An Easter gig hunt: Top picks for live music in Cork 

The Easter break means a long weekend, and even if you didn’t give up live music for lent there are loads of gig options for you to enjoy!

Over the next five days there are so many options on in the regular gig venues in the city. Here we’ve selected some shows for you to consider.

Starting tonight (Thursday, April 2) with Fred Zeppelins on Parliment Street, the Asahi College Showcase Night starts at 8pm and features three different young bands on the up in Cork.

Nightdress, an indie folk band – that some might have seen opening for The Kates recently – who combine the grit of Radiohead and the raw vulnerability of Big Thief but with their own emotional and personal songs, are joined by Ni Jackeen, who describe themselves as a ‘Post-skiffle-reactionary-jugband’ and Tyra Lee Spry, a pop-rock singer who mixes modern and personal lyrics with classic hit hooks.

Tyra is also busy organising a 10-band ‘mini festival’ called ESMA Festival on April 22, but will be in full performer mode for tonight’s concert with her incredible band.

Over on Oliver Plunkett Street, for a slightly more sedate music option, you can visit the 115 Café And Wine Bar for their hugely popular Thursday Jazz Jam Sessions, which also kicks off at 8pm. There is always a top-notch house band playing with an open invitation for people to bring an instrument and join in for a song or longer.

You never know who will turn up but with the standard of musicianship in Cork you can always be sure of great music.

Moving on to Friday, April 3, The Hyde Out on Douglas Street will have Zurito playing from 8pm. They are a duo who play a high energy Flamenco Rock style who bring you all around the globe, reminding you of artists as varied as Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, Rodrigo y Gabriela, The White Stripes, Gypsy Kings and Harry Belafonte, without you needing to leave Cork!

Outside the city in The White Horse in Ballincollig, I Draw Slow, one of Ireland’s leading acoustic roots bands, will be playing a concert upstairs from 8.30pm. The lauded five-piece band bridge the gap between Irish storytelling, American Appalachian tunes and bluegrass traditions.

Fronted by sibling singer-songwriters Dave and Louise Holden, they have been touring internationally for years, with over 35 North American tours under their belts. Tickets are limited and available via whitehorse.ie.

Back in town, at 9pm, Charlies Bar on Union Quay will be hosting the inimitable Ricky Lynch, one of the most invigorating rock voices in the country. He draws from the well of Dylan, The Beatles and other classic influences, but when he slips in his own songs you can barely tell the difference.

For something completely different, The Kino on Washington Street has a Metal Night with four different bands promising high-energy riffs and powerful vocals. Covering everything from groove to extreme metal, the line up features Cork’s Following The Signs, who headlined Fibber Magees in Dublin last year, and whose most recent EP ‘Evolve’ was released just two weeks ago and has already received some rave reviews.

They will be joined by Nihilanth from Belfast; Mullingar-based Too Far Fetched; and Terror Syndrome, a one-man synthwave metal project from Cork with a very prolific release history over the last five years, all playing live, and then a DJ will be playing from the many subgenres of Metal music until 2am.

On Saturday, April 4, one of the most loved albums of 1990s is getting a huge tribute evening when Steven Sharpe and his band come to Crane Lane at 8.30pm to play Jeff Buckley’s ‘Grace’ album.

As well as hearing the iconic ‘Hallelujah’, other album favourites such as ‘Last Goodbye’ and ‘Eternal Life’ will be given an airing by some of the best live musicians in the country.

Steven recently played the Olympia Theatre with his Led Zeppelin tribute night, so his pedigree and standards are well established. Tickets available via eventbrite.

Over in Coughlans on Douglas Street, the much loved Cork City Organ Group will be playing a free gig from 10pm. Led by Ultan Lavery on the Organ, their sets never fails to find every ounce of rhythm in any of the songs they play, ensuring a great night of music for the feet and the ears.

They draw mainly from the rich jazz organ era, but delve into exhilarating funk and all sorts of musical styles.

The next day, Sunday, April 5, we can start at 1pm with the Sin É’s ‘Miss Your Flight’ trad session. The pub has become the HQ of Cork Trad music in recent years with two sessions every day at 5.30pm and 8.30pm, and the additional third session on Sunday afternoons has developed a particularly individual energy and atmosphere. As a note, the trad session trail of Cork can be found at theleesessions.com to find out where and when trad sessions are held every day of the week.

Later that evening, from 7pm, Cyprus Avenue will be hosting God Is An Astronaut, renowned worldwide for their powerful live shows the band mix krautrock-style rhythms and long form psychedelic passages, making them one of the leading instrumental post-rock bands in Ireland.

Their most recent album incorporated guests playing instruments as varied as the sitar, cello, zither, shamanic drums, bowed psaltery, chimes and tanpura, which goes to show how hungry the band are to keep developing their sound as opposed to stay on well-worn ground. Tickets available via eventbrite.

Meanwhile from 7.30pm The Roundy on Castle Street will have three bands playing upstairs when Evil Scientist, who fuse an alt-rock and indie musical style with jazz and psychedelic inspired songs, will be playing a show with CEREALMILK, an indie-soul collective who draw influence from Frank Ocean’s storytelling, Mac Miller’s jazz-infused playfulness, and the raw emotion of Amy Winehouse; and Lykra & the Frequenters. Lykra is a very interesting songwriter and performer whose debut single ‘Silver’ was released less than a year ago, and for me was one of the best things released last year. Tickets available via eventbrite.

From 10pm, The Poor Relation on Parnell Place will be featuring one of the highest energy bands in the city when Va Va Voom take over the stage for the night. The five-piece band play an eclectic mix of rock, funk & soul with liberal dollops of nostalgia from the 80s/90s kids generation. Their live shows would make even the most committed of pessimists remember it as a good night out.

On the Monday, for the perfect way to end any long weekend or start any week, I would have to suggest Hank and Ray’s session in Charlies on Union Quay. Essentially Hank Wedel’s guitar playing and singing mixed with Ray Barron’s Mandolin playing is a duo led evening of Americana music, but there are so many guests popping in and out over the course of every Monday that it can go in any musical direction.

• Check each venue’s social media in case of event rescheduling.