Brian Kirk on the Radio - and last night at the Olympia

My lovely guest this week on the radio is the brilliant Brian Kirk, Clondalkin poet, and writer. He was shortlisted for a Hennessy Award in 2007, placed third in the Peoples College short story Competition 2009 and shortlisted for the Over The Edge New Writer of the Year Award in 2008 and 2009. His work has appeared in the Sunday Tribune, Crannog and various anthologies, and apart from all that he's a very nice man.

The theme he has picked is

"Elegy, Lament, and sadness at the passing of time"

most definitely our longest theme title yet. The show should be fascinating, scary, and surprisingly upbeat - but I'll let you be the judges of that.

In other news, I was OUT last night, at the Olympia Theatre, seeing Biffy Clyro in action, they're a Scots band who say their influences are the pixies and nirvana. I liked them. Their die hard fans worship them, and it was a fun gig, like a humongous singalong with a superbright light show, crowd surfing (the surfers quickly being turfed out, it should be mentioned) and very very loud beats (I could feel the inside of my cheeks vibrating). The band were very theatrical with microphones all over the stage, great variation in their songs and a topless encore, lovely.

I really liked their support too, a troupe called Manchester Orchestra, who had some really amazing tunes, and two sets of drums - one facing front and one facing to the back, I don't know why - but it was really exhilerating to behold the two going at one time (I'm a sucker for a gimmick, any gimmick). Biffy's drummer appeared at one stage in one of the theatre boxes to watch their set as well - distracting the entire audience. The lead singer handled it well - informing the drummer this was Manchester's part of the show - and the audience better look to the front.

The band on before Manchester Orchestra were a gang of real young fellas, whose name I didn't catch, but whatever they lacked in musical inspiration they made up for in enthusiasm and death (or at least sore knee) defying jumps onto their knees on the stage - the bassist was cartoonishly thin and flexible with Moppy hair, and he clambered for all he was worth over the amps at front of the stage, that unfortunately weren't that big, making him look a bit like he was playing with overgrown lego. Fun night tho - thanks to my sponsor, who never reads this, because she claims I'd have no news for her if she did...