Carly Rae Jepsen
The Canadian ‘Call Me, Maybe’ popster hits Dublin for a two-night stand in support of her ‘The Loneliest Time’ album which is one of the best gigs in Dublin.
February 4-5, Dublin 3Olympia Theatre
Florence and the Machine
Plenty of chances to see Flo and the gang this year – what with their clutch of outdoor shows coming up in June in Cork (Musgrave Park), Dublin (Malahide Castle) and Belfast (Ormeau Park). But, indoors is always better…and, anyway, why wait…or, better yet, go twice, thrice, or – err – four times. It’ll be worth it.
February 8, Dublin 3Arena
Brian Jonestown Massacre
Prolific US collective the Brian Jonestown Massacre is back in town. The band – once described by the Irish Independent, after a particularly sloppy Dublin performance a decade and a bit ago, as being “so bad, they don’t deserve to be on a stage anywhere” and “to be avoided at all costs” – are sure to attract a crowd, so book early.
February 9, Dublin The Academy; February 10, Belfast Limelight 1
Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott
The Beautiful South duo are undertaking the rarest of things for international acts – a detailed Irish tour. This follows last year’s concert at Dublin’s St Anne’s Park.
February 17, Dublin 3Arena; February 18, Galway Leisureland; February 21, Derry Millennium Forum; February 22, Belfast SSE Arena; February 24, Killarney Gleneagle INEC
We Are Scientists
The New York rockers jet in for two shows – one in Belfast, one in Dublin – towards the end of the month.
February 20, Belfast Limelight 2; February 21, Dublin Whelans
Ezra Collective
Still a chance to see this UK jazz/hip-hop collective in a small venue before they’re inevitable rise.
February 21, Dublin Opium
The Wolfe Tones
If you have the urge to sing choruses rhyming with ‘Ooh ah Cantona’ or ‘Ooh ah Paul McGrath’, for that matter, the Olympia – and the INEC in Killarney in April – is the place to do it.
February 22, 23, Dublin 3Olympia Theatre
Peter Kay
Arguably still the biggest comedy draw in Ireland and the UK, the legendary Peter Kay kicks off his welcome return to these shores in Belfast towards the end of the month, before returning to Dublin in April.
February 23-25, Belfast SSE Arena (before a run of shows in Dublin and Belfast in April and July)
Beast in Black
The Helsinki-formed Finnish-Greek-Hungarian power metallers stop off in Dublin on their latest world tour. If you like classic 80s power metal – Judas Priest, Accept etc – this might tickle your fancy. What to expect? Songs from their first three albums – Berserker, From Hell With Love and Dark Connection – of course.
February 25, Dublin The Academy
Van Morrison
Van the Man pops up in the intimate surroundings of the Olympia in Dublin in the midst of a shedload of Belfast gigs. New album Moving on Skiffle is out in March.
February 27-28, Dublin 3Olympia Theatre
