Cruises Street will be the location for the Limerick Live festival happening on Saturday October 2. Presented by HMV and Dolans with Limerick City Council and Live95fm in partnership, the one day festival is an ambitious undertaking with two stages erected on the street providing a platform for the best of Limerick and Irish music, comedy and drama with special guests.
Limerick Live will happen on two stages from midday to 5pm, the main stage, in the middle of Cruises Street, will have music from The High Kings, Fight Like Apes, John Spillane, O Emperor, We Should Be Dead, and Supermodel Twins. The second stage will focus on Limerick’s varied array of talent in the company of Bottom Dog Theatre Company, CentreSpace Studios, Art in Motion Dance Performance Company and Windings.
Kevin Reade of HMV explained that “Limerick Live was created to promote Limerick City providing a quality event that not only appeals to everyone but is a;so a free entertainment spectacle for the city.” Having gained experience running an event on the street with the band ‘Heathers’ during the summer, HMV manager, Chris Keena and his team, Kevin Reade, Eadáoin O’Neill and Declan Fury were more than enthusiastic to go ahead with the festival and when they contacted Dolans, the venue “were 110% behind the idea” and the line-up quickly came together. Now with the co-operation of The City Council and the Gardai, the logistics are in place for this ambitious undertaking.
Limerick Live will host HMV’s chosen charity, The Marie Keating Foundation on the day with an information centre to educate people on the importance of a healthy lifestyle in the fight against cancer. Other businesses on the street will also be setting out their stalls and The Boherbuy Brass Band, All-Ireland Championship winners will be playing a selection of favorites to add to the festivities.
Later on Saturday night the action will move down to Dolans Bar and Warehouse. They will host an all areas gig with Fight Like Apes, We Should be Dead, Supermodel Twins with guest DJs playing everything from swing to hip hop running to the early hours.
Fight Like Apes
The Dublin 4-piece formed in 2006 have played with The Prodigy and The Ting Tings have been nominated for five Meteor Music Awards and a Choice music award for their first album. Their quirky brand of indie-pop and lead singer, MayKay’s diamond hard tunes with pitch black rhymes and ridicule has seen the FLApes featued in NME’s ‘New bands you must see’ list. Their new album ‘The body of Christ and the legs of Tina Turner’ has just been released.
The High Kings
The High Kings are riding the crest of a wave at the moment, their new album, ‘Memory Lane’ has gone platinum and their phenomenal live shows have brought folk music back centre stage with sold-out shows bringing old favorites like ‘Step it out Mary’, ‘Fields of Athenry’ and ‘Leaving of Liverpool’ back to the masses.
John Spillane
A native of Cork, the county he lovingly describes as “the centre of the universe”, John Spillane is one of a kind, his unique sean-nos singing style and his warm, captivating live performances have endeared him to young and old alike. A second volume of his successful album ‘Songs we learned at school’ has been released. The roguish brand of humour that brought you songs like ‘The Dunnes Stores Girl’ and ‘Johnny Don’t Go To Ballincollig’ will no doubt delight the Limerick crowd.
