With a rich lineage of Irish music running through their collective veins, new Irish folk supergroup The High Kings play the Town Hall Theatre on Monday 22 February.

Following their huge success in 2008, Brian Dunphy (son of Sean Dunphy, who was a major star of the showband era in Ireland in the 1960s), Martin Furey (son of the renowned Irish piper and singer, Finbar Furey), Darren Holden and Finbarr Clancy (the son of Bobby Clancy, one of the Clancy Brothers) are hitting the road again, with a vast array of instruments, some new songs and some old favourites.

Playing in an acoustic manner, the four High Kings are showcasing work from their forthcoming album, and from their platinum selling debut album that earned them their reputation as a phenomenal live band serving up laughter, good times and even the odd sing-along.

Beyond their amazing vocal talents, the High Kings are also renowned musicians. Their songs reflect a wide range of moods, from the rousing ‘Rocky Road To Dublin’, to the haunting strains of ‘The Parting Glass’, to the irresistible sing-along cheerfulness of ‘The Wild Rover’. 

The High Kings is a timely venture to reinvigorate and re-energise the songs we all know and love and put them back in the forefront of the Irish experience, at home and abroad.

Doors 8pm and tickets (€25) are available for booking now from the Town Hall box office (091-569777) or at www.tht.ie.

Where the wild beasts roam

Following extensive tours of Australia and the States in the last few months, UK indie sensations Wild Beasts have announced a UK and Irish tour later this year.

Before they hit the summer festival circuit - they’re booked for Primavera in Spain among many others - they play Strange Brew in the Róisín Dubh on Thursday 25 March.

Wild Beasts were founded as a duo in 2002 by Hayden Thorpe (guitar, vocals) and Ben Little (guitar). Originally called Fauve, the group was joined by drummer Chris Talbot in 2004 and changed its name to Wild Beasts. After recording a self-titled EP, Tom Flemming was recruited as Wild Beasts' bassist and the band relocated to Leeds, where its breezy pop sound and Thorpe's theatrical falsetto (both of which were akin to the style of fellow Brit Mika) earned the group a dedicated local following.

Wild Beasts released a number of singles on Bad Sneakers Records (which they signed to in 2006) before signing with Domino Records in 2007. Their debut album, Limbo, Panto, was released in July 2008 in the UK and was followed in 2009 by Two Dancers, again on Domino.

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