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Irish Times
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
The Murder Capital at Iveagh Gardens: A killer set subjects leafy Dublin to a satisfying salvo of mosh pit mania
Murder Capital Iveagh Gardens, Dublin ★★★★☆ Shortly before leading the 'death to the IDF ' chants that generated international headlines , punk duo Bob Vylan used their polemical Glastonbury set to praise artists who had made sacrifices to speak out in support of Palestine . They name-checked the perpetually controversial Kneecap - but also Cork / Dublin band The Murder Capital , whose summer tour of Germany was hit by cancellations after a number of venues vetoed the display of the Palestinian flag on stage. No such issues beset their show at Dublin's Iveagh Gardens . The flag that caused such trouble in Germany is arranged just over the shoulder of singer James McGovern, who leads a chant of 'Free, free Palestine'. But if the political aspect of the gig goes off without a hitch, The Murder Capital initially struggle against the hazy, lazy Saturday evening vibes of the city centre venue. Nestled in the heart of Georgian Dublin, the Iveagh Gardens make for a beautiful backdrop. However, the pint-and-chat ambience is an unsatisfying fit for a group whose music pulsates with menace and fury. Daylight is not their friend, and McGovern is initially frustrated by the easygoing audience. 'I'm seeing a mosh pit here. I'm not seeing one here. Let's see some f**king energy baby,' he says, as the five-piece kick off with The Fall. READ MORE Early in their career, The Murder Capital were spoken of in the same breath as the all-conquering Fontaines DC . They were regarded as kindred spirits, having emerged at about the same time from the bubbling Dublin post-punk scene. But they're very different artists, as made clear by their excellent third album, Blindness. Tellingly, they released that record shortly after touring Europe with alternative rock's original prince of darkness, Nick Cave . Just like Cave, their songs have a literary quality (McGovern has previous credits as a poet) and aren't about fine-tuned melodies – the Fontaines' secret weapon – so much as a piledriving hurtle towards catharsis. At its best, this approach has an exhilarating punch. But a balmy evening in a Dublin park is not conducive to dredging your soul. For that reason, the concert only truly comes together as gloom and drizzle arrive and then finally hits its groove when the sun sets and they negotiate That Feeling – one of several songs on the new LP about the pain of separation from a loved one. McGovern is the focus point, his onstage persona a sort of Amnesty International Liam Gallagher . He rattles a tambourine, strides around in his tracksuit pants and encourages the audience to crowd surf. But he also talks about Palestine and speaks out against the far right in Ireland, observing that the Tricolours he sees in the crowd belong to progressive Ireland more than to racist yobs. The subject of Ireland's spiral into anti-immigration idiocy is addressed directly on the hurricane-force Love of Country. Here needling guitars are matched by flensing lyrics: 'Could you blame me for mistakin' your love of country for hate of men?'. Darkness has descended in earnest as they conclude with their catchiest tune, Words Lost Meaning, the lyrics informed by McGovern's belief that you can only tell someone you love them so many times before it becomes a meaningless cliché. Bathed in stark lighting and framed by the cool summer night, it is a foreceful ending to a performance that takes time to achieve lift-off. But when things finally click into gear, The Murder Capital serve up a killer set that subjects leafy Dublin to a satisfying salvo of mosh pit mania.
Irish Times
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
The Guide: The Murder Capital, Cian Ducrot, Forest Fest and other events to see, shows to book and ones to catch before they end
Event of the week Live at the Iveagh Gardens 2025 Saturday, July 19th, The Murder Capital, 6.30pm, €39.90; Sunday, July 20th, Leon Bridges, 6.30pm, €49.20 (sold out), The sequence of outdoor shows at the Iveagh Gardens in Dublin – surely Ireland's prettiest city-centre outdoor venue – comes to a close this weekend with two disparate music acts. The Dublin postpunk band The Murder Capital (Saturday, July 19th) are fast approaching mainstream attention with three critically acclaimed albums – When I Have Fears , from 2019, Gigi's Recovery , from 2023, and Blindness, from this year – and live shows that thrum with intensity. The US singer-songwriter Leon Bridges (Sunday, July 20th) is a cooler and calmer presence, with a silky rhythm and blues/soul sound not too far removed from the likes of Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. Gigs Cian Ducrot Saturday and Sunday, July 19th and 20th, Live at the Marquee, Cork, 8pm, €67.40, Cian Ducrot. Photograph: Freddie Sinstead From studying classical flute at the Royal Academy of Music in London, busking, and playing pub gigs in his native Cork to travelling to Los Angeles, where he cowrote SZA's Grammy-winning song Saturn, Cian Ducrot has certainly put in the hours. Such commitment has paid off, not only winning support slots with Ed Sheeran and Teddy Swims but also reaching number one in Ireland and Britain in 2023 with his debut major-label album, Victory . A follow-up, Little Dreaming, is scheduled for release on Friday, August 1st, so alongside familiar multimillion-streaming tracks such as I'll Be Waiting, Part of Me and All for You, fans will hear new songs. Couldn't get a ticket for these shows? Ducrot is due to play his largest headline show so far at 3Arena in Dublin on Saturday, December 20th. The Doobie Brothers Monday, July 21st, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm, €146.25/€111.25, After The Eagles, The Doobie Brothers are probably the best-known legacy US band on this side of the Atlantic. After forming in 1970, they surged in popularity five years later, when they were joined by the soul singer (and regular Steely Dan band member) Michael McDonald, who appears on many of their classic hits (including the soft-rock perennial What a Fool Believes). Regrouping in 1987, the current band features the original founding members Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons; McDonald returned to the fold full time in 2019, just in time for their 50th-anniversary tour (delayed by Covid-19). Adult-oriented rock? Yacht rock? Whatever way you roll, take it easy. Wasp Tuesday, July 22nd, National Stadium, Dublin, 7pm, €43.50; Wednesday, July 23rd, Telegraph Building, Belfast, 7pm, £42.45, Songs titled Wild Child, On Your Knees, Chainsaw Charlie, Scream Until You Like It and Animal (F**k Like a Beast), a band name standing for We Are Sexual Perverts, and shock-rock stage theatrics influenced by Kiss and Alice Cooper. A hint more than 40 years after the release of their self-titled debut album, the US heavy metal act might be anachronistic to some, but Wasp's admirers remain steadfast. Expect the band's mainstay Blackie Lawless to deliver a show that is, according to the heavy-metal site 'the aural equivalent of a primal scream'. Festival Forest Fest Friday-Sunday, July 25th-27th, Emo Village, Co Laois, 1pm, €150/€125/€85, Franz Ferdinand. Photograph: Paul Owens A few years ago Forest Fest emerged as a something-for-everyone music festival, albeit with an emphasis on names familiar to many music fans who came of age in the 1990s. It has enhanced that offering year by year, adding stages to accommodate equally familiar names with lower profiles but plenty of loyal fans. Main-stage acts include Manic Street Preachers, Franz Ferdinand, Travis, Kula Shaker, Dandy Warhols, The Stranglers and Nick Lowe. Village-stage acts include The Farm, Alabama 3 and Reef. The Forest Fleadh stage includes performances by Sharon Shannon, Stockton's Wing, Mary Coughlan and Freddie White. Film Australian Dreams Until Tuesday, July 29th, IFI, Dublin, various times and prices, The resurgence of film-making down under in the 1970s led to the Australian new wave, which introduced directors such as Peter Weir, Ken Hannam, George Miller, Gillian Armstrong, Philip Noyce and Jane Campion, and actors such as Sam Neill, Judy Davis and Bryan Brown. The Irish Film Institute's Australian Dreams strand continues with a mix of critically acclaimed features (Breaker Morant, Mad Max 2, The Year My Voice Broke), influential indigenous work (My Survival as an Aboriginal, Bedevil, Radiance), cult (Bad Boy Bubby) and curios (BMX Bandits, featuring one of Nicole Kidman's first film roles). Comedy Paddy Power Comedy Festival Thursday-Sunday, July 24th-27th, Iveagh Gardens, Dublin, various times and prices, Fern Brady Irish names you'll know include Tommy Tiernan, Jason Byrne, Deirdre O'Kane, Alison Spittle, Barry Murphy, Kyla Cobbler, Peter McGann, Justine Stafford, Tony Cantwell, Killian Sundermann and Emma Doran. Lesser-spotted comedians include Scotland's Fern Brady and Daniel Sloss, the Irish-Italian Vittorio Angelone (who, says Monocle, 'is at the coalface of comedy that pushes boundaries') and the American Rosebud Baker. Still running Riot Until Sunday, July 20th, Vicar Street, Dublin, 7.30pm, €41, Riot ensemble. Photograph: Ian Douglas A dazzling illustration of the links between insurgent artists and their equally committed audience, Thisispopbaby's award-winning cabaret/circus/spoken-word show returns by popular demand. Panti Bliss, Emmet Kirwan, Lords of Strut, aerialist Omar Cortez Gonzales, and surprise special guests snap, crackle and pop one more time. Book it this week Common Threads, Burren, Co Clare, October 10th-13th, Galway Comedy Festival, October 21st-27th, Púca Festival, Athboy/Trim, Co Meath, October 30th-November 2nd, Oxn and Richard Dawson, NCH, Dublin, November 20th,
Irish Times
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
The Murder Capital at Iveagh Gardens in Dublin: Stage times, ticket information, support acts and more
Irish post-punk group The Murder Capital are set to perform at Dublin's Iveagh Gardens this week. The band have been busy gigging since the release last year of their third studio album, Blindness, to critical acclaim. Produced by John Congleton, The Murder Capital wrote the energetic and experimental album over 10 days in Dublin and recorded it in a swift three-week blast in Los Angeles. If you are heading to the gig in the Iveagh Gardens, here's everything you need to know. When and where is it? The Murder Capital will play Dublin's Iveagh Gardens on Saturday, July 19th. READ MORE What time should I arrive? Doors for the gig open at 6.30pm, with the music expected to begin at 8pm. Iveagh Gardens concerts tend to be finished up by 10.30pm. Traffic and entry delays are inevitable, so make sure you give yourself a couple of hours' leeway getting to and from the venue. Who is playing? The band's support acts are English punk-rock duo Soft Play, formerly known as Slaves, and London-based indie-rock band Mary in the Junkyard. What songs will The Murder Capital play? This is a set list performed by The Murder Capital at Blind in Turkey last month. It might give an idea of what to expect at the Dublin concert. The Fall More Is Less Death of a Giant The Stars Will Leave Their Stage A Thousand Lives Heart in the Hole A Distant Life That Feeling Swallow Love of Country Green & Blue Feeling Fades Moonshot Can't Pretend to Know Don't Cling to Life Ethel Words Lost Meaning How do I get to and from the gig? The venue is located right beside St Stephen's Green in the heart of Dublin city, so concertgoers are advised to use one of many public transport options to get to the venue. Travel by bus: A wide variety of Dublin Bus routes service the city centre. The 37 route, for example, runs along the northside of the quays and will drop you an eight-minute walk from the Iveagh Gardens. You can plan your journey with Transport for Ireland here . Travel by Luas: The St Stephen's Green Luas stop is a seven-minute walk from the venue. If you are heading southbound, take any green line Luas towards Sandyford or Brides Glen. If you are heading northbound, take any green line Luas towards Broombridge or Parnell. Travel by train: If you are arriving in Dublin by train, you can hop on the red line Luas from Heuston Station to Abbey Street. There, transfer to the green line Luas from the stop on Marlborough Street, hopping off at St Stephen's Green and walking seven minutes to the Iveagh Gardens. Travel by car: The closest car park to the venue is the Q-Park at St Stephen's Green. You can pre-book a parking space here , though it is recommended you use public transport as traffic delays before and after the gig are inevitable. Are there any tickets left? At the time of writing there are still tickets for the available. They can be purchased from Ticketmaster here . Remember to download your tickets to your phone in advance, as there may be internet or connectivity issues at the venue on the day. Do not rely on screenshots, as Ticketmaster often use live or dynamic barcodes that update regularly. What is security like? The event is for over-14s only, and under-16s must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 or over. Make sure to bring an official form of identification with you such as a passport, Garda age card or driving licence. Bags size A4 or more will not be permitted entry, and all bags will be subject to a search on arrival. Prohibited items include glass, cans, alcohol, garden furniture, umbrellas, flares, illegal substances or any item that could be used as a weapon. Recording and taking pictures using a camera phone is no problem, but professional recording equipment will not be allowed inside the venue. What does the weather look like? According to Met Éireann, Saturday will be mostly cloudy with highest temperatures of 15-18 degrees.
The Irish Sun
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Rock band forced to cancel huge gigs as they issue apology to gutted fans, saying ‘this is a bitter pill to swallow'
A ROCK band has been forced to cancel huge gigs, as they issued an apology to their gutted fans. They told them 'this is a bitter pill to swallow,' while revealing the news on Wednesday. Advertisement 3 A rock band has been forced to cancel huge gigs, as they issued an apology to their gutted fans Credit: Alamy 3 The Murder Capital specified travel and financial uncertainties as the reason Credit: Getty - Contributor The Murder Capital have announced that they've cancelled their US and Canada tour dates, specifying travel and financial uncertainties as the reason. Posting on social media, the band said: 'With heavy hearts , we have to cancel our tour this autumn due to unforeseen financial challenges and the ongoing travel uncertainties. 'This is a bitter pill to swallow. We hope you know how much we wanted to be out there playing these shows for ye all.' They continued: 'Thank you to all our fans that bought tickets, we appreciate your support and can't wait to come back as soon as the time is right. Sending you all love in these strange times. Advertisement Read More on Rock Bands 'All our summer shows are on, we look forward to seeing everyone out there.' The Murder Capital are an Irish five-piece who released their third album in February of this year. They've since been touring the UK and Europe and they will perform in Spain on September 6, which will be their last show until November. Their tour will officially finish on November 22nd in Troyes, Advertisement Most read in Music Latest Fans have been left saddened by the news of their cancellation, as one wrote beneath the post: 'absolutely heartbroken omg :( will be waiting for the future tho!! Rock star devastated as he's diagnosed with 'very aggressive' cancer and shares snap from hospital bed Someone else said: 'so heartbroken but definitely here whenever you come back,' while others shared crying emojis. One sad fan wrote: 'This is the second time in you guys had to cancel your Canada show!!!' to which the band replied: 'Both times completely out of our control. Much love.' They were scheduled to tour the US and Canada in Autumn of this year, but have since clarified that those shows won't be played. Advertisement It comes after they had a string of shows cancelled during the German leg of their tour, after their set design showed a huge Palestinian flag hanging at the back. 3 It comes after they had a string of shows cancelled during the German leg of their tour Credit: Alamy
Evening Standard
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
BBC faces backlash after Glastonbury artist leads chants of 'death to IDF' during live broadcast
He also used the moment to show solidarity with other artists who have spoken out in support of Gazans. 'This one is for every single band that is using their platform to speak up for the Palestinian people,' he said, before naming The Murder Capital, Kneecap, and Amyl and The Sniffers.
