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 factory, perhaps a fizzy drink bottling plant or something similar. The most engaging ones offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse into...

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 and Bob Dylan to The Rolling Stones. I mostly preferred the Beatles. They were, and still are, my favourite band of all time. They’r...

I’m enjoying the reaction to the (finally confirmed) news that Guns N Roses are to headline the Coachella Festival. The rumours had been going around for months, although purists are cribbing about the apparent exclusion of three of the five essential founding members:...

It’s time to talk Christmas songs. There is no escaping them now, but even the most bah-humbug among you will have at least one festive favourite, right? It may sometimes seem like it is in danger of being overplayed (and my view is it should never be aired before Dece...

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 couple of years I’ve really enjoyed the Picnic experience, and Longitude equally so. Dare I say it, and risk sounding like an old hipp...

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 rediscovered or even a spot of unashamed karaoke. I spoke to Val this week and she said the music highlight of the weekend was definitel...

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 my fondness for making playlists, suggested I make a ‘best of Now’ playlist: all the greatest tracks from volume 1 (1983) to volume 9...

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 gig did not disappoint. Granted, some of the songs were a bit rough around the edges, especially from their second album The Physical...

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 feelings clear about how much I love that record. I’m not neurotic about protecting vinyl but this is a real beauty. It’s a gatefold LP wi...

I love reading about studies into people’s relationship with music. There was a fascinating story this week about how quickly we are able to recognise songs. The website  www.music-news.com reports that the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester ‘created a websit...

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 because I’m not a fan of Bruce Springsteen. In fact, of all the singers or bands whose popularity puzzles me, Springsteen is at the...