'An infrequent conversation between fans of music, some of it long-lost’
On April 10, 1999, I was in the producer’s chair in Studio 4 in RTÉ while we aired a special episode of a live Saturday night chat show called Kenny Live, hosted by Pat Kenny. The show was paying its respects to the late actor and comedian, Dermot Morgan, who died unexpectedly the previous year... Continue Reading →
In a triumphant return to Dublin’s 3Arena, Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker took fans on a nostalgic journey through the band’s early Irish gigs—culminating in a sharp, hilarious callback to their very first Dublin show in 1993 at The Rock Garden. This piece dives into that chaotic, shoestring early gig, the roots of the city’s live music scene in the '80s and '90s, and the long, winding road Pulp took to stardom. From basement venues to festival stages, dodgy hotels to stolen gear, this is a story of perseverance, wit, and a band that finally claimed its moment—thirty years in the making
In this evocative and sharply tailored piece, David Heffernan takes us back to the dancefloors of 1970s Ireland — a world of mohair suits, platform shoes, and Dubonnet-fuelled dreams. From the revolutionary roots of disco in marginalised communities in New York to its shimmering takeover of Dublin’s club scene, Heffernan traces the music's global rise and local resonance. Part memoir, part cultural history, YES, DISCO unearths the glamour and grit of venues like Lord John and Sloopy’s, the fading charm of O’Connell Street, and the new urban identities being forged beneath spinning mirror balls. With nods to everyone from Donna Summer to U2, and stories of love, change, and weekend DJ sets in basement clubs, this is a vibrant portrait of a pivotal moment in Irish nightlife. For anyone who ever danced, or wanted to, this is a joyful, personal, and richly textured celebration of disco's pulse — and its enduring invitation to simply let go.
There’s much to admire and plenty to recommend about Sophie Oliver’s documentary series ‘No Matter What’ which, over three episodes, looks at a careful selection of the colourful life and times of an Irish pop group, Boyzone. Currently available on Sky Documentaries and via Now TV, the strand is in keeping with other recent output from its producers, Curious Films. Like both ‘Wagspiracy: Vardy vs Rooney’ and ‘Caroline Flack: Her Life and Death’, ‘No Matter What’ deals with the vagaries of fame in a tabloid world. It’s a stylishly made, smartly edited populist yarn with a series of bitchy sub-plots and its all the better for that.
The actor, Kevin Kennedy, takes the lead role in ‘Cinderella’, this year’s pantomime at The Empire Theatre in Consett, a small town in the Northeast of England. Best known for playing Curly Watts, the politically savvy binman on the long-running British soap series, Coronation Street, Kennedy also flirted with the underground music scene in Manchester... Continue Reading →
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