It’s been a long time coming, but it’s finally time to kick through the leaves and enjoy one of our favourite long weekends of the year. Just some of our picks of things to do this October Bank Holiday weekend.
Let’s Vote!
We love the smell of democracy on a bank holiday weekend. Today sees two big ones, with the Presidential Election and the Referendum on Blasphemy. There are few better way to feel virtuous than by doing your civic duty. Put your ballots in the box and rock on. Our money’s on the poet.
The Irish music scene is still reeling from the sad and shocking news of the sudden passing of promoter and music visionary John Reynolds. The founder of such musical gems as Electric Picnic, Forbidden Fruit and sweet new arrival All Together Now, Mr Reynolds forged a well-earned reputation as the King of Irish Boutique Festivals, a concept neatly executed over the years. This weekend another of his boutique babies takes place at the RDS, and there’s little doubt there’ll be sad songs aplenty at Metropolis.
The weekend’s line-up offers the welcome prospect of Villagers, Roisin Murphy, Grandbrothers and The Black Madonna , all of whom appeared at the very promising debut of All Together Now back in August. While we love Mac DeMarco, it’s Blood Orange who win the mantle of Most Anticipated.
Polymath Dev Hynes has produced Solange and FKA Twigs, had previous incarnations as Test Icicles and Lightspeed Champion and co-written one of the singles of the century, Everything is Embarrassing, with Sky Ferreria. Negro Swan sees Hynes bring a new-wave R&B game to the table. It’s one he’s summarised thematically as “black depression” but that is somewhat bleak of the recorded mark. Here’s to you Mr Reynolds.
Bram Stoker has established itself as an inventive and entertaining festival regular. It even went so far as to win an award at the Theatre Awards for one of its commissions, which illustrates the boundaries it is pushing and scale of its ambitions.
A notable highlight is Loosysmokes world premiere of The Night of the Shifting Bog, an outdoor, night-time circus performance in St. Anne’s Park. And what’s not to love, or be scared by, with Creature Features, a series of after-hours screenings at the Botanic Gardens including Arachnophobia (1990), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and Little Shop of Horrors (1986). Of course, the weekend is capped by the marvel that is the Macnas Parade on Bank Holiday Monday. Get your vantage point.
Sister Nancy and Brigadier Jerry
Sister Nancy is a Jamaican dancehall DJ and singer. And whether you know her or not, you’ve heard, sang or bopped to Bam Bam at some stage of your life to date. Her 1982 track has been sampled over 80 times across genres. For example Kanye sampled it on Famous off Life of Pablo and Jay-Z used it on Bam in a collaboration with Damian Marley off 4:44.
Of course, it’s sadly no surprise that she’s only started collecting royalties of late. Her brother Robert is Brigadier Jerry and further support comes from Legal Shot Soundsystem. A classic bank holiday non-artificial sweetener from the Club.
For the weekend that’s in it…. A vain and arrogant youth dares to enter Baba Yaga’s living house of bones. What emerges will forever fill our nights with terror.
A cracking adaptation by Dale Hayward & Sylvie Trouve of Maura McHugh’s original story brought to terrifying life in a short stop motion animation feature.
You can watch ‘Bone Mother‘ online until Halloween.
Words: Martina Murray
