The Grand Social

Tuesday 23rd October - Cult Craic

‘Cult Craic’ is a new night in the Grand Social that brings all the best tv shows and films to the big screen! Watch all your favourite classics from the past and present! From Black Books to Bottom, Monty Python to the Mighty Boosh and Old School to Office Space! With pizza and pints available from the bar, you’ll want for nothing while you chuckle the night away! Free Snacks will be available on the night (while stocks last!) and costumes are encouraged!
Venue: The Ballroom Doors: 7.30pm - 11pm Every Tuesday Admission: FREE

Tuesday 23rd October - Jono McLeery + Special Guest Emil Landman

Jono McCleery has announced a headline show at The Grand Social, 23 rd October with special guest Emil Landman. Tickets will go sale this Thursday at 9am from Ticketmaster.ie and outlets Nationwide. Born deaf, McCleery only became able to hear at age 5. He picked up the guitar as an eighteen year- old, honing his craft on the London live circuit and touring with the One Taste Collective alongside the likes of Little Dragon, Jamie Woon, Nick Mulvey, Portico (Quartet) and Kate Tempest.

Along the way he picked up a small army of evangelical fans, including luminaries such as Tom Robinson and Vashti Bunyan, who led the charge to crowdfund his debut album Darkest Light.
His second album There Is, released in 2011, began his association with Counter Records, and brought him widespread critical acclaim.
In 2015 Jono has collaborated with Portico, and Maribou State, and produced his definitive album: Pagodes is a collaborative release with legendary London record store IF Music and is being cited as the deepest, most powerful work to date by a musician whose work has been described as like
“Miles Davis, Massive Attack, John Martyn, Fink, and Radiohead wrapped up in one exquisitely produced sound.” It’s unlikely you’ll hear an album of such power from another singer songwriter anytime soon.

Venue: The Loft Doors: 8pm - 11pm Admission: €15

Wednesday 24th October - Oíche Na Gaeilge

A new night to encourage people to come and out socialise in their native language! Come out and join us as we turn The Grand Social into a Gaeltacht for the night! Free in with special offers if you order your drink in Irish! Whether your completely fluent or a complete beginner, you’re welcome to come out and mix with others who are passionate about the rich language native to this island. Music will be provided by the Trinity Traditional Music Society so it’s sure be to a belter!
Venue: The Ballroom Doors: 7pm - 11pm Every Wednesday Admission: FREE

Wednesday 24th October - Wastefellow EP Launch

WASTEFELLOW IS A FORWARD THINKING YOUNG PRODUCER AND VOCALIST FROM DUBLIN. HAVING FIRST CAUGHT THE EAR OF IRISH BLOGS FOR HIS HIP-HOP BEATS, WASTEFELLOW SURPRISED LISTENERS IN 2016 WITH HIS DEBUT EP ‘AMAZED, A MAZE!’. SEEMINGLY EMERGING FROM NOWHERE, HIS VOICE AND PRODUCTION COALESCED INTO A SINGULAR, PSYCHEDELIC SOUND THAT CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF IRISH TASTE-MAKERS. SINCE THEN HE HAS BUILT A FOLLOWING THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY THROUGH HIS LIVE A/V SHOW, FEATURING PROMINENTLY ACROSS FESTIVAL LINE-UPS AND BEING CONSISTENTLY TIPPED TO SUPPORT A RANGE OF INTERNATIONAL ACTS. AFTER ENDING A STRONG 2017 WITH ‘ENFOLD YOU’, A SINGLE THAT SHOWCASED AN ALREADY MATURING SOUND, WASTEFELLOW IS NOW LOOKING TOWARDS THE RELEASE OF HIS SECOND EP ON SOFT BOY RECORDS. WITH ‘POST HUMAN POTENTIAL’, WASTEFELLOW HAS REFINED AND CONDENSED EVERYTHING WHICH HAS DEFINED HIS SOUND SO FAR INTO FIVE CONCISE, ANGULAR TRACKS THAT FLOAT SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE BEDROOM AND THE DANCE-FLOOR.
Venue: The Loft Doors: 8pm - 11pm Admission: €10 Buy Tickets Now!

Friday 26th October - Soulwax Documentary Screening

Showing on our Ballroom big screen.. FREE ADMISSION.
Followed by DJ set. *a Music Documentary Appreciation Society – ‘MDAS’ presentation*
Part of the Weekend Never Dies is a rockumentary film depicting the worldwide concert tour of the Belgian band Soulwax. Director Saam Farahmand filmed Soulwax on their recent international tour dates, capturing all the excitement, chaos and humour of the world tour. Whereas the Beastie Boys filmed one gig with 50 cameras, Soulwax filmed 120 shows with one camera in Europe, Japan, the US, Latin America and Australia. This resulted in 2 films: a live music film and a documentary which includes 2manydj’s and Soulwax Nite Versions, and features James Murphy, Nancy Whang, Erol Alkan, Tiga, Boys Noize, Justice, Busy P, So-Me, Peaches, The Naked Guy, Kitsuné, Klaxons in behind the scenes footage, interviews and music.
Venue: The Loft Doors: 10pm - 3am Admission: FREE

Sunday 28th October - The Goblin King Masquerade Ball

This Halloween Heroes from Mars Present, The Goblin King Masquerade Ball, A Tribute to David Bowie. Featuring songs from the movie Labyrinth. Fancy dress and Goblin King Ball masks for this spectacular Halloween show. Including many of Bowie’s greatest classics. Tickets will go on sale this weekend! Book in advance to secure your ticket. A unique evening celebrating the life and music of David Bowie!
Venue: The Loft Doors: 8pm - 11pm Admission: €12.50 Buy Tickets Now!

Tuesday 30th October - Cult Craic

Tuesday 30th October - Elder Island

Bristol based Elder Island deliver a beautifully unique sound. Katy’s sweet and soulful tones flow over Dave and Luke’s multi-layered synths, beats and melodic broodings to stir up emotions and get any crowd dancing. Sonically placed somewhere between the likes of The xx, Sylvan Esso, Mount Kimbie & Maribou State, there is no denying Elder Island are carving out a home for themselves in our musical landscape. Elder Island live at The Grand Social, 30th October.

Fresh from supporting Glass Animals on their European tour in 2017 they wowed The Great Escape Festival before descending on Boomtown Fair, Love Saves the Day (Main Stage), Lovebox, Lost Village, Farm Fest, Ventnor Fringe Festival and more. Each performance saw not only the return of their dedicated fanbase but hoards of buzzing new fans. They quickly became the band not to be missed of the 2017 festival season, with national and online press singing their praises after witnessing their electric live sets.
The band have garnered huge support from BBC Introducing and were hand-picked to perform at their Maida Vale sessions as well as that of BBC6 Music on their debut self-titled EP. Elder Island continue to be championed by the likes of Huw Stephens, who featured single ‘Bamboo’ and Phil Taggart who premiered 2017 single ‘Welcome State’ on their respective BBC Radio 1 shows. With Gilles Peterson, BBC6 Music’s Tom Robinson and Beats 1’s Zane Lowe also showing appreciation, they are turning heads everywhere they go.
Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon’s Music Unlimited have also been showing their support
for the band via various adds to their playlists. After releasing their acclaimed 2016 ‘Seeds in Sand’ EP, ‘Welcome State’ and ‘Bonfires’ followed soon after to support a sold out October 2017 run of shows to a selective trio of cities. The momentum continued on to a sold out UK headline tour in January 2018 including a London Jazz Café and Bristol Thekla show.

Venue: The Loft Doors: 8pm - 11pm Admission: €15 Buy Tickets Now!

Wednesday 31st October - Oíche Na Gaeilge

Wednesday 31st October - Kakkmaddafakka

There’s a lot of things about Kakkmaddafakka that are confusing. Whether it’s their unpronounceable name or genre-bending sound the confusion is understandable. But when this band gets on a stage everything makes sense. Since their formation in 2004 the band has gone through many changes, but one thing has remained constant, a spectacular live show which has thrilled audiences all the way from the youth clubs of Bergen to international crowds of over 50,000.

The path to success has been just as unconventional. With a maximalist approach and unashamed sense of fun, the Norwegian press and media wrote them off as a novelty act. The band relied on word of mouth and early social media to get their message across. Luckily their message made it overseas and found the appreciative ears of bookers for some of the World’s biggest festivals.
In 2011, the band released their first album ‘Hest’, with fellow Bergen resident Erlend Øye as producer, which received widespread critical acclaim outside of Norway, and spread their sound all over the globe. The follow-up album ‘Six Months is a Long Time' (2013), furthered this success and the band completed several sell-out tours of Europe, South America and Mexico, while performing
at many of Europe’s major festivals. Having released two more self-produced albums, ‘KMF’ in 2016 and ‘Hus’ in 2017, the band has an enviable catalogue of hits to play live.
While Kakkmaddafakka are now seasoned veterans of the live circuit, they feel like they’re just getting started. With a hectic festival summer ahead and playing Roskilde festival for the second year in a row, the band are looking forward to a huge headline tour throughout October, November and December in new cities and countries they have never played spread over Europe and South-America. Be sure to get some Kakk.

Venue: The Loft Doors: 8pm - 11pm Admission: €16 Buy Tickets Now!

Friday 2nd November - Bodies – Album Launch

Originally the solo project of multi-instrumentalist David Anthony McGeown, BODIES now plays as a four-piece live band with the addition of Nathan Maher (guitar), Danilo Ward (bass) and Scott Johnson (drums). The band has been busy all summer earning a name for themselves as a raucous live band with energetic performances at the likes of Castlepalooza, Electric Picnic and Groove Festival. BODIES were also one of the undisputed highlights of the Whelan’s Ones to Watch summer showcase festival in 2018. At this gig, having broken his wrist two days previously, David managed the first two songs with his hospital wrist brace, but was feeling restricted as the audience swelled.

Never one to compromise, David ripped off the brace halfway through the gig so that he could play unrestrained – albeit with a broken wrist. This ‘all or nothing’ approach is typical of the Dubliner who has cultivated a signature sound that draws influence from the likes of Radiohead, Muse, Manchester Orchestra & Sigur Ros.

Having released an EP, ‘Soak’, in November 2017 to critical acclaim, BODIES upcoming debut album ‘Drench’ is one of the most anticipated studio albums from an Irish artist this year. It features collaborations with members of some of Ireland’s most prominent bands such as Squarehead, Kid Karate, Blooms, Kodaline and Overhead the Albatross.

Venue: The Loft Doors: 8pm - 11pm Admission: €10 Buy Tickets Now!

Saturday 3rd November - O Emperor

Having headlined their launch night in October 2010 The Grand Social is delighted to be welcoming back the amazing O Emperor for what is sure to be an emotional night of music. The band have decided to call it a day and tonight’s show will be one of their final live performances. The Waterford 5 piece have released some of the finest music ever recorded on these shores and their presence on the circuit will be sorely missed. Special guests on this tumultuous night are the rather fine Junior Brother so get your ticket early for this one!

Having written, recorded and performed together for the best part of 15 years, O Emperor will release their third and final studio album Jason in November 2018.

Jason was conceived over the course of a handful of chaotic sessions at the band’s Cork recording studio. During this period, the band were were straying from the idea of working on typical song structures and instead exploring the outtermost reaches of the collective process of improvisation (known colloquially as “jamming”). These lengthy jams were recorded live in the room with a minimum of equipment and technical fuss, with a view to capturing the sound of the spontaneous musical interactions through a fuzzy auditory lens. In terms of sound and vibe, the records of early 70s Africanpsychedelia were to be a mental benchmark for the band.

Ultimately, these jams were edited, spliced, re-purposed and flipped to create songs of sorts, and vocals were scribbled into the picture where necessary. The result is a dank, groove-centric record; a collage representative of the communal brain which is tapped into at the most transcendent, superterrestrial moments of discovery. The playing is pure and unguarded while the grooves are equal parts hazy and insistent. The album form itself is dealt with loosely, with the result being more of a stream-of-conciousness mixtape scenario. It could easily be imagined as a forgotten gem found deep in the vaults of the discerning crate digger – equally effective for a late night listen on headphones or a slow cruise through town on a hot, sticky day. In the name of Axel’s roc, we give you Jason.

Venue: The Loft Doors: 8pm - 11pm Admission: €15 Buy Tickets Now!

Sunday 4th November - Tom McGuire & The Brassholes

Tom McGuire & The Brassholes are an eclectic, modern-soul-funk, 8 piece band from Glasgow, headed by keen skater, lumberjack-attired soul bearer, Tom McGuire. The funky collective of “killer animals from hell”, consists of a colourful, hilarious bunch of wonderfully talented, animated young men. The band deliver great variety and include everything from a humble Polish saxophonist, a reserved introvert piano pounder, someone who claims to be the self confessed “sex appeal of the band” and two English horn blowing northerners amongst others! The band earned their stripes on Sauchiehall and Buchanan Street as buskers during Glasgow’s 2014 Commonwealth Games, and have slowly been working their way up the staircase of success, becoming one of Scotland’s most vibrant live acts. With their debut self-titled album due for release in January 2019, this is a band that are definitely one to watch.
Venue: The Loft Doors: 8pm - 11pm Admission: €13 Buy Tickets Now!

Monday 5th November - Poliça

Their latest album United Crushers was born out of the longest break from touring in POLIÇA’s history. The group originally emerged from Minneapolis in 2011 when Ryan Olson, GAYNG leader, producer and Minneapolis master of curation, began collaborating with Leaneagh on a batch of synthesizer and percussion-heavy arrangements he had lying around. The resulting debut, 2012’s Give You The Ghost, immediately garnered international acclaim, with Rolling Stone hailing it as “the sound of heartbreak and celebration happening simultaneously” and Q praising it as “a bewitching, urgent, magical debut.” The quick success of Give You The Ghost brought with it a heavy touring schedule and an itch to keep creating.

Taking just a few months off from the road, the band ventured into the studio and emerged with their follow-up, Shulamith, in the fall of 2013. EW called that album "propulsive enough for dance floors, and dreamy enough for headphones" and MOJO said it "proves that intelligent pop music still has the ability to seduce and enthrall. Bolstered by a live lineup of dual drummers, Drew Christopherson and Ben Ivascu, Chris Beirden on bass and Leaneagh’s powerful voice, the band conquered massive festivals around the world from Coachella to Glastonbury in addition to performing on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and Later With Jools Holland. Following the whirlwind of it all, they returned home to Minneapolis for a much-needed break, to live life off the road for the first time in two years and build up inspiration for the next go-around. The winter of 2015 was spent writing together, in the same room. This was a new and welcome approach compared to how the first two POLIÇA albums came to be, with each member contributing equally to the songs’ creation. As the snow began to melt in Minnesota, they journeyed to quite the opposite landscape in El Paso, TX, where they holed themselves up in the desert at the renowned Sonic Ranch Studios just a few short miles from the United States/Mexico border. There, they applied the same collaborative approach they took in the writing of United Crushers to the recording of it – together, in the same room. The result is an evolved sound, more live, bigger, crisper and with more of a hi-fi punch. There’s a tighter groove to these songs and a more vulnerable quality to them, especially in Leaneagh’s singing. Her impressive vocal range is consistently on display throughout, beautifully raw and less
electronically effected than on previous recordings.

Venue: The Loft Doors: 8pm - 11pm Admission: €20 Buy Tickets Now!