Having been nominated for 'Best European Festival' in the UK Festival Awards 2008; Castlepalooza is back and will take place over the course of the August Bank Holiday Weekend (Saturday August 1 & Sunday August 2) in the gorgeous surroundings of Charleville Castle, Tullamore.

The line up is as follows:

Were it not for a stupid knee injury picked up while training for the Marathon (Grade II MCL and Medial Meniscus tear, if you're asking) Key Notes would be going himself.  However, this blog would still recommend that those of you going do your very best to check out the following 5 bands; Dark Room Notes, Le Galaxie, Rarely Seen Above Ground, Angel Pier and The Ambience Affair.

Of course, as with all the best boutique festivals, there is much more than just music going on at Castlepalooza.  This year the festival will also include lots of other entertainment, from the live Rocky Horror Picture show to Crafternoon Tea and dance workshops to the infamous Party Bus.  Castlepalooza also has hot showers and flushing loos which differentiates it from most festivals Key Notes has ever attended.

A limited number of tickets are still available from the Castlepalooza website and from usual outlets.  Also, be sure to check out Anna Murray's reviews of Castlepalooza 2009 over the weekend.

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U2 live in Croke Park, Dublin

Review Snapshot: Well what's more fun than 80,000 people chanting anthems in Ireland's sporting Mecca on a summer's evening? A lot if you read the papers this week. Despite worries about the stage not being fully utilised, the prospect of preaching from "St Bono's Book of Glib", and an album still seeking its place in the wider public's consciousness; it was a blistering performance musically, if a little short. U2 seized the day and won out in the end. 

The Cluas Verdict? 7.5 out of 10

Full Review:

Are U2 the biggest and best band in the world? Are they a corporate entity living on past glory? Or are they an incredible group of perennial live performers who don't know when to quit trying to be relevant and just enjoy the show? The answer is probably a little of each of the above. This reviewer doesn't believe the much written garbage from certain elements of the Irish media who slate the latest offering as useless. No Line on the Horizon is not without its merits and contains a number of tunes that could live comfortably with any of their contemporaries. 

The crowd are predictably various in age. It makes for an interesting atmosphere. There is a large multinational presence with flags from all corners in the crowd. U2 are global, like no other. The first thing that struck this reviewer was the impressive stage structure. The gargantuan orange fingers of the "Claw" jutted out of different points in the crowd.  Unfortunately the second thing that struck me was the empty grey concrete stand of the Hill behind the stage. Despite what others may say, it did take away from the aesthetics and visual impact of the stage structure, especially if you had a pitch vantage. 

Dublin's four most famous living people take to the stage at 8.50. "Breathe" kicks off the night. It's an energetic and curious opener. The song itself is average on the record, but as with U2, live it gets a new lease of life. Plus, Bono's voice is in great nick. The title track from the new record follows. From a personal point of view, this should have been a single from the record. It's in the chorus of "No Line..." that the crowd starts to buzz. Admittedly there isn't very much "singing along", indicating the intentions of the crowd to hear the choice cuts from the U2 songbook. 

"Get on your Boots" while probably not one of the bands strongest hits, gets a boost live. People are jumping. Its meandering guitar riff and thumping rhythm get the capacity crowd going. "Magnificent" is up next and as widely perceived as the highest point on the new record it goes down a storm. It's clear the band are extremely well rehearsed and there are no hitches. Bono's voice comes to the fore and there is a sense of purpose in his voice. "I was born to sing for you" he says and the fans believe it. 

U2 have never been a band to shirk from selling their wares, and have the guts to try new things. Hence the opening four tracks coming from the Luke-warm received (critically) new album. It's sort of ironic that the next track "Beautiful Day" is the song that brought the band back in from the half empty stadiums of the POP tour.

Its infectious melody lifts the spirits of everyone there and it is indeed, beautiful! 

"This song is dedicated to Sinead O Connor", Bono says as the Edge lays the opening wah wah lick of "Mysterious Ways". The entire stadium goes nuts. Taken from the band's richest phase creatively it reminds everyone of why U2 are history makers. 

Bono even serenades a young Chilean fan who asks cheekily where he lives…."It's in Kiliney, speak to the missus, she's very understanding" he says to laughter and cheers. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" begins and falls into "Stand By Me". The atmosphere is beginning to peak. It's an 80,000 plus karaoke session. "Angel of Harlem" with a hint of Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop T'il You Get Enough" continues the mass sing along. "In A Little While", a gem from "All You Cant Leave Behind" rings out. It's a beautiful little tune and it leads into the loudest screams of the night. "The Unforgettable Fire" burns a hole in the night sky. It's a poignant moment for many older members of the crowd. It's impressive stuff. Bono is in full flight. The ramps at the sides of the stage are used to full effect. "City of Blinding Lights" and "Vertigo" follow with a bongo ridden remix of "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight".  

The stadium was electric. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is rung out to the visuals of protests in Iran. The fans go wild. It's a wonderful song and the most popular one of the night so far. Bono ad libs "Rock The Kasbah" through the end of the song which gives it added punch.

And that's when it happened. One hour and twenty minutes in, and Rock Star Bono took a breather for a cigar and a rum and coke while St. Bono emerged. Every charity this side of Rio was sound, checked. A video played showing Burmese democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi who is under house arrest. The cause is admirable, and it's well meaning on U2's part. However getting people to walk around a stage at a rock'n'roll show they paid a lot of money to see, wearing masks is outrageous and crass. It got worse. St Bono wouldn't leave it at that. The "One" organisation got its dues. And then a recorded message from Desmond Tutu (no I didn't think he was in U2 either) followed. It's part of U2's fabric and this reviewer appreciates that, but flogging your charity at people during a rock'n'roll show is crass, inappropriate, and nearly ruined an otherwise impeccable performance. 

"Walk On" and "MLK" followed, and St Bono took a hike. Good riddance.

Rock Star Bono was back. "Where the Streets Have No Name" rejuvenated the deflated crowd. The bass line still sends shivers up and down this reviewer's spine. "One" illuminates the sky and it's a rock n roll love in. All is good and beautiful. 

The band came back on for the encore. An old school mike was lowered to Rock Star Bono. He dragged on it, swung on it and paraded the showmanship and vocals that made him cool back in 1992. Oh and "Ultra Violet" was the tune! For this reviewer, this would have been a fine point to leave off on. "With or Without You" had to be played for the die hard fans though. And respect is due for the purpose and sincerity the band managed to convey during it too. 

However "Moment of Surrender" while certainly one of the highlights of the band's latest offering, was most definitely the pin in the balloon for many. As the stretching vocals reached climax in the chorus, folks began to think about where they were off to for a jar.

Like I said, U2 were never ones to shirk from selling their new wares. Still, the vocals were flaweless and the band sounded tight and very polished. The stage show was immense. U2 continue to be the world leaders in live show performances, but Bono is doing his best to spoil this for the rest of the band with his peddling of personal agendas ahead of doing what he does best.

Kevin Coleman

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Saint Malo is an old walled town on the northern coast of Brittany, hugely popular with tourists looking for sun, sand and spectacular scenery. For three days every summer the ranks of sun-worshipping tourists are swelled by pale Parisian indie kids, here for France's best alternative music festival.

Our regular readers will remember that we featured last summer's La Route du Rock on two occasions - 'before' and 'after'. First, we reported on the festival's financial problems, potentially terminal at the time. Then we were happy to tell how the festival had been saved by a late rush of ticket sales, apparently due to UK-based fans of Sigur Ros making the short hop across the Channel.

La Route du Rock returns for 2009, in its traditional slot of the mid-August French public holiday. It features as main stagers the sort of alternative acts normally cordoned off in the tents of other major festivals.

That said, the festival can boast a headliner who's high in both indie cred and marquee-name attractiveness - our own My Bloody Valentine. G'wan Oirland! Kevin Shields and co. will play on the first night, along with Tortoise, The Horrors, A Place To Bury Strangers, Deerhunter and Mark Kozelek. Plenty of squally shoegazing there.

Saturday's headliners, The Kills, leave us cold. But Peaches will surely be good for a wild time. Also on the bill that night: Camera Obscura, St Vincent and Four Tet.

Sunday night offers the only big French name of the festival - chanteur Dominique A, who you might know from his appearance on 'Hyacinths And Thistles', the 2000 album by Stephin Merritt's side project The 6ths. More to our taste are Grizzly Bear (auteurs of the wonderful 'Veckatimest'), Andrew Bird, Bill Callahan and Telepathe.

Saint Malo is close to Rennes, where there are regular flights to/from Ireland, and the ferry at Roscoff - Irish music fans should consider hitting La Route du Rock for their summer holidays sometime. Your correspondent will be there: bucket-and-spading it on the beach by day, indie-ing out by night. Yahoo!

You can check out full festival details on La Route du Rock's website. How much will it cost? Well, it's €94 for a full three-day pass to the main arena and two smaller venues. But if you just want to stick to the main stage and don't feel the need to see Telepathe or Mark Kozelek, it's €74 just for the main stage.

Now, back to the packing: suncream, snazzy swimming togs... oh, and earplugs - here's 'You Made Me Realise':

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Bruce Springsteen (live in the RDS, Dublin)

Review Snapshot: A rain soaked, recession obsessed city is lit up by the thundering guitar of an American hero. Bruce was in town last weekend for a two night stint at the RDS. Working on a Dream, the latest offering by the Boss has done the business commercially, and there is more than a few stand out tunes to sing along to. Inevitably it's the old favourites, belted out by the show-stopping, jet-flying, limousine-riding E-Street band that folks come to see. And even in the grey & damp confines of the RDS, Bruce lit up the sky for 3 hours 20 minutes.  

The Cluas Verdict? 9 out of 10

Full Review:
I must confess the first time I was fortunate enough to see Bruce Springsteen live was as late as 2005 in the Point. It was the tour supporting the collection of Pete Seeger songs he recorded that year. It was excellent stuff too; pure blue grass with a tint of rock and roll and a collection of flawlessly talented, if varied, musicians. I must have been alone in my personal satisfaction as in the gents, grunting lads of a certain age were growling "Where's Born to Run?", and "I paid for Jungleland, what's this shite?" It was then that it dawned on me. Bruce's albums sell well, even the new releases. But when it comes to Bruce live, people buy tickets, regardless of what album or cover collection he is supporting. It's a sort of religion. It was last year I began to understand this when I saw the E-Street band for the first time.

So, with tickets obtained at the last minute, we went along to "The Boss". As usual, no support act. 8pm on the button, "No Surrender" is played to screams, chants of 'Bruuuuce!' and whistles of appreciation. Straight into "Badlands" and the entire stadium feels like it's moving. As I said before, it's sort of like a religious celebration. The crowd is a mixed bag as to be expected with a FOUR decade spanning career. "Lucky Day", "Outlaw Pete" and "WorkinG on a Dream" follow from the new record. The place is still buzzing. Remarkable, especially considering he is playing some of the "new stuff". But like his live shows, The Boss' new stuff is still pushes the right buttons for many.

A surprising rendition of "Proud Mary" leads into the 9/11 inspired "Waiting on a Sunny Day". Strangely the song takes on a temporary literal meaning in the recession gripped misery that is the modern Irish summer. Bruce then sound checks some famous Dublin spots. Burdocks & O'Donohues were amongst them. Two and a half hours in and "Born to Run" tears strips off the night sky. It's difficult to believe as he bounces around the stage like a teenager that this is a 59 year old man performing.  

The encore as with the show I had attended last year was a frenzied, screaming, dancing manic affair. “Dancing in the Dark”, “Jungleland”, “Glory days” really blew the top off the place and the entire stadium was dancing, jumping and screaming. It was pandemonium.  A surprise cover of “Twist and Shout” meant Bruce and the lads could be subject to a fine for rolling past the council curfew. Never mind Bruce, I’m sure there are many who would be more than willing to chip in and cover whatever fine will be handed out!

Kevin Coleman

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The Decemberists (live in The Vogue Theatre, Vancouver)

Review Snapshot: The Decemberists are an unusual band. They have a knack for integrating theatre into their music in a way that many bands attempt to, but few actually accomplish with the same gusto as the Portland outfit. Far too often this merging of ideas tends to take away from one or the other and more often than not it is the music that suffers. The audience that packed into The Vogue Theatre in downtown Vancouver last night, however, were treated to a feast of over the top storytelling and live music.

The Cluas Verdict? 8.5 out of 10

Full Review:
An anticipative crowd queued outside the arena in the unforgiving Canadian sunshine for a good two hours before being admitted. The Vogue is an intimate venue and perfect for a band as interactive as The Decemberists and was comprised of a ground floor and balcony, both of which were seated. In relation to Irish venues it was only slightly bigger than the Academy, but boasted better sound and easy access to the bar. 

The headline act appeared to attract a fairly motley bunch. A number of people nestled quietly into their chairs with a good book, some casually played Nintendo DS, whilst others sat decked head to toe in Decemberists inspired clothes (the Winter Queen was in attendance, sporting a crown fashioned from leaves) and waited patiently for the show. 

Up first were support act Blind Pilot who played a short set to a surprisingly receptive response. They were proficient players, but none of their songs were out of the ordinary. My cousin commented that it was music you would listen to on a train going somewhere you didn’t really want to go. Comparisons were immediately struck with Damien Rice, though Blind Pilot certainly lacked a Blowers Daughter or Volcano. 

The Decemberists quickly followed and their opening set was comprised of their latest album, The Hazards of Love. The album was done as a story and the tale was re-told live for about an hour, pretty much non stop, with the exception of brief pauses for sips of wine or the changing of tambourines. It did however drag along at times, and just as I was about to borrow a DS from the girl in front of me for a quick game of Pokemon, the set ended and they retreated for an intermission. 

Those who had raced to the front of the stage retreated to their seats and took out the bookmarks. There really is nothing quite like getting a good read of Twilight in while your waiting for your favourite artfully theatrical alternative indie band to resume. The band’s second set contained tracks from earlier albums, including the hits O Valencia and We Both Go Down Together. It was frantic and made all the more enjoyable by lead singer Colin Meloy’s witty crowd banter. 16 Military Wives was arguably the best received song of the night, particularly when Meloy divided the room and assigned each section with singing duties. 

The show finished with an entertaining re-enactment of the founding of Vancouver, which involved band members entering the crowd and standing on drums, pretending to be Native Americans and Norwegian sailors. All in all it was an unforgettable performance by one of the great theatrical acts around today.

Kevin Boyle

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A review of the album 'New Again' by Taking Back Sunday Review Snapshot: 'New Again' is a typically poor album by a terrible North American band. Standard mainstream emo rock ...

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No doubt you’re all giddy with excitement about this weekend’s U2 concerts at Croke Park. Whatever about the quality (or lack thereof) of their new material, you have to admit that the show looks bloody impressive as a live spectacle.

The Biggest Band In The World™ played two nights at the Stade de France in Paris a few weekends ago, before heading down to Nice for a gig near their Riviera base.

They have a chequered relationship, U2 and France. You may remember the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards in Paris, when Bono dismantled the atomic bomber and French president Jacques Chirac by calling him a ‘wanker’. Since then, though, he has settled into a holiday home on the Cote d’Azur and even written (with Simon Carmody!) a song for Johnny Hallyday.

And Bono can now speak French, sort of.

French pop radio station NRJ (pronounced ‘NRG’/‘energy’) has an annual awards ceremony, much like the MTV bashes, which takes place every January in Cannes as a curtain-raiser to the annual MIDEM conference. Cannes is close to chez Bono. In 2005 U2 were busy trying to shift units of ‘How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb’ and tickets for the Vertigo tour.

And so, in what was no doubt a coincidence, at the 2005 ceremony NRJ gave Bono a lifetime achievement gong – and the man himself drove down the road to collect the award in person.

Having accepted the mantelpiece bauble from Naomi Campbell (above right), Bono then pulled out a sheet of paper and began delivering a speech in French (at 4 mins 30 sec of the video below).

What Bono says is that he… well, actually, we’re not going to translate. You can try to figure it out yourself, what with the Leaving Cert French you no doubt still remember perfectly and practice fluently. If you have any witty suggestions, post them below:

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If you get a chance take a look and a listen: Eurasianet, a portal studying Central Asian political and social issues, has posted a great piece of reportage on the state-sanctioned revivial of folk music in Xinjiang province, the majority Turkic-muslim province in the news lately after riots between ethnic Uyghur natives and Han Chinese residents.

Reporter Anne Laure Py did a good job crossing the region to track the revival of the dombra-driven folk songs among local Kazakh and Kyrgyz communities. Ethnically close to the Uyghurs these communities crossed in and out of China and their ethnic homelands to avoid the various raths of Stalin and Mao, neither of whom had much time for cultural diversity or preservation.

It's very interesting to listen to Zhouji, a Han Chinese ethnomusicologist with genuine respect and affection for the songs of these original nomads. A presence right through the multimedia project, he looks the part, with the Gerry Garica-grey goatee and long hair you don't often get on a Chinese academic. There's plenty of characters, and great music in the online series, so take a look.

Dombra tunes are making a comeback in China's muslim west

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In this, the 10th edition of Key Note Speaker, Key Notes' speaks to Anna, Pearse, and Jamie of Charm Offensive, the Kildare based band who take their influences from many bands but who manage to sound distinctly unlike anyone else (including themselves).  Charm Offensive play Upstairs in Whelan's today (July 22) at 8pm.  Declaration of interest: The Anna involved is Anna Murray of CLUAS fame, proving what a multi-talented writing team we've assembled here!

Favourite Songs from the Past Year
Anna
Is it too late to count Portishead’s Threads? Also, Grand Pocket Orchestra’s Little Messy
Pearse 
Dog Days by Florence and the Machine and 22 by Lily Allen
Jamie 
Call It A Ritual, Wolf Parade but I’m not actually sure it was in the last year

Favourite Song Ever
Anna 
No idea. I tend to remember albums not songs
Pearse
Glosoli by Sigur Ros is up there, with some Radiohead, maybe Reckoner, and a lot of Blondie
Jamie 
Everything In It’s Right Place - Radiohead, He Poos Clouds - Final Fantasy, I Want You [She’s So Heavy] - The Beatles but it’ll change by next week

Favourite Charm Offensive Song
Anna 
Sugar Rush, it's very moody, and wild, but very controlled. It's top
Pearse
Futureproof. We haven’t played it live yet, but it should be satisfyingly loud
Jamie 
July’s Child. The most complete thing I think we’ve done

Favourite New Band/Artist
Anna
Sounds of System Breakdown, The Stoney Brokes, Grand Pocket Orchestra
Pearse
I'm loving Florence right now. Are Nirvana new?
Jamie 
Wolf Parade but, again, not really new

Favourite Band/Artist Ever
Anna 
Tujiko Noriko or Final Fantasy
Pearse & Jamie
Radiohead

Favourite Gig This Year
Anna & Jamie 
Final Fantasy in Whelan's
Pearse
Lilly Allen at wherever it was

Favourite Gig Ever
Anna 
Final Fantasy in Whelan's, but two years ago
Pearse
Definitely Arcade Fire on Oct 23rd last year. Blew my socks off
Jamie 
Radiohead in wherever they played in Dublin in 2003

Favourite Charm Offensive Gig Ever
Anna 
Today's!
Pearse
Definitely today's! Best gig ever!
Jamie 
We had a very nice gig at Eamonn Doran's last year, it was the first time we'd played live for a while, so it was great to get back on stage

Favourite Venue
Anna 
I’d love to do a silent gig in Crawdaddy – everything through headphones
Pearse
Well it's always been my dream to play on the roof of the tennis club in Castlebar, maybe some day I can make that happen
Jamie 
Vicar Street

Favourite Piece of Musical/Recording Equipment
Anna 
Macbook, with Logic Pro, Cubase, Soundforge, Soundhack…
Pearse
My lovely pedal, a Boss GT8
Jamie 
A Korg, but only because I’ve never used one and can’t afford one

Download or CD/Cassette/Record
Anna, Pearse & Jamie 
CD

Favourite TV Show at the Moment
Anna 
Bones! And Green Wing
Pearse
Pushing Daises
Jamie 
Rome

Favourite Movie
Anna 
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Pearse
Pan's Labyrinth
Jamie 
Back To The Future I & II

Favourite Book
Anna & Jamie 
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Pearse 
The His Dark Materials trilogy
 

Most Listened to Radio Show
Anna, Pearse & Jamie 
Um....Radio?

What's in Store for Charm Offensive Next
Pearse 
Well we're playing Upstairs at Whelan's this Wednesday at 8pm, with the talented Defex
Anna
Some recording, which should be on our MySpace soon
Jamie 
Wembley, drug shame, triumphant comeback

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The new single from Air (right) is available on the band’s website. ‘Do The Joy’ is the first extract from their new album, ‘Love 2’, which is due for release on 5 October.

There are two long-standing traditions around new Air records: (1) the blather about how the duo are back to their ‘Moon Safari’ level of quality, and (2) the reality that Nicolas Godin and J.B. Dunckel have yet again served up a lazy, diluted version of the classic Air sound – drizzly synths, breathy androgynous vocals, echoing chords. If you endured the horrible ‘Pocket Symphony’ you really don’t need to let yourself in for more of the same, which is what ‘Do The Joy’ is.

But if that doesn’t dissuade you, then head to Air’s official website, where you can help yourself to a free download of ‘Do The Joy’ by signing up for the band’s newsletter. A second single, 'Sing Sang Sung', is slated for release on 24 August.

Forewarned being forearmed, here’s a one-minute extract from 'Do The Joy', which should give you the gist:

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