a blag. As Anthony says "there's always a blag."

Anyway, the reason I'm writing this crap is because whenever I HAVE to write something, I decide to write something else. What I HAVE to write right now is my TV column, and as most journos know, having to write something is always the perfect time to write something else to distract you from writing what you have to write - if ya get me. It's like tidying your room in Leaving Cert-era - ANYTHING to avoid the dreaded study (Jesus, study, I'm glad I'll never have to do that again.)

I think the reason I don't think I'll like LA is 1. everyone will be hotter than me, 2. too many cars, 3. FAKENESS (my most hated thing in the world). In LA, you have to be someone. In New York, you can be whoever you want. Ugh, anyway, I probably really should start writing properly before the match starts.

Una

Go Red Sox! Or something...

here we go

I'll probably be watching the match at home with my puking baby neice. I am still so sick, I wish I could just YELL CRYING like little Amelia did ALL night. Can't. Be. Angry. At. Baby. Baby. No. Understand. Sleep. Patterns.

Anywhoo, pick up a copy of VIP magazine today because the wonderful Lili has a photeeshoot with Katy 'how do you all know me?' French. Rocking.

In other news, me and El Girlies fly out to France tomorrow morning. I'm a big disgusting ball of a head cold so I am just going to have to booze my way to health. Well, it worked for Elvis. No, wait...

Happy weekend!

Una

Free Kareem

click here

Electric Picnic news

a message from the organisers:

"EARLY BIRD ELECTRIC PICNIC TICKETS COMING OFF SALE

Dear Picnicers,

Electric Picnic has missed you so much since 2006!!
*Group hug*

This is a heads-up to let you know that the last of the early bird tickets will be finishing up at 6pm tomorrow, Saturday 24th February. Electric Picnic 2007 will be officially launched mid-end March (date to be announced shortly) when this year's festival details including line-up will be announced and the official tickets will go on sale. Please note that there will be a very slight increase in ticket price (not much we promise!) when the official tickets go on sale towards end of March so this is your chance to avail of the cheaper early bird rate.

Between now and 6pm tomorrow transactions will be limited to 2 tickets per person (to curb the touts). The increased price is regrettable but necessary in order to implement many of the improvements we wish to carry out this year as well as adding even more colour and vibrancy to the festival.

With that in mind, a clarrion call to all creative types; please get in touch if you want to get involved! Email info@electricpicnic.ie with BLANK CANVAS in the subect header! And we'll be back with the Official Launch details real soon, to which we will be offering a number of special tickets to subscribers. Til then."

New CSS tracks

N-joy.


Pretend Your Dead

I Wanna Be Your J Lo

Una

Dirty Dozen: Vol 59 - Choice Music Prize special

The Choice Music Prize awards the best Irish album released the previous year, and takes place next Wednesday at Vicar St. Here are a selection of mp3s from the ten nominees and also two live tracks from last year's winner Julie Feeney whose album '13 Songs' is just amazing - buy it!

1. The Immediate - 'A Ghost In This House'

2. Si Schroeder - 'Lavendermist' (from Nialler9)

3. Snow Patrol - 'Chasing Cars' (accoustic)

4. Director - 'Reconnect'

5. Messiah J & The Expert - 'Something Outta Nothing'

half a dozen. Fionn Regan - 'Put A Penny In The Slot

7. Duke Special - 'Last Night I Nearly Died' (live from SXSW)

8. Republic of Loose - 'Comeback Girl'

9. Divine Comedy - 'To Die A Virgin'

10. David Kitt - 'Don't Fuck With Me'

11. Julie Feeney - 'Aching' (live on 6 music)

dozen. Julie Feeney - 'Wind Out Of My Sails' (live on 6 music)

Bloggers on film

Want to re-live Grainne and Joe shifting uncomfortably when I mentioned Blogorrah on live TV? Then click here to see me, Sinead and Simon on Seoige & O'Shea yesterday. Thanks to RedMum

*update*: more nattering here

Una
Listening to: Klaxons - 'Golden Skans'
Drinking: Lemsip, Difflam Spray
Eating: Sinutab, Hedex, Strepsils, Paracetamol

ROBBED AGAIN!

The Phantom table quiz last night was quite controversial. Once again, Half Tribune Half Biscuit reigned supreme, crushing everyone in our path. But, we were robbed by SOMEONE (I'm blaming Neil Hannon) who gave out to the teacher about an extra person on our team. The extra person was the NON-PLAYING Laney who came to the Sugar Club for drinkies (after our strange two pints in O'Donoghues after work) and was gone for most of the quiz. Anyway, they divided our score by 6 and multiplied it by 5 and we were still just one point off the top spot. Anyway, blatant robbery. Some people just can't handle how amazing HTHB is. Maybe we should get t-shirts made...

Anyway, after that 'episode', me and Laney tottered off into the Flounge, where Tadhg was for one night only and also Paul and Eoin. Then we went to Sin and then we went to Lillies and then we went to Burger King. Burger King is completely un-latenightfoodie, but it was the nearest place. Then we went home and ate the foodie and then to BED.

This morning I found out that long island ice teas are not, in fact, a cure for the common cold - how strange - so I feel shitter than ever. If you fancy a laugh today, check out the Seoige & O'Shea show where I will be coughing and snuffling through an item on... BLOGGING. I honestly feel awful and can't really take any more drugs given that I've been horseing Lemsip, painkillers and something called 'Sinutab' (which does nothing) into my system all morning. CRYSIES.

It was lovely to see Tiger though, I miss him now that he lives in Londing :(

Una

listening to: Arcade Fire - 'Neon Bible'

eating: paracetamol

drinking: lemsip

more Oxegen stuff

Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, Snow Patrol, Muse, CSS and more have confirmed, but no sign of the speculated Radiohead yet. Some of the more unusual acts being put forward include, wait for it, Eminem!

The festival will take place on the 7th and 8th of July according to Virtual Festivals. VF's line-up listing goes like this:

Razorlight

The Rakes

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly

Muse

Bloc Party

The Fratellis

KT Tunstall

CSS

Scissor Sisters

The Killers

Mika

The Arcade Fire

The View

Paolo Nutini

Lily Allen

Radiohead

Snow Patrol

Arctic Monkeys

Fall Out Boy

David Kitt

Royseven

The Twang

Director

Duke Special

Channel One

The Immediate

Ash

Simple Kid

The Blizzards

Wanna catch some Irish bands at SXSW?

click on the band names to see when and where they are playing

The Immediate

Jape

Messiah J & The Expert

Oppenheimer

Fionn Regan

Delorentos

Damien Dempsey

UnaRocks article of the week

Do they still want their MTV?
International Herald Tribune (David Carr)

As a brand, MTV has been beyond durable, managing to reinvent itself continuously and in doing so presenting a fast-moving target that left many would-be rivals in its wake. Shows like MTV's "Real World" deserve much of the credit, or blame, for demonstrating that reality can make for compelling viewing. But finding the edge was simpler before competition for its core demographic started coming from all fronts, from video games and social-networking Web sites to amateur clips on YouTube. continue here

My Oscar dream: PREDICTING THE FUTURE? (probably not)

As those who know me know, I only dream about celebrities. Now I know talking about ones dreams is very boring for people who haven't had the dream, but last night was so celebrity-tastic I just have to.

I was attending the Oscars in some kind of tatty community hall that was enclosed in a swish hotel. There were maybe twenty rows of chairs and one TV camera, and even though I wasn't meant to be there, I managed to wrangle a seat between Helen Mirren and Sean Connory (who everyone called 'Anthony Hopkins'). Penelope Cruz and Jennifer Lopez arrived together in matching gold dresses and Beyonce was wearing a tracksuit. When I went into the bathroom, Kate Winslet was slumped in the corner shooting up.

Anyway, Helen Mirren won best actress and Scorsese won best director. Peter O'Toole (who was wearing a Willy Wonka coat) won best actor. They were about to announce best picture when I got rumbled by the seating organiser person who was screaming into her walkie talkie to get me out and so I got kicked out. I had to go back in later to collect my bag and wallet and notebook and a long coat that were underneath my chair, and Sean Connory helped me which was very nice.

Outside there were loads and loads of black cars and Ryan Seacrest was smoking a cigar and talking to Eva Longoria.

That is all.

Una

Pancake Sweats

Am having serious pancake sweats after devouring a banana, chocolate and cream pancake in Lemon on South William Street. Much better value would have been Orange Square on Baggot St where they have three pancakes with lemon and sugar €3-something. Dammit Janet.

Anywhoo, was meant to go see 'Once' last night, but I fucked up my shoulder yesterday evening (possibly due to overzealous playing of Medal Of Honour on the PS2) so had to lie down in pain for the night. Boring.

Una

U2: this is the future

This magazine cover was found in our office today, it's the cover of the Observer magazine when Anton Corbijn photographed U2's dads as U2. Oddly, it looks more like the near future than ever.

Una

Some heart-warming pics of Judge Jules @ The Vaults to brighten up your day

seriously

Cakes!

The best news editor EVER aka Olivia just brought me in three yummy cakes from Queen of Tarts while I was all lonely in work today. Yay!

Una
listening to: Arcade Fire - 'Intervention'
eating: cakes!

Remedy Podcast enters Irish top 50

Well done to the boyos at Remedy whose first ever podcast (feat. The Hacker) smashed into the Irish podcast top 50 chart this week ahead of whoareyiz like U2 and Jamie Oliver.

To subscribe to the Remedy podcast, head to Remedy Ireland and click on the Podcast section.

Bo.

Una

Blood Diamond

Went to see this last night with Laney. We planned to see Notes On A Scandal, but it was sold out. Anyway, BD was entertaining, a bit simplistic and happy clappy towards the end, but great locations. I want to be Jennifer Connelly.

Going to see 'Once' tonight too, so that should be good. Two very cinema-tastic days.

Una

Choice Music Prize - a week and a bit and counting

Here is an article I wrote about the Choice Music Prize which takes place next Wednesday at Vicar Street.

Who Wins? You Don't Decide

The Choice Music Prize is one of Ireland's most prestigious musical accolades. Una Mullally speaks to some of this year's nominees as a select panel of judges decides on the best Irish album of 2006

MUSIC awards are funny things. Some invite highbrow critical acclaim and ensure a hefty rise in sales, others are just an excuse for industry players to put on a suit, hobnob and get hammered. Some are about mobilising legions of friends, family, acquaintances and fans for voting, other results are left down to the opinions of a few wise men and women.

Remarkably, the music award with the most prestige in this country is but a year old, but follows a formula that ensures respect: judge something tangible and specific, don't hand over power to dubious public voting and, if all else fails, just base it on the Mercury music prize.

The Choice Music Prize is in its second year (last year's winner was Julie Feeney's excellent 13 Songs) and awards the best Irish album released the previous year.

Set up by music journalist Jim Carroll and A&R man David Reid, the prize aims to "highlight those albums which deserve some extra time in the spotlight and ultimately to select the album which best sums up the year in Irish music".

12 judges from music media around the country are invited to submit their top 10 albums of the year and the shortlist is compiled based on those choices.

The prize does not take sales, airplay or hype into account, focusing solely on the music. Next Wednesday, the panel will convene at Vicar St in Dublin where eight of the 10 acts will perform live and at the end of the night the best album will be chosen and the act awarded.

Is it the job of the jury to highlight a great record that has otherwise been overlooked? Or try to give the award to musically the best album released that year? Or reach a compromise between the 12 judges?

If it's the first option, the award should go to Si Schroeder; if it's the second, Republic of Loose deserve to win; while if a compromise is the only way to seal it then The Immediate are a sure thing.

One thing is for sure, the betterknown names of Snow Patrol, David Kitt and Divine Comedy aren't in with a shot. Like most awards whose decisions lie with music journalists and co, the winner tends to be musically experimental and progressive, and - apart from a few Arctic Monkeyshaped exceptions - not mainstream.

Most of the acts on the list have been driving the resurgence in creative Irish music for the past couple of years. The Immediate, a Dublin four-piece who released their debut, In Towers and Clouds, on British label Fantastic Plastic (home to The Futureheads and Guillemots), have been drawing acclaim since their inception.

Peter Toomey who, like most of the band, switches between bass, drums and vocals, has plenty of praise for the award, even though he didn't think his band would get nominated. "It's good that it's just album-based. It's strictly the album and I like that idea. . . We're just pretty chuffed to be nominated because there are a lot of bands with hit albums on it. I wasn't sure we were going to get a nomination because so many people were bringing out good records last year."

Toomey also has words of caution for indie bands on larger labels - especially timely given the record company differences Bell X1 and Humanzi have been experiencing. "Smaller labels. . . you won't get as much of a financial push, but they are more personable, " he says. "They give you a little time to work things out. The bigger labels, if you don't bring back the goods, they'll find someone else, but that's the way big businesses work, I suppose."

Director's We Thrive On Big Cities also got a nod. The Malahide boys won Best New Irish Act at this year's Meteor awards following the success of their singles, including 'Reconnect'.

"We were nominated for two Meteor awards, but getting nominated for this means a great deal more, " guitarist Eoin Ahern says.

"First of all, it's an award for an album and that's the purpose of being in a band, that piece of work. . . We were delighted to be nominated because there were a lot of people who didn't get nominated - The Frames, Damien Rice, The Blizzards.

It's great to be included with people like Divine Comedy and Snow Patrol, who have been making albums for a long time, because the fact is that this is our first one and we did it ourselves."

John from Messiah J & The Expert, Ireland's best hip-hop ensemble, is a little more forthright about their nomination.

"From our perspective, we were a bit surprised about getting nominated - we didn't think we would but we think we deserve it." John has put all of his bets on The Immediate. "They're my favourite band of the year. The best album that came out in Ireland last year is The Immediate's and I hope they win it. I think they're a brilliant, brilliant band."

The Immediate were early favourites, along with Snow Patrol, but the current bookies' favourite is little-known amongst most Si Schroeder, whose record, Coping Mechanisms, had appeared on numberous 'best of 2006' lists by December last year. Simon aka Si Schroeder would like to see Messiah J & The Expert bag the prize, which includes a specially commissioned award and a cheque from Imro and Irma for Euro10,000.

"My gut says that I'll win, but my brain says that Duke Special will, " Simon says. "Psychologically, the nomination has made a difference to me because lots of records released on independent labels get put out there and then veer into obscurity so it's a really nice thing to see, six or seven months after my record was released, it gets a nod. It is reasuring to see that it's got legs."

For Duke Special, it's his second nomination, having also made the shortlist last year. The Choice Music Prize has definitely made a difference to his profile. "Last year, it was one of the things that, along with touring loads and loads, got people talking about the record.

The best thing for me was that newspapers and radio were talking about it and playing it for the first time. That was a real turning point for me - it can't be underestimated the impact that [getting nominated] has."

The ceremony takes place in Vicar Street at 7.30pm sharp on Wednesday 28 February. Tickets are Euro25. Every act nominated - except Snow Patrol and Fionn Regan who are on tour - will perform on the night.

Who's in it. . .

THE NOMINEES
The Immediate (In Towers And Clouds)
Excellent avant guarde jittery indie from one of Ireland's most exhilarating live acts.

Republic of Loose (Aaagh! )
Well-produced soul/pop/funk/hip-hop with a few radio hits to boot.

David Kitt
(Not Fade Away) A little rougher than we're used to from one of Ireland's most prominent singersongwriters.

Fionn Regan (The End Of History)
Gorgeously understated acoustic tunes from Bray, but with an Americana heart

Duke Special (Songs From The Deep Forest)
Epic left-of-centre ballads with added gramophone.

Divine Comedy (Victory For The Comic Muse)
Another smart and highly-evolved record from Neil Hannon.

Director (We Thrive On Big Cities)
Understated and sparse guitars will killer melodies

Messiah J & The Expert (Now This I Have To Hear)
Alternative hip-hop from the pillars of the Irish scene.

Si Schroeder (Coping Mechanisms)
Introspective and eclectic leftfield acoustronica.

Snow Patrol (Eyes Open)
The biggest-selling album in Britain last year.


THE JUDGES
John Caddell (Phantom FM)
Stuart Clarke (Hotpress)
Alison Curtis (Today FM )
Neil Dunphy (Sunday Tribune)
Sinead Gleeson (The Ticket)
Rick O'Shea (2FM)
Nick Kelly (Irish Independent)
Mike Knightson (Live 95 Limerick)
Padraic Kileen (Irish Examiner)
Eamon Sweeney (Foggy Notions)
Tanya Sweeney (The Star)
Jonny Tiernan (Alternative Ulster)

c. Sunday Tribune


official website of the 'Prize

Stay tuned to UnaRocks for a Choice Music Prize special!

Una

Dirty Dozen: Vol 58 - the remixes

1. Jenny Wilson - 'Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward' (The Knife remix)

2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - 'Cheated Hearts' (Peaches remix)

3. Explosions In The Sky - 'Catastrophe And The Cure' (Four Tet remix)

4. Bloc Party - 'The Prayer' (Para One remix)

5. Klaxons - 'Atlantis To Interzone' (Crystal Castles remix)

half a dozen. Feist - 'Mushaboom' (Postal Service remix)

7. Maximo Park - 'I Want You To Stay' (Field Music remix)

8. Editors - 'Camera' (SebastiAn remix)

9. Lonely, Dear - 'The City, The Airport' (CSS remix)

10. Modeselektor - 'Silikon' (Siriusmo remix)

11. Shiny Toy Guns - 'Le Disko' (Boys Noize Fire remix)

dozen. The Gossip - 'Jealous Girls' (New Young Pony Club remix)

UnaRocks nominated for Irish Blog Award (yaysies)

WOOHOO!

This blog made it into the Best Music Blog category:

And the nominees are...
Best Music Blog - Sponsored by Clubbing.ie
House is a Feeling
Kilkenny Music Blog
Nialler9
Sinead Gleeson
Una Rocks

Thanks to everyone who voted for me *adopts Gwennie Paltrow tearful gaze* it's just so good to be nominated.

It's probably the toughest category in there, and I know I haven't got a chance in hell of coming near winning, especially with Nialler and the awesome Sinead Gleeson and Ronan Romo Fitzy and the massive Kilkenny blog all in there, but it is cool to be in such great company. RESPEK.

For more on the awards go here

Una
listening to: Kaiser Chiefs - 'Yours Truly, Angry Mob'
reading: Blink
eating: sausage rolls (bold)
drinking: MiWadi summer fruits

Rodney Mullen

Rodney Mullen is one of my favourite skaters, even though he's non-aggressive and super-technical, which usually I'm not a fan of. I've just come across a good bio of him on YouTube charting his transition from freestyle to street and featuring loads of great archive footage and interviews from Mike V, Tony Hawk etc. Enjoy!

part one

part two

part three

Stronger / Balder than yesterday

Everyone is saying these pics mean Britney's goen nutso. Maybe, but I think she looks kind of cool. I am all in favour of shaved heads, let it be known.

oh, yeah, Peaches

So I did make it out of work early to catch the Guess party in Christchurch Cathedral. Me and Anthony went and hung out with Taragh (who should have won the IFTA instead of Bill O'Herlihy :)) and her mate Sarah. It was weird, they projected this giant fucking GUESS USA logo on to the church. Bit creepy in a Gail-Porter's-arse kind of way.

Anyway, there was free Bacardi cranberry shtuff, so I got stuck in and then there was a fashiobn show, which was kind of boring apart from this one really stunning model who had really cool short peroxide hair.

Still very strange being in a crypt.

I was blocking the door when Peaches came in. She looked scared. The DJ set from the New Testament Party crew was probably one of the worst I ever heard. They played really naff mixes of stuff like I Just Can't Get Enough and Justin Timberlake. Really crappy stuff that was being done years ago. Clearly these kids don't really know much about music. Pity, that.

Anyway, the bonus was getting a nice little goodie bag with some cool shades, which I gave to Burco, and a handy cute satchel, which I gave to myself. Then I went back to my gaff with Anthony and me and him and Laney drank tea and ate biscuits. And THEN I went to !Kaboogie. Phew.

Una

!kaboogie

Yet another great night at !Kaboogie in the basement of Kennedy's on Fridays. Yesterday was a write off, so I'm only getting to blog about it now. At the moment, !kaboogie is probably my favourite club night in town; the music is progressive, interesting and mental; the people are (see music); there's a sense of community; and the bar man doesn't give out when you spend 20 minutes trying to buy a bottle of vodka at the end of the night, in fact, he gives in. Ker-ching.

Afterwards we all went back to Burco's gaff and stayed up until stupid o'clock. Luckily, I had some mindless TV to watch last night (American Idol, Dancing On Ice, Cliffhanger) to distract me from being the only (shaking, scared) person in my apartment.

I think I'll go to the cinema tonight.

Una

Tripod last night

Went to see Brand New @ Tripod last night. Of course, I didn't realise it was an all ages show and scooted in on my tobler at around half nine, an hour after they had come on stage and everyone was shouting "one more tune." Luckily, they played for another forty minutes or so and were really good.

Tripod is such a nice venue. You can see the stage from wherever you stand or sit, even though it was jammers. Really nice bar upstairs and just so tastefully decorated and what not. Will definitely be back soon.

After the gig, I met Iano, Anthony, Corina and Lili in South William bar for a beer and then Dragon for a Long Island Ice Tea. For once, I was sensible and went home early.

Shock of shocks, I'll actually make it to Peaches' set in Christ Church tonight. I think this is the earliest I have ever been out of work on a Friday.

Happy weekend everyone! If you're listening to Edel Coffey's show on Phantom on Monday, I'll be on talking about fun stuff.

Byesies! (And thanks to everyone who voted for me in the Blog Awards. X.)

Una

UnaRocks competition #1 WINNER!

Congradulations to SIMON CUNNICK from leafy Dublin 14.

Simon guessed correctly that the album in question was 'In Towers and Clouds' by The Immediate.

He shall be cradling Patrick Wolf, Idlewild and Delorentos goodies next week when they arrive in the post on their release date (Feb 23).

Thanks to everybody who entered, and if you aren't Simon, do not despair because there will be another competition with more excellent music prizes next week.

Una

You have until 5pm to vote for UnaRocks in the Blog Awards

DO IT.

I'm on the longlist for the Irish blog awards for best music blog and best personal blog. To see me make the shortlist, click here to vote.

Thanks!

Una

Is this the Oxegen line-up?

NME seem to think so. (Thanks to Anthony for the heads up)

Radiohead
Snow Patrol
Muse
Arctic Monkeys
Scissor Sisters
CSS
Arcade Fire
The View
Razorlight
Bloc Party
Killers
Ash
Fall Out Boy
Fratellis
Duke Special
Paolo Nuttini
Rakes
KT Tunstall
Channel One
Lily Allen
David Kitt
The Twang
Mika
Simple Kid
Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly
Director
The Immediate
The Blizzards
Royseven

UnaRocks Competition #1

Woohoo - who doesn't like winning stuff?



This is the first in a series of hopefully a very long-running competition, eh, series.

All you have to do is guess the album cover, and the artist responsible for it from which a segement has been chosen (pictured below), and email the answer to me, along with your name and address to: una@itsaplane.com. The winner will be selected at random.



The winner will be revealed on this blog tomorrow evening, and the prize will be posted to you - ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, ooooooh.

Prize:
Patrick Wolf's amazing new album - 'The Magic Position' (CD)
Idlewild's new album 'Make Another World' (CD)
The fantastic new single 'Basis of Everything' (CD) from Delorentos.

Be the first to own all of these great musical goodies by figuring out the album name and the name of the band / musician from the little clue here:

Good luck!



Una

I'm going to see Brand New @ Tripod tomorrow!

yaysies - I can't wait!



Brand New
Brand New on MySpace

No, I expect you to die: Phantom Table Quiz returns

As was well documented on this blog, the fantastic Half Tribune Half Biscuit team which I was part of was cruely thwarted in a tie-breaker with MCD at the last Phantom FM table quiz, but now we can have our revenge.

+++++++++++
"After the success of the Phantom 105.2 Table Quiz in the Sugar Club last December, we are happy to announce it will be returning to the venue on a monthly basis for the next six months. This will be the first of 6 quiz events that will be hosted at the Sugar Club on the third Wednesday of each month right through to July. From each quiz, the three top scoring tables will go forward to a grand final to be held in August. So get your team together and do join us for all or some of the quiz series. We will also be expanding the quiz format to include a film round alongside the music rounds.

Upcoming Dates (Third Wednesday of each month):

::: February 21 / March 21 / April 18 / May 23 / June 20 / July 18 :::

The Final will be August with the date TBC; check www.phantom.fm for updates.

Admission on the night is 40 Euro per table with a maximum of 5 people on each. With plenty of prizes, these promise to be a very entertaining evenings indeed! Tables can be booked in advance at the WaV Ticket Office, Camden Row, Dublin 2 1890-2000-78 (tickets purchased in advanced can be picked up at The Sugar Club on the night)."
+++++++++++

Are you up to the challenge? I know I am, and Half Tribune Half Biscuit are behind me ALL THE WAY! Let's rock this.

Oh, and check out Phantom's new website too, while you're at it.

Una

Dispatches from the RTE make-up room

Very little happens generally when I am faffing around the RTE make-up room of a Tuesday. HOWEVER, yesterday evening contained a nice pre-Valentines surprise when none other than Gabriel Byrne was seated next to me worrying about his dandruff. Bless. Usually it's just Dobbo (braces), Bill O'Herlihy (very old without foundation) or Joe O'Shea (smiley), so it was good to see an A-lister of sorts within my personal space.

Una

"the big fish eat the little ones"

Hey y'all.

I was just on Phantom there doing the aul Life Online slot. This week, it's all about Balcony TV having their content removed from YouTube for no apparant reason. For those of you who aren't familiar with Balcony TV, it's a brilliant Internet TV series of short programmes involving a live performance and a chat with an Irish band or musician broadcast from a Dame St balcony.

It seems Balcony TV may have got mixed up in the YouTube/Viacom spat that has seen 100,000 video clips removed from YouTube at Viacom's request citing copyright infringement, although it remains unclear what Balcony TV's violation of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act cited by YouTube was; a t-shirt, a billboard in the background? Who knows. Funnily enough, Viacom have just announced that they want to set up their own video-sharing website.

It's another giant headache for YouTube who were subpoenaed last month by News Corp's Fox Network, who want details of Fox programmes (The Simpsons, 24 etc) uploaded on YouTube. Of course, News Corp own MySpace, who in turn have their own video facility.

For now, Balcony TV have relocated to MySpace Video, and you can keep up with their latest news on MySpace.com/BalconyTV

Una

Patrick Wolf - 'The Magic Position'

I love this record so much. Just got it the other day, and already it's definitely one of my favourites so far this year. It's just so dramatic and magical. Some of the tracks, like 'Magpie', lie somewhere between Antony & the Johnsons and Final Fantasy, others like 'Accident & Emergency' are full of crazy beats, 'Bluebells' is just an immediate catchy 'Laika'-like hit, 'The Magic Position' is a chirpy pop song; there are just so many ideas on this record. Everytime I listen to it, I hear hundreds of sounds I missed the previous time.

Anywhoo, enough gushing.

Patrick Wolf

The Magic Position

A&M Records

out February 23rd.

I wish I could say the same for the new Kaiser Chiefs record. It's one of these top secret watermarked CDs with a fake band name ('The Regrets', for the record) that crashes your computer and can only be listened to on a stereo. Anyway, it's dodgy. I mean, 'Ruby' is a rubbish single anyway. Hopefully it will get better with a few more listens.

Una

listening to: Patrick Wolf, obviously

reading: i-D

eating: donuts!

drinking: coffee

Remedy Podcast 001

The good people at Remedy have released their first ever podcast via iTunes featuring the brilliant Temple Bar Music Centre set from The Hacker. Have a listen - it's awesome.

Una
Drinking: Capri Sun orange
Eating: Toasties from Toners
Listening to: Patrick Wolf - 'The Magic Position'
Reading: Blink and i-D magazine

Vote for me in the Blog Awards!

I'm on the longlist for the Irish blog awards for best music blog and best personal blog. To see me make the shortlist, click here to vote.

*less than four days until voting closes*


Please also show your support for 'I Take Photees' and 'Rick O'Shea' by nominating them in their categories.

Una

Why Ennis Information Dream Did Not Compute

It's ten years since Ennis was awarded the Information Age Town title by Eircom.

I write about it here


€19m was spent onmaking the Clare town a digital fantasy world. So, how did it all go so wrong?

"IF YOU walk around the town now, there is as much evidence of it as, well, nothing." Mimi Conroy is behind the counter of the Computer Store in Ennis, a shop she and her husband have been running since 1993. It's been 10 years since the town won the Eircom competition of Information Age Town, and Mimi is right, you wouldn't know it by walking around the town today. "It was a great thing to win, " she says, "but it was an awful lot of money." She pauses as a customer comes into the shop. "But where did all the money go?"

There are endless criticisms in Ennis over how the scheme and the money that was poured into it was managed. Nineteen million euro to be exact. When Ennis was chosen to be the great white hope of digital communication technology in Ireland in 1997, the people of the town rejoiced, and the Ennis Information Age Task Force was set up to allocate various projects. The one that resonated most was free computers for every house. In fact, 5,600 PCs were distributed - at a cost at the time of £260 (Euro330) to each household. Five hundred computers were also given to new computer labs in local schools.

Locals say that some people, especially the elderly, gave away their cut-price computers to relatives in other parts of the county.

The committee promised to set up a base to monitor internet usage and identify the people who weren't using their computer, but that pledge was never fulfilled.

Now the vast majority of those machines lie broken in computer repair shops, never having been upgraded by Eircom. Because the computers were bought from Dell, business for local technology shops collapsed, there no longer being any demand for computers. Problems also arose for those with lower incomes.

"They'd come in here, " Conroy said, "but the price of two ink cartridges was the price of meat on the table for a week. They couldn't afford repairs, they couldn't afford internet bills. Because it was a dial-up connection at the start, people in houses with no phone line had to get one installed, and that was a further cost."

Some of the Information Age computers which broke down were never repaired or replaced. Staff in the tourist office don't have much of an opinion on it. "There were a lot of problems with the machines, weren't there?" one says. "I don't think it did anything for the town really now."
Ennis was also promised a fibre-optic loop which would encircle the town and provide extra-fast internet connections. There is still confusion over whether that came into effect at the time. A former Eircom worker told The Sunday Tribune, "It did go in, I think; anything that was promised did happen." Triona McInerney, who worked on the town's entry submission to the competition is also not certain. "I think it did go in, " she said.

Something that definitely did not work out was the collaboration between Visa, Bank Of Ireland and AIB for a 'Visa Cash Card', or Smart Card. The idea was that Ennis locals would be able to top up a credit-card-like product designed for small purchases like grocery shopping or parking.
However, usage was low and within less than a year, the scheme fell apart. The bulk of the funding went on the cut-price computers. Other initiatives involved funding businesses to set up their own websites, and buying hardware for community groups. There were also trials with ASDL lines.

Three years into the five-year project, 80% of the funding was already gone. Two and a half million euros was pumped into a business plan that would see local businesses trading goods online, and a further Euro84,000 was made available to 17 local community groups to purchase computer equipment.

"The legacy of the Information Age Town project is very evident in the schools, " McInerney believes. "I do think there was an opportunity missed by the Department of Education in utilising Ennis more as a case study to learn about different applications. There was probably a bit of an unreal expectation about what was going to happen because of the major hype surrounding the town. We didn't have an unlimited pot of gold."

In 2002, the Ennis Information Age Task Force created a subsidiary - Ennis Information Age Services (EIAS) - which would allocate the remainder of the funding, which at the time stood at around Euro2m. In 2005, that company ceased trading, with the loss of six jobs. The Department of Communications and people who worked with Eircom at the time are unsure as to where this funding went. "As far as I'm aware, there was funding left over, and they would have put out a call for submissions from the community for funding, so I think school and community projects benefited, " said McInerney who was also the assistant CEO on the Information Age Town project. Local councillor Frankie Nealon is less sure about where the subsequent funding went. "It was the task force itself I had concerns with because they continued to fund something that they knew wasn't going anywhere. . . I would've imagined that a lot more could have been done with the money that they were given, so a lot of things would worry me in that sense, " he said.

The Sunday Tribune contacted several of the task force's original members, but many, including the CEO of EIAS, Michael Byrne, did not wish to speak to us. Internet expert Damien Mulley from the Ireland Offline pressure group views the entire project in retrospect as a bit of a disaster. "They picked the town, and that's fine, but I guess there didn't seem to be good oversight. It just seemed to be another government project where they didn't understand the technology. I hear people even now from Ennis saying how they can't get broadband."
Locally, people cite communication problems at managerial level regarding the allocation of funds. Because there was no physical centre of information to visit in the town, people weren't being made aware of what projects were being carried out, leading many to question what, if anything, was happening.

Today, the legacy of the project is in a generation of school children who are computer literate, although much of the population has long since caught up with them.

Certainly, there's nothing digitally spectacular about Ennis itself - most of its shops don't take Laser or chip and pin, phone credit is printed out in the old-fashioned way, and staff at the train station had no internet access to check updated timetables - in fact, the only thing that's visible today is a row of clapped out Information Age computers weighing down a shelf in a local computer shop.

c. The Sunday Tribune

Screen Dating

Read about my adventures here

Screen Dating on MySpace

Una

Kings of Leon - 'On Call'

I love this track so much.

You can listen to it on their myspace or download it here

Una

Someone's been to Chartbusters...

Want to look like this? Click here

Download: Orange Is In - 'Run Towards The Warmth Of The Sun'
REM - 'Orange Crush'
Agent Orange - 'Living In Darkness'

Vogue

A homeless guy asked me for a cigarette just now. I offered him a Vogue menthol. He said no.

C'est crap

Ok, I've finally got around to talking about the match. Watched it with Aoibhinn, a couple of her mates, Corina, Anthony, Iano and his Dad in the Vat House. We had a great spot and I nearly had a million heart attacks. I honestly thought we had it in the bag, there was very nearly a tear in my eye at the end. Corina was nearly crying too, but that's just coz she was hungover :p

Anywhoo, afterwards, Aoibhinn, Anthony and I attempted to have dinner in Nico's, but it was closed, so we went to the Market Bar instead for tapas. Then I went home, drank a can of Heineken and attempted to watch shit Michael Doughlas movie - The Game.

Una
eating: bacon butty, yummmmm
drinking: cans of Heineken
listening to: Crystal Castles
reading: 'Blink' - Malcolm Gladwell

The Teaches of Peaches

Peaches Geldolf brings her little self to Dublin on Friday to DJ at the Guess party in Christchurch. The New Testament Party Crew featuring Peaches and Frederick Blood-Royale will rock the Crypt in Christ Church Cathedral (weird) for the party. It starts at 6pm, which is completely lame. Invite only I'm afraid, but if I get out of work in time (which I won't) I shall report back with the Peaches-shaped gossip.

Una

Vote for UnaRocks *update*

I'm on the longlist for the Irish blog awards for best music blog and best personal blog. To see me make the shortlist, click here to vote!

KEEP VOTING

Voting closes at 5pm on February 16th

Una

Dublin's Top 10 Club Nights

This article by me appeared in the Sunday Tribune this weekend. Any more to add? Disagree with some of the choices? Just comment below.

It's been a rough ride for dance clubs since we partied like it was 1999, but some of the best ones have survived the millennium cull.Una Mullally lists the top club nights doing the rounds in Dublin

SINCE The Kitchen closed its doors, there aren't many clubs people in Dublin call home. And since dance music splintered into smaller venues and genres, we're left with club nights, as opposed to clubs themselves.

At the start of this century, club nights would come and go with a lifespan of weeks, but some of the best have survived that period and other newer ones seem to have gained a loyal crowd because of the organisers concentration on a specific genre or vibe. The closure of certain venues - Metropolitian, Ice Bar - and the demise of Wax has been offset by the opening of others - Rogue, Crawdaddy and The Hub.

Dance is by no means dead. If anything, allegiance to the genre is growing stronger and, simultaneously, the rebirth of the rock club and the reinvention of danceable guitar music has marked the most successful era of indie discos.

There is, of course, a lot more needed to make Dublin a highstandard clubbing capital, namely more venues and longer opening hours.

But with one of the highest rates of visiting international DJs and bands, and clubbers who are relatively openminded and would think nothing of going to a jungle night on Friday and a punk band on Saturday - as long as the vibe is right - Dublin definitely stands relatively tall on the international stage.

Here, we tie down the 10 best club nights in the capital, from rock-and-roll to drum-and-bass.

PHANTASM @ WHELAN'S, THURSDAY
Now that Phantom FM is back on air, they've resurrected their unbelievably popular indie rock club night. Upon the station's return, the club took up residence in Radio City but now Phantasm is back in its spiritual home of Whelan's on Wexford Street. A mixture of Phantom DJs playing rock and indie populate the stage, along with next-big-thing bands.
What to wear: band t-shirt
What to drink: pints of Stella, shots of Jaeger
Who goes there: Phantom DJs, local band members
Admission: Euro5
If you like this try: Radiator @ The Hub

REMEDY @ VARIOUS VENUES, VARIOUS DATES
Probably the largest independent promoter around when it comes to clubbing, Remedy's philosophy is simple: forget about genres and just give the people what they want. And their taste is impeccable - The Roots, Jamie Lidell, Matthew Herbert, Amp Fiddler, 4Hero, The Charlatans and Michael Mayer, Miss Kittin & The Hacker and many more have all chosen to perform at Remedy. Just three years old, Remedy nights (notably their new year's eve bashes) are essential. (More at www. remedyireland. com)
What to wear: whatever Urban Outfitters have on the racks
What to drink: vodka and Redbull
Who goes there: Models, girls and boys about town, and whatever cool bands are playing in the capital that night
Admission: on average Euro20
If you like this try: Bodytonic @ the Bernard Shaw

ANTICS @ CRAWDADDY, WEDNESDAY
Antics is the king of indie clubs and houses by far the most fashionable crowd at any club night in Dublin, in the very pleasant surroundings of Crawdaddy in the Pod complex on Harcourt Street. More left of field than most indie nights, you'll be guaranteed a few never-heardbefore-tracks. The club has been jammed since it opened in November 2005 and definitely has that high-energy vibe that so many venues lack these days. If you want to hear the DJs warm up, head to the Bernard Shaw beforehand where they iron out their sets.
(More at myspace. com/antics_ crawdaddy)
What to wear: skinny jeans for the boys, Topshop for the girls
What to drink: everything; the drinks are cut-price
Who goes there: Fashion-conscious students, hot young photographers and stylists, and the Antics entourage that includes Ham Sandwich, The Mighty Stef and Mainline
Admission: Euro3
If you like this try: Death Via Satellite @ Eamonn Dorans

BINGO @ THE GEORGE, SUNDAY
If you're wondering why Sunday nights are so quiet in the capital, it's because everyone is in The George. One part drag show, one part bingo, one part booze-up and one part manic disco, this formula has stood the test of time - this is one of the longest-running club nights in Dublin. Although The George looks a bit grotty after all these years, the Shirley Temple Bar-led crowd still comes.
What to wear: Something loud and proud
What to drink: Whatever, or pop down the road for a Long Island ice tea in Dragon, the best in the city.
Who goes there: Quentin Fottrell, Anne Doyle, Aoibhinn Ní Shuilleabhán and Graham Cruz have all been spotted trying to get a full house.
Cost: free before 10pm, Euro8 after
If you like this try: Karaoke Tuesdays @ The Front Lounge

!KABOOGIE @ KENNEDY'S UNDERGROUND, ALTERNATE FRIDAYS
Even on the grimmest winter night, !Kaboogie draws a massive crowd of clubbers intent on partying as hard as they can for a few hours with "bass that will make your granny cry." In its second year, the club, dedicated to a quality mash-up of dubstep, reggae, hip-hop, jungle, breakcore and grime have managed to woo several international acts to the basement of Kennedy's, but it's the hearts of drum-and-bass-with-adifference fans they've really won.
The !Kaboogie collective plan to launch a record label this year, as well as encourage "the further bringing together of like-minded people." (More at myspace. com/ kaboogiemusic)
What to wear: Anything oversize, and danceable trainers.
What to drink: Guinness followed by healthy amounts of water
Who goes there: DJs and producers, and dreadlocked party boys and girls
Admission: on average Euro10
If you like this try: Reach @ Traffic

BACKLASH @ ROGUE, THURSDAYS
Jon Averill, Steve Reynolds, Romo, Philth and Chewy had their work cut out when they left Wax on South William Street for a relatively underdeveloped venue, but Backlash's loyal following has stuck with them and the crowd grows in the basement of Rogue on Dame Street every week. Artists like Shit Robot, MSTRKRFT and Mylo have all played and on a resident night you can expect to hear tracks from Vitalic, The Knife, Chicks On Speed and Michael Mayer. (More on bodytonicmusic. com)
What to wear: niche-label jeans and limited edition t-shirts
What to drink: bottles of Tiger beer
Who goes there: The Rapture are known to pop in when they're in town
Admission: Euro5

MAXIMUM JOY @ KENNEDY'S UNDERGROUND, ALTERNATE FRIDAYS
One of Dublin's best-kept secrets is Maximum Joy at very much the venue of the moment - Kennedy's Underground. You're just as likely to hear twisted rock as electro - basically, Maximum Joy have thrown the rulebook out the window. Some great recent guests include Oppenheimer, Fujiya and Miyagi, Dancepig and upcoming nights feature Jessie Evans and Si Schroeder. (More on myspace. com/maximumjoyclub)
Who goes there: Warlords of Pez, electro-indie heads
What to wear: indie meets clubber clobber
What to drink: bottles of Corona
Admission: Euro8 If you like this try: SpaceCamp @ Rogue

FRIDAYS & SATURDAYS @ BLEU NOTE
With live music every night, everything from funk to jazz to blues to more avant garde instrumentalism gets a turn. On Friday and Saturday the jazz basement is opened up to expand the club. There really is nowhere else like this in town, given that it's the only dedicated jazz venue around. Notably, this Capel Street club has a fantastic selection of international beers you won't find anywhere else in the city. (More on bleunoteclub. com)
What to wear: trilby and blazer
What to drink: the weirdest bottled beer you see in the bar fridge
Who goes there: jazz fans and club and bar owners
Admission: varies from free to Euro5
If you like this try: The Sugar Club

POGO @ THE POD, SATURDAY
The something-for-everyone night at one of Dublin's most enduring clubs. The Bodytonic crew put on a helluva party across three rooms. Residents include Barry Redsetta, who shares the venue with various international guests. Other resident promoters take up the Pogo Live room; indie-punks Psychotic Reaction bring people like The Things into the mix, whereas the Scribble crew concentrate on hip-hop and breaks. Also in-house are the Backlash posse. (More on pod. ie)
What to wear: casual clubber - smart hoodie and cool trainers
What to drink: Jaegerbombs
Who goes there: DJs and their friends and plenty of up-for-it students
Admission: Euro15 (Euro12 with membership)
If you like this try: Big Dish Co @ Kennedy's (monthly)

BALLROOM OF ROMANCE @ LOWER DECK, MONTHLY
Run by Dublin band the Holy Ghost Fathers, the monthly leftfield alternative live-music club has been running for three years now, showcasing bands like The Chalets, Delorentos, Duke Special, Medea. Everything from stoner rock to pop, to men with acoustic guitars makes the cut, so if you're looking for the next big thing, or just something a little weird, then this is the club to check out. (More on ballroomofromance. com)
What to wear: quirky and rocky
What to drink: red wine
Who goes there: Musos - everyone from indie DJs to music journalists to band members.
Admission: Euro8
If you like this try: Radiator @ The Hub

ONES TO WATCH
Rhapsody @ The Isaac Butt
South William Bar
SpaceCamp @ Rogue
Boom Boom Room
Dig @ The Pod

Vote for UnaRocks!

I'm on the longlist for the Irish blog awards for best music blog and best personal blog. To see me make the shortlist, click here to vote!

Una

Woop Woop it's da soundada poleese; SingStar gets busted.

It had to happen, the dream had to come to an end.

On Friday night, I went for a drinky with Lili and Sarah in South William Bar via a slice in Di Fontaines. I got a mysterious drunken call from Roisin who was in my gaff playing SingStar. I forgot about it, and we trundled down to Thomas Reeds, joined by Corina.

After inventing a new drink (red bull + shot of vodka + splash of whiskey) me, Corina and Lili went back to my gaff to play Sing Star (Sarah has to go surfing in the morning so she went homesies). Corina had just bought a new Sing Star - Sing Star Party - AMAZING.

So there we were singing away and drinking vodka and blackcurrant when a pissed off neighbour bashed on the door and told us to shut up. "Whatever," we thought. An hour later, someone else banged on the door, screaming at us to open it. Of course, we just thought it was another disgruntled building dweller, but it was in fact, two Gardai, who had been sent to shut us up following complaint calls to Kevin St station. OOPSIE.

Anyway, we shut up, but then I got pissed off that the cops would waste time in something so trivial and rang Kevin St and had an argument with a cop about why they never patrol the area or send down squad cars when I call them about joy riders, yet they bust a few people for having a harmless game of Sing Star.

Needless to say, on Saturday and Sunday night, I was kept awake by joyriders. Not a cop in site.

Una

UnaRocks article of the day (again)

a must read

with thanks to Blogorrah


Una

UnaRocks Articles of the Day

Music and Fashion Fuse at New York fashion week (Reuters)

Justin meets K-Fed (The Guardian)

Dave Grohl isn't dead (The Guardian)

The Bible's Pulp Fiction (Slate)

photees

Snow on the Dublin mountains this morning (crap photee taken from my roof)

My kitty cat - Biccie (she's a psycho)

My Mammy and Daddy (blame them)

Irish band reach #4 in Billboard Chart!!!!!

oh

Sult @ Bull & Castle

Went for dindins last night with Crimbo and Burco after work - La Taverna Di Bacco, the best mushroom risotto around. Crimbo was chatting about her new pet duck Peggy, who I have to see. She hangs around her house and flies on to the couch. Awesome.

Then we went to Hogan's for one and as Aoibhinn was up at a Sult night (it's the Irish-speaking club for Dublin, on every second Thursday - traditional and world music) in the Bull and Castle in Christchurch, we decided to head there.

It was random, but mucho fun. Liam O'Maonlai played and then one of the best bands in Dublin, The North Strand Klezmer Band took to the stage and nearly caused a riot. They are so excellent. I've seen them play a bunch of time in Merchant's Arch, but this was the first time I'd seen them live in a venue. Check them out, they're killer.

As the Guinness was flowing, Burco and Crimbo decided that they were going to create a fusion dance between traditional Irish dancing and belly dancing (belly dancing classes are their new obsession.)

I really wanted chips, but Burdock's was closed so I had to go home hungy :(

The Things tomorrow night WOOT! Might go see Queen Kong tonight, or maybe Ratatat.

Una

eating: nothing! might go for brekkie soon

drinking: magic blackberry drink

listening to: Arcade Fire: Neon Bible

reading: Freakonomics (still, I know)

A Message From Spring Break

Sunday 18th March - before the bank holiday Monday
Temple Bar Music Centre
doors 8pm, live music & club till 3
tickets €20 from www.tickets.ie , Sound Cellar on Nassau St., City Discs on Temple Lane.

Hi everyone,

As we move into the season which threw up the debauched event after which we're named, we here at Spring Break Towers feel it's time to move through the gears once again and make plans for the year ahead. That's not to say we haven't been working flat out since the holidays though: far from it, in fact. For the past five weeks we've been writing a synth-musical based on the life of our greatly-missed friend and economic adviser, Milton Friedman.

Distilling the essence of a man whose belief in the free-market was matched only by his faith in the music of Huey Lewis wasn't easy, but we soon found our memories of a true behemoth of 20 th Century economics provided ample inspiration and subject matter.

We will forever be indebted to Milton for campaigning, on our behalf, for the great Reagan tax cut of 1981 and we hope the show goes some way to posthumously repaying a man whose ideology has, effectively, enabled us to live on enormous, custom-built catamarans for over 25 years. The show is called 'You Can't Say Laissez Fairer Than That', and opens on Broadway this summer. We're delighted to say Andrew McCarthy is in talks to play the lead. The title track and a shorter companion piece – 'Smooth Liberal' – will hopefully be available for download in the fall.

With this emotionally intense period of composing behind us, we decamped to our rehearsal yacht in the Virgin Islands last week, in an effort to get to know ourselves, each other and our music again. Now that our souls have been searched, our batteries charged and our music re-invigorated, we've set a course for March 18 th and the Temple Bar Music Centre.

We have to pick up Sonny Prizewater and Campari, Schweppes & Ice from round Kokomo somewhere on the way home, but we'll be back with enough time to construct a show that would make our cronies on the Super Bowl Organisation Committee blush.

Tickets for the show are now on sale in Sound Cellar, City Discs, and online at www.tickets.ie

Keep the fire burnin',

Spring Break


Thanks for the heads up Ro Ro

Bell X1 *update*: Hackers Delight

some smart arse (ok, a funny smart arse) has hacked Aiken's website (here: http://www.aikenpromotions.ie/event.asp?eid=43) and changed every reference to Bell X1 to 'Bell End 1).

Titter.

Una

It's Snowing!

yaysies!

April Gigs Just Announced

April 13th
Amusement Parks On Fire @ Whelans (€14.50)

April 17th
James @ The Olympia

April 19th
Fionn Regan @ Whelans (€19) - nineteen quid for a gig in Whelans? FUCKING HELL.

April 27th
David Kitt @ Whelans (€22.50) - ok, now they're really taking the piss.

April 30th
Alexisonfire @ The Ambassador

Drug Test Dail Eireann

the campaign continues...

Top 5 Albums of January 2007

It's never to early for a list, right? RIGHT? Ok. Well then, here are my top five albums for last month. I plan to make a list for every month, because, y'know, and also, it'll be easier to compile the best of the year then. If you disagree, agree, hate me, love me, are thirsty or whatever - use the comment facility to vent thine spleen. Rock. Una

5. Klaxons - 'Myths Of The Near Future'

Oooooooooawwww. Anyone else can't get that part of Golden Skans out of their heads? Me neither. The poster boys of non-new-rave, went indie for their full-length. The singles sparkle.

Download: Golden Skans

4. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - 'Some Loud Thunder'

The Brooklyn boys go avant-guarde for their second effort. The occasionally distracting sounds (like that bloody distortion all over the first track) can make it a jarring listen, but elsewhere, it's challenging and original.

Download: Satan Said Dance

3. Gruff Rhys - Candylion

A record of beauty, bounty and thoughtfulness from one of the most innovative and quietly prolific men in indie. Charming.

Download: Candylion

2. Bloc Party - 'A Weekend In The City'

Difficult second album, yes, alright. Bloc Party lay off the hyperactive guitars and even more ADHD drumming to compose a dark, deeply personal record that documents a confused and angry young man's London life. Touching on everything from school time gay experiences, cocaine for confidence, New Labour's over-zealous attitude to the threat of terrorism and family life, 'A Weekend In The City' begs for the listeners concentration and devotion. One of the boldest indie bands around.

Download: The Prayer

1. The Hold Steady - 'Boys And Girls In America'

Springsteen has become a touchstone of sorts recently, with The Killers raiding 'Born To Run' for their latest effort, but The Hold Steady have more than a soundalike connection to The Boss, being the first independent artists since Bruce to grace the cover of the Village Voice. A bombastic and youthful record, it revolves around serious commentary on drunken escapades. Killer guitar licks and tales of love, loss and beer make this the best album of January.

Download: Chips Ahoy!


Worst albums of 2007
Mika - 'Life In Cartoon Motion'
Little Man Tate - 'About What You Know'

Irish Journalists who blog

There's a list here


Una
listening to: Bill Coleman - 'I'll Tear My Own Walls Down'
eating: Cafe Sol tuna pasta salad
drinking: Diet Coke
reading: Freakonomics (still)

Bell X1 dropped by Island?

Rumours are currently circulating that such is the case, although nothing has been confirmed.

It comes as further rumours circulate that Humanzi are also now out on their own.

Anyone got more info on this?

Gigs On This Week

Thursday
The Beep Seals, The Chapters @ The Hub
Royseven @ Whelan's

Friday
Straglers, Les Bien @ Crawdaddy
Murder of Crows @ Lower Deck*
Ratatat @ Whelan's*

Saturday
Japanese Toys @ Boom Boom Room
Splitloop @ Temple Bar Music Centre

Sunday
Badly Drawn Boy @ The Olympia

Tuesday
Shiny Toy Guns @ Whelan's*

Wednesday
Pop Levi @ Crawdaddy


* = UnaRocks recommends

Dirty Dozen: Vol 57

1. Ralph Jackson - 'Set Me Free'

2. Blood Red Shoes - 'ADHD'

3. The Killers - 'Bones' (Tiga remix)

4. Willy Mason - 'Save Myself'

5. Damien Rice - '9 Crimes'

dozen. Justin Timberlake - 'My Love'

7. Thom Yorke - 'Harrowdown Hill'

8. Bloc Party - 'The Prayer' (Hadouken remix)

9. Ryan Adams and Jesse Malin - 'Solitaire'

10. The Decemberists - 'We Both Go Down Together'

11. Cold War Kids - 'The Soloist In The Living Room'

dozen. The Knife - 'Silent Shout'

I hate Tuesdays

Tuesday is a stoopid day.

Anywhoo, my slot on TTV has changed to Tuesdays at 6.30pm, so check it out this evening, I'll be talking entertainment me thinks.

New CDs I got today:

Idlewild
'Make Another World'
out March 2nd

Bill Coleman
'I'll Tear My Own Walls Down'
out February 23rd

Dirty Dozen YouTube: another Irish musicians special

1. Hansard sings 'Falling Slowly' in the snow at Sundance

2. Ham Sandwich perform at Phantasm

3. Neosupervital play at Christmas song at Whelans

4. Delorentos - 'Basis Of Everything'

5. The Immediate - 'Don't You Ever'

half a dozen. Rossa from Juno Falls plays a song on a couch

7. Director and The Chakras talk about their music

8. Party Weirdo @ The Boom Boom Room

9. North Strand Klezmer Band play in Merchant's Arch in Temple Bar

10. Pony Club - 'CCTV'

11. The Internet play The Buttery in Trinity

dozen. Waiting To Explode play Crawdaddy

Glen Hansard = Superstar *update*

my, he really is a superstar. Glen 'Gilson' Hansard was profiled in The Irish Times on Saturday and The Sunday Tribune and The Sunday Times on Sunday. Cwazy.

The Frames official site
The Swell Season on MySpace
Glen on IMDb
Glen sings at Sundance

Una

This is Big Brother...

Want to hear more about my embarrassing adventures at the Big Brother auditions? Then tune into Phantom Daily today after 4 where I shall be revealing all.

Una

listening to: Delorentos - 'Basis Of Everything' (for some reason when I put the CD they sent me into my computer, the track came up as 'I Saw Them Fall' by H Hanaon - WHA?

eating: Burger King bacon double cheeseburger :( aka the Glenda Special

drinking: cwoffeeeee

reading: Freakonomics - by Levitt and Dubner

watching: well, just finished The L Word Season 2 and am very tempted to start Season 3 on YouTube

PS, how hot are the promo shots for Johnny O'Keefe in The Tudors?

Quote of the Day

"It was the first time I've ever walked a red carpet and I came out the far end like I'd been hit by a sack of doorknobs. So many people shouting your name (photographers, people with microphones, tv crews, do I know you or do I know you just because you're on the telly!?!?!?, flash, flash, there's Clannad.....)" - Rick on walking the red carpet at the Meteors.

And now... THE NEWS

*Arctic Monkeys release their new single 'Brainstorm' on April 13th, swiftly followed by their second album 'Favourite Worst Nightmare' a week later on April 20th.

*Eyebrowy are finishing off two new animations to be broadcast the night of the Choice Music Prize @ Vicar Street.

*The release date for Delorentos debut album 'In Love With Detail' has not yet been exactly set, but it should be late April on the Cottage label.

*Snow Patrol will headline Oxegen.

*The awesome Ham Sandwich release their new single 'Click... Click... Boom' on February 16th, and back it up with a national mini-tour (Whelan’s, Dublin (February 17); Roisin Dubh, Galway (22); The Stables, Mullingar (23); and The Underground, Carlow (24))

* NME.com article on the first night of the indie rave tour in Dublin on Saturday.

* Blogorrah launch their own media awards - get voting!

How to kickstart your February: engage in fun and frolics

Well, that was a fun weekend. Friday was stressful. You know one of those days where you just feel like EVERYTHING is going against you? Well, that was me on Friday. The final straw was the stupid train timetable being changed, so me and Tracey missed our train and had to wait two hours for another one. I was pissed off.

(Tracey)

After an uneventul train journey, we got back to Dublin and rushed home, just in time to grab a festival shower, say YO to Johnny B, Meadzer and Ro Ro and hit the road (stopping only for a bottle of gin - why does Spar never stock Bombay Saphire? Grr.) We were off to Jim's housewarming of course, which turned out to practically be a JR reunion, which was fun. Here are some photees!

(Laney)

(Conor)

(Rob)

It wasn't too late of a night - 4 or something, which was just as well, because I was conserving my energy for Saturday night. After brunch with Ro Ro and Meadzer on Camden Street, I headed home to top up my energy reserves. Went to meet Neil and the guys from Warner music in Conways (thanks for the beer guys) and then men and Neil headed into the Ambassador for CSS. It was definitely one of the worst gigs I've ever been to sound-wise. Everything was off - the drums and bass were really loud, the synths were non-existant. They opened with a mash of 'No Limits' and CSS Sux, which was super cheasy, but I guess they can get away with this kind of stuff because LoveFoxxx is so adorable. Anthony, Razor and The Hacker were down too. Hacker was funny, he was like "where iz ze rave in zis nu-rave?" Meanwhile, myself and Anthony came up with yet another idea to make us millionaires. I can't tell yiz obviously because it's so amazing that everyone will want to steal it. Anyway, CSS's bacon was saved when they played 'Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above', because it's such a great tune.

Next up were Klaxons, who were hammered. As Neil was saying, there's nothing really too them. 'Golden Skans' was good, but again, the sound was rubbish and their tracks all kind of melted into one. They were really heavy and loud as well, which sort of destroyed all of the subtleties that are on the record. Anyway, still a fun gig to go to.

After that, me and Neil headed to the Music Centre for the Hacker. Anthony was on first, and then Corina, Burco and Lili came down and before long, it was party central. Hacker was amazing - and we spent most of the night running between backstage drinkies and dancing on the stage. The crowd were awesome too, everyone was so into it.

When we left, we couldn't find a taxi anywhere, and had to get back to my gaff to play Sing Star 80s. Luckily, we found a nice horsey to take us home.

Then me, Lili, Anthony, Corina, Neil and Razor got down to the serious business of drinking wine and playing Sing Star 80s. All in all, a great night. Go February!