Latest news with #ÁineDuffy
Irish Examiner
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
‘Don't Touch My Knob' gig challenges lack of female acts at Cork's Live at the Marquee
As a positive reaction to the lack of gender diversity on Cork's Live at the Marquee line-up, musician Áine Duffy has spear-headed a gig in the historic Elizabeth Fort featuring female artists. Cork City Council and the Night Time Economy have partnered with Ms Duffy to present 'Don't Touch My Knob' in the historic former fort and women's prison off Barrack St. The all-female line-up includes MC and comedian Sinéad Quinlan, musicians Ria Rua, Áine Duffy and electronic DJ Nathalie Mac. Elizabeth Fort was specially chosen for its significant role in history as a female prison and deportation centre between 1822 and 1837. 'No female headliners? No problem,' Ms Duffy said. 'Join us for a powerhouse protest gig celebrating incredible female artists, too often hidden by corporate gatekeepers. No female headliners at the Marquee and just 2% females on the airwaves. We're taking back the stage. 'Expect raw talent, skill, craic, and laughs. This isn't just a gig. It's a statement,' Ms Duffy said. Ms Duffy, a singer, songwriter and guitarist from Bandon, has previously toured the world, including in the US, Spain, Italy, and Canada with her music, which often blends Rock, RnB and Dance. "It's like David Grohl gate-crashed an Irish protest rally," was how one of her gigs was described. Áine Duffy at her mobile gig venue, a converted donkey box, in 2021. During the covid pandemic, she converted a donkey box into a mobile gig venue to safely tour her album outdoors when gig venues were closed internationally during successive lockdowns. Ria Rua is a multi-instrumentalist and artist who fuses alt-pop, electro-grunge, and industrial textures with a powerful, unapologetic sound. DJ and co-founder of the Electronic Music Council Natalie Mac brings powerful beats and a passionate commitment to nurturing Cork's electronic music talent. Comedian and RedFM radio presenter Sinéad Quinlan delivers laugh out-loud humour with an authentic, relatable twist. The gig's name was inspired by a sign Ms Duffy previously erected at gigs which said: "Please do not touch my knob (without consent)" to deter men from adjusting her equipment. She said people, mostly men, consistently came up to her during live performances and tried to adjust her public address (PA) system. 'I was playing a gig in West Cork — it was wonderful but a stream of people kept coming up trying to adjust my PA system. I think they were just trying to help but I know what I'm doing, I've been doing this for years. "A woman came up to me the next day and suggested I put a sign up saying 'keep your hands off my knob' and I did. It's worked so far. 'I want to be gentle and humorous about it. But if I was a man, I would not have to do that.' The women will perform on August 1 at Elizabeth Fort in Cork City from 8pm. Tickets at €20 are available from Read More 50 more acts announced for sold-out All Together Now festival
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Cork musician launches mobile home and gig space for artists facing housing crisis
Cork musician Áine Duffy has converted a trailer into a mobile microhome and gig space to help fellow artists amid housing crisis pressure on accommodation. Many musicians are now prevented from touring due to the costs of accommodation and the ever-shrinking number of gig venues. The new Duffbox is insulated, has a flushable toilet, a solar-powered shower, cooking facilities, a sink, pullout bed and a generator. Picture: David Creedon But her 'Duffbox' will allow musicians and artists to overcome this problem and bring their music across Ireland again. Her original Duffbox – a donkey box she converted into a mobile, outdoor gig venue during the covid pandemic - allowed her to tour her album when venues shut during international lockdowns and socializing was only permitted outdoors. And the success of that project along with the problems she was seeing musicians face daily in the housing crisis inspired her plan for the second Duffbox which will primarily provide accommodation to musicians. The new Duffbox is insulated, has a flushable toilet, a solar-powered shower, cooking facilities, a sink, pullout bed and a generator. It also has a small dropdown stage where DJs can perform gigs with their equipment powered by the onboard generator. She chose a single axle trailer so that anyone with a basic driving licence could tow it. Áine Duffy: 'I hope the Duffbox can give people hope. It can even be used as a retreat, where people can go away somewhere quiet and focus on writing.' Picture: David Creedon 'It's been converted into a microhome,' Mr Duffy said. 'Transferring insurance from a campervan between people would be more difficult, but a single axle trailer can be driven by anyone." Ms Duffy presents the show Blás on Over the West Online Radio which highlights Irish musical talent of all genres. Despite its high quality, Irish-made music often receives very little airplay and many of the artists rarely gig, she said. 'There is so much talent in Ireland but most of it is hidden," Ms Duffy said. 'And it is so hard to make a living. 'But Irish musicians are really class. I'm so proud of them. There's such a difference in quality when someone makes music for art rather than just for money. 'I hope the Duffbox can give people hope. It can even be used as a retreat, where people can go away somewhere quiet and focus on writing. 'Music is part of our culture. It's part of Ireland's story. It's part of the craic, a reason tourists come here. The Duffbox can bring artists to [remote] places like Bere Island and Allihies [in West Cork]. It can be brought for DJs to use at weddings. And small venues can borrow the Duffbox, they can be really struggling too and we need to keep them alive. Hotels are so expensive now and places like greenrooms in venues where musicians could have stayed before are now often converted into something more financially lucrative so there is often nowhere for musicians to stay, she said. 'And long hours driving after a gig are dangerous." Ms Duffy, who was almost a victim of the housing crisis herself, built a tiny passive home outside Bandon, skills from which she has used in the Duffbox. 'People come in and say how big it feels, but in reality it is very small,' she said. 'But I love it and there's space for everything. A robin even comes in every morning when I open the door." Ms Duffy recently released a new single, Rooting for You which she wrote from her self-built microhome in West Cork. Áine Duffy recently released a new single, 'Rooting for You' which she wrote from her self-built microhome in West Cork. Picture: David Creedon "I wrote Rooting for You touching on a vulnerable place, when you are rooting for someone, and can only hope they are rooting for you back," Ms Duffy said. "Especially when you are really trying! I hope it's an audio hug for the listener and I intend it to be comforting in these uncertain times. Hugs, I'm rooting for you." The Duffbox will be available to artists this summer. To cover costs, it will be €50 per night. Ms Duffy has compiled a list of places across the country where it can be brought for performances outdoors and to small venues. Read More Cork musician uses transformed donkey box to entertain children in direct provision
