Cork Gig Guide: 26th April-2nd May 2016

Grant Lee Phillips – Cyprus Avenue (Monday)

This week in Cork: Ryley Walker, John Blek & The Rats, Jeffrey Lewis, Grant Lee Phillips, Teddy Thompson, Le Galaxie and more…

What better way to prepare for a bank holiday weekend than with an action-packed mid-week jamboree of live music. Get those energy bars ready folks because here’s the rundown for the live music week in Cork commencing 26th April. Ryley Walker left a humid Triskel Project Space breathless when he last played Cork. The Chicago-based guitarist is back for two intimate dates in Gulpd Café this week which should be even sweatier. John Martyn fans – nor any guitarist – do not miss. That’s Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday night also sees Cork’s own John Blek & The Rats play their last full band show for a while with Coughlan’s, the band’s spiritual home, the destination. Expect a good mix of americana and country rock plucked from their two albums Leave Your Love At The Door and Borders. We’re not even at the weekend yet!

For those looking to get out of the city for the long weekend, look no further than Ballydehob and its Bank Holiday jazz festival extravaganza. International acts such as Lake Street Dive and Meschiya Lake descend upon the West Cork village as well as a whole host of other talent. See www.ballydehobjazzfestival.org for the full line-up. Saturday sees Cyprus Avenue, currently on a roll of top notch shows, welcome Teddy Thompson and Kelly Jones sharing songs from new record Little Windows whilst Irish/Nordic folk collective Slow Moving Clouds launch new album Os with an early show in Gulpd Café that same evening.

Sunday continues the justification for touring the countryside with Connolly’s of Leap inviting and enticing all and sundry down their way to rejoice in Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts, playing their only Cork show of this visit and then we are on to Monday. Meant to be the day when you kick back and recover from the weekend’s madness, instead it’s the day you wreck your head over whether to rock out to the infinite Shonen Knife in The Crane Lane or catch wandering wordsmith Grant Lee Phillips just around the corner in Cyprus Avenue.

WIN TICKETS:

Gig promoters Ambiguous Fiddle have made a pair of tickets available to Ciúnas featuring Pine the Pilcrow, I Have A Tribe and Sam Clague in Connolly’s of Leap on Friday night. Email your name/number with a subject of Shhhhhh to comps@thegmanworld.com to enter.


Also going down around town this week:

• Aine Duffy & The Hypnotysts in The Crane Lane (Tuesday)
• Wild Rocket in Cork Community Print Shop (Friday)
• Le Galaxie in Connolly’s (Saturday)

For a day-by-day breakdown of gigs taking place in both Cork city and county over the next three weeks see below.

Tuesday, 26th April
– Jazz Improv (9pm), Aine Duffy & The Hypnotysts (11.30pm) in The Crane Lane Theatre

Wednesday, 27th April 
– Protobaby (11.30pm) in The Crane Lane Theatre
– Plugd presents Ryley Walker, Caoilian Sherlock and Rory O’Brien in Gulpd Café (Triskel Arts Centre)
– Blue Note Jazz in The Roundy
– Sitting Room Session in De Barra’s (Clonakilty)

Thursday, 28th April 
– John Blek & The Rats in Coughlan’s
– Plugd presents Ryley Walker in Gulpd Café (Triskel Arts Centre)

Friday, 29th April 
– Wild Rocket in Cork Community Print Shop
– Pleasurekraft in Cyprus Avenue
– Cork Improvised Music Club: Stephen Parker, Niall McGuinness and Dan Walsh in Gulpd Café
– Ballydehob Jazz Festival: in various venues (Ballydehob)
– Mick Flannery in De Barra’s (Clonakilty)
– Ciúnas: Pine the Pilcrow, I Have A Tribe and Sam Clague in Connolly’s (Leap)

Saturday, 30th April
– Cutting Heads Collective takeover in Cork Community Print Shop
– Teddy Thompson w/ Kelly Jones in Cyprus Avenue
– Slow Moving Clouds in Gulpd Café
– Declan O’Rourke in The White Horse (Ballincollig)
– Ballydehob Jazz Festival: Lake Street Dive in various venues (Ballydehob)
– Le Galaxie in Connolly’s (Leap)

Sunday, 1st May
– The Bonnevilles (9pm) in The Crane Lane Theatre
– August Walk and Goldfish Syndrome in Cyprus Avenue
– Ballydehob Jazz Festival: Meschiya Lake & The Little Big Horns in various venues (Ballydehob)
– Jeffrey Lewis & Los Bolts in Connolly’s (Leap)
– The Interpreters in Pine Lodge (Myrtleville)

Monday, 2nd May
– Shonen Knife (8.30pm), Paradox (11.30pm) in The Crane Lane Theatre
– Grant Lee Phillips in Cyprus Avenue
– Ballydehob Jazz Festival: in various venues (Ballydehob)