If you haven’t caught them since last year’s line-up shuffle, get along and gawp. Zealots play Futurism tomorrow night in Dorans…

www.myspace.com/zealotsmusic

They say recession is a time of baby booms and indeed I’ve noticed a swelling of Distractors…check out their MySpace to see the new name joining the ranks. Yes, restoring the Dubliners’ sound to its original five-piece, welcome Paddy Distractor!

Previously a member of Rabi Junior and merry man of The Brilliant Trees and John Spillane, Paddy Doyle is no stranger to stages. Joining the Distractors’ fold he’ll be filling out on guitar, vocals, keyboards and pure unmitigated energy.

And just in the nick of time too! Fresh from supporting Inner City Pirates last week, Distractors launch their EP this Friday in Academy 2 with support from The Parks and Sleepy Rise, followed by Dublin’s favourite Indie night No Disko afterwards…should be a right corker!

www.myspace.com/thedistractors

www.myspace.com/abamtheband

Deadly illa vid for The Red Labels‘ song Remission from Conor Finnegan who says: “It’s the first music video I’ve made and as I had access to these little mini spy cameras i decided to staple them to the band members’ heads and have them rock out, resulting in a Being John Malcovich/ Peepshow aesthetic”…no pain, no gain, eh?

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/UdmKNskyDtI" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Congratulations to Dean and the boys on winning the King Kong Club final in Pravda on Friday night.

www.myspace.com/theredlabelsire

Last night saw FLApes swoop on Belfast with the first of December’s tour dates and you’re undoubtably aware tomorrow night’s Academy show is utterly sold-out. There won’t be much time for recovery before they’re back on the the UK trail, this time with The Progidy, coming full circle for a massive all-nighter in a different Academy…my old manor Brixton.Then it’s home to gift-wrap and Quality Street until New Year’s Eve when they’ll be in Galway’s Roisin Dubh to herald the advent 2009.

Am I the only one massively excited by the fabulous futuristic-ness of life in 2009? It almost makes me want to travel back in time…”Hi, I’m from 2009…”

No need to miss out on monkey business if you didn’t manage to get a ticket to the sold-out show at The Academy tomorrow…Abbey Street will be Planet of the FLApes as Maykay, Pockets and Tom take over  the decks in NoDisko. Hopefully that means loads of Pavement

Admission to the late-night club is usually €5 but if you fancy getting in on the action, email your name to nodiskorocks[at]gmail[dot]com and you’ll be +1 on the guestlist. But hurry, demand’s been huge and the offer ends at midnight!

www.fightlikeapesmusic.com

This is set to be one of the busiest weekends of the year as everyone realises plans to abstain and save in November are well and truly pointless…

Brian Cullens’ Love Bullets are ready to bite with a brand-new EP titled Bring Out Your Dead launching at The Oak under Thomas Reads tonight. Gwan, but don’t mention his mother…

Tonight Future Kings of Spain roll into Cork in Green Spheres for a FREE show at the Pavilion with those new romantics Land Lovers. It’s been a mad ride for LL since the release of Romance, Romance in September and with gig offers like this one rolling in, expect to see and hear a lot more….

The Guggenheim Grotto play Galway’s Crane Bar for a tenner.

On the flip side of the (very expensive) coin, fabulous FRED play the Lee Valley Hotel tonight for €18.

Tonight Mercury-nommed Fionn Regan plays the Roisin Dubh in Galway where Anna Blasterbra will warm the crowd with an acoustic performance. He continues on to The Pavilion in Cork and on to Dolans’ Upstairs in Limerick on Sunday 23 November.

The Blizzards drop into Cyprus Avenue with support from Prenuptomorrow before they head to Dolans…downstairs, I’d say, on Sunday.

Truly amazing gig you really, really should be seen at tonight is definitely Ballroom of Romance who pair Melodica Deathship and Northstation as support to Dalek/Destruction Swarmbots in ALT. It’s just going to be a gorgeous blur of noisy brilliance. Don’t argue with me.

Bob Log III plays the Pine Lodge tomorrow and he’s described by U:Mack as “A one man band in a tight blue jump suit, masked in a black visored crash helmet with a telephone wired in as a microphone… Bob Log III should be a punk blues stadium super star. Distorted vocals, hardcore Mississippi Delta blues, hip hop beats and punk rock attitude.”…
I know, he’s from Arizona. But you’d never forgive me if I let him slide by unnoticed…

And So I Watch You From Afar.
Tonight: Stress!!, DeBurgos, Galway.
Tomorrow, Livewire, The Whiskey.
Sunday, Club AC30, Whelans.
Go, go and never come back….

Blind Pilots release The Toys Have Gone Beserk their EP debut, tonight in the Spirit Store, Dundalk. Support from their mates Take The Money and Run…some mates, eh?

Hoarsebox are in Wheland tonight. They want everyone to know their music can be downloaded free. However they don’t actually tell you where.

The Urges hope for better fortune support Australians The Kits tomorrow in Eamonn Dorans. Last week’s slot with Jay Reatard was cancelled when the retarded one missed his flight to Dub. Duhh…

Biggest gig for many will definitely be The Jimmy Cake in Vicar Street tonight with Chequerboard and Adebisi Shank (who then depart our shores for Denmark to hook up with the bloody incredible Marvins Revolt next week).

And finally, the Halves wagon rolls home with Conor (The Immediate) O’Brien’s new musical project Villagers as the lads wrap up their first Irish tour in the home for halves known as Whelans….

All-in-all a sorta OHR-heaven, except OHR ain’t going anywhere tonight. See you Sunday for ASIWYFAAAAAAAAAAAAAArgh

www.myspace.com/andsoiwatchyoufromafar

This time there’s a silent disco to accompany the bands which seems to be a very popula movement here at the moment. Red Kid, Penfold DM, The Hot Sprockets, Bill Coleman, Lisa McLaughlin and Phil Kerrigan all pledge their lyrical support to raise €40,000 for a parents’ room at Crumlin Hospital – click to see the plans-  in the name of Sophie Andreucetti, a young girl who suffers hypopituitarism, epilepsy and blindness. The benefit was first set up by her father Simon last year to buy Christmas presents for sick children and you can read more about it here.

www.myspace.com/sophieschoiceevents

www.myspace.com/dinosaurpetshop
www.myspace.com/percolators 
www.myspace.com/metroclubwaterford

LOL has anyone else noticed this MySpace ad? Tickles me pink, so it does!