5 Online Gigs to Tune into this Weekend

Ireland’s lockdown is continuing until at least early May, and people across the country have begun to settle into the routine of working from home, including musicians and songwriters. Recently, many artists have begun to livestream music from social media channels such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitch. Here are my recommendations for five live online gigs to “attend” this weekend.

D. Cullen Instagram Live today 7pm

Co. Wicklow-based songsmith D. Cullen is doing a gig on Instagram Live today at 7pm. He has taken requests and will be playing covers and originals from throughout his career so far. You can find him on Instagram as @dcullenmusic.

Improvised Music Company ‘Piece by Piece’ #3 with Seán Mac Erlaine YouTube today 8pm

Improvised Music Company (IMC), a not-for-profit supporting jazz music in Ireland, are hosting weekly live improvisation sessions by solo performers. This week, saxophonist and producer Seán Mac Erlaine will be adding his expertise to the pieces composed in previous weeks of the series.

Pieta House Livestream gig in aid of their ‘Sunrise’ appeal Facebook Saturday 5-10pm

Pieta House are launching their ‘Sunrise’ appeal to compensate for the loss of the Darkness into Light campaign due to restrictions to suppress Covid-19. This online gig, which will take place on Facebook from 5-10pm this Saturday, will feature many artists, such as Aslan’s Christy Dignam, Paddy Casey, and Steve and Joe Wall of The Stunning.

Kelly Anne Byrne DJ set Twitch every Saturday 6-8pm

Not exactly a gig, but DJ Kelly Anne Byrne is broadcasting live from her Twitch channel every Saturday from 6-8pm. If you missed it, on her Twitch you can also check out her broadcast of Prince songs to commemorate his passing four years ago.

Pathway to Paris Earth Day 50: A Virtual Festival for Our Planet Instagram Live Sunday 9pm

Pathway to Paris, an organisation which aims to bring artists and activists together to promote the importance of climate action, is hosting a festival this Saturday at 9pm Irish time (4pm EST) on Instagram Live. The festival celebrates Earth Day, which took place earlier this week, and will include performances by Flea, Cat Power, Patti Smith, and many others.

Photo by Kyrylo Kholopkin on Unsplash

Vernon Jane’s The Ritual of Love Making Gig at the Academy, 06-03-2020

Punk and jazz-inspired nonet Vernon Jane played the Academy in Dublin last night, with opening act Bicurious. The gig was held in support of their upcoming release The Ritual of Love Making, a concept album exploring the aftermath of relationship breakdown. Vernon Jane’s fiery attitude and daring, dynamic sound make them a credit to the Irish music scene, and this gig cemented them as an act who will have an undeniable impact on Irish music in years to promptly come.

Bicurious set the tone for the night tremendously well featuring a screaming guitar with the sophistication of Prenderecki, drums that punch you right in the chest, and a seemingly infinite stash of energy. Their sound was overwhelmingly strong for a two-piece, filling the venue with seemingly little effort. For a band with little vocals they manage to make quite a strong political statement; a sample of Donald Trump speaking rang out in overt satire.

Vernon Jane commanded the stage to play The Ritual of Love Making from start to finish. The album traces the lingering fallout after a toxic relationship, its songs faithfully narrating the emotional upheaval that comes with such experiences. ‘Daddy Issues’ and ‘Drugs You Do’ hit exceptionally hard, with harrowing narratives enough to arouse bitter anger in the listener.

Yet, The Ritual of Love Making is more than a simple concept album of breakup songs à la Theo Katzman’s Heartbreak Hits. Instead, it seizes you and hauls you through the turbulence of hardships which often accompany a damaged relationship. It tears your emotional wellbeing limb from psychological limb and pieces you back together, leaving you feeling purged, restored, and somewhat dishevelled. The album stitches together acute vignettes of love, hurt, betrayal, intense pain, and raw hatred, but implies the strength, inner peace, and confidence that are rewarded when you finally come out the other side of a particularly traumatic relationship.

Emily’s unequivocal spirit on stage is unparalleled, as is the virtuosity of her vocal performance. Vernon Jane’s stagecraft is refined and purposeful whilst also being visceral and impulsive. Everything on the night, from each member’s mastery of his or her instrument to every precise, choreographed movement, generated a pervasive sense of professionalism surrounding them. This is just the beginning of their musical journey, which will no doubt be enduring and impactful.

The Ritual of Love Making will be released on 3rd April 2020 on AMS Records.

Laura Ryder Ampersand Releases Powerful New Single, ‘Storm in a Cup’

The amiable Laura Ryder released her new single, ‘Storm in a Cup,’ last Friday alongside her band, Laura Ryder Ampersand. The song is a whirlwind of alternative pop with a blues sentimentality and symphonious edge, heard in the flurry of orchestral instruments, airy backing vocals, and washes of percussion dispersed throughout the song. In its mix of genres, this single has clear links to Ryder’s last release, Vestigial; however, ‘Storm in a Cup’ produces a different atmosphere to her previous album.

‘Storm in a Cup’ establishes a serious, mature side of Ryder’s narrative and compositional voice, whilst conjuring the same strength of evocative imagery as that of Vestigial. Lines such as “I am a fiery sun... but I'm too close for anything to grow” and “I am Penicillium mould, I reside where I'm not meant to be” are thought-provoking and visceral. The song narrates the inner turmoil of a conflicted person who is caught between being true to themselves and making someone else happy, and who perhaps feels they are losing some of their authentic self by giving so much away. In the chorus, the character aptly investigates the question “who am I?” which relates very much to the overall theme of the single.

It begins as a quiet reflection, with airy, light vocals of an inquisitive nature where Laura certainly wears her influences on her sleeve. Her love of Regina Spektor is immediately recognisable in the arpeggiated piano accompanying her distinct vocals. The atmosphere and arrangement slowly build to a climactic eruption of sound, featuring numerous voices and instruments. The string section is particularly strong, echoing the thunderous metaphor of a storm on which the song is centred. The surging, flooded arrangement cleverly evokes the imagery of the lyrics and even with this multitude of intertwined melodies, no part ever oversteps another or causes the song to feel too crowded.

Ryder has undoubtedly matured in the time since the release of Vestigial, and ‘Storm in a Cup’ is her strongest composition thus far, marrying bright, ethereal vocals with the sincerity of her message. ‘Storm in a Cup’ can be streamed on Spotify here, and Laura Ryder Ampersand will release a video to go with the single next week.