Magic Juice

Jameson and sparkling water - or Jameson and ginger ale - does not give you a hangover. FACT. This piece of information was imparted upon me last night by Mista Reeek while we were attending the Dublin International Film Festival launch thingy in the Button Factory. Then we put it to the test. The magnificant RP was also in attendance, as was Michael Tripod, Evil Aoibhinn, Tanya Star, Shilpa Hotpress and The Gleesonator. So it was loads of funsies, obviously.

My blogging might be a bit sporadic for the next week and a bit. I'm going to London this eve for dinner with Dee Dee Ramone, then Trinidad tomorrow for carnival, which should be funsies. But I will try to take loads of photees and blog it to the max if I can tear myself away from beach bars, buckets of rum, and general Caribbean madness. Hopefully I'll actually make it there. My flight is in a couple of hours and I'm still in work and I haven't packed yet. Oopsies.

Rock on,

Una
eating: hash browns
drinking: water
listening to: Super Extra Bonus Party - 'Everything Flows' EP
watching: the clock
reading: Marian Keyes - 'This Charming Man'

CODES to release new single, March 7th

One of my favourite Irish bands, CODES, will release 'This Is Goodbye' on March 7th. It's one of my favourite CODES tracks, so yaysies! It will be available on CD and on iTunes.

Uh Huh Her, March 2nd, The Village (I know, righ?)

I'd say there are a good few lives complete upon hearing this news.

I must admit, I did not find out first. Tainer Bang rang me last night when I was on my way out to RTE and screamed at me down the phone about how I hadn't got the information on my blog. You see, Tainer Bang had just booked and bought concert tickets and flights to London for Uh Huh Her's gig at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on March 3rd. Then she found out about the Village. According to Tainer Bang, I had not just let her down, but "the wider dyke community Una, for fucks sake" and so on. So, sorry Tainer! But still, two Uh Huh Her gigs for you.

YAYSIES

Go Lili!

I Take Photees has been longlisted for the Best Photo Blog at the 2008 Irish Blog Awards.

It's getting very leaky around here. Leaksies!

Visit I Take Photees

Wahey #3

JacksGraff has been longlisted for the Best Group Blog award at the Irish Blog Awards. Yaysies!

Keep sending your JacksGraff to jacksgraff@hotmail.com

Longlist for Best Group Blog

Ahhh, I'm leaking... My sources at the KGB/CSI/FBI/KFC have got this information to me, the longlist for Best Group Blog at the 2008 Irish Blog Awards. Huzzah!

• Beaut.ie


• For Nine Pounds
• Slugger O'Toole
• Irish Election
• ShiteDrivers.com


• The Cedar Lounge Revolution
• Web 2.0 Ireland
• Soundtracks For Them
• Dublin Opinion
• Ego Eccentric
• The Dublin Community Blog
• The Limerick Blogger
• Style Treaty
• Couango and Spaves
• Elblogador.com


• Balrog


• Old Rotten Hat
• Ceithearnacoille


• Team Geared Up Blog
• Analogue
  Magazine


• Life Without Toast
• Centre for Criminal Justice and Human Rights
• This sort of thing
• The
  mockingbird's leap:


• Jack's Graff
• Blather


• Text Secrets
• Tuppenceworth.ie


• Cleft.ie


• Cheebah

UnaRocks video of the day

With thanks to my blogging equivalent of the Jim Morrisson dream-hallucination helper in Wayne's World 2

My Cool

I know I posted an mp3 of this yesterday, but here's the video too. It's my favourite song at the moment.

Wahey # 2

Via Rick: this blog has been longlisted for the Best Music Blog in the 2008 Irish Blog Awards.

Rockin'!

I don't know what happens now, how the nominees are cut down or whatever. I should pay more attention to Mr Mulley's information.

Cn sum1 hexplain plz? kthnx

WeTV

Jim wrote about this in the Ticket last week. WeTV on RTE is pretty savage at putting good up and coming Irish bands on TV. So go them.

You can check out some of the WeTV clips here. There are even some of me (which I can't watch because I can't watch myself on TV). Enjoy, and big up to the WeTV homies. You rock.

photee of the day (totally stolen from TMZ.com)

Yes, that's Didi Conn aka Frenchy from 'Grease'

Wahey!

This blog has been longlisted for Best Popculture Blog at the 2008 Irish Blog Awards. Woohoo! Totally cool.



Rick, The Man Who Sorts Out My Life, Shane, Rapture Ponies, Graham Linehan and more are all in there. What great company!

Free comment?

Shane raises the issue of blog comments and gender politics

I'm crying, watching this

(thanks to The King)

UnaRocks articles of the day

Ivan Smagghe no show (again) - House Is A Feeling

Led Zep tour on hold - NME

Why Justice suck - Village Voice

The Wire final season: cheese must die - Slate

Music is free? - Hotpress

What the election says about Hil and Ob, and what voting for either of them means - New York Magazine

1 in 100 Brits gay - GCN

Starbucks trades down - Business Week

JFK's daughter endorses Obama - New York Times

Bad fashion at the SAG awards - TMZ



bonus mp3: Now That I've Found It Acceptable In The 80s

Darklight Film Festival: call for entries nowsies

Details 'ere

UnaRocks video of the day

Montel rocks it on Fox News

Dirty Dozen: Vol 81

1. Adam Tensta - 'My Cool'

2. Timbaland feat. One Republic - 'Apologize'

3. Goldfrapp - 'A&E' (via Quick Before It Melts)

4. Foals - 'Astronauts and All' (Barrington remix)

5. Crystal Castles - 'xxzxcxz me'

half a dozen. Hayden feat. The National - 'Dynamite Walls' (live)

7. Apes - 'Beat Of The Double'

8. The Blonde Majority - 'We Got Fire'

9. Jesus and Mary Chain - 'Just Like Honey'

10. Bloc Party - 'Sunday' (live)

11. 77Klash - 'Mad Again' (feat. Johnny Osbourne)

dozen. Dawn Landes - 'Suspicion'

Ze Weekend

Although the weekend was somewhat blighted by a dodgy stomach and tiredness that kept me in every night, it was also vastly enhanced by a visit from Dee and loads of funsies.

Actually, on reflection, I seem to have spent the majority of this weekend eating; dinner in Uki Yo and Yamamouri, brunch in Ely chq, lunch in the Harbourmaster, topped off with a Four Star pizza last night. Other than that; birthday drinks with Lainey @ Solas, and Dorfmeister @ Spy. (Lili has pics of the latter event here.) My dodgy stomach was probably not helped on Friday night by drinking sake and cava cocktails (seems so wrong, yet feels so right) followed by a bottle of champagne and then having to get up early for work.

Dublin 1 has its perks. Apart from the van that got broken into directly below our balcony last night, I'm much happier being closer to the busy part of town. Newmarket was close to loads of stuff, but it was always so... quiet. I'm not really into 'quiet'. Five minutes and I'm on O'Connell Street. Seven minutes and I'm raiding the Home section of Dunnes . Plus on our street there's a cool art space which I think I shall spend a lot of time chilling out in.

I like my walk to work too.

The weather this weekend was my favourite kind. Cold, bright and still.

Una
eating: Creme Eggs
drinking: Tropicana blueberry mix
listening to: School of Language - 'Sea From Shore'
reading: Cathy Kelly - 'Lessons In Heartbreak'
watching: GMTV

Photee of the day

1990, Dita Von Teese

Barack Obama's top ten campaign promises

UnaRocks video of the day

Grand Pocket Orchestra - 'Odd Socks'


"Odd Socks" - Grand Pocket Orchestra Official Music Video from Michael Healey on Vimeo.

SXSW *hearts* Irish kids

The State has got the info on our boys and girls heading to Austin

(photee from here)

don't forget to bring the baaaaaaaaaaaaasssss

It's the Kaboogie party tonight @ Traffic. They're raising some lids for their new record label, so go and show your support.

If you haven't been to a Kaboogie night before, then you're missing out, so get the fuck down there for some quality dubstep and to feel like a bass-possessed fat man is sitting on your chest. Your ears might bleed, your lungs might collapse, but you will dance. Oh yes, you will dance.

Probably won't make this because Q&A has to be hit, as might Dorfmeister at Spy (btw, if you're going to that gig, get there v early if you haven't got your ticket yet because there's a limited number at the door), but you never know.

It's Friday - yay!

Tune of the day!

Click on this page and check out 'Plastic Fat-tastic'. It's a genius assault on your ears. My homie Ed did this with vocals from my grrrl Niamh (pictured, staring into the void).

Savage.

While you're there, check out some of Ed's other tunes. There are also some on his MySpace.

Huzzah!

Got me a shiny shiny bright blue 'Everything Flows' 12" EP from Super Extra Bonus Party this morning. Great start to the day.

headline of the day

Page 2 of today's Irish Times: "Thieves make off with parrot in Cavan."

It would be headline of the week if it was: "Thieves make out with parrot in Cavan."

Jenna's gig reviews

make for essential reading

Ladyflash finds a new home

One of the Button Factory's club nights is moving to Kennedy's on Westland Row.

Ladyflash will re-launch Thursday 28th February with the awesome line-up of Queen Kong (it's their single launch party), Stagger Lee and a DJ set from Phantom's Sinead Ni Mhordha.

Doors are at 10pm and it's 7 lids to get in and kick it.

I think this night will do way better in the basement of Kennedy's than in Temple Bar. My own interpretation (and this is not a scientific one) is that the Button Factory is in trouble. There is little momentum there. Where's the buzz? Personally, I haven't been back there since the launch. And actually, I can't think of any of my mates who have either. As far as I can see, the vibe of the place has completely changed. The club nights are so uninspiring and they just aren't getting enough quality acts to play and bring in the crowds. It's a shame, because the place looks so good inside. Maybe too good. Maybe that's the problem.

Their Saturday night is now 'Temple Bar Trad' (yikes, what is this? A bastard child of Oliver St John Gogarty and Fitzsimmons?) and although there are a few good acts playing there in the coming weeks and months (well, Tegan and Sarah and Band of Horses anyway*edit: BOH has been moved to Tripod*), it's just not enough. I'd hate to see any club do badly, but the Button Factory really needs to flick the quality switch and get its shit together if it wants to survive.

Print? Dead? Pah!

Two new Irish magazines drop in early March. First up is music mag State (the website will be edited by this ledgebag.) Next is skateboarding mag, The Wizard, that this bloke is involved in.

I like skating, I like music, I like magazines, so... YAYSIES

Moo-vees

Imagine, I only found out this evening that my good colleague Paul Lynch is also a blogger. Check out his film blog

It happens all the time...

You know when you mention something completely off topic, or that hasn't been talked about in ages, and then all of a sudden it's everywhere? Like the other day, I had three seperate conversations with three seperate people who all brought up El Dorado (the soap opera).

Or yesterday when I mentioned Let Loose to RoRo and she said I was the second person to mention that band to her that day, and then today they come up in a popbitch mail.

I'm psychic, amn't I?

UnaRocks articles of the day

reducing greenhouse gas emissions - The Chancer

Loads of naked people = art - Slate

Sundance report - New York Magazine

Amy Declinehouse - Village Voice

Trevor White obsessed with Derek O'Connor who he says was obsessed with him who is obsessed with... oh, fuck it - The Dubliner

IMRO showcase tour wants bands - Hotpress

Jerry O'Connell parodies the Tom Cruise Scientology video - Funny Or Die

Monster Movies - New York Magazine

Fake market gets real brand - China Daily

The Ting Tings aren't actually that good - The Guardian

100 days for equality in civil marriage - pdf via GCN

Genius celebrity name game

Hours of fun

UnaRocks video of the day

Pop:



with thanks to NKC

Thoughts on the new gaff (so far)

- Didn't realise how much I would miss Chicken Hut on Clanbrassil Street (crysies)

- People who work in the IFSC look sad in the morning

- Tiger and I couldn't help but throw around some 'Big Bow Wow' quotes when we bumped into each other in the IFSC yesterday; I was running back to the office from Phantom, he was jogging.

- Is it really necessary to encase the entire contents of an off-license in glass? (Booze2Go, Amiens Street)

- Heroin never goes out of fashion, clearly

- Lots of floor to ceiling windows may look pretty, but they also mean it's fucking freezing in the morning

Aw crap

Off Her Rocker reveals DC Pakt call it a day.

Dang. I liked that band. And they had AWESOME hair.

Republic of Loose working on their third album

Republic of Loose have been busy in the studio working on their forthcoming third album. The follow up to Aaagh! is scheduled for a late spring release. The band have several tracks finished and are planning to release the first single from the album in April.

According to Brez, the record will have a more live feel, "We've gone back to being a band in a room, listening to American soul, jazz, rock and hip-hop"

Mick Pyro will perform a duet with Sinead O'Connor at the Meteor Awards next month.

(pic by Lili

Popular

I've been listening to Nada Surf's new record 'Lucky' today. But I don't think anything they release could surpass their finest moment:

Album reviews

Here are some of my recent ones for The Sunday Tribune

Adrian Crowley
Long Distance Swimmer (42:06)
****
There is probably no better description of Crowley than the title of this, his fourth album. He is indeed a slow burner, quietly forming his music and receiving occasional acclaim. But the quality of this album means at last, Crowley can emerge from under the radar with what is certainly one of the best records released in this country this year. There are some instantly adorable songs, ‘Bless Our Tiny Hearts’ being the most obviously gorgeous, but for people who haven’t heard Crowley’s material before, they’ll probably be astounded by the complexity and depth of all of the tracks here. ‘Walk On Part’ is spine-tingling, as is the closing title track, and everywhere there is beautiful deft guitar playing and unexpected perfect moments both lyrically and musically.
Download: ‘Bless Our Tiny Hearts’, ‘Walk On Part’, ‘Electric Eels’

Dawn Landes
Fireproof (40:48)
Fargo Records
****
Landes third album is a quietly brilliant collection of songs whose melodies flow through your head long after the stop button is pressed. Incorporating breezy country and minimal acoustic ballads, Landes has made a gorgeous late-night / early-morning record. But her voice is the real instrument here - its purity is astounding. Landes switches effortlessly from quiet whispers to a breathy falsetto and she possess that unique trait that the best female vocalists have - an ability to flick ones vocal chords effortlessly to demonstrate both delicacy and toughness. Every song on this album is almost perfectly crafted, full of cool little hooks, and the record as a whole is an master class in how less is more.
Download: ‘Bodyguard’, ‘Private Little Hell’, ‘Kid’s In A Play’

Ain
Close To Cotton (18:49)
Tanuki Tanuki
***
This mini-album of folky-blues from Kildare man Ain is so quietly tender that you get the impression he recorded the tracks next to a sleeping baby. There’s a whiff of Willy Mason and young Ben Kweller in the vocals, which compliments the sparseness of the lone guitar accompaniment. ‘V.S.U.’ is a interesting, creepy little track with a nice slow rhythm and ‘Sunday’ is a little brighter with a nice guitar melody. You could, however, fault Ain on the similarities of his tracks though. Nearly every song here is similar in build, tone and vocal melody. It wouldn’t hurt for Ain to purposely shy away from the sounds and structures he is used to in order to inject a bit of diversity into his songs. A tentative, but promising release.
Download: ‘V.S.U.’, ‘Sunday’

Lightspeed Champion
Falling Off The Lavender Bridge (42:54)
Domino
**
Lightspeed Champion is Dev Hynes. You might remember him from Test Icicles, the short-lived band of messers that inspired the new-rave indie movement. But this venture couldn’t be more different to the screaming mentalism of the former band. To be precise, it’s a folk record. And not a great one. God knows what possessed Hynes to quit experimenting and make a bunch of rather boring songs, although he has a patchy ADHD approach to the musical projects. ‘All To Shit’ sounds like a tea ad and many of the songs blend into one boring moan. There are shafts of light though including some arresting lyrics (“I feel the nigger eyes / they are staring / makes me want to rip off my skin” on ‘Devil Tricks For A Bitch’) and nice guitar moments (‘Dry Lips’). But these glimmers of hope only make half-ideas.
Download: ‘Salty Water’, ‘Dry Lips’

British Sea Power
Do You Like Rock Music? (54:36)
Rough Trade
****
British Sea Power are one of those interesting bands that attract a lot of media attention, but never really get up to much. Naturally, they want to change that. Step forward a slight change in direction, and the kind of kick up the arse that their peers (although they mightn’t see these as their peers) in The Hours, Embrace and Athlete occasionally utilise to produce some good music. With their earnestness brushed down and the stars aligning, they have emerged with quite a fine album. The Brighton band has managed to find that very useful, yet very elusive thing that a band needs to step onto a bigger stage: the epic switch. Here, they flick it with the giddiness and ease of a seven year old girl trying to recreate a disco in her bedroom. ‘Down On The Ground’ is something a little like what The Hold Steady might release next, and elsewhere there are strong nods to Mercury Rev and Tony Visconti production values. The football chant of ‘easy, easy, easy’ is transformed into an Arcade Fire-esque rally call on ‘No Lucifer’. First of all, why did no other band think about this before? But secondly, there is a greater significance to the chant. Things have clicked for this band. The tunes haven’t seemed to been made with any great struggle. There is a lightness of finger and a deftness of hand at play, all the while yielding beefy and fun songs that occasionally recollect their stranger past.
Download: ‘No Lucifer’, ‘Down On The Ground’, ‘Waving Flags’

Los Campesinos
Hold On Now, Youngster... (42:48)
Wichita Recordings
***
Woohoo! Party! Dancing! Cheap beer! That’s what Los Campesinos are all about, the little scamps. So all the songs here sound like they were written on notebooks soaked in Buckfast and pulled out of the bath after a party. It’s childish, sweet, busy and hollow, but then, it’s going to be with song titles like ‘This Is How You Spell “Hahaha, We Destroyed The Hopes And Dreams Of A Generation Of Faux-Romantics”’. Although this is more a live party band rather than one you’d buy the record of, there are some surprisingly tender moments, like the strings on ‘Knee Deep At ATP’, and ‘You! Me! Dancing!’ is a great and lively pop song. It’s all fun, but ultimately, disposable.
Download: ‘Death To Los Campesinos!’, ‘You! Me! Dancing!’

The highlight of your month

Nialler9's latest podcast is up.

Bo.

(*edit* - obviously, the other highlight would have been watching me sing a karaoke version of 'Ring Of Fire' on live national TV yesterday evening for some reason. I meant to blog about that earlier this morning under the heading "some mornings when you wake up, you really don't know where your day is going to go." Yesterday was one of those.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAINEY!

My wonderful flatmate Lainey (pictured here, falling off a chair in Thailand) is really fucking old today. Pack it in dude, it's over.

Lovesies!

How to cheer up your morning:

The L Word does Charlie's Angels: (stolen from Becs)



Hee hee. Quite amusing.

I'm well behind on Season 5. Have only seen the first episode because the queens of the Big Weekly L Word viewing session are off skiing. Bastardos! I started rewatching Season One though the other day (God bless box sets etc). It's so good. If you've never watched this series, you really should check it out, it's excellent.

Vote in the IFTAs

via The Chancer

to vote, click here

I'd like Michelle Doherty to win the TV Personality Award, I think. She's a cool chick.

sad

Heath Ledger died yesterday. They're saying it was an accidental overdose of sleeping pills or something.

UnaRocks video of the day

Ah, the access granted to 21st Century celebrities eh? Here, Amy Winehouse smokes crack.

last Saturday night

YoCo, me, Lili.

Lili has more photees here

moving

So we are finally leaving Studio 109 for the greener pastures of Dublin 1.

Moving, my friends, is a NIGHTMARE. I never realised I had so much shit. I filled a giant rucksack and an even more giant suitcase with books alone. So now I have no cases left to put anything else in. Crysies.

Myself and Lainey spent most of last night throwing out half of our lives ("won't be needing socks where I'm going" *dump*) and then making several journeys down to the underground car park to dump everything in the bins. At one point, Lainey got locked down there because I was on the phone and totally forgot about her. Then, on the next occassion, a bag with all of the food from our kitchen split and cous cous and soy sauce and flour went everywhere. There were tears.

Eventually, I just started throwing tantrums and Lainey had to calm me down. Today is the actual physical move from one place to another, which should be... fun

*puts on happy face*.

Una


drinking: orange juice
eating: relaxants
reading: The Irish Times
listening to: Chris Bathgate - 'A Cork Tale Wake'
watching: my life disintegrate

bring back the nineties with chemicals inside me

Kill City Defectors play Whelan's this Sunday. The boys are always good fun to hang out with so I'm defo gonna try make this gig. You should give some of the tracks from 'Mutiny Sounds' released last year a listen on their MySpace. 'Black Sheep' is my favourite.

Dirty Dozen: Vol 80

1. Hadouken! - 'Girls'

2. A Place To Bury Strangers - 'I Know I'll See You'

3. Einmusik - '69'

4. Faust - 'Chromatic'

5. Various Production - 'The World Is Gone' (feat. Cat Power)

half a dozen. Skream - 'Make Me'

7. Third Eye Foundation - 'Half A Tiger'

8. Super Extra Bonus Party - 'Favourite Things'

9. Error Error - 'Your Everlasting Breath' (Paul Kalkbrenner remix)

10. Thom Yorke - 'Skip Divided' (Modeselektor remix)

11. The National - 'Apartment Story' (live)

dozen. Julie Feeney - 'Autopilot'

especially for Anthony

fuck you, January!

So this weekend (Friday being pay day for a lot of people) signals the end of Social Siberia aka January.

All I can say is: roll the fuck on this weekend.

So, if you're still wondering how to spend your week before hitting up Friday (a good night for dancing: Q&A at The Vaults, Kaboogie party @ Traffic, Dorfmeister @ Spy, Maximum Joy with the Dudley Corporation @ Kennedy's, 2 Many DJs @ The Academy (nee Spirit), Blood Red Shoes @ the Hub)

Tonight, Autumn Owls play Whelan's;

On Tuesday Steve Earle plays Vicar Street;

as usual, Antics is on in Crawdaddy on Wednesday and Star Turtle are in Whelan's;

Thursday, Coheed and Cambria play the Ambassador as part of the Kerrang tour, Gavin Glass is in the Cobblestone, the Lego party is at the Hub and Stars play Tripod.

Any other haps?

Hillary will win... solely based on this video

(props to Ragin')



(then again...)

I love gooooooooooollllllllllllld

I could spend all day watching videos of and listening to this lady



Santogold - 'Creator'
Santogold - 'You'll Find A Way' (Switch & Sinden remix)

Radish - remember them? (probably not)

One of my favourite bands when I was in my early teens was Radish. I thought they were AWESOME. And recently, for some reason, I've been listening to them again. 'Restraining Bolt' remains one of my favourite albums ever, even though at the time, it was slated as white label Nirvana muck. But I don't care. Radish rock, man. Interestingly, Radish's frontman was a 15/16-year-old kid called Ben Kweller.

Strange how thing work out, huh?

Universal has disabled embedding on these videos, but still, check them out, by clicking here and here.

then there's the bizarre appearance on Weird Al:

UnaRocks articles of the day

Mariah to drop album on April 1st - Billboard

The Race Card: how bluffing about bias makes race relations worse - Slate

Is it ok to be jealous of my girlfriend's gay best friend? - Village Voice

Lovefoxxx talks about new CSS record - NME

Fight Like Apes, Delorentos to play BudRising February - Hotpress

the primaries get ugly - New York Magazine

Johnny Depp: music man - Rolling Stone

Nicholas *hearts* Carla: Love & Politics - The New Yorker

gay marriage demo in Dublin today as Trinity's Rainbow Week begins - GCN

Bosomania: the sex, the violence and the vocabulary of Russ Meyer - Not Coming To A Theatre Near You

the new indie eccentrics - Observer Music Monthly

Vinyl is back (duh) - Time

Are Apple stealing their designs from 1960's Braun products? - Gizmodo

Nude Italian models go on strike - The Guardian

Not so Sweet 16 - Sunday Tribune

Ze Weekend

Ah, Monday morning; tea, toast, gossip and new CDs (listening to 'Forts' by The Boggs at the moment.)

I had a rather pleasant weekend.

On Friday, I didn't get out of work until forever, but still had time for a couple of glasses of wine at Party Central with YoCo, Iano MeNoFemBo and Lili. Then I went home and listened to Phantom. I couldn't sleep, so Ragin called over and we stayed up too late.

On Saturday, me and Iano jammed for a bit while YoCo and Lili were doing a photoshoot. Then we went to Ryans in Smithfield to play some pool and watch the rugby. Later, me, YoCo and Lili had an amazing meal in L'Ecrivain. So good. We had stayed there for hours so were pretty wrecked by the time in Spy for Spice. I just had one drink and went home. Such a nice evening though.

On Sunday, I chilled the max. Me and Lainey watched Dancing on Ice (how hot does Samantha Mumba look?) and then Ragin and Tiger called over for tea.

Just ten days to do in the manky month that is January. I'm all Januaried out, can't wait until it's over.

Una
eating: toast
drinking: tea
listening to: The Boggs - 'Forts'
watching: George Lee In China
reading: 'England's Dreaming' - Jon Savage

I will never stop laughing at this

Blonde Majority & Hassle Merchants tomorrow night

These two play Pogo. Check it out.

I like 'We Got Fire' by BM, nice tune.

There's fuck all else on this weekend. It's probably the worst weekend of the year for going out because everyone's broke, innit?

UnaRocks video of the day

Via The Chancer

SEAVIEW trailer:

Joycies live from Oz!

Helen rang me from Oxford Street in Sydney earlier. She had hit the clubs only a short while after landing. That's my girl. Sounds like she already has several adventures under her hat, including one involving Malaysian drug smugglers.

If you are so inclined, you can keep up with her Australian adventures on her blog. At the very least, they shall be entertaining.

badge of honour

Thanks to The King of the Interweb, I am now the proud owner of a fluffy badge. Yaysies.

Michael Mayer to play 5 hour set @ Spy

March 16th, €22.50 + booking fee, tickets here.

You can have the option of pre-booking tickets if you join the Spy mailing list or Facebook group.

Saw Mayer last time he was in the Music Centre and it was more than savage, so really looking forward to this, I must say.

(photee by Lili)

Yikes

poor Brit

Are you in Barcelona tonight?

Then go see Delorentos play Razzmatazz. There are more European dates on their MySpace. Ch-check it out. Have funsies boys!

only a couple of hours left to nominate in the Irish Blog Awards

do it!

If you download one song today...

make it this mp3, even though I know I've posted it before, I just keep going back to it. So beautiful.

Hunter: The Movie

"After shaking up Sundance with his Oscar-nominated Enron doc a few years ago, Alex Gibney sets out to demystify another misunderstood cultural phenomenon. In Gonzo, he takes on Hunter S. Thompson, the crazed reporter whose brilliant rants made it impossible for readers to take political, sports and travel writing seriously again."

Awesome.

For a look at the geekiest movies @ Sundance '08, go here

Antidote to January

My Top Five has posted a podcast to cheer you up.

Altogether now: SMILE!

Videos from Radiohead's 'secret' gig last night

Here's the opener (15 Step):



And you can watch the entire set here

UnaRocks articles of the day

Smurfs mark 50th birthday in Belgium - AP

Pete Doherty wears bras - NME

Europe's first gay nursing home opens - GCN

Why is the US Army losing so many talented officers? - Slate

The end of Rent - New York Magazine

Presidential endorsements from the American girl dolls - Village Voice

America's first black lesbian mayor elected - Advocate

The origins of No Wave - Pitchfork

Study: Children fear clowns - MSNBC

US abortions drop to lowest level since 1976 - San Francisco Chronicle

High-priced wine tastes better - London Times

Tune of the day

John Waters feat. Al Gore - 'The Can't Stop The Satanism'

Props to One More Hour

Read the Fanny Waters blog.

Show Bertie some love

On the 14th of February at 1.30pm, LGBT Noise will be presenting Bertie Ahern with a giant Valentine's card filled with poems and messages from members of the public that gay people in Ireland do not want 2nd class citizenship, and want to be able to marry their Valentines one day if they so choose.

You can add your two cents to the card by emailing lgbtnoise@gmail.com with your Valentine's message on why gay marriage is important.

Check out the Facebook event page as well.

Remember?

*drool*

Be part of the the Dublin Fringe Festival

Listen up kids, the homeboys and homegirls over at the Dublin Fringe Festival '08 are putting the word out for submissions for the festival. As you all know, the Fringe Festival is AWESOME, so if you want to be a part of it, or know someone who would (or both) then get the finger out, innit?

Calling all: Artists, Anarchists, Poets, Punks, Romantics, Activists, Philosophers, Fashionistas, Visionaries, Anoraks, Idealists, Zealots, Creatives, Ninjas, Genuises, Clowns. Got something to say?

Fringe invites you to: Push the boat out, Shake things up, Reach for the stars, Shout from the rafters, Make a name for yourself, Make your ma proud, Inspire a generation, Burn up the stage, Thrill your audience... And Stick It To The Man, man.

Dublin Fringe Festival is now accepting submissions for the 2008 Festival, running from the 6th to the 21st September. Deadline for all applications is Thursday 20th March.

See FringeFest for details. Do it!

Angel She's A Killer

Check out this great new Irish record label / art project.

It involves loads of people including Paddy, Goodtime John, Lili, Adrian Crowley, Team Yes, Laura Buckley, me, and of course, the head honcho Sarah.

Watch this space y'all. First release is in March.

mistake with comment moderation

Good morning everyone. I was going through the comments this morning and by mistake deleted about four or five when I was trying to reject a duplicate comment by Mandy which she must have mistakenly posted twice. So if a couple of your comments are missing that's why.

They've come up on my email though, so I'll post them here:

Meg on 'new You'reOnlyMassive video':
"and surely quoting Monty Python must have come around to being cool again by now?"

Mandy on 'airport blogging'
"Amazing how you dont ask friends to defend you yet Corina is also on Lucys blog, not commenting on anything else but me,,hmmmm'thanks for the advice honey, I've been in the game for a while,'And yet, your not that good!'If una didnt want criticism on this blog or people not saying anything bad she would not approve your comments'Whatever! The only reason why she puts the comments on is because she wants to goad sheep like you into telling her how great and fab she is. You were been nasty - end of.How sheltered ARE you people?I laugh 99.9% of it off, but even still, because it's my blog,This doesnt even make sense, i laugh 99.9% of it off,but even still...yeah you can write, tell me what collage did you go to? Im so bored with this, im going to find some adults now. Goodbye and i hope to sweet jesus ill never have the misfortune to meet you 2."

Maebh Cheasty on:'new You'reOnlyMassive video':
"What´s wrong with quoting the simpsons? Or monty python for that matter? I still plan on getting much usage out of all of the above and more.For all your irish rap needs:http://www.irishhiphop.com/forum/list.php?10 "

Aoife Mc on: 'I really want to see this Party Weirdo tour documentary'
"Hey ladyThey showed a bit of it at a gig before christmas, but I don't know what they're doing with it...hopefully they'll release it into the wild soon. Heckle them on myspace about it, that should get some information out of them. Bleedin weirdos."

Jeanne on: 'airport blogging'
"Hmmm, I think we may have found the root of the problem.... Mandy said to Una: "if you want to work in journalism then develop a thicker skin." Then Una replied: (this is the revealing bit) "thanks for the advice honey, I've been in the game for a while, I think I know how to take the digs"Em, didn't you only graduate from D.C.U. in 2005? In the game for a while, eh? My best mate's been a national press journalist for 16 years. I just read Una's reply to her over the phone. She laughed out loud, made some derisory comment about 'cub-reporters on low salaries in the Indo group' who land a job and think they're the dog's bollix, and then said there are broken dictaphones in her desk drawer longer than Una's been, as she describes it, 'in the game'.'fraid I'm with Mandy on this one."

Becs on: 'best band in the universe make an amazing MySpace blog post'
"I think MeNoFemBo should form the interval act in the choice music awards. You know, like the eurovision.Speaking of which, why is it the powers that be have deemed that choice awards night should take place on tegan and sara night? Wrongsies! "


And my reply to these comments is:
@ Mandy - I really don't know why you are so overly nasty all the time dude. Why do you bother reading this blog if you think I'm such a dickhead? Do you realise how nuts you sound? Get a hug or something.

@ Aoife Mc: nice one, I shall harass them into submission!

@ Jeanne: I can't help being young, I'm afraid, although I have been writing for publications for a while, long before I graduated, or even started, college. My 'while' is of course relative to your friend who has been working in the national press for 16 years. Good for her.

@ Becs: I think you're right. I'll get on to Vicar Street straight away!

Best band in the universe make an amazing MySpace blog post

OMGsies

I REALLY want to see this Party Weirdo tour documentary

Where can I see it?

UnaRocks video(s) of the day

Ryan Adams makes a bunch of surrealist satanic shorts. The crazy bastard.




then there's this rather nice one:


And more here

Reason 4,963 why Victoria Beckham should SHUT UP

On her husband's new billboards:

"I'm proud to see his penis 25 foot tall. It's great. It's huge. It's enormous. Massive. If I looked like that I'd walk down the street in my panties too."

previous reason

The Britney Economy

read more

Everything is stupid,

so it is

An ode to friends of UnaRocks no 4: Helen 'The Pout' Joycies

I first met Joycies when we were in college. There was many a time where we didn’t see eye to eye. Now, I wouldn’t have called us enemies, but I’m sure other people would have. Luckily, that changed. A year or so ago, we began to bump into each other pretty regularly. We had both changed somewhat, both for the better, and very soon, we struck up a friendship, buried hatchets and began to enjoy each other’s company. I always thought I went out more than most people, but Joycies consistently beat me hands down. Plus, she had the added non-bonus of having to be on TV every day. Nobody knew where she got the energy from. She rocked and wrecked it!

We became partners in crime, clubbing, pubbing and partying away with glee. Joycies introduced me to some brilliant people and we formed the kind of competitive friendship that two competitive people do, constantly trying to outdo each other’s madness and hilarity. We laughed. A lot. There are many people in this world who shake their heads in disbelief when you carry on like a crazy person, getting into scrapes in clubs and in love and like. Helen and myself high-fived – and even betted – on such scrapes. I think we appealed to our dark and mischievous sides.

Although I have calmed down a bit (and to a degree, so has Joycies), we still spent a lot of our time out cracking each other up with knowing glances, simultaneously trying to avoid and encourage drama.

Joycies left for Australia today. Last night, myself and Ragin’ dropped her at the DART, beeping the horn, while she yelled the MeNoFemBo mantra ‘SIT ON MY FACE’ on the quays. I’ll miss her, loads. But I’m so grateful for the fact that we copped ourselves on and became mates. There are too many memories to recall; our ridiculous behaviour at Garden Party, constant and insane drama at Kiss and beyond, wallowing in hangovers, dancing, dancing, dancing and laughing. I’ll miss her.


Ode #1: Jenna
Ode #2: Burco
Ode #3: Tadhg

Joycies' camera work post Spice Skating:

Blogs, tea, chicks, party - what's not to love

Sabrina has the skinny on the blogging ladies tea party.

Needless to say, I am so there.

Ham Sandwich release moosick, hit the road

The collective genius of Ham Sandwich hit el roado over the next short while ahead of the release of their debut album 'Carry The Meek'.

Their new single 'Keepsake' will be released (download only) on January 25th.

In the meantime, you can buy tickets to these gigs:



31 Jan
Barfly, London

23 Feb
Whelan's Dublin
1st March
Spirit Store, Dundalk

6th March
Crawdaddy, Dublin
(as part of Murphy's Live)

7 March
Roisin Dubh, Galway

13th March
Cyprus Avenue, Cork

14th March
McHugh's, Drogheda

15th March
The Stables, Mullingar

20th March
Dolan's Warehouse, Limerick

28 March
Electric Avenue, Waterford

unfortunate adspace :(

Tiger found this one

Relatives on Wikipedia

Inspired by Lucy's post about her granddad, I went looking for some of my relatives on Wikipedia.

I found one - my great, great uncle Tim Kelly.

Unfortunately, Tim doesn't have a nice or fluffy history.

As a member of 'The Invincibles', he murdered Lord Cavendish in the Phoenix Park, causing Parnell to offer his resignation from parliament (Gladstone turned him down) and delaying Home Rule by about 30 years. I always thought the Phoenix Park Murders were overlooked as an event in Irish history, because the double-killing had such a huge knock-on effect when you think about it.

Anyway, Tim was hanged in Kilmainham Jail in 1883, almost exactly 100 years before I was born. He was 19.

Looking at this picture of him I found online, he looks freakishly like my little cousin P.

Does anyone else have any Wiki-relatives?

Subversion #3

J-WolfRocks

UnaRocks articles of the day

Louboutin wins US trademark on red laquered soles - Agenda Inc.

How De Beers created the modern diamond industry - Atlantic Monthly (from 1982, fascinating)

Why Hillary's team can't stop making stupid mistakes - Slate

BRIT Award nominations - NME

Britain's £1 billion Olympics black hole - London Times

The return of Alanis Morissette - Wongie's Music World

Mona Lisa identified - Reuters

A-list musicians named in steroid report - CBS

Dozens spot UFO in Texas - Houston Chronicle

How New Yorkers cope with stress - New York Magazine

EMI fires everyone - The Guardian

On Kimya Dawson - Village Voice

Spacer

Want to go to Space? The click here.

Speaking of space:

a new era in the coverage of celebrities

TMZ introduces the live paparazzi stream.

TMZ has been at the forefront of celebrity stalking for sometime, popularising the 'video paparazzo' and beating the old-school US tabloid mags to endless exclusives (no matter how boring or trivial), but this is definitely a newbie.

Ryan = Kurt?

Hmm. Courtney Love has asked Ryan Gosling to play Kurt Cobain in the forthcoming movie, 'Heavier Than Heaven'.

She wants Scarlett Johansson to play her.

Haven't voted in the Irish Blog Awards yet?

then do so!. If you want, nominate this blog, although it would be useful if there were a category like 'Best Blog Where Blogger Makes Music-Related Post That Then Turns Into Crazy Discussion About Sex, Porn, Women With Non-Sexy Results', but there isn't. Crysies.

In other procrastination-heavy news, here are some...
*THINGS THAT HAPPENED TO ME TODAY*:
- Felt remarkably sick after hearing news report about bloke who got his hand chopped off in Finglas pub fight
- Given lecture by photocopier fixer bloke about avoiding paper jams (Not. My. Fault.)
- Stuck 'you will always be successful in your professional career' fortune cookie note on computer. Note fell off.
- Myself and Claire came up with/stole yet another idea that will transform us into millionaires by the end of the month. Bring on the diamonds.
- Laughed out loud at a joke I made in my head. Very sad.


Una
reading: 'England's Dreaming' - Jon Savage
listening to: 'Hold On Now, Youngster' - Los Campesinos
watching: videos of dogs doing stupid things on MySpace TV
eating: Montezuma's white chocolate turtles
drinking: water
wantsies: these

Book-N-Supp postponed (again)

crysies, but for practical reasons of people not being able to make it

UnaRocks video of the day

Dog saying 'I Love You'.

Irish Times & gay marriage

My mate Eloise has an article in the Irish Times today about the case for gay marriage. And LGBT Noise is asking people to vote in the Online Poll that follows up the article:

"Just a reminder to vote today for gay civil marriage in the Irish Times online poll
in the Head2Head section. Just follow this link.

Please do also leave comments with your views on the gay civil marriage debate - this is a great chance to make our point come across!

Results of the poll and come comments will be published in the Irish Times next Monday.

Happy Voting!

The Noise Team"

Londing

Just back from London. I am a fool for fogetting my camera everytime I did anything interesting, so actually have no evidence of being in Londing apart from a giant bag of records from Rough Trade. And organic chocolate buttons for Tiger.

Went to this really cool cinema somewhere (um, can't remember where it was, the Everyman I think it was called.) Anyway, the point is, it had giant couches and waiters to bring you olives and beer and ice-cream. So: Best. Cinema. Ever, obviously. Saw 'Lust Caution'. It's great. Then, in the spirit of things, me and Dee went for some savage dim sum.

As for Club Motherfucker, well... We didn't get there until 1am (even though it was approx 2 minutes walk away) due to delayed cava drinking. When we arrived, there were loads of drunken indie kids splayed across the pavement outside so we were scared it was a queue. It turned out there was a power cut and they had to let everyone leave. CRYSIES. So we missed everything. Instead, we went for caipirinhas in the local jazz bar.

Yesterday, me and Dee met Dee's mate Polly (who shares my love of The Flight of the Conchords) for breakfast and then went shopping. Then we went to a yummy Turkish place in Dalston for MEAT. Oh, and Polly informed us of the best txt service ever called 'EQA' (Every Question Answered) which we could have done with when we couldn't think of the name of the only original Sugababe.

After waiting for over half an hour for a taxi from the airport, I am now in work.

Oh, as a result of me fecking off to London, I missed Joycies' party, which according to various sources went very well and looked something like this:

airport blogging

I'm early for my flight.

If you've been missing the fun, click here

Book-N-Supp is GO!

details are here.

Can't wait to meet you all!

I'm off to Londing now, have a fun weekend.

Una

Run Becs' life

That's 'run', not 'ruin'

at last

We just got a new apartment.

Dublin 1, here I come.

Dublin 8, byesies!

Avalanche Ammo

Straight outta Kildare-ton comes Avalance Ammo. Check this shizz out, rockin.

Cheers to Gav for the heads up.

Choice Music Prize: What the bookies say*

click here to bet on the winner of the Choice Music Prize 2008

At the moment, Delorentos are favourites at 2-1, Roisin Murphy is at 4-1 followed by The Flaws at 5-1. Further down the field, Cathy Davey and David Geraghty are both at 7-1, Adrian Crowley is at 10-1, Stanley Super 800 are at 12-1. Super Extra Bonus Party are at 14-1, Kila at 16-1 and lastly, It's Dry County at 20-1.


*it should be noted that the bookies are shit at guessing the winner of the competition.

Super Extra Bonus Party release EP, hit the road

Fresh from their Choice Music Prize nomination, the 'Party release the 'Everything Flows' EP and play some gigs:

Feb 1st
Cyprus Ave, Cork

Feb 9th
Whelan's, Dublin

Feb 15th
Baker Place, Limerick

Feb 23rd
Roisin Dubh, Galway




The EP includes the awesome album track (feat: Paul, Channel One) and remixes from some big dudes; Nouveaunoise, Jape and, holy shizz, Cadence Weapon.

So if you want to see what all the fuss is about, buy the EP, and get to one of the gigs.

the NME's ELEVEN BEST NEW BANDS IN THE WORLD!!! LOLETC

clicky

They include the rather excellent Black Kids; the brilliant, prickly, Foals; the poserish Friendly Fires; Arcade Fire crossed with Futureheads - Glasvegas; the ridiculous Joe Lean and The Jing Jang Jong; the dreadfully boring Lightspeed Champion; MGMT; this year's pseudo-Libertine/View, The Courteeners; Coral-Arctic Monkey hybrid The Rascals; the shiny, sparklyTing Tings; and the fucking awesome Yo Majesty.

I'm digging the blonde look

Choice Music Prize nominees announced

And they are:

Adrian Crowley - 'Long Distance Swimmer'
Cathy Davey - 'Tales Of Silversleeve'
Delorentos - 'In Love With Detail'
Dry County -'Unexpected Falls'
The Flaws - 'Achieving Vagueness'
David Geraghty - 'Kill Your Darlings'
Kila - 'Gambler's Ballet'
Roisin Murphy - 'Overpowered'
Stanley Super 800 - 'Louder & Clearer'
Super Extra Bonus Party - 'Super Extra Bonus Party'

Visit the official site

And the judges are:
Brian Boyd (The Irish Times)
Michael Carr (Cork 96FM and Cork Independent)
Ronan Casey (Westmeath Examiner)
Alan Corr (RTE Guide)
Dan Hegarty (2FM)
Anne Marie Kelly (Today FM)
Sheena McGinley (Entertainment.ie)
Una Mullally (Sunday Tribune and the Una Rocks blog)
Paul McClean (BBC Northern Ireland)
Nadine O’Regan (Sunday Business Post, Phantom FM and blogger)
Leagues O’Toole (Foggy Notions)
Jon Richards (Galway Bay FM)


The winner will be chosen at Vicar Street on Wednesday February 27th. Tickets to the event cost €27 and will be available from Monday.

Let the games begin!

Q&A January 25th The Vaults

Q&A returns! This is one of the best indie nights in town, so you should check it out if you haven't been.

There are queue jump tickets available now from Pantibar, which are a pretty good idea because the queue can get VERY long and tiring.

Grand Pocket Orchestra release EP, hit the road

GPO release their self-titled EP on Fifa Records on February 1st.

If you want to hear these songs live (which, of course, you do) then head to one of these gigs:

19 Jan
Whelans Dublin

23 Jan
Bang Bang Club, Berlin

1 Feb
The Spirit Store, Dundalk

2 Feb
Tower Records, Wicklow Street, Dublin

2 Feb
The Brewery, Monaghan

4 Feb
The Pavillion, Belfast

5 Feb

Cyprus Avenue, Cork

7 Feb
Club Head Bang Bang, Tralee

8 Feb
Baker Place, Limerick

9 Feb
Lethean, Portlaoise

19 Feb
Roisin Dubh, Galway

20 Feb
Whelans, Dublin

26 Feb
Old Blue Last, London

28 Feb
Exeter Hall, Oxford

(that's a lot of shows, innit? Hope they've got the Red Bull ready. Oh, photee by Mike Healey (http://www.hipchopfilms.com/))

UnaRocks video of the day

Dawn Landes - 'Bodyguard'



taken from her new album 'Fireproof'.

Dawn Landes on MySpace

The Chancer has *that* Irish Army 'Stayin Alive' Lebanon video

catch it while you can!

Choice Music Prize nominees announced today

clicky wicky

Lucy blogs about L Word Season 5: Episode 1

so I don't have to


IT'S RAINING. Gross.

When models attack!

YoCo has a good post and vid over at Style Action

New CDs I'm listening to / intend to listen to today

M.A.N.D.Y.
Fabric 38
Fabric

Dawn Landes
Fireproof
Fargo Records

Flyleaf
Flyleaf
Universal

The Innocence Mission
We Walked In Song
Fargo Records

Ain
Close To Cotton
Tanuki Tanuki

Chris Joss
Teraphonic Overdubs
ESL Music

British Sea Power
Do You Like Rock Music?
Rough Trade

John Power
Stormbreaker
Tanuki Tanuki

Ain - 'Close To Cotton'

I've been listening to this mini-album for most of the day. You can check it out here.

Ain on MySpace

Ain is playing some gigs with King Creosote across Ireland this month. You can check out the dates on his MySpace.

Upcoming @ Spy

Friday is the new black, clearly.

Friday Jan 25th
Richard Dorfmeister

Friday Feb 1st
Damien Lazarus

Friday Feb 15th
Justin Robertson

Friday Feb 22nd
DJ Chloe

Sunday May 4th (bank holiday)
MSTRKRFT
Gui Boratto (live)


And speaking of Fridays, Ewan Pearson plays Crawdaddy this Friday.


Party. On.

the new Backlash

New club night Mr. Jones launches this Thursday at the Pod.

"Our new night launches with a little bitta old. Funboi & Jev will be rippin up the main room with all things house, techno and electro, while in the lobby those nocturnal midweek partypoppers Chemistry have the decks all to themselves for the evening."

Saturday night lalalalalalalala

I am going here. Yaysies.

Club Motherfucker on MySpace

Need a drummer?

check this out

UnaRocks video of the day

bye bye Bill

Paris *hearts* The L Word

(and everything that goes with it, according to my LA source. Goss-a-rama etc.)

These people rock

that is all

Gay 101

Seriously!

Jens Lekman does a Take Away Show

"I opened the door to the camper van and there was Jens Lekman, a cocktail in one hand and a flower in the other, quizzically looking down at me. This was the first time I’d seen Jens in person. I had intruded on the band’s pre-show activities in order to confirm our shoot in Portland the following night. After saying sorry multiple times, I shut the door and walked away feeling somewhat embarrassed..." read more and see it here

AAA

A while back I posted a link to a shoot Lili and YoCo did for the Sunday Independent Life magazine. It's my favourite shoot of theirs ever, and now Lili has posted some behind the scenes shots that are really great, so check them out.

I can't WAIT to see this film

Billy The Kid

Roar if you're 20

Don't forget: THIS is on RTE Two at 10.50pm tonight. Hopefully I'll catch it after attending Tainer Bang's 'First Episode of Season Five Premiere' L Word Party, which is going down (so to speak) at 7.30pm tonight in the Apartment In The Sky.

Anyway, here's the (not gay) preview I wrote on the former for the Trib yesterday.

Is RTE ready to roar?
Monday, RTE Two, 10.50pm
Roaring Twenties
"You must forgive me for awaiting this new RTE series with a certain amount of trepidation. And by ‘certain amount’, I mean a consignment of trepidation the size of say, a small African country. Not that I won’t give it a chance, of course, but the fact does remain that the majority of home-grown programming (and indeed, the majority of all programming, and feck it, the majority of EVERYTHING) is rather rubbish.

RTE are especially good at commissioning that specific type of TV rubbish, the type of rubbish that aims to depict ‘real life’, be ‘cutting edge’, hell, ‘modern’ even. This usually happens when a drama or sitcom of sorts is based around ‘young people’. We haven’t seen a programme like this in a while, due to the catastrophe of nuclear proportions that was ‘The Big Bow Wow’, which remains the most cringe-inducing, horrendous and desperate drama series ever to be broadcast on terrestrial television. While that was so excruciatingly embarrassing and just downright awful it almost came full circle as satire (and, as a result, I kind of hated it, loved to hate it, and then just loved it), you can see why only now have the shockwaves halted enough for another twenty-something-life series be unleashed.

‘Roaring Twenties’ aims to be the antithesis of ‘The Big Bow Wow’. The visual landscape of modern Dublin that formed the backdrop of the latter has been dropped in favour of the charmingly scruffy townie suburb of Rathmines. Instead of accountants, noodle bar owners and business types, we have an artiste (note the ‘e’, har har) and his journalist girlfriend, Mary Fitzgerald (doesn’t she write for the Times?), a student (well, this is Rathmines) and a mysterious layabout. Plus, it’s a sitcom, so no overwrought drama then, although, it’s not as if RTE have the best record at commissioning sitcoms either (‘Leave It To Mrs O’Brien’, anyone?), but there is a sort of hope here, as instead of a scattered team of writers or people who have been around the block to the point of becoming stale, ‘Roaring Twenties’ is written and co-directed by a couple of recent graduates of Ballyfermot Film School - Steven Stubbs and Ray Sullivan."

(c. The Sunday Tribune)

AoifeMc on Saudi Arabia, censorship and bloggers

clicky

mind... wandering

I like nothing better than daydreaming when I'm listening to music and walking places. I walked a VERY long way from RTE back into my office today and my iPod died halfway, so there was plenty of time to daydream.

Top 5 Daydreams today:

1) Me and Tadhg get kidnapped by rebels in Borneo; break free by (non-fatally) machine-gunning down two of our captors; wander through the jungle for three days; eventually arrive at a village where I hotwire a motorbike; escape to freedom; I make witty remarks at the subsequent press conference; second appearance on Late Late Show beckons; book deal

2) Hijacking a performance on Charity You're A Star to stage improptu protest about gay marriage; Derek Mooney hugs me; tabloids go crazy

3) Interviewing Courtney Love; becoming best friends with Courtney Love; Courtney Love thanks me on her album sleeve

4) Embedded with troups in Afghanistan; Pulitzer

5) Finding amazing new gaff; having giant housewarming; buying David La Chapelle photos for new gaff

UnaRocks video of the day

Hot Chip - 'Ready For The Floor'

I HATE EVERYTHING

Sick of talking to Joe? Then vent your anger by voting in The Gooseberries, an award ceremony celebrating - or rather, damning - the worst elements of the Irish media and hosted by those meanies at The Elevator.


(via El Chancero)

Chicken Royale with Cheese

I KNEW this wouldn't taste as good as I hoped.

BAH!

Off to Sushi King I go...

Keep sending in your JacksGraff!

There is some new shit up on the JacksGraff blog.

Keep sending your JacksGraff to jacksgraff@hotmail.com

new YoureOnlyMassive video

filmed @ the Boom Boom Room by Bren Talbot



The Massive on MySpace

The Chancer returns

and says hello to twenty oh eight

Ze Weekend

Like most people, I had a pretty quiet weekend. I've never seen town as dead, although, the first weekend in January is hardly going to be party central. On Saturday, me, Anthony and YoCo called up to my sister's new apartment which is cool. After eating our weight in Avoca chocolate rice crispie square things, we went to buy food for dinner. We bought some nice spicey sausage things in Fallon and Byrne from the very unknowledgeable deli counter dude and made yum pasta.

Then me and YoCo got bored so we went to Doctor Quirky's and I tried to win YoCo a Winnie The Pooh teddy bear and failed. We realised it was like we were 15 and on a date so to top it off, we went to McDonald's on O'Connell Street and got cheeseburgers.

Last night, me, YoCo, Sarah Retro and Kate went to see 'I'm Not There' which is excellent, I'd really recommend it. I have to see it again though because you can get a bit confused sometimes. Cate Blanchett is AMAZING. Oscar-ed off her face, one would imagine.

Una
drinking: tea
eating: giant breakfast sandwich
reading: Daily Mail
watching: preview of L Word Season 5
listening to: Sons and Daughters - 'This Gift'

A message from The Kinetiks

"HAPPY NEW BLEEDIN YEAR!

so the next chapter in the kinetiks story is in the process of being written and by christ it's turning into a real page turner! (bent)

biggest news first really, were very pleased to announce that a handsome young devil from portmarnock by the name of Paul Donoghue will be the new sticksman in the kinetiks, he's a diamond dog and were all chuffed to have him on board.

next up, we are releasin "Bite The Bullet" on Friday the 29th of Febuary. it's gonna be a physical and download release this time so you'll be able to pop along down 2 your local record shop (hopefully) and pick up a copy (or 10), we'll keep yiz posted with the stores that will be stocking it.

Were gonna launch it with a whelans show on the same nite and an all ages gig the followin nite (saturday 1st) tickets for these shows will be available from ticketmaster and all other usual outlets.

support slots will be announced post haste.

were also in the process of organising getting a video done for it so again we'll keep yiz in the loop on that one aswell.

as always if theirs anyone out their in cyber world whose willin to give us a hand with any of the upcomin gigs etc in terms of promotion,gettin their roadie on or whatever then gis a holler on this yoke

theirs gonna be a flurry of gigs gettin throw up in the next few days mainly outside a dublin so check back and see what one suits ya yeh!

Bite The Bullet is gonna be goin up in the nxt few hrs so leave a comment tellin us what u reckon
as always it's being a pleasure,

gaz"

(photee by Minky Von Fabrege)

think I'll be checking this out over the weekend

Book-N-Supp - Monday, 14th January

Yo, due to various commitments, Book-N-Supp will not be going ahead this Monday, but Monday 14th instead. Sorry for any inconvenience!

Stay tuned to Book-N-Supp for updates.

Una

Have you got an idea for a t-shirt?

Then you should probably send it to Turtlehead, an Irish clothing company that makes Ts and hoodies.

They have a blog here

UnaRocks video of the day

Pre - 'Fuck Is Fun'


Check out their MySpace, pretty awesome band.

Batten down your snatches, sorry, hatches

Order your copy now!

but how will everybody keep warm?

*sigh*

January: social Siberia?

Kind of. But still, there is some stuff to do.

Thursday 10th
Gavin Glass @ Cobblestone (€10)
Sweet Jane @ Button Factory*
ANASYt (live) @ Wax (€8/€10)

Friday 11th
Estel, Large Mound, Party Weirdo, Hounds @ Lower Deck (€10)*

Sunday 13th
Korn @ Ambassador (€49)

Monday 14th
Korn @ Ambassador (€49)

Thursday 17th
More Tiny Giants @ Whelan's (€5)

Friday 18th
Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip @ Crawdaddy (€15)*
British Sea Power @ Whelan's (€17.50)

Saturday 19th
Dancepig @ Kennedys (€10)*
Gavin Glass and the Holy Shakers @ Whelans (€13.50)*

Tuesday 22nd
Steve Earle @ Vicar Street (€39.50)*

Wednesday 23rd
King Creosote @ Crawdaddy (€14)

Thursday 24th
Coheed and Cambria @ Ambassador (€28)*
Stars @ Tripod (€20)
Prison Love @ Whelans (€12)

Friday 25th
30 Seconds To Mars @ Ambassador (€30)
Richard Dorfmeister @ Spy (€20)*
Blood Red Shoes @ The Hub (€14)*
Pilotlight @ Whelans (€10)

Saturday 26th
Plain White Ts @ Ambassador
Gravenhurst @ Crawdaddy (€14)
Derrick May @ Tivoli (€20)*
Stephen Fretwell @ Sugar Club (€17.50)
Explosions In The Sky @ Tripod (€19.50)*

Sunday 27th
Kill City Defectors @ Whelans (€10)*

Thursday 31st
Dropkick Murphys @ Tripod (€25)
Future Kings of Spain @ Whelans

* = UnaRocks recommends

Anything else I'm missing?

Diet Of Worms have a new blog

The Call Of The Puffincat, obviously.

UnaRocks articles of the day

Obama wins Iowa - Arianna Huffington

2008's best abortion movies - Slate

Sperm donor wins child support case - CBS

Mike Skinner kills his record label - NME

Michelle Obama: First Lady In Waiting - Vanity Fair

Letterman, Conan grow strike beards - Chicago Sun Times

Winter cocktail menu (pdf) - New York Magazine

Atlanta Rap - Fader

2007 jazz: the year of the woman - Village Voice

Straight women, gay men are worst drivers - GCN

THE CLAW

Nialler has the best ever Celine Dion-related video in the universe

Ledgebags. Both of them.

Lucy has a new blog

it's here

This is Lucy dressed as 'Club Lemon', which comes from a bastardisation of a line in Kate Nash's 'Foundations'.

Bittah.

Dirty Dozen: Vol 79

1. Des Ark - 'If By "Gay" You Mean Totally Freaking Awesome, Then Yeah, I Guess It's Pretty Gay'

2. The Wombats - 'Kill The Director' (CSS remix)

3. The Whip - 'Divebomb' (Crystal Castles remix)

4. Foals - 'Baloons'

5. Blood Red Shoes - 'It's Getting Boring By The Sea'

half a dozen. The Ting Tings - 'That's Not My Name'

7. Cap Pas Cap - 'See And A'

8. M.I.A. - 'Paper Planes'

9. Les Savy Fav - 'The Equestrian'

10. Simian Mobile Disco - '3 Pin Din'

11. Girl Talk - 'Bounce That'

dozen. Modeselektor - 'Black Block'

Vote Barry!

for Mr Gay International

Hawt pic by The Lili

J'Ouvert

this is what I'll be up to in a few weeks. Can't wait.

RTE: "NOT GAY"

The words 'NOT GAY' flash up on the ad for the New RTE sitcom 'Roaring Twenties'. PHEW! Thank God, otherwise members of the watching public might catch the gay or something.

WTF?

IT'S BACK!

praise the lord!

The Whip

I like this band



Divebomb


Sister Siam

cutest photee ever

Beyonce and Kanye play Connect 4

Seomra Spraoi benefit @ Ballroom #72 (Lower Deck)

The Lower Deck, Portobello
Friday 11th January
€10, doors 9pm

Featuring:

Estel
Large Mound
Party Weirdo
Hounds

Some info on Seomra Spraoi:
"The Seomra Spraoi collective was started three years ago with the explicit intention of setting up an autonomous social centre. It was agreed from the start that we would be strictly non-commercial/non-profit and would organise non-hierarchically. Everyone involved in the collective and in running the social centre has an equal say. Those who work and organise in the space make a voluntary contribution of time and energy. Rent and other running costs are funded entirely from voluntary contributions made by individuals and groups who use the space or support the project.

The project was a reaction to a city more and more dominated by commerce, capitalism and cars; a city with less and less community space, fewer places for young people to go, fewer non-commercial spaces; a city with a growing number of expensive cafes and bars and vast shopping centres in which the favoured activity is spending money. Ultimately, we hope to rebuild some of the things that have been lost to us in the
age of neoliberalism: a sense of community, an atmosphere of tolerance and respect, a positive environment.

Since our humble beginnings, hosting activities at the St. Nicolas of Myra community hall on Francis St, we have occupied three different spaces of our own, each bigger than the previous one. Our move to 4 Mary's Abbey in July 2007 saw a huge surge in activity and an expansion of the collective. The two-storey rented space boasted eight rooms, which were used for meetings, workshops, gigs, benefit evenings and meals, a library, internet access, craft activities, bicycle workshops, self-defence training, table tennis and pool: the list goes on.

On December 1st the Gardai & Fire Brigade shut down the building at 4 Mary's Abbey on fire safety grounds. We are currently viewing alternative buildings and hope to reopen as soon as possible. For more information on Seomra Spraoi, please check out our blog."

UnaRocks video of the day

Can't WAIT to see this

Finding photos on people's Bebo pages from parties you don't remember being at, Volume 1

Hmm.

I don't *heart* Huckabee

dick

2007: In Music

Here's the round-up piece I wrote for the Tribune on Sunday. Of course, if you read this blog, you know all of this shizz already, but some people still read newspapers wot they sell in shops wot iz on reel paperz. WTF? etc.


“Hi, I’m Beth.” Beth Ditto from The Gossip introducing herself to me backstage at the Oxegen festival in Punchestown was one of my musical highlights this passed twelve months, in a year when Ireland went nuts for live music, and even superstars like Ditto were easily accessible. More gigs and festivals were staged than ever before in the country. Basically every band and artist of note played in Ireland, and many on multiple occasions (CSS surely live here now, right?). It was a year where I tried to get to every gig possible, which meant trading time abroad for festivals at home, and going out around 80% of the nights this year in an attempt to reap the benefits of a country which, in my opinion, is almost unrivalled in its options for live music. London and New York are still better, but for such a small nation, our economy has allowed promoters to create a great live scene when it comes to international visiting artists.

There were dozens of stand out gigs and moments for me. Watching Klaxons in the Ambassador with a bemused French techno DJ – The Hacker (“where iz ze ‘rave’ in zis ‘new-rave’?”); spending five very fun and very tiring days with Delorentos as they criss-crossed the country gigging and promoting their excellent debut record ‘In Love With Detail’; standing beside Jarvis Cocker at the side of the stage where Beastie Boys were rocking Electric Picnic; The Gossip at Oxegen while the rain belted down and the punters belted out ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’; watching a riot unfold in Eamonn Dorans as Kill City Defectors took to the stage; trying to dissuade MayKay from Fight Like Apes from setting the bass player Tom’s shoe on fire during a (very) late night drinking session in Dingle after the filming of ‘Other Voices’; witnessing Scream Club get naked for their encore at one of the most under-rated venues around, The Boom Boom Room above Conway’s on Parnell Street in Dublin; trying to coax Kele from Bloc Party out of his dressing room for an interview (he refused because of the rain); sun bathing in a beer garden with various band members at Cois Fharraige; witnessing a half naked acid-crazed lunatic break into the very sedate boutique camping village at Electric Picnic, with hilarious consequences; enjoying the collective spirituality that Arcade Fire emits at their gigs (twice); and the same for the Pet Shop Boys (twice). One of the most memorable excursions was the ‘3-gigs-in-one-day’ challenge, where myself and music photographer Lili Forberg managed to see four bands and Delorentos at an all-ages gig in Radio City in Dublin, before getting the DART to Malahide Castle to watch Pink perform and then hot foot it to Whelan’s on Wexford Street to see one of the best gigs this year, Ham Sandwich’s headliner. God bless Red Bull.

The local underground indie scene was healthier than ever too. Club nights and collectives that made an impact on 2007 include dubstep ensemble Kaboogie that saw some of the wildest gigs (Drop The Lime and MRK1 were highlights for me) in Dublin held in the unlikely coolest venue in town, the basement of Kennedy’s pub near Trinity College. Also in Kennedy’s, Maximum Joy has added some welcome diversity to the indie scene. Chip tuners Crystal Castles packed the joint the night of the Trinity Ball, with neon clad kids making a bit of a contrast to the surrounding drunken students in tuxes. Local heroes Super Extra Bonus Party consistently rocked the place too. We’re witnessing an amazing fragmentation of genres at a local level. Anything goes, be it the dancey speed metal of Adebisi Shank, the electro-emo of Betamax Format, minimal hip hop of You’re Only Massive, or the genius of guitarless punk that is Fight Like Apes (widely regarded as the most exciting Irish band this century), the scene – against all odds – couldn’t be healthier. And there was a reminder on Hallowe’en of probably the greatest champion of Irish contemporary music, when Phantom 105.2fm threw open the doors of Whelan’s and celebrated it’s first legit year on air.

There were some changes; the Temple Bar Music Centre perhaps unwisely got a facelift and became the Button Factory. Previously home to some of the best techno nights hosted by the Remedy crew (highlights this year included an amazing DJ Koze gig, which ended up with this journalist beating him at a late night session of Sing Star on the Playstation) the Button Factory is now too posh for such events, and the atmosphere there will be sorely missed. But on the plus side, the revamp at the Music Centre has seen an increase in gigs at the Tivoli on Francis Street, with Modeselektor staging one of the gigs of the year there last month. Whelan’s got a revamp too, but wisely, they kept it simple, making it in one word ‘bigger’ – which is just as well because gigs like the sweaty brilliance of Young Blood Brass Band need the space.

In 2008, things will probably get crazier. Oxegen has increased to a three-day festival, and there’s another ‘boutique’ festival on the way to rival Electric Picnic. The success of Hard Working Class Heroes has ensured that local bands can now pack venues with as much enthusiasm as visiting acts, and that trend will continue as confidence in Irish indie grows. Spy on South William Street in Dublin will host some of the most exciting gigs of the year. The Choice Music Prize will be in its third year, awarding accolades to home-grown albums that are increasing in quality. And the Sunday Tribune will continue to bring you the best of all of this and more. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s gotta do it.


Una’s albums of the year
10 Britney Spears – ‘Black Out’
9 Justin Timberlake – ‘FutureSex/LoveSounds’
8 Arcade Fire – ‘Neon Bible’
7 Arctic Monkeys – ‘Favourite Worst Nightmare’
6 Holy Fuck – ‘Holy Fuck’
5 Modeselektor – ‘Happy Birthday’
4 Kings of Leon – ‘Because of the Times’
3 PJ Harvey – ‘White Chalk’
2 Burial – ‘Untrue’
1 M.I.A. – ‘Kala’


Una’s best of 2008
Gig of the year – Arcade Fire, the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, 6th March
Song of the year – ‘Umbrella’ by Rihanna (for the endless cover versions alone.)
Band of the year – Fight Like Apes. Superstars in the making.
Villain of the year – The Man. Seriously, how much more do we have to pay for concert tickets?
Hero of the year – The organisers of the Hard Working Class Heroes Festival.
Comeback of the year – Britney Spears. Everyone thought she was ready for some kind of institution, instead, she dropped her best ever album.
Hope for 2008 – Super Extra Bonus Party. As eclectic and fun as you’re likely to find, and brilliant tunes too.
ENDS

Neilsies one is here

Happy New Beer

Well, Happy New Year everyone. I rang in Twenty Oh Eight with Anthony, YoCo, Ragin Spice and Joycies as we all danced manically to Fight Like Apes at Phantasm at the Village. It was a great gig really, loads of fun. After that, we hung out upstairs a bit, but were getting quite boistorous, so decided it would be best to leave for somewhere we couldn't get thrown out of, so off we headed to Hillcrest for a partay.

Me and Joycies got home at about half ten in the morning yesterday, and I was suitably knackered. We spent most of the day watching films - Rize, Human Traffic and Battle Royale. Ragin called over, there was a trip to Chicken Hut, and we all talked about how are brains were having a New Year's Day meltdown, because none of us were able to make any sense.

Today, it's back in work time. Is this meant to be the most depressing day of the year? I think it is. To cheer you all up, you can listen to Phantom at 4.15pm today, and that should do the trick.

Ragin has loads of photees from the gig, which I shall steal from her soon.

Una
eating: mountaineer bagel from itsa
drinking: water
watching: Single Handed
listening to: Lightspeed Champion - 'Falling Off The Lavender Bridge'
reading: 'The Gum Thief' - Douglas Coupland

... and why would you want to break IN?

ya wha?

cunt, vagina, fag, bastard, shit, fuck, feck, eamon ryan, motherfucker, tits, spa, langer

bravo to Mulley, the bollix