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Irish Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Live Aid at 40: Bob Geldof emerges from this less sanitised version of events seeming somehow more admirable
For the past four weeks the Irish-language music series An Ghig Mhór (RTÉ One, Monday) has chronicled the fortunes of various up-and-coming musical acts as they put on a big gig in their hometown with help from veteran artists such as the folk singer John Spillane and Rónán Ó Snodaigh of Kíla. This week's subjects are the Connemara band Na hEasógaí, who fuse sean-nós with contemporary rock, and say they take their name from the seanfhocal 'chomh craiceáilte le mála easóg', or 'mad as a bag of weasels', on the grounds that they, themselves, are 'a bit mad'. If one were moved to pick holes in this self-diagnosis, the show provides many opportunities. As we watch them discuss their craft, scope out venues and attempt to negotiate a generator for a knockdown rate, Na hEasógaí appear to be almost parodically well-adjusted young men. Quiet, diligent and suffused with altar-boy politeness, they're a charming trio, filled with wide-eyed delight at the prospect of staging their first big gig, whether that be in a gym with coin-slot power supply or in a distinctly malodorous fish factory. READ MORE To aid them in this endeavour they are joined by Tebi Rex, a Maynooth rap duo who quickly find themselves beguiled by the band's earnestness and dedication, even if the two groups' musical leanings appear to share little common ground. What follows is an amiable journey towards what might be termed nanostardom, in which the band scout stages and transport for the gig, and attempt to drum up publicity by handing out flyers dressed (somewhat) like weasels. An Gig Mhór: Na hEasógaí. Photograph: RTÉ It is, in short, a microcosm of the scrabble and indignity involved in promoting your art as a young person, but also of the irreducible thrill of so doing. It's not exactly punk film-making, and anyone looking for a whiskey-soaked, blood-splattered paean to hardcore DIY music would do better returning to their battered copies of Legs McNeil's Please Kill Me or Simon Reynolds's Rip It Up and Start Again. This is resolutely gentle telly, filmed with all the anarchic energy of a weather forecast, but its style and tone work well for what is, essentially, a disarmingly astute chronicle of the admin and obstacles for any kid out there with three chords in their head and a couple of pals to play them with. In the 20 years since I last found myself palling around with teenage friends, trying to put on gigs featuring our (much worse) music, it's alarming to see how much, and how little, has really changed. The tyranny of Spotify followers and the spectre of venue closures haunt this younger generation in ways we never had to deal with, providing umpteen hurdles that seem wearily intractable for those of us whose musical lives and deaths belong to a predigital age. But the central dilemma of putting your art in front of people seems as familiar as ever, even in a show that gets around most of these problems by having an RTÉ film crew and a successful rap group take on some of the heavy lifting. None of this dims Na hEasógaí's passion at any stage, of course, and they charge through technical difficulties and venue changes with an unbreakable belief that their audience will be found, and that they'll be left satisfied. Maybe that resolve comes from youth, or perhaps you really do have to be mad as a box of weasels to believe it, but An Ghig Mhór is here to tell us that if you build it, they will come. At the risk of placing their efforts in the ha'penny place, it's 40 years this week since another self-possessed Irish man called around a few pals and decided to put a gig together. You might be forgiven for thinking we didn't need another documentary about Live Aid, the seminal movement of records, concerts and fundraising that has since begat dozens of anniversary events and releases, and at least as many films, dramatic re-enactments and, last year, a jukebox musical on the West End stage. But Live Aid at 40: When Rock'n'Roll Took on the World (BBC Two, Sunday) makes a compelling case for just one more go around one of the best-documented events in cultural memory. The early beats of this series – the first two parts of which aired last week, with another to air this Sunday – will be familiar to anyone who has been alive for the past four decades: Bob Geldof's visceral reaction to Michael Buerk's reporting from the Ethiopian famine in 1984; the slow but steady progress of turning that disgust into an unprecedentedly large charitable venture; and the artistic and logistical challenge of corralling the world's biggest pop stars into both a 'check your egos at the door' supergroup and the most ambitious series of live concerts ever mounted. Where this series differs is in its slightly more holistic approach to the story, placing the experiences of Ethiopians somewhat closer to centre stage and examining, if patchily, the broader context of international uninterest, cold-war politics and distribution issues that complicated relief efforts at the time. We hear from figures as diverse as an Ethiopian farmer, Woldu Menameno; Dawit Wolde Giorgis, an Ethiopian aid minister; and Rony Brauman of Médecins Sans Frontières – none of whom, thankfully, has much to say about the perils of getting Boy George on a Concorde from New York so he can make it to the studio in time to sing on the Band Aid single. Instead they offer refreshingly clear-eyed critiques of the movement's messaging and the occasional, and irrefutable, paternalism with which it was enacted, not least Geldof's sweary interactions with Ethiopian government figures, the questionable absence of black artists from Live Aid's Wembley shows and the titular query posed by Band Aid's seminal Christmas number one. Was it tactful, we may reasonably ask, to wonder whether people in Ethiopia, perhaps the oldest Christian nation on the planet, knew when Christmas was? Even amid the story's better-known early beats, there's stuff here I'd not previously seen. Geldof's tale of attending a swanky soiree in London shortly after first seeing Buerk's reporting is one I've heard before. I had not, however, seen footage of this very party, in which he can clearly be overheard saying, in real time, how 'gross' it is to be eating canapes with socialites while others elsewhere starve. Seeing it in the flesh seems absurd, a moment in time so weighted with everything that came after, it almost beggars belief that it was captured. And there is real emotion. At one point in the first episode, Geldof breaks down in tears while recalling the guilt he felt about being marketed as a white saviour during his trip to Ethiopia, when Do They Know It's Christmas? came on the radio. Through tears, he repeats words that feature several times in the programme: 'rage and shame'. Live Aid at 40 is, at times, a survey of Geldof at his most driven and visionary, but also at his most pugnacious, even arrogant; a portrait that deploys fewer of the standard messianic safety nets afforded to him by previous films, and gives his critics, and their context, a valuable right of reply. The result, counterintuitively perhaps, is a series of films that gives audiences greater reason to admire him, and the incredible things Live Aid really did achieve, than a dozen more hagiographical documentaries ever could.
Irish Independent
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Today's top TV and streaming choices: Death in the Desert, The Bourne Identity and The Buccaneers
An Ghig Mhór RTÉ One, 8pm Songwriter and musician Rónán Ó Snodaigh steps up to help five-piece band Leevy from the Múscraí Gaeltacht organise a major gig. In 1979, British nurse Helen Smith was found dead in suspicious circumstances after falling from a balcony in Saudi Arabia. Here, director Keely Winstone uses previously classified government documents to explore whether the truth was covered up at the time. Hell for Leather: The Story of Gaelic Football RTÉ One, 9.35pm The legendary Mick O'Connell takes centre stage this week, expounding his own legacy as well as the future of Gaelic football. Also profiled is Sister Pauline Gibbons, whose pioneering spirit in the 1970s helped pave the way for female stars such as Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh, Juliet Murphy and Noelle Healy. The Bourne Identity TG4, 9.30pm Smash-hit adaptation of Robert Ludlum's novel, the first in a blockbusting franchise. Matt Damon stars as a mysterious assassin who is suffering from amnesia. Murderer Behind The Mask Prime Video, streaming now True crime isn't just the purview of Netflix, you know, and this Prime Video offering about Elaine O'Hara and Graham Dwyer hits particularly close to home. It highlights how An Garda Síochana meticulously pieced together the truth, turning an overlooked case into one of Ireland's most haunting murder trials. Back in September 2013, the remains of childcare worker O'Hara were discovered in the Dublin mountains. Initially believed to be a suicide, her case took a twisted tangent when fishermen stumbled upon crucial evidence leading to Dwyer, a respected architect who lived in Foxrock with his wife and kids. Beneath his carefully crafted facade lurked a secret life fuelled by a dark stabbing obsession, revealed through his disturbing text exchanges with O'Hara. Over the course of two 45-minute instalments, this Wag Entertainment-produced series purports to uncover how the investigation unfolded and the tragic story behind Elaine's murder. The Waterfront Netflix, streaming now From the makers of Dawson's Creek and Scream, we have this deliciously ridiculous number inspired by true events. It centres on the Buckley family, who have ruled Havenport, North Carolina, for decades. Now, with their patriarch, Harlan (Holt McCallany), recovering from multiple heart attacks (not helped by his predilection for impromptu punching sessions with his son), they resort to drug smuggling courtesy of a surprising face (belonging to Topher Grace). For more glossy, far-fetched US drama, season three of Manifest is now streaming. The Buccaneers AppleTV+, streaming now Apple's answer to Bridgerton (but with bonus Americans) is here with its second season. Exploring the events leading up to the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, this heart-rendering documentary reveals decisions by businesses and government that contributed to the tragedy. Somebody Feed Phil Netflix, streaming now This time, Phil visits Amsterdam, Tbilisi, Sydney, Adelaide, Manila, Vegas, Guatemala, San Sebastián and Boston, while enjoying a spot of bone gnawing with Ray Romano and Brad Garrett along the way. The Many Deaths of Nora Dalmasso Netflix, streaming now
RTÉ News
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
New RTÉ series An Ghig Mhór pairs Irish musicians with up-and-coming talent
A new RTÉ series will pair established Irish musicians with up-and-coming talent as they put on their first hometown gig, with hip hop duo Tebi Rex, Kíla's Rónán Ó Snodaigh, and Cork singer songwriter John Spillane among the mentors. According to the show, "From the sitting room to the stage, the series follows the bands as they attempt to find a venue, sell tickets and deliver the performance of a lifetime. " An Ghig Mhór provides a platform to new emerging Irish bands and shines a light on the hard work, creativity and dedication that goes into putting on your own gig." From Donegal to Kilkenny, the series showcases a different town and band each week. Folk singer John Spillane will share his expertise with The Donnys, a five-piece rock band from Kilkenny. Singer-songwriter Eve Belle from Gaoth Dobhair, Donegal will work with fellow Gaoth Dobhair singer Hannah Mc Fadden, and her band Hannah B. Kíla's Rónán Ó Snodaigh will mentor band Leevy from the Múscraí Gaeltacht in Cork, who perform a blend of folk-rock and punk with traditional Irish undertones. Krea, a former member of Wyvern Lingo will guide all-female punk rockers The Hex from Lexlip, Kildare. Hip-hop duo Tebi Rex will mentor Conamara rock band Na hEasógaí. Finally, singer and guitarist Síomha will advise Coolboy, a four-piece rock band from Laois. Each band has their own unique sound and performs in English and Irish. Episode one of An Ghig Mhór will air on Monday 9 June, 8pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
