The Guide: Gemma Hayes, Dr Strangelove, Jess Gillam and other events to see, shows to book and ones to catch before they end

Event of the week

Gemma Hayes

Thursday, February 6th, Mike the Pies, Listowel, Co Kerry, 8pm, €25, mikethepies.com; Friday, February 7th, Source Arts Centre, Thurles, Co Tipperary, 8pm, €28, thesourceartscentre.ie

Late last year Gemma Hayes returned from self-imposed exile (aka child rearing) to release her sixth studio album, Blind Faith, her first full work since Bones + Longing in 2014. As this year gets into the swing of things, there seems to be no holding her back, with nationwide tour dates that continue throughout this month and next. The venues on this tour are possibly the best kind (compact, intimate) for Hayes’s deft, melodic blend of woozy rock and shoegaze pop, although no doubt we will be seeing her on larger stages during the summer; gemmahayes.com has more details.

Gigs

Rock Against Homelessness

Friday, February 7th, 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin, 7pm, €40, ticketmaster.ie

The 10th anniversary of this calendar staple in aid of Focus Ireland is headlined by Damien Dempsey, the socially conscious songwriter, singer and performer. Anyone who has witnessed Dempsey in concert will know he is the man to raise the dust and rarely allow it to settle. The homelessness issue, he says, “has not been fixed. What are the so-called people in power doing about it? Not a lot, as far as I can...
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