For information contact; Conference & Banqueting T: 01 6073900 E: info@ocallaghanhotels.com Subject to availability. Conditions apply. Celebrity DJ Papillon @ The OCallaghan Alexander Hotel Halleluia Gospel Choir @ The OCallaghan Davenport Hotel Traditional Christmas @ The OCallaghan Mont Clare Hotel www.ocallaghanhotels.com This Christmas theres a party for everyone at OCallaghan Hotels goat CLUBS Umek / Motor City Drum Ensemble / Sinden Umek (pictured) has taken a circuitous route to reach TriPod tonight, stopping off at a number of major festivals on the way from his native Slovenia. One of the few eastern European DJs to make it into the international league, Umek came to prominence at the end of the 1990s with hard hitting techno and electro releases including the timeless Gatex and the acclaimed, eerie Zeta Reticula series for a variety of labels. In recent years, his music has moved into a more mainstream sound, touching on electro house and minimal influences. Despite this, there is no doubt that Umeks new material for his 1605 label packs a punch. Support comes from Phil Kieran, riding high on the acclaim for his latest album, Shhh. Tonight, 515, TriPod, Harcourt Street D2, 11pm, 17 . Motor City Drum Ensemble sounds like it could be an obscure 1970s funk band, but its really the stage name for German producer Danilo Plessow. Although his first release under this guise was in 2007, Plessow has quickly risen through house musics ranks, thanks to a series of Raw Cuts records for Compost and his own MCDE imprint and acclaimed remixes for labels like 20/20 Vision, Rebirth and Mule Musiq. Favouring a raw, soulful production approach, Plessows sound is a welcome anomaly to the bland, one-dimensional records being sold as deep house these days. Dont miss this opportunity to check out one of house musics most promising new producers. Tonight, Hype, PoD, Harcourt Street D2, 11pm, 12. While the term urban is inextricably linked to bling-fuelled excess in the US, it takes on a different meaning on the other side of the Atlantic. The UKs music scene is unique in that it boasts a number of variants on urban; at one end of the scale theres the dislocated bluesy dubstep of Burial, and at the opposite end, theres Sinden. With roots in the fidget house sound which his close friend, sometime collaborator and Major Lazer producer Dave Taylor pioneered Graeme Sinden has taken a kitchen sink approach to production, combining electro, hip- hop, funk and even world influences to create a colourful, utterly contemporary sound. Its no surprise that he has released on labels like Made To Play and Atlantic Jaxx, or that he has brought his freestyle sound to remixes for Bonde Do Role and Elektrons. Tonight, Mud, Twisted Pepper, Middle Abbey Street D1, 11pm, 8 to 12. THEATRE REVIEW Johnny Patterson: The Singing Irish Clown GIG Muse Dublin Tattoo Convention 2009 Tattoos, piercings, trade, live music and for anyone in need of Dutch courage before taking the plunge a full bar. Strictly over 18s Until Sun, Ballsbridge Inn, Pembroke Rd D4 (tonight 6 til late, tomorrow & Sun noon til late), free. www. dublintattooconvention.com Harry Clarke lecture Dr Nicola Gordon Bowe gives a talk on the renowned Irish stained glass window artist and book illustrator Tomorrow, National Museum Of Ireland, Collins Barracks, Benburb Street D7, noon, free. Tel: (01) 677 7444. www. museum.ie Inaugural Pavilion Cabaret Quiz Cabaret stars including Karen Egan and Susannah De Wrixon take part in this table quiz with a twist in aid of Outback, Pavilions Outreach programme Tomorrow, Pavilion Theatre, Marine Road, Dn Laoghaire, 7.30pm (80 per table of four including bottle of wine). Tel: (01) 231 2929. www.paviliontheatre.ie Mick Flannery The Cork troubadour was once a stonemason so that might explain the gravelly voice. Check out his winning guitar numbers Tomorrow, Vicar Street, 58-59 Thomas Street D8, 8pm, 17.50. Tel: 0818 719 300. www.vicarstreet.ie Paul Durcan The popular Dublin poet (pictured) reads from his collected poems Life Is A Dream, which brings together over 40 years of work Sun, Pavilion Theatre, Marine Road, Dn Laoghaire, 7.30pm, 15. Tel: (01) 231 2929. www.pavilion theatre.ie AND ANOTHER THING... Muse are rocknrolls answer to a Roland Emmerich movie: full of sound, fury, explosions and eye-popping special effects. Whether it all adds up to anything of substance depends on whether you think a band should aim to be completely over the top and ridiculous at all times. If thats the case, then the Devon three-piece are happy to oblige. On their last visit to Ireland, they brought with them a stage show straight out of 2001: A Space Odyssey it featured huge, animatronic radar dishes and a light display so bright you could probably see it from the moons of Saturn. This time there is a very real possibility Matt Bellamy and company will be even more bombastic. Far from marking a reigning in of their impulses, new album The Resistance is actually the most preposterous thing theyve yet committed to tape exactly as you would expect of a record the closing third of which is given over to a three-part, 25 minute orchestral suite entitled, with complete seriousness, Exogenesis: Symphony (Parts IIII). Sensitive souls might want to give it a miss. For everyone else, however, this could be one of the live music spectacles of the year. Just be sure to leave your sense of irony in the cloak- room. Eamon De Paor Tonight, The O2, East Link Bridge D1 6.30pm, 54.80 to 59.80 (returns only). Tel: 0818 719 391. www.muse.mu Friday, November 6, 2009 metrolife 15 Kurdish 17-year-old Bilal (newcomer Firat Ayverdi) has hitchhiked thousands of miles from Iraq, determined to meet his beloved in London only to get stuck at Calais. When he realises he cant smuggle himself across the Channel, he decides to swim it, enlisting the reluctant help of a hangdog swimming coach (Vincent Lindon). Occasional lapses into melodrama are balanced by authentic performances and eye- opening real-life details: in one nail- biting scene illegal immigrants risk death by placing plastic bags over their heads to fool the border guards who insert probes inside trucks to measure CO2 omissions. LI-Z Welcome (15A) Running time: 109min He may be a relatively minor figure in Irelands rich and varied cultural history but the life of 19th century entertainer Johnny Patterson is deservedly fted in this delightfully colourful biopic from Barabbas. Patterson was born in Clare in 1840 and at 14 enlisted in the Limerick- based 63rd Regiment Of Foot where his military prowess left a lot to be desired. When a travelling circus arrived in town, he got a part- time job in the band, paid his way out of the army and enjoyed success on both sides of the Atlantic as a clown and misty-eyed ballader. Pattersons life was, however, not without tragedy. His daughter would be trampled to death by an elephant and Patterson himself would come a cropper in 1889 following an ill- advised call for pacificism during one fateful performance in Tralee he sang a number encouraging Protestants and Catholics to live together in harmony, for which he was unceremoniously attacked with a metal bar. This production neatly marries traditional story-telling with surreal flourishes and wisely avoids hagiography. Little John Nee, who wrote the lively and poetic script, plays Patterson wonderfully, giving this all-but- forgotten figure real depth, personality and a roguish charm. Hes got excellent support from a silent Bryan Burroughs, whose roles include wife, Native American, vulture and most memorably an imaginatively realised elephant. Roger Gregg supplies the quirky sound effects and Raymond Keane directs with pizzazz. A small triumph. Daragh Reddin Until Nov 14, Project Arts Centre, 39 East Essex Street D2, 8pm, 16 to 22. Tel: (01) 881 9613/4. www.projectartscentre.ie FIVE QUESTIONS FOR... British artist David Shrigley, who is giving a public talk tomorrow at the Offset creative conference Youre a special guest speaker on Saturday what will be your main talking point? Just the stuff Im into, graphically, artistically. My work in context. I dont call myself a creative though. I think its slightly naff corporate speak Im a fine artist, in terms of whats written on my tax return. You contributed cartoons for The Guardian every Saturday from 2005 until January 2009. Did you ever get the artists equivalent of writers block? Not really. Im struggling today though. A few weeks ago I started doing a periodical political cartoon for The New Statesman and its quite hard when they give you the brief at 2pm and expect you to have it done by 5pm. But its a nice challenge. Youve been prolific since leaving college: the cartoons, exhibitions, books, album cover art. But have you ever had any phases of self-doubt or crappy jobs just to get by? I had about five years of crappy jobs. Self-doubt, well... you cant ever escape from that, but I had five years of hanging other peoples exhibitions and doing peculiar odd jobs here and there, such as a film extra, doing DIY for people Ive laid hard wood floors. But I think my only ambition in life was to avoid having a proper job I gave up work in 1996, so thats my biggest achievement. Youve directed a few music videos (Blurs Good Song and Bonnie Prince Billys Agnes Queen Of Sorrow). Any more in the offing? Probably not, I dont really like working with record companies. Directing a pop video isnt as much fun as youd think, because if the record company is a pain in the arse, chances are the band are gonna be too and you dont get paid very much. So I dont think Ill be doing too many more, unless its for bands that I really, really like. The Turner Prize. Rate or slate? The debate that surrounds it is exactly the same every year, and illustrates the fact that contemporary art provokes very reactionary, usually quite ill-informed and unfair responses from people who dont even think about contemporary art for the rest of the year and then suddenly feel that they can comment. A lot of the time they havent even seen the artworks in question or dont like contemporary art anyway. Its quite a tedious debate but this year I think Richard Wright should win because hes a very good artist. I like what he does. Lucy White Offset starts today until Sun, and boasts the crme de la crme of international and homegrown art and design talent. For more info, log on to www.iloveoffset.com index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html