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Irish Examiner
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Cork Midsummer Festival art reviews: Aideen Barry, Sinéad Gleeson, Amanda Coogan, Sarah Lou Kinneen
Aideen Barry and Sinéad Gleeson, Western Frequencies, The Hub, UCC ★★★★☆ Multi-media visual artist Aideen Barry Author and author, editor and broadcaster Sinéad Gleeson have both been exceptionally busy figures on the Irish arts scene over the past few decades, and it is no surprise to learn that they are friends and collaborators. Gleeson's books include the collection of essays, Constellations: Reflections from Life (2019), and the novel Hagstone (2024). Barry's projects include Vacuuming in a Vacuum, a short film created in a zero gravity chamber on a NASA aircraft in 2008, and Klostes, a stop motion film she produced for Kaunas, The European Capital of Culture in Lithuania in 2022. Aideen Barry. Interviewed by Liz Quirke, poet and lecturer at UCC's Department of English, Barry and Gleeson are pleasant and engaging, though neither is shy about expounding on the insecurity of a career in the arts in Ireland. They discuss the struggles of being taken seriously as women in the arts world, of balancing careers with the responsibilities of motherhood, and of the endless hustling required to generate any kind of income. In Gleeson's case, these difficulties have been compounded by her experience of arthritis and leukemia. They speak of their moral obligation to create challenging art that addresses society's flaws, and Barry worries that they are part of the last generation of artists, as an arts education is now more accessible to the wealthy than to the working classes. Despite their frustrations, both affirm their faith in the creative life and the pursuit of artistic achievement over profit. Amanda Coogan, Caught in the Furze, Cork Centre for Architectural Education, Douglas St ★★★★☆ Performance artist Amanda Coogan's Caught in a Furze is an installation and durational performance inspired by the Wrens of the Curragh, a group of women who settled in 'nests' in the countryside around the British Army camp in Co Kildare for much of the 19th century. They lived communally, barely surviving on the proceeds of prostitution and charity. Amanda Coogan. Picture: Eoin O'Neill Coogan's installation features seven furze bushes suspended upsidedown from a ceiling, and a selection of prams. She wanders among them, dressed in a jacket of surgical gloves, with one foot bare. As is often the case with performance art, the experience of bearing witness can test one's patience. The reward comes in acknowledging how utterly desolate an experience it was for the Wrens to live as they did. Many ended their lives in institutions such as the Magdalene Laundries. Sarah Lou Kinneen, Fruiting Futures, Cork Centre for Architectural Education, Douglas St ★★★☆☆ Sarah Lou Kinneen's Fruiting Futures is more whimsical; a living, breathing artwork that is still in the process of growth. Visitors are invited to don a set of headphones connected to a panel of fungi, each of which produces different sounds. The project is delightful, but might have been better served by a more sympathetic setting than the foyer of the Centre for Architectural Education.
Hamilton Spectator
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
2025 Penticton Elvis Festival ready to rock and roll
The King is gone, but he's certainly not forgotten. With record-breaking advance ticket sales, the 2025 Penticton Elvis Festival promises to be another resounding success, says festival board president Mike Schell, who is marking his 21st year on the organizing committee and third year as president. Canada's largest and longest-running Elvis festival is ready to rock and roll in downtown Penticton, starting with a pre-kickoff party and continuing through Sunday afternoon. A total of 33 Elvis tribute artists are signed up to perform and compete as they pay homage to the legendary Elvis Presley, the man who shook the world when he rose to fame in the 1950s. He remained a music and entertainment juggernaut until his untimely and tragic death on August 16, 1977. Unlike many others, Elvis's stature and popularity have remained remarkably strong nearly 50 years after his death, Schell noted. The festivities begin tonight (Wednesday) with a pre-festival kickoff party at Bar One in the Sandman Hotel from 6 to 10 p.m., featuring early-arriving tribute artists. The official kickoff event for the 2025 Penticton Elvis Festival takes place Thursday evening at The Hub on Martin Street. That event is already sold out. 'We're completely sold out for that event,' said Schell. While the festival has used Okanagan Lake Park in recent years, it returns to its original location in Gyro Park this year, Schell added. The official opening ceremonies will take place in Gyro Park on Friday at 1 p.m. 'The actual contests begin at 1:30 p.m. Friday and run until 5:30,' said Schell. 'Friday evening, we're showcasing four professional Grand Champions from our festival in a special performance.' Each of the four champions—Mat Shank, Sylvain Leduc, Vino Macris, and Corny Rempel—will perform a 45-minute set, providing eight full hours of entertainment in Gyro Park on Friday alone. On Saturday, gates open at 8 a.m., with performances starting at 9 a.m. 'This year, we have 15 professional Elvis tribute artists, 15 amateurs, and three Little Kings competing,' said Schell. 'They're coming from all over the world—Italy, Ireland, Branson, Missouri, Toronto, and more. The love for Elvis is global, and so is the talent that pays tribute to him.' A special addition this year is a visit from Charles and Linda Stone. Charles, who served as Elvis's tour manager during the height of his career, and his wife will host Q&A sessions in Gyro Park on Saturday and Sunday. 'They've got some amazing stories and photos from their time with Elvis,' said Schell. Saturday night's sold-out Headline Show at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre will feature renowned Canadian Elvis tribute artist Pat Dunn and last year's professional division champion, Moses Snow. They will be backed by Schell's 11-piece show band, The Cadillac Kings. On Sunday, the Lions Club will host its annual pancake breakfast in Gyro Park, followed by the always-popular Elvis Gospel Show at 9 a.m. 'Every year, we donate $3 from each ticket to a local charity,' said Schell. 'This year, we've chosen the music program at Penticton Secondary School. 'The funds will help them continue with band trips and other music programs. We want to keep that legacy going—something The King would surely support.' The festival's final concert will take place Sunday afternoon at the PTCC, featuring the top seven professional and top seven amateur tribute artists, along with performances by the three Little Kings. As of Monday morning, fewer than three dozen tickets remained for the Sunday finale. The winner of the professional division will earn an invitation to compete in the world's largest Elvis Tribute Artist competition, held in Memphis, Tennessee, during Elvis Week in August. 'There are 30 Elvis tribute contests recognized by the Elvis Foundation worldwide,' said Schell. 'Winners from each are invited to Memphis to compete for the title of the world's best Elvis tribute artist. Our winner will represent Penticton on that global stage.' Next year, that winner will also be invited back to perform in the headliners concert. Schell, a lifelong fan, continues to be amazed by Elvis's enduring appeal. 'His legacy is as strong as ever,' he said. 'We're seeing more and more young fans in the audience. The recent Elvis movie really helped bring him back into the public eye, and two Netflix documentaries have also played a big role in keeping his name and music alive.' Schell also praised the City of Penticton for supporting the event. 'They've been very accommodating and deserve credit for helping ensure the festival's ongoing success,' he said. And 2025 is shaping up to be the best year yet. 'This is the strongest year in the past 23 when it comes to advance ticket sales,' said Schell. 'The festival continues to grow, and we're thrilled about how big it's become.' An after-party will follow the Sunday concert, just a few doors down from the PTCC at the convention centre. The Penticton Elvis Festival attracts around 2,000 visitors annually, with a significant impact on local hotels, restaurants, and businesses. 'We're expecting 3,000 people in Gyro Park on Saturday and Sunday,' said Schell. 'Many of them arrive early in the week and stay through Sunday, spending big on accommodations, dining, and more. Over 25 years, we've brought millions into the community.' All four contest judges are approved by the Presley Foundation, ensuring fairness and quality in the competition. The Elvis festival originated in Osoyoos but when it folded, then Penticton Mayor Mike Pearce encouraged a committee of volunteers to move it to Penticton. The gospel show was the idea of James Ludvigson. Tickets are $30 for Friday or Saturday, or $45 for a two-day pass. Sunday's gospel show is $5 (cash only) at Gyro Park. For more information, visit: . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Irish Examiner
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Patrick McCabe review: Monaghan author provides a Howl of a night at UCC
Patrick McCabe with David Murphy and Michael Lightborne, Howl On, The Hub, UCC, for Cork Midsummer Festival, ★★★★☆ If Patrick McCabe did not invent the genre of Bog Gothic, he certainly perfected it in his 1992 novel, The Butcher Boy, surely the most sympathetic portrait of a murderer that has ever been committed to the page. As is evidenced in his most recent, and eleventh, novel, Poguemahone, McCabe's anarchic spirit remains very much intact, and we are all the better for it. McCabe's performance of Howl On is soundtracked by the pedal steel guitarist David Murphy and the electronic artist Michael Lightborne. The mood is set by an arrangement of grasses amongst the performers and on the windowsills above their heads. McCabe begins with a meditation on the idea of going 'up the Town' in his native Clones, Co Monaghan. He wonders what that might even mean today. One should, he suggests, address the question to Lidl or Aldi, or maybe Woody's, as the town centre of his youth – a place of endless adventure – has been supplanted by such convenience superstores. From there, McCabe heads off on various flights of the imagination. Reflecting on the mishmash of local and international influences those growing up in rural Ireland were exposed to in the 1960s and '70s, he imagines Pink Floyd performing Big Tom McBride's Gentle Mother, or Big Tom paying tribute to the 'lost' Pink Floyd genius Syd Barrett. Harking back to a previous decade, he reads the opening lines of Allen Ginsberg's epic poem Howl, and one can all too easily imagine how 'the best minds' of his generation that Ginsberg saw 'destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked' in San Francisco had their counterparts in Co Monaghan in the 1950s. Similarly, McCabe's reading of Patrick Kavanagh's Epic, an account of neighbours battling over a boundary wall, reminds us again of the universality of such divisions. McCabe mentions the 'sin-birds' in another poem of Kavanagh's, Father Mat. In his own experience, these included see-through t-shirts, Jimi Hendrix, and the individual members of the Monkees. One might quibble that McCabe's musings might benefit from a more coherent narrative structure, but that, one suspects, would be to defeat the very purpose of his performance, which allows space for a recollection of how the late author Dermot Healy once proposed that hens have ghosts. McCabe is more inclined to believe that cabbage butterflies do. Murphy and Lightborne's musical soundscape is just as eclectic, including as it does snatches of the Beatles' Love is All You Need, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown's Fire, and Pink Floyd's Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Howl On indeed. The verdict? The surreal deal.
Scotsman
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Kathryn Joseph confirms late night Edinburgh International Festival show in support of new album 'We Were Made Prey'
Glasgow-based singer-songwriter Kathryn Joseph has announced a very special late night show at The Hub on August 9 as part of this year's Edinburgh International Festival, in support of her new album 'WE WERE MADE PREY.', out now via Rock Action Records. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Since winning the Scottish Album Of The Year award in 2015 for her debut record, Kathryn Joseph's music has evolved from intimate and delicate to something altogether more intense, skilfully combining raw emotion with piano, keyboards and electronic elements. Joined by longtime collaborator Lomond Campbell, Joseph ventures into darker, more experimental territory, marking a pivotal shift in her artistry. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Returning to the Edinburgh International Festival on August 9 after her acclaimed 2021 performance, she invites fans into a space where vulnerability and beauty collide in profoundly moving music. Kathryn Joseph New album WE WERE MADE PREY. dances on the knife-edge: of action versus inaction, of want versus wanting, of self-fulfilment versus shame. Continuing her creative partnership withproducer Lomond Campbell, recording took place in the remote Black Bay Studios on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides last winter. Joseph's fourth long-player is both a reaction to and reprieve for the animal within. Eleven songs that accept her whole being, with all its hunger, lust and rage, and its devastating tenderness too. Through her hunt for answers to punishing choices, 'the kind that can absolutely f**k up your life,' the Glasgow-based singer-songwriter has come out the other side with something new to say. Joseph's pursuit of truth is the red thread that winds through each of her albums. It's there among the agonising beauty of bones you have thrown me and blood i have spilled, her Scottish Album of the Year Award-winning debut. It's there, too, in 2018's from when i wake the want is, sewn into the primal grief and grasping of the songs. And it made its presence felt again in 2022's for you who are the wronged, her powerful exploration of abuse in all its twisted shapes and guises, acclaimed for its 'luminous brand of minimalism' (Pitchfork) and as 'an outright masterpiece of emptiness and full-to-bursting-ness at the same time' (The Quietus). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Joseph has also just announced a full UK headline tour for autumn 2025, taking in 12 dates across England to follow her Edinburgh International Festival appearance. In between, she will return to the road in support of labelmates (and bosses) Mogwai for a run of European shows in August-September. Lomond Campbell will be performing with Joseph at all shows.
Scotsman
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Kathryn Joseph confirms late night Edinburgh International Festival show in support of new album
Scottish singer-songwriter Kathryn Joseph has announced a very special late night show at The Hub on 9th August as part of this year's Edinburgh International Festival, in support of her new album 'We were made prey', out now via Rock Action Records. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Since winning the Scottish Album Of The Year award in 2015 for her debut record, Kathryn Joseph's music has evolved from intimate and delicate to something altogether more intense, skilfully combining raw emotion with piano, keyboards and electronic elements. Joined by longtime collaborator Lomond Campbell, Joseph ventures into darker, more experimental territory, marking a pivotal shift in her artistry. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Returning to the Edinburgh International Festival on 9th August after her acclaimed 2021 performance, she invites fans into a space where vulnerability and beauty collide in profoundly moving music. Kathryn Joseph New album We were made prey dances on the knife-edge: of action versus inaction, of want versus wanting, of self-fulfilment versus shame. Continuing her creative partnership withproducer Lomond Campbell, recording took place in the remote Black Bay Studios on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides last winter. Joseph's fourth long-player is both a reaction to and reprieve for the animal within. Eleven songs that accept her whole being, with all its hunger, lust and rage, and its devastating tenderness too. Through her hunt for answers to punishing choices, 'the kind that can absolutely f**k up your life,' the Glasgow-based singer-songwriter has come out the other side with something new to say. Joseph's pursuit of truth is the red thread that winds through each of her albums. It's there among the agonising beauty of bones you have thrown me and blood i have spilled, her Scottish Album of the Year Award-winning debut. It's there, too, in 2018's from when i wake the want is, sewn into the primal grief and grasping of the songs. And it made its presence felt again in 2022's for you who are the wronged, her powerful exploration of abuse in all its twisted shapes and guises, acclaimed for its 'luminous brand of minimalism' (Pitchfork) and as 'an outright masterpiece of emptiness and full-to-bursting-ness at the same time' (The Quietus). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Joseph has also just announced a full UK headline tour for autumn 2025, taking in 12 dates across England to follow her Edinburgh International Festival appearance. In between, she will return to the road in support of labelmates (and bosses) Mogwai for a run of European shows in August-September. Lomond Campbell will be performing with Joseph at all shows. Check out for a full list of UK live shows and to buy tickets.
