That time I visited Europe's largest record factory
Those of a certain age will remember the ‘magic door’ segment on the 1980s RTE kids show Bosco. The feature mostly contained scenes of a...
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Writer / Columnist
George Martin: 'He is to music what David Attenborough is to natural history filmmaking'
When I was a child I listened to the Beatles a lot. My parents had an extensive LP collection with everything from The Dubliners to Abba...
This is why people give a shit about the Guns N Roses 'reunion'
I’m enjoying the reaction to the (finally confirmed) news that Guns N Roses are to headline the Coachella Festival. The rumours had been...
Are Irish festival-goers more uncivilized than our English counterparts?
We are reaching the end of festival season with Electric Picnic being, for many people, the biggest and last bash of 2015. In the past...
How I Almost Started a Rock and Roll Revolution
On Monday I ask people their music highlights of the weekend. It could be a brilliant concert or a music documentary or an old album...
NOW this is what I call a playlist!
On Wednesday I wrote a piece about Now That's What I Call Music Vol. 90 which gets released today. A listener got in touch and, knowing...
Why the moshpit is no place for the bespectacled
I went to Death From Above 1979 at the Academy on Friday night. The band kicked off their European tour with this Dublin date, and the...
"When I look back I think what a pair of jackasses we were"
My colleague Claire Beck very thoughtfully got me Lost In The Dream on vinyl for my birthday a couple of months back. I’ve made my...
THE OTHER SIDE OF LEAVING SCHOOL
I can’t remember the Leaving Cert. Well, maybe that’s not entirely accurate. I certainly remember the struggle I had, during those months...
Severe trauma caused by an earworm. Has this happened to you?
I love reading about studies into people’s relationship with music. There was a fascinating story this week about how quickly we are able...
Happy Birthday Bruce! Here's why I won't be sending you a card:
My friend John emailed me this morning. ‘Don’t forget, today is Bruce’s 65th birthday so go big on The Boss,’ he said. He’s winding me up...
WOULD THE SHUSH BRIGADE EVER SHUT UP?
After many years away from the limelight and public performances, singer-songwriter Damien Rice recently played a gig at Dublin venue...
I’M IN THE MARKET FOR A TUXEDOUGH
The new buzz in the world of gadgets is ‘wearable technology’. You might be familiar with Google Glass: a set of spectacles with lenses...
HANDSHAKES YOU SHOULD AVOID
‘And this is Rory our drummer,’ said the lead singer. I was interviewing a band for a radio show. ‘Nice to meet you,’ Rory said, as he...
DONT EAT LOTS HERE
Texts are great aren’t they? No, not any more according to the latest usage trends. The simple text message, like Facebook, is now...
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