Event of the weekGorillazTuesday, March 31st, SSE Arena, Belfast, 6.30pm, £92/£81 (sold out); Wednesday, April 1st, and Thursday, April 2nd, 3Arena, Dublin, 6.30pm, €94.25/€84.25 (sold out), ticketmaster.ie
In 1998 Damon Albarn, Blur’s frontman, and the comic-book artist Jamie Hewlett created the “virtual” band Gorillaz in response to the emergence of manufactured boy bands. “Let’s make a manufactured band,” Albarn recalled saying to Hewlett, “but make it kind of interesting.” Fast-forward to 2026 and that’s exactly what Gorillaz – who since 2010 have toured with fully visible live musicians – have achieved. The band’s recently released ninth studio album, The Mountain, includes wide-ranging collaborations on songs that explore various aspects of grief. Expect some of those at these concerts, as well as tracks from the band’s previous albums, of course. Albarn will be joined on stage by the guitarist Jeff Wooton, the drummer Jaega Mckenna-Gordon and the (Dublin) keyboardist Ruth O’Mahony-Brady.
GigsNils Petter Molvaer GroupFriday, April 3rd, Triskel Arts Centre, Cork, 8pm, €37.50, triskelartscentre.ie
Nils Petter Molvaer
Ever since Khmer, his debut solo album, from 1997, the Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer has sided with the fusionists. Long considered a pioneer of future jazz – jazz blended with funk, electronics, hip-hop beats and improvisation – he continues to map out alternative routes that jazz can take. Molvaer is a rare visitor to Ireland, so his welcome appearance with and his group (Jo Berger Myhre on bass, Erland Dahlen on drums and sampling, and Sven Persson as sound engineer) forms part of Triskel’s international jazz programme.
God Is an AstronautFriday, April 3rd, Academy, Dublin, 7pm, €34.20, ticketmaster.ie; Saturday April 4th, Cyprus Avenue, Cork, 7pm, €25, cyprusavenue.ie
As God Is an Astronaut, the Wicklow-based twins Neils and Torsten Kinsella have been presenting instrumental postrock psychedelic music for almost 25 years. These two shows come at the end of an extensive tour of Europe, several countries of which (including Germany, Poland, Austria and the Netherlands) have shown the brothers far more attention than Ireland. Anyone with a liking for hypnotic melodies, motorik rhythms and cinematic, long-form music should investigate.
All Kinds of EverythingFrom Thursday, April 2nd until Sunday, April 5th, various times, prices and venues, Derry city, allkindsfest.com
Last year the Derry-based electronic-music event Celtronic closed its doors after 25 editions, but the people behind it return, unbowed, with All Kinds of Everything. (The festival title is a cheeky nod to Dana, the Derry singer who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1970 with the song of that name.) The inaugural event aims to celebrate the best new music across many genres, not just nationally and internationally but also locally. Alongside music will be film screenings, studio collaborations and public interviews at venues such as the Nerve Centre, Sandinos, Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin, the Guildhall and the Playhouse. Music acts include Soak, Chalk, Curtisy, God Knows, Piaras Ó Lorcáin, Niamh Regan, Cardinals and The Wran.
MusicalThe Ballad of Johnny & JuneFrom Monday, March 30th until Saturday, April 11th, Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin, 7.30pm, €68.40/€63.40/€52.30, ticketmaster.ie
The Ballad of Johnny & June
As well as reliably charting the love affair and creative relationship between the US country singers Johnny Cash and his wife, June Carter, this jukebox musical also focuses on their dependence on drugs and alcohol. The crucial involvement of their son, John Carter Cash, in the development of the show ensured that his parents’ story would be rooted in truth. “I feel like they’d be happy with this,” Carter Cash told the Los Angeles Times. “It stands alone, and it’s like nothing else that’s ever been done about Johnny and June.” Christopher John Grant and Christina Bianco feature. The Tony Award winner Des McAnuff directs. Also, Tuesday, August 4th until Saturday, August 8th, Grand Opera House, Belfast; goh.co.uk.
StageSingle White FemaleFrom Tuesday, March 31st until Saturday, April 4th, Gaiety Theatre, Dublin, 7.30pm, €49.50/€41.05/€35.45, ticketmaster.ie
Juggling single parenthood with the launch of her tech start-up, Allie (Lisa Faulkner) advertises for a lodger to help ease the financial pressure. The arrival of the initially agreeable Hedy (Kym Marsh) is a bonus until the ostensibly ideal relationship starts to crack. Based on SWF Seeks Same, John Lutz’s 1990 book, and Single White Female, the psychological thriller of a film made of it two years later, this new production updates the original story of friendship, trust and obsession to include the disturbing stalking and trolling aspects of social media. Age guidance is 15+, as the play contains depictions of violence and online bullying, as well as scenes of a sexual nature.
Visual artJackie Nickerson: StatesideFrom Saturday, March 28th until Saturday, May 9th, Highlanes Gallery, Drogheda, Co Louth, highlanes.ie
The work of the conceptual documentary photographer Jackie Nickerson derives from years of research into identity and environment. Previous projects include farm workers in South Africa (Farm, from 2002) and religious communities in Ireland (Faith, from 2006). Nickerson’s latest exhibition is a visual diary of a fractious decade she spent travelling and working across the United States, where she photographed Chicago streets, Utah landscapes, military installations in Hawaii, and suburban homes. With an eye less on specific locations than on recurrent themes, the exhibition explores, Nickerson says, “the functionalism that fuels America’s economy”. An accompanying book is published by Steidl, with texts by Tom Downey and Colm Tóibín.
Still runningWild SwimmingUntil Saturday, April 4th, Bewley’s Cafe Theatre, Dublin, 1pm, €15/€10, bewleyscafetheatre.com
Wild Swimming: Gemma Allan and Síofra Ní Éilí
Time-travelling on/off friends, gender rights, a marine setting, cultural evolvement and several hundred years to put the world to rights form the basis of Marek Horn’s probing play. Fourth walls are shattered with wit and conviction by Gemma Allan and Síofra Ní Éilí, while audience participation with water pistols is encouraged. Alisha Finnerty directs.
Book it this week
International Literature Festival Dublin, May 15th-24th, ilfdublin.com
Shania Twain, Thomond Park, Limerick, July 7th, ticketmaster.ie
Ilana Glazer, Vicar Street, Dublin, July 18th, ticketmaster.ie
Faye Webster, Collins Barracks, Dublin, August 27th, ticketmaster.ie