If you’ve never heard of Boyce Avenue, I’d strongly urge you to check these guys out. A YouTube phenomenon for the past couple of years, they have done acoustic covers of many chart hits including Rhianna’s Disturbia and Madonna and Justin Timberlake’s 4 Minutes, among many others. They have a tour date scheduled in Dublin for the 22nd of March.

“Little monsters, show me your teeth!” Thus spoke Lady Gaga…
Little monsters (as Lady Gaga likes to refer to her fans) from all over Ireland started queuing outside the O2 from early morning on Saturday the 20th to assume prime positions by the stage for the gig. I arrived at the O2 just after 7pm and the queues were insane, so I’m glad I didn’t queue early!

You have a crush on a famous personality. What do you do? You can sigh and dream about the day s/he finally falls for your charms or you can take things into your own hands. Maybe hide in the bush outside their house* and orchestrate casually bumping into each other, then you sweep them off their feet with your wit and charm.

For those of you, and we know there are many, who are awaiting the release of Sainthood, the latest Tegan and Sara album, your time has come. For the rest of the week, you can listen to the album in its glorious entirety until Friday.
Just log on to their MySpace page and bask in the goodness.

P!nk was back in Dublin for two sold-out nights at the O2 Arena in Dublin and will be back next year for a few open-air shows. Fans camped out overnight at the venue to make sure they got as close as possible to Her P!nkness but some were disappointed in the setlist and wondered why two Funhouse songs were replaced with earlier songs. A few mentioned that the show was more like a A Greatest Hits concert.

I was really shocked earlier today to read that Boyzone singer Stephen Gately passed away suddenly while on holiday with his husband, in Majorca, he was 33 years old. The circumstances surrounding the singer’s death are not thought to be suspicious. Our thoughts go out to all his loved ones at this difficult time

Who the hell cares what gender or genders Lady GaGa is? She’s a music artist and a very popular one at that, that’s all the public need to know. Extending from that, who cares what gender or genders anyone is? Unfortunately a lot of people seem to care, when, as my mother would say “what fecking business is it of theirs?”

The Mercury Music Prize 2009 shortlist was released yesterday and is being greeted by pundits with some raised eyebrows (Hot contenders Doves, Little Boots and White Lies are omitted from the list) but mostly agreeing nods. Most striking about the 2009 shortlist though is the prevalence of female acts who have made the grade.

A cursory listen to Florence + the Machine’s debut release, Lungs, would leave any music aficionado itching to liken Florence Welch’s voice and sound to already exhausted comparisons. Which is why you have to listen to Lungs again. And again, and again.

Just in case you are one of the few who haven’t been drawn into the crazy world that belongs to Lady Gaga (and to her alone, it seems) then I invite you to read on. The Lady Gaga world is an incredibly well manufactured product, from the crazy videos (see Paparazzi) to the bizarre interviews( see Johnathan Ross), the ridiculous get-ups (any photo) to the polished beats, synths and vocals on “The Fame”.