John Gibbons (The Academy, Dublin, April 1)
Thankfully, not a 3-hour warning lecture by the environmental commentator of the same name, but rather a good old club night courtesy of one of Ireland’s leading DJs. Gibbons – best known for his Would I Lie To You and P.Y.T. singles and recent work with LYRA is back in town for a brace of shows at the Academy.
Macklemore (3Arena, Dublin, April 3-4)
US rapper Benjamin Hammond Haggerty – aka Macklemore – pops up for two shows in support of latest album Ben. No Ryan Lewis, just Macklemore. That’s all. But, more than enough for a crackin’ night’s entertainment.
Razorlight (The Telegraph Building, Belfast, April 4; 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin, April 5)
Razorlight are back! Not a sentence likely to excite too many. They may have a naff name and nothing new to promote (other than a Best of… collection), but they’re back with their classic line-up of Johnny Borrell, Bjorn Agren, Carl Delemo and Andy Burrows – which suggests they’ll stick, mainly, to songs from their best two (only decent) albums Up All Night (2004) and Razorlight (2006).
Mimi Webb (Ulster Hall, Belfast, April 6; 3Olympia Theatre, April 7-8)
The Before I Go, Red Flags and Good Without singer brings her Amelia tour to Belfast and Dublin this month…with a third chance to catch her later in the year, when she rolls into Cork for a Live at the Marquee show on June 16.
Two Door Cinema Club (The Telegraph Building, Belfast, April 11-13; Iveagh Gardens, Dublin in July)
If you want to see these Northern indie darlings in the near future, hit the road to Belfast pronto, where a 3-night stand is pending. If that doesn’t suit the schedule, the Bangor trio are due in Dublin in July for a gig in the Iveagh Gardens. Fifth album Keep on Smiling came out last year.
Paramore (3Arena, Dublin, April 13)
Punk-pop emo heavyweights Paramore are currently touting their latest album This Is Why … and they’ll be touting it here in the 3Arena on April 13.
Gaz Coombes (The Academy, Dublin, April 14; Limelight 2, Belfast, April 15)
The English singer is in the country to promote his 4th solo album Turn The Car Around and has not ruled out further work with his main band, the mighty Supergrass – so this could be an appetite whetter for even greater nights to come. But, this will be good in its own right!
Peter Doherty (Limelight 2, Belfast, April 13; Opium, Dublin, April 14; Cyprus Avenue, Cork, April 15)
It wasn’t all that long ago that The Libertines were playing prime slots at Glastonbury and selling out venues like the 3Arena. Now, mainman – and cultural voice of a generation or annoying Camden-set wastrel, depending on your taste – Pete (now, Peter) Doherty is playing the likes of Opium and Cyprus Avenue. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
Sam Smith (3Arena, Dublin, April 15)
The big one for April – and arguably the biggest gig for Ireland so far this year (along with George Ezra and Lizzo, perhaps) – sees Sam Smith hit the 3Arena midway through the month in support of their new album Gloria. Gig of the month is written all over this one.
Badly Drawn Boy (National Stadium, Dublin, April 20)
A more than welcome return for the lesser-spotted Damon Gough – aka the mighty Badly Drawn Boy. Known chiefly for his massive early noughties albums The Hour of Bewilderbeast and the soundtrack album to the Hugh Grant flick About a Boy, he released his first album in 10 years – Banana Skin Shoes – in 2020.
André Rieu (3Arena, Dublin, April 21)
The mullet from Maastricht is back again with his naff Hooked on Classics schtick. We’ve already covered this on Travel2Ireland, so we might just move on.
Roisin O (Dolan’s Warehouse, Limerick, April 21; Whelan’s, Dublin, April 22)
The singer-songwriter has a clutch of gigs coming up. She plays Limerick and Dublin this month, but if you can’t make them you can catch her in Wexford (Crown Live) on May 21.
The Oozes (Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast, April 27; The Academy 2, Dublin, April 28)
London/Manchester queer-punk combo The Oozes stop off for two shows in Belfast and Dublin. Looking like a mish-mash of Jellyfish, The New York Dolls and KISS, this could be the perfect pick-me-up should you have been dragged to André Rieu a few days prior.
Rare Americans (The Academy, Dublin, April 30)
These prolific Canadian punks/alt.rockers, from Vancouver, have quietly been creating waves (if that’s possible) since 2018 – with, already, more than 30 singles and 5 albums amassed in that time. They visit Irish shores at the end of the month.