A bright year beckons for local music scene

Two of the biggest names in Irish music returned to the scene in 2014 and made their entrance in some style.

U2’s ‘gift’ to Apple users angered some, but Songs Of Innocence was their best album in well over a decade.

Making his comeback with much less fanfare, but arguably more aplomb, was reluctant superstar Damien Rice. My Favourite Faded Fantasy is a superb collection, a record of emotion and wit.

If you’re still looking for Christmas presents, anyone who gets a ticket to Rice’s gig at the Arts Festival on July 16, 2015, will be very lucky indeed.

It’s another coup for the festival and co-promoter Róisín Dubh, after bringing indie-rock giants The National to Galway for last summer’s Festival. Led by unlikely front man Matt Berninger, that band put on a great show in the big blue tent. From one soaring crescendo to another, and with one of rock’s best drummers in the frame, The National gig will live long in the memory.

Cathy Davey’s show in the Róisín Dubh was another highlight of the 2014 Festival. If the new songs she showcased are anything to go by, the Dublin songwriter’s new album could well be one of 2015’s best.

While the likes of Damien Rice and Damon Albarn will be on many ‘best-of lists for the past year, the Groove Tube’s album of 2014 came from Aldoc. From Tallaght to Halle was the brainchild of flute player Alan Doherty and guitarist/producer Gerry Paul.  A joyful listen, the record has elements of Irish trad, dub reggae and world music. In concert, Aldoc take it to another level. The sublime six-piece come to Monroe’s Live on Monday, January 29.  A truly unmissable gig.

Also a band for the live arena are My Fellow Sponges. Their November show in Róisín Dubh was a playful melange of theatre and melody. Paper jellyfish festooned the stage and, at different points in the evening, the band were joined by two actors, a modern dancer,  storyteller and clown Jonathan Gunning and, finally, a brass section that snuck up through the crowd. The Sponges were in demand on the festival circuit this year, playing both Body & Soul and the Electric Picnic. If you haven’t seen them yet, be sure to do so in 2015.

For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.