This week we've been moving the Beat 102-103 websites to a new server and unfortunately, all the podcasts have disappeared in the process!! I have copies of them all so at the very worst, I'll upload them again. Anyway, none of the audio links are working at the moment, but hopefully we'll get it sorted soon.

Apologies to those who're dying for an Irish Beats fix ...

A lazy Sunday evening. Some shoegazing, some rocking and just a little bit of rolling ....

6-7PM
01. Cloudseekers - Auatamata feat Cathy Davey
02. The Bodies Start to Move - Joe Chester feat Gemma Hayes
03. Back to Back - Cars in Walls
04. God and the Girl - Carly Sings
05. At the Sea - Pugwash
06. All the Things That She Made Me - Caruso
07. I Am the Room - Floyd Soul & The Wolf
08. Binary Love - Hybrasil
09. Country Bumpkin - Wallis Bird
10. Pony - Dirty Epics
11. Go On My Son - Gorbachov
12. Kaleidoscope - David Geraghty
13. The Comedy is Over - A House
14. The Honeymoon is Over - Whipping Boy

7-8PM
01. Skyscraper - Fred
02. 16 - The Flaws
03. Numb - U2
04. Never Talk - Ham Sandwich
05. Sunday - Ain
06. The Wine She Drinks - Exit Pursued By a Bear
07. Postcard - Dae Kim
08. Cradle Burns - Rollerskate Skinny
09. I Can See It (But I Can't Feel It) - My Bloody Valentine
10. Don't Forget - Gemma Hayes
11. Hollywood - Gary Dunne
12. Cartwheels - Reindeer Section
13. I'll See Your Heart and Raise You Mine - Bell X1

Munster win in Cardiff and Rob celebrates by playing heaps of winning tunes! Cars in Walls were the guests tonight - with an amazing 'acoustic' setup! Also, Rob lambasted a bunch of students requesting Ronan Keating. Students!!!! What the hell is going on???? As a student it is your solemn duty to seek out and listen to the newest, most bizarre and crazy sounds around - not feckin' Ronan Keating!!!! What is the youth of this country coming to???? Rant over ... playlist below ....

6-7PM
01. I Was a Man - Jape
02. People Walk Away - Robotnik
03. Hey You - Jaded Sun
04. Steve Austin - Acrojunk
05. Hurry or the Wind Will Catch Us - Kill Krinkle Klub
06. This is For My Love - John Haggis
07. Pony Tears - David Turpin
08. After All - The Frank & Walters
09. Breaking Away - Joe Echo
10. Imagination - Armoured Bear
11. Odd Socks - Grand Pocket Orchestra
12. Early Bird - The Frames
13. Borrowed Time - Giveamanakick
14. Hay Rap - The Saw Doctors

7-8PM
01. I Like Music - Republic of Loose
02. Back to Back - Cars in Walls
** Interview with Cars in Walls **
03. Teacup - Cars in Walls
** Interview with Cars in Walls **
04. Answer Back - Cars in Walls **LIVE**
05. Empire is a Cave - Ilya K
06. Never Talk - Ham Sandwich
07. God and the Girl - Carly Sings
08. Skyscrapers - Fred
09. Wake Up - The Infomatics
10. Irelande Douze Points - Dustin the Turkey

Well, I'm very surprised that Dustin didn't make it through the Eurovision semi-final last night. I didn't actually see the competition as I was at the cinema. However, I've watched a few of the entries that will progress to the final - FINLAND?!!! Seriously!!! Have you watched it? It's like that joke band at the end of School of Rock, who take themselves waaaayyyy too seriously.

Hard luck Dustin. I guess everyone else is wrong but us. As Dustin said himself:

"I'm very disappointed, not for me but more for Europe itself, which has yet again lost a real opportunity to have a truly inspirational leader - a leader of all of Europe, from France to Serbia, Finland to Canada."

Grand Pocket Orchestra released a great little ditty, Odd Socks, a few months back. As I was wasting some time on YouTube this afternoon when I was supposed to be working, I came across the whimsical video they produced for it. What fun!

Those cheeky gossip merchants Popbitch have put together an Unofficial Guide to Eurovision that covers some of the more bizarre sides of the competition. For example, Dana International being shielded by a Mossad agent who thought her falling over was an assassination attempt. Or what about the full story behind Germany's "Ich Bin Ein Horny Spaceman." It's all in there ...

... it's even presented as a nice Flash magazine-style website. Very shiny!

To get ourselves in the Eurovision humour, here's Dustin interviewed on Sky News shortly before he was selected as the Irish entry. GO ON YA GOOD THING!

Fred (the band) describe their latest single 'Skyscrapers' as "so good it will rub your feet, drive you to the beach and then take you out to Wagamama's for dinner." They may not deliver on the dinner part, but the music is good .... damn good! Right-on ....

Download MP3 (19.4 MB)

Steveamanakick + Giveamanakeith = Giveamanakick. The dynamic duo were in studio with Rob to discuss their new album 'Welcome to the Cusp.' We also learned that Jake Gyllenhaal and Meryl Streep will play them in the Hollywood movie of their lives (should one be made).

Download MP3 (18.1 MB)

A collection of audio bits and bobs from the Murphy's Live final which took place in Cork's Savoy Theatre on Thursday 15th May. Includes contributions from Angela Dorgan (FMC), Stuart Clarke (Hotpress), Paddy McPoland (General Legend) and of course, the bands themselves - The Bravado and winners Gorbachov.

Download MP3 (11.9 MB)

Fred in studio - the band, not the basset hound! Other than that, lots of great new tunes. Sure read on and see for yourself ...

6-7PM
01. Rat Trap - Dustin the Turkey feat Bob Geldof
02. Cloudseekers - Autamata feat Cathy Davey
03. Ghost for You - Doug Sheridan
04. God and the Girl - Carly Sings
05. O My Love! O My God! - The Dead Flags
06. I Am The Room - Floyd Soul & the Wolf
07. Skyscraper - Fred
** Interview with Fred **
08. Damn You Hollywood - Fred
** Interview with Fred **
09. The Lights - Fred **LIVE**
10. Four Chords & the Truth - Fred

7-8PM
01. I Like Music - Republic of Loose
02. Never Talk - Ham Sandwich
03. We Bleed the Blood of Androids - Le Galaxie
04. Radio - Katie Kim
05. Gone to Sea - New Amusement
06. Mr. Kill - Cathy Davey
07. Go On My Son - Gorbachov
08. Slowly Fizzy - Juno Falls
09. Medal - Halves
10. Take Me Away - Pugwash
11. Rolling Dice - Neil White
12. No One Knows - The Divine Comedy
13. Irelande Douze Points - Dustin the Turkey

Celebrations all round as Gorbachov are crowned winners of Murphy's Live champions of 2008. Tonight we had coverage of Gorbachov's win, as well as having the musical powerhouse that is Giveamanakick live in studio! If that's not enough, we also had new music from Carly Sings, Ham Sandwich and Halves! It couldn't be more action-packed if I was Bruce Willis and wearing a dirty vest ...

6-7PM
01. Binary Love - Hybrasil
02. Don't Forget - Gemma Hayes
03. I Was a Man - Jape
04. Do It Again - Gorbachov
05. Houndstooth Shirt - Ian Whitty
06. Sing Song Sung - La Rocca
07. Any Other Way - The Bravado
** Murphy's Live Coverage **
08. Go On My Son - Gorbachov
09. Tuesday - Mark Geary
10. God and the Girl - Carly Sings
11. Never Talk - Ham Sandwich

7-8PM
01. After All That's Happened - Niall Colfer
02. Imagaination - Armoured Bear
03. Michael Grady Went to Mexico - Robotnik
04. Trickster - Juliet Turner
05. Country Bumpkin - Wallis Bird
06. Patricia the Stripper - Dustin the Turkey & Chris de Burgh
07. Borrowed Time - Giveamanakick
** Interview with Giveamanakick **
08. The Day I Forgot My Mantra - Giveamanakick
** Interview with Giveamanakick **
09. Hatch 77 - Giveamanakick *LIVE*
10. Serotonin - Simple Kid

After a stunning live set at The Savoy in Cork last night, Waterford's Gorbachov were crowned 2008 winners of the Murphy's Live music award, following the success of Ilya K in the same competition last year. As we've said before....Waterford rocks !

The lads are headlining a celebratory gig at Electric Avenue this Friday 23 May with support from Derry's finest hard rockers Fighting With Wire and the always brilliant Deaf Animal Orchestra. The Friday Club's Rob Carey will be playing all that's cool, new and alternative before and after the live action. Admission is free before 9pm and €10 after.

Oft described as reckless, irresponsible and brilliant, Gorbachov are a five-piece guitar rock outfit from Waterford. The band have been together for four years, performing across Ireland and the UK, supporting bands such as The Frames and The Blizzards. They have spent the last year in Liverpool putting their debut album together, following on from the acclaim that has greeted their increasingly catchy singles, including "Mr. Fahrenheit" which has been featured extensively on XFM in the UK and "Go On My Son" which is included on the CD given away with this month's Hot Press magazine. Gorbachov have been described as a cross between Queens Of The Stone Age and Talking Heads and are buzzing about winning the Murphy's Live.

"Man Vs Monster" the debut album from Derry trio Fighting With Wire is 45 minutes of razor sharp riffs colliding full force with huge melodies. Recommended for fans of Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters, Husker Du and Biffy Clyro the band emerged from the ever creative Northern Ireland music scene in 2003. An idealistic bunch, they've since done what rock bands are meant to do: they wrote a bunch of killer songs, and took to the road. The last three years has seen them play shows with the likes of Reuben, Biffy Clyro, Million Dead, Seafood, YCNI:M and Future Of The Left, racking up hundreds of miles and honing their live show into a ferocious explosion in the process. Hard Rock bible Kerrang said "as debuts go this is an absolute corker, Fighting With Wire sound like they're already headlining stadiums" !

The Deaf Animal Orchestra have been playing together since early '06 and are fast gathering a reputation as one of the country's most promising new acts. Alan Jacques of Limerick's Live 95FM has boldly declared them "the best new band in Ireland!". The band are already on their third record release. Recent single, 'Falling Asleep/Morning Running' is currently doing the business for them and previous single, 'All Together Now/The Madman' received airplay all over the country and received Jackie Hayden of Hotpress' 'Pick of the Fortnight' award (something any Irish band worth their salt should pick up along the way!)

See you down the front.

Yesterday saw the publishing of the latest round of quarterly Joint National Listenership Research (JNLR) figures. I'm delighted to report that Irish Beats went up from an average listenership of 11,000 people to 12,000! To the extra 1000 who've joined us in the last three months - welcome to the supercoolhappyfuntime club!!!

I won't get the detailed breakdown on the figures until later, but I'm dead chuffed with this. When I took over the show in September '06, the average figures were 9,000 for Saturdays show and 7,000 for Sundays. Since taking over, we seen steady increases each round of JNLR figures - we've almost doubled figures for Sundays!

I think there are a number of factors out there for this:

1. The quality of the music being produced by Irish acts is way above average. One of the hardest part of the job is deciding which tracks to leave out! Last night, I spoke with Roddy Cleere from WLR who's being doing an Irish show for 20 years. He talked about how years ago, you'd be hard pressed to get an hour together of new Irish music together. I do 4 hours a week - but could easily double that!

2. The lads at Beat are very supportive of the show. Most Irish shows are relegated to graveyard shifts and receive very little promotion. They're often seen as an annoyance by station managers - a requirement from the Broadcasting Commision. However, Leigh and Gabrielle at Beat have always been great champions of Irish Beats, give great feedback, help out with guests and allow me go off on flights of fancy. This kind of support is vital to growing the show.

3. Finally, there's the listeners. People know good music when they hear it and respond in kind.

So thanks to everyone for listening and I look forward to playing you more great homegrown music over the next while. Now, I shall celebrate this result with another cup of coffee. No expense spared here for merrymaking ...

There was much celebration in Cork's Savoy Theatre last night when Waterford's Gorbachov were announced as winner's of this year's Murphy's Live competition. With a blistering performance, they narrowly pipped Dublin's The Bravado at the post to walk away with €10,000 prize.

I recorded heaps of audio down in Cork last night which I'll edit together into a piece for Saturday's show.

Now, it was quite late when I got back to Waterford last night and it's relatively early now, so I'm off for a cuppa ....

So the final of 2008's Murphy's Live competition is being held tonight in The Savoy in Cork. Naturally, I'll be heading down to hear The Bravado and Waterford's Gorbachov slug it out. UK chart-toppers The Enemy are headlining, although my interest mainly lies with the two acts in competition. I also look forward to sampling some of Murphy's hospitality!

If you have a few minutes to spend arsing around on the internet, it's well worth you taking a trip over to the Murphy's Live website. They have MP3s of all the bands who made it through to the heats this year as well as pearls of wisdom from various industry professionals. If you're stuck in an office on a gloriously hot day, there's worse ways to waste some time ....

Rob spoke with Stephen from Murphy's Live finalists The Bravado about the band.

Download MP3 (3.8 MB)

The man with the houndstooth shirt himself, Ian Whitty was in studio to talk about playing in America, the scene in Cork and the release of his anticipated album.

Download MP3 (23.5 MB)

May 2008: The man with the houndstooth shirt himself, Ian Whitty was in studio to talk about playing in America, the scene in Cork and the release of his anticipated album.

Download MP3 (23.5 MB)

For one who used to be Ms. Ubiquity, playing and singing with virtually every performer in Ireland (including a certain D Rice), Lisa Hannigan has been very quiet as of late. Well, I guess that's because she's been working away on her solo material which she's about to unleash on the Irish public. She's announced a slew of live dates up and down the country, taking in every highroad and byroad in Ireland.

• Cyprus Avenue, Cork (June 6)
• Amphitheatre, Baltimore (June 7)
• Sirius Arts Centre, Cobh (June 8)
• DeBarra's, Clonakility (June 10)
• Siamsa Tire, Tralee (June 13)
• Sol Y Sombra, Kilorglin (June 19)
• Black Box, Belfast (July 17)
• Balor Theatre, Ballybofey (July 19)
• Arts Centre, Ballina (July 21)
• Campbell's Tavern, Headford (July 22)
• Arts Centre, Roscommon (July 24)
• Glen's Centre, Manorhamilton (July 26)
• Spirit Store, Dundalk (July 31)
• Thatch Rahan, Tullamore (August 4)
• Garter Lane, Waterford (August 7)
• Belltable, Limerick (August 8)
• Backstage, Longford (August 12)
• O'Keefe's, Clonmel (August 14)
• Upstairs At Whelan's, Dublin (August 18)

A busy summer on the cards for Ms. Hannigan!

Having just won the National Student Music Awards 2008, Waterford-based rock band Floyd Soul & The Wolf will not be resting on their laurels. June sees the release of their debut single 'Give It A Chance', recorded with Nashville producer Thom Jutz and the band will then take off on a nationwide tour throughout August and September.

Jackie Hayden of Hotpress says that "Floyd Soul & The Wolf play as if all our very lives depended on it, and when did you last think that about any Irish band?"

A great band, with a great sound and great charisma. They'll be playing the Sugar Club on June 1st. A perfect way to start the Bank Holiday weekend ...

The sun is shining again. Music is being played. That is all. Carry on.

6-7PM
01. Out of Our Hands - Gemma Hayes
02. After All That's Happened - Niall Colfer
03. Cradle Burns - Rollerskate Skinny
04. Bad Television - Ugly Megan
05. L'il King Kong - Simple Kid
06. Bad Seed - Jezzebelle
07. Odd Socks - Grand Pocket Orchestra
08. Any Other Way - Bravado
** Interview with the Bravado **
09. Beat Machine - Gorbachov
10. Cloudseekers - Autamata feat Cathy Davey
11. Wake Up - The Infomatics
12. O My Love! O My God! - The Dead Flags
13. Tuesday - Mark Geary

7-8PM
01. Some Kind of Girl - The Walls
02. Are You Not Wanting Me Yet? - The Aftermath
03. I Like Music - The Republic of Loose
04. People Walk Away - Robotnik
05. On the Right Track - The Blizzards
06. My Lovely Horse - The Divine Comedy
07. Breadcrumb Trail - Chaplin
08. Getchoo - Hybrasil
09. Jeta's Palace - The Jimmy Cake
10. Cailin na Gaillimhe - Mundy
11. The Honeymoon is Over - Whipping Boy
12. Last Dance - Orphan Code
13. Waking Up in America - Guggenheim Grotto
14. Hay Rap - The Saw Doctors

Lots of new tunes tonight. Republic of Loose, Cars in Walls, Giveamanakick, The Lullabees, Joe Chester, Autamata ... the list goes on (see below). Ian Whitty was the guest in studio and a very entertaining individual he was too!

6-7PM
01. I Like Music - Republic of Loose
02. Guitar = Magic Wand - Jinx Lennon
03. Borrowed Time - Giveamanakick
04. Lull - Lines Drawing Circles
05. Think Before You Think - Dali
06. Mr. Farenheit - Gorbachov
07. Any Other Way - The Bravado
08. Take Me Away - Pugwash
09. Back to Back - Cars in Walls
10. Not on Your Side - Ian Whitty
** Interview with Ian Whitty **
11. Houdstooth Shirt - Ian Whitty
** Interview with Ian Whitty **
12. While the Drunken Jailer Sleeps - Ian Whitty *LIVE*

7-8PM
01. The Bodies Start to Move - Joe Chester
02. The Day I Forgot My Mantra - Giveamanakick
03. Directions (on how to play) - Giveamanakick
04. Michael Grady Went to Mexico - Robotnik
05. Dead Record in a Vinyl Desert - Good Tiger
06. Cloudseekers - Autamata feat Cathy Davey
07. Skyscrapers - Fred
08. O My Love! O My God - The Dead Flags
09. I Wonder Why - The Lullabees
10. Magnet Line - Isan (Jeff Martin remix)
11. I Was a Man - Jape
12. Attention - Dry County
13. Fallen From the Sky - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova

1. Queuing
Standing in line really bugs me. Whether it's a supermarket checkout, a cinema queue or getting into a gig - I am equally vexed. Especially when it's an unnecessary queue. For example, I was in an unnamed supermarket recently and of the TWENTY checkouts they have, only TWO were open. To top it off, all but one of the self-service tills were broken. As it was a busy Saturday evening, queues were prevalent. "Every little helps" me arse.

2. Ads Louder Than the Programmes on the Telly
Why oh why must the ads be louder than the programme you're watching on the telly??!! It's not going to greatly endear the product in question to me - in fact it may have the opposite effect. Certain channels are more prone to this than other - Sky, Paramount, ITV, Channel 4. Sort it out - it's really annoying.

3. Rude People
I know I'm going to sound like Granny O'Connor from the 1920s here, but a kind word costs nothing. Being civil, courteous and polite is not a sign of weakness - especially from people in the retail or service industry. Nothing gets my back up like an uppity salesperson. As of today, I've decided to stand for this no longer. (And Yes, I do realise I sound like a crank)

4. Acts who are rockstars first and musicians second
"Look at me, our band have released a single - we want 1000 purple M&Ms." Get down off yourselves and cop the f*&k on. I'll say no more.

5. Excess packaging
Why must items come with so much cardboard, polystyrene, bubblewrap, etc?! What's the story? I'm not a green freak, but the amount of waste packaging that fills up our bin each week is astounding.

6. No Accountability
No one takes responsibility for anything any more. This goes right from the very top (you know who I'm taking about) down to the lowliest call-centre minion. I recently had to deal with a mobile company about a mistake on a bill that took months to sort out. Part of the reason for this was that every time I called, I spoke to a different person. None of the people would give me their full name or direct contact number so I could take the matter up with them again. They kept saying it was logged on the system, yet every time I called, I had to re-explain the situation again to the next pleb on the phone. I don't blame the actual individuals here - this is a cultural phenomenon. Extrapolate this out further and you can see why the health service is in a mess. No one is accountable for anything. Frustrating is not the word.

Rant over

Unfortunately, due to personal circumstances, Giveamanakick will be unable to appear on the show this weekend. However, the interview will be rescheduled for sometime over the next few weeks.

On the positive side, we do have Murphy's Live finalists The Bravado on instead. As a broadcasting professional, I am completely impartial about the competition and will be showing absolutely no favouritism to local outfit Gorbachov. No sirree Bob - complete objectivity here...

MCD have announced that Oxegen is now completely sold out. So if you haven't got a ticket yet, well then that's that .... for those who have got a golden ticket, here's the current line-up. Very impressive indeed!

Friday 11th July 08:
Kings of Leon, Interpol, Editors, Aphex Twin, Bell X1, Cat Power, Paddy Casey, Groove Armada, The Coronas, dEUS, Battles, Future Kings of Spain, Unkle, Calvin Harris, Annie Mac, MSTRKRFT, Koze, Kosheen, Burns, Sneaky Sound System and many more.

Saturday 12th July 08:
R.E.M., The Verve, Amy Winehouse, The Prodigy, Manic Street Preachers, Stereophonics, Counting Crows, The Zutons, Newton Faulkner, Panic At The Disco, Feeder, Richard Hawley, Seasick Steve, The Hoosiers, Scouting For Girls, The Charlatans, Powderfinger, Declan O'Rourke, My Morning Jacket, The Ting Tings Camille O'Sullivan, British Sea Power, Black Kids, Delays, Concerto For Constantine, Paul Heaton, Pendulum, Justice, Bowling For Soup, Boys Noize, Mylo, Slam, Michael Mayer, Kavinsky, The Japanese Popstars and many more.

Sunday 13th July 08:
Rage Against The Machine, Kaiser Chiefs, The Swell Season featuring Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova, The Fratellis, Ian Brown, The Kooks, MGMT, The Feeling, Kate Nash, Roisin Murphy, Tom Baxter, Reverend and the Makers, Band of Horses, Lightspeed Champion, The Pogues, The Subways, The Stranglers, Ryan Bingham, The Courteeners, Alabama 3, David Guetta, Luciano, Kaz James, Crookers, Radioslave, Quiet Village, Does It Offend You Yeah?, Carl Craig and many more.

A slew of acts have been added to the Oxegen bill, with many a Paddy amoung them. By my reckoning, the confirmed homegrown acts that will be appearing at Oxegen so far are:

• Bell X1
• Paddy Casey
• The Coronas
• Future Kings of Spain
• Declan O'Rourke
• The Swell Season featuring Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
• The Pogues
• Camille O'Sullivan
• Concerto For Constantine

I just watched the trailer for Iron Sky, an animated feature currently shooting ... or should that be in development? Answers from Software Developers please ...

.... anyway, the premise is this. In 1945 Nazis escape Earth from their Antarctic research station and land on the moon. In 2018, they come back. Sounds like this could be a right old laugh!

Pugwash is the brainchild of the musical force of nature that is Thomas Walsh. Possibly the longest podcast we've had yet, but it's all hilarious, quality stuff (if a a little random). Frasier Crane, Cricket, The Beatles - they all get the Pugwash treatment. Oh yeah, we also discussed his new album '11 Modern Antiquities', but only briefly.

Download MP3 (27 MB)

Ian Fleming and Alan Hennessey from Murphy's Live finalists Gorbachov were in studio with Rob to discuss their forthcoming album, James Bond and their plans for world domination.

Download MP3 (32.3 MB)

State have published their 3rd issue, which I had a read of over the weekend. I've been enjoying this magazine since it was released, although I still haven't made up my ind about its future. In the current issue, there's a very interesting interview with Daniel Lanois and another with cover-girl Gemma Hayes, including a special section on Gemma Hayes collaborator Kevin Shields (of My Bloody Valentine fame). Last month, they had a great article on Irish hip-hop and the legacy of Scary Eire.

My only gripe with State is that it can sometimes come across as being a bit holier-than-thou . But as Damien Dempsey says "I'm never gonna let, your negative vibes affect me ...."

Anyway, it's worth picking up next time you're passing a newsagents.

Alas BalconyTV did not managed to get their hands on a Webby Award. The winners were announced as 'Chocolate Rain' for the Peoples Choice Award, while the amazing 'Here Comes Another Bubble' won the Judges Award. That was BalconyTV's own favourite, so they're happy enough with that.

In other BalconyTV news, their Hamburg-based offshoot recently celebrated a wedding! Nina Deissler and the Berlin Musician Claudius Mach married yesterday on the web-based TV show. Last October, Hamburg Flirt-Coach (whatever that is?!) Deissler spotted Berlin musician Claudius Mach singing a song about his suicidal Hamster Freddy on the BalconyTV. She contacted him via Myspace. Seven days and fifty-seven e-mails later the two decided to meet up.

"Somebody performing on a tiny balcony above the Reeperbahn and singing a song about a Hamster who wants to kill himself is crazy enough for me!", Nina says about her husband-to-be.

For Claudius and Nina, it was love at first sight. "I knew, those eyes would not disappoint me" said Claudius after meeting Nina for the first time. On the second date, only two weeks after she saw him on Balcony TV for the first time, Claudius decided the time was right to pop the question.

The virtual aquaintance became a real marriage yesterday and was celebrated in style on BalconyTV Hamburg. The video is in German, so unless you're familiar with the Tuetonic tongue, it'll make no sense. Those kooky krauts!

Summertime is officially here, so all (well mostly) sunny, happy, optomistic songs on the playlist tonight. Thomas Walsh aka Pugwash was the guest in studio this evening - man, that guy can talk! The Irish government should employ him to address the nation on a weekly basis, highlighting important issues, such as Frasier the TV programme, feckin' hippies and mellotrons. A delightfully random interview! The podcast will be up shortly ....

6-7PM
01. Tongue - Bell X1
02. Moving - Cathy Davey
03. 42 West Avenue - Cashier No 9
04. I Know a Girl - The Undertones
05. Skyscrapers - Fred
06. At the Sea - Pugwash
** Interview with Pugwash **
07. Song For You - Pugwash
** Interview with Pugwash **
08. Take Me Away - Pugwash **LIVE**

7-8PM
01. Rent Day Blues - The Frames
02. Out of Our Hands - Gemma Hayes
03. Where's Me Jumper - The Sultans of Ping
04. Big Bad Beautiful World - Declan O'Rourke
05. Step Into the Sunshine - Neosupervital
06. Wake Up - The Infomatics
07. After All - The Frank & Walters
08. Country Bumpkin - Wallis Bird
09. Put a Penny in the Slot - Fionn Regan
10. Lovers of Light - Afro Celt Sound System
11. You Know Me Better - Roisin Murphy
12. We Have Control - Alloy Mental
13. I Was a Man - Jape
14. Love's an Enigma (Part II) - Simple Kid

6-7PM
01. Don't Forget - Gemma Hayes
02. At the Sea - Pugwash
03. Paper Planes - Ebo
04. Ramalama (Bang Bang) - Roisin Murphy
05. Dead Record in a Vinyl Desert - Good Tiger
06. Everything Flows - Super Extra Bonus Party
07. Go On My Son - Gorbachov
** Interview with Gorbachov **
08. Beat Machine - Gorbachov
** Interview with Gorbachov **
09. Esmerelda - Gorbachov

7-8PM
01. I Was a Man - Jape
02. Skyscrapers - Fred
03. Numb - Dustin the Turkey
04. The Social Life - Jilted
05. Sunday - Ain
06. Lay Me Down - The Frames
07. Red is the Number - Walter Mitty & The Realists
08. Don't Rescue Me - Christine Deady
09. We Bleed the Blood of Androids - Le Galaxie
10. Don't Expect Me - Saviours of Space
11. Medal - Halves
12. Bite the Bullet - The Kinetiks
13. People Walk Away - Robotnik
14. Treat Her Right - The Commitments

There's an abundance of aural pleasures in Waterford's top music venue Electric Avenue tonight. Two or Ireland's finest acts are on the bill - Acrojunk and the sublime Ms. Christine Deady. Of course, I must hold my hand up and state that I am a member of one of these acts - and if you compare my ugly mug to the picture to the right, I'm guessing you'll figure out which one!

Belfast's Foy Vance was set to headline, but had to cancel at the last minute. However, the Acrojunk lads will do a DJ set afterwards. Neal has been itching to unleash his superstar mixing abilities on the people of Waterford anyway ....

If you don't know already BalconyTV has been nominated for a coveted Webby Award - The Oscars of the Internet - in the Viral Video Category. There is an Academy Vote and a Peoples Choice Vote.

This is your very last chance to help them win the Peoples Choice Award as today is deadline day for votes. They're currently being beaten by the might of 'Chocolate Rain' so they need your help to create an amazing late comeback.

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You can vote for BalconyTV in the Peoples Choice section by going to this website and clicking on Register - Film and Video - Viral - BALCONYTV!!!!

Get Fuzzy is a comic that appears in my email inbox every day - as if by magic - and it always raises a smile as I start my morning. It's about long suffering character named Rob and his dog Satchel and evil cat Bucky. Today's one is especially good (as was pointed out to me by Lazy Eagle)

The Guggenheim Grotto, much loved in the South East, will be back in this neck of the woods to do some intimate shows over the next few weeks. They're in the Marble City this weekend for an intimate acoustic performance in Cleere's Theatre in Kilkenny on Friday night (9th). You'll be able to catch the Grotto boy a few days later in Wexford town at The Sky & The Ground on Tuesday 13th May.

After achieving phenomenal success in the US over the past two years, Dublin-based trio The Guggenheim Grotto are continuingtheir road to stardom with their anticipated new single 'Waking Up In America'. Kevin May, Mick Lynch and Shane Power are keen to showcase their new single to their Irish fan base. Having been in such demand in the US over the last while, the lads are glad to be back on Irish Soil where it all started.

The Guggenheim Grotto pair their hauntingly beautiful vocal harmonies with classical and contemporary instruments. They create an unbelievable mix of pop and rock which is evident in their latest single "Waking Up In America". Their debut album "Waltzing Alone" was so successful that tracks have featured on many top rating US Dramas such as Brothersand Sisters, Six Degrees, One Tree Hill while last year the band had new track 'A Million Miles' was featured in last year's Ballygowan TV commercials on terrestrial television.The Guggenheim Grotto have received stunning reviews in the American Media and are now a force to be reckoned with in the music world with Paste Magazine dubbing the band's debut "a record of first-rate acoustic pop" while KCRW's Nick Harcourt proclaimed 'Waltzing Alone' to be "one of the most beautiful records of the year".

Get yerself down to one of these gigs ....