James Hendicott

1 week ago | dublingazette.com | James Hendicott

Venus Grrrls frontwoman Grace Kelly is English, but draws her musical heritage firmly from our shores, having learnt to perform on a ‘stage’ that was her cousin’s Irish living room; her own taste reflecting their love of music. Now, as the vocalist in a band that has warped from a riot girl type punk act to a more inventive, grunge-goth outfit, Kelly returns to Ireland to headline a venue close to her heart. The show comes after the band have overcome some significant hurdles.

2 weeks ago | dublingazette.com | James Hendicott

On the go, on and off, since 1977, the original aim of The Psychedelic Furs was, in the words of frontman Tim Butler, “to have some fun, get drunk and meet some chicks.” Instead, things took off fast enough to see the band still touring internationally nearly 50 years later, with the London post-punk act inspiring the movie ‘Pretty in Pink’ with a track of the same name, and scoring a series of cult rock hits.

3 weeks ago | dublingazette.com | James Hendicott

“we were hated by the music press, but it felt like we were part of something”Cult Irish rockers Paranoid Visions, now tagged “Éire’s longest surviving punk band,” lived through the times when punk belonged truly and totally to the outcast. Booking a series of venues under fake names to get their boisterous shows accepted, they played a key role in curating a punk scene in Dublin that was, at the time, fiercely controversial.

1 month ago | dublingazette.com | James Hendicott

Danny Groenland is a rare thing: a successful Dublin soul artist. Sat in a scene largely of his own creation, Groenland is increasingly inventive in his take on music, and has turned, most recently, to exploring global issues in his lyrics. He does so, cleverly, in tracks that nonetheless feel upbeat, their messages buried in lyrics that take a minute to truly grasp. He is, you might say, something of an enigma.

1 month ago | goldenplec.com | James Hendicott

The Great Escape, a boisterous Brighton music festival for rising bands, renowned as a place to uncover rising acts before they hit the ‘big time’, it’s a music industry institution, a kind of British version of SxSW, or Eurosonic. Road to the Great Escape, a 12-artist mini festival in Dublin that also appears in Glasgow, is essentially a mini preview. It’s fair to say the whole thing is really quite low key, especially given being picked for such a show is a fair indicator of potential.