Weekly Cork Gig Guide: 15th-22nd April 2014

San Fermin (The Pavilion)

We Play Here #2

This week in Cork: Record Store Day, We Play Here #2, San Fermin, Former Monarchs and more..

Brooklyn composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone’s bullish baroque pop collective San Fermin open proceedings tonight on a busy gigging week that culminates with the celebration of the seventh annual Record Store Day on Saturday. With a début record featuring Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of retro popsters Lucius and Milwaukee singer Rae Cassidy on vocals, the eight-piece live experience engulfs The Pavilion on Carey’s Lane on Tuesday. The ever excellent Great Balloon Race support.

Cork’s newest fanzine We Play Here launches edition two of its excellent publication with a double dose of independent Irish music in Triskel TDC on both Saturday and Sunday evening. Thank you lord for bank holiday weekends as there will be more than a few sore heads come Monday morning with music provided by the likes of Carried By Waves, Paddy Hanna and Croupier. Take a look at the beautifully designed gig poster above for the full low-down.

The same evening will also see the triumphant return of Cork quartet Former Monarchs who officially launch excellent début full-length The Cost of Living in Cyprus Avenue. For a track-by-track walkthrough of the record by the band themselves see here.

For those who like their classic rock with a shoegazey twist then Thursday night in The Pavilion Bar is for you as Elastic Sleep don the dark robes of Ozzy with a special Black Sabbath show planned for (un)Holy Thursday. Full details here. As always all is quiet on “Good” Friday before the Record Store Day celebrations break into full swing with numerous activities taking place around town on Saturday including a special Elastic Sleep listening party in Plugd Records providing an opportunity to hear ES’s début EP in its entirety before its release at the end of the month, an MDR-hosted evening featuring Band of Clouds and Meltybrains? one year on from the Cork-based micro-label’s inception on the same day last year, and a day of DJs in Cork Community Print Shop as Art For Blind Records celebrate their first RSD in their new Lower Oliver Plunkett Street premises.

Also going down around town this week:

• Kent coast folkies Cocos Lovers in The Crane Lane Theatre (Wednesday)
• The next sitting of Cork Improvised Music Club featuring Ellen King (Ellll), Muireann Levis and Dan Walsh (both Elastic Sleep) in Gulpd Café (Sunday)

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

Tuesday, 15th April
– Jazz Improv (9pm) in The Crane Lane Theatre
– San Fermin and The Great Balloon Race in The Pavilion

Wednesday, 16th April
– Fireside Sessions: Niall Thomas in Bradley’s of Barrack Street
– Cocos Lovers in The Crane Lane Theatre
– The Cosy Club in Sin É

Thursday, 17th April
– The Toasters (9pm) in The Crane Lane Theatre
– Unholy Thursday: Elastic Sleep do Sabbath in The Pavilion Bar
– Stew Dixon, Lennoko, Audible Joes and The Japans and in The Roundy
– John Blek & The Rats in De Barra’s (Clonakilty)

Friday, 18th April
Good Friday. No beer = no cheer apparently.

Saturday, 19th April
– Record Store Day
– Crowhammer in Bradley’s of Barrack Street
– RSD DJs (11am-6pm) in Cork Community Print Shop
– King Kong Company in The Crane Lane Theatre (9pm)
– Former Monarchs in Cyprus Avenue
– We Play Here Weekender: Twin Lights, Nativizm and Keep On Jumpin’ in Gulpd Café (7.30pm)
– Meltybrains? and Band of Clouds in The Pavilion
– Elastic Sleep’s ‘Leave You’ Listening Party in Plugd Records (6.30pm)
– Freddie White in Triskel Christchurch (8pm)
– We Play Here Weekender: The Shaker Hymn, Paddy Hanna and The Great Balloon Race in Triskel TDC (9pm)

Sunday, 20th April
– Tumbleweed Sessions (6.30pm) in L’Attitude 51
– Sounds of System Breakdown in The Crane Lane Theatre
– Cork Improvised Music Club: Ellen King (Ellll), Muireann Levis and Dan Walsh (both Elastic Sleep) in Gulpd Café
– Sunday Session (6pm) in The Roundy
– We Play Here Weekender: Croupier, Carried By Waves and The Careers in Triskel TDC (9pm)

Monday, 21st April
– Moo in The Crane Lane Theatre

Tuesday, 22nd April
– Ensemble Ériu in Coughlan’s
– Darren Eedens & Gypsy Rebel Rabble in The Crane Lane Theatre

Upcoming G-Man Presents shows:

7th June – Angel Olsen in Triskel Christchurch Buy tickets here

– For more gigs and dates see the overall gig guide here