Welcome to the weekend, courtesy of JOE.ie. Whether you’re staying in or going out, we’ve got it covered. It’s time to leave the working week behind.
GOING OUT
Gigs
It’s a fairly quiet weekend for music fans we’re afraid, although Grammy-winning House DJ Roger Sanchez hits the Wright Venue on Friday night. If you’re willing to give the one-time huge DJ ‘Another Chance’ (sorry), you can pop along at 10pm. Admission is €23 and you can get your tickets here.
Dublin indie rock outfit Fight Like Apes are busy this weekend too – you can catch them at the Cyprus Avenue in Cork on Friday night or the Roisin Dubh in Galway Saturday. There are still a few tickets available so if you’re interested, you can book online here.
Grand Pocket Orchestra celebrate their album launch on Saturday
Finally, Grand Pocket Orchestra are performing at Whelans in Dublin Saturday night from 7:30pm. The group will be bringing its peculiar pop to Wexford St to celebrate the Friday release of their eponymous debut, The Ice Cream. Click here for tickets.
Film
New to cinemas this week is Michael Cera’s attempt to break out of his lovable nerd persona with high-kicking shenanigans in the critics darling Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Directed by Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Dawn of the Dead), the cast and production have a huge pedigree and according to US critics, have done an excellent job bringing the 2004 graphic novel series to the screen. JOE evidently thought the same, as you can read our review here.
Events
The rugby season is in full swing again this weekend, as Munster challenge Gloucester in Musgrave Park in Cork on Friday night, with the action kicking off at 7pm. Tickets can be found on Ticketmaster.
In GAA, meanwhile, the All-Ireland Championship semi-final takes place in Croke Park on Sunday. Kildare v Down promises to be a tense affair, as both sides battle for the right to face Cork in the All-Ireland. Click here for any remaining tickets.
Alternatively, if you’re looking to get a little closer to grown men clobbering each other this weekend, we recommend popping along to the Whites Hotel in Wexford for the Boiling Point promotion Full Contact Cage Fighting on Saturday night. The show starts at 7:30pm and you can get your tickets here.
Finally, if you’re looking for a bit of festival action instead this weekend, international opera star Jose Carreras (of Three Tenors fame) is descending upon Kilruddery House & Gardens, Bray, Co. Wicklow on Saturday night for the Kilruddery Festival. Carreras will be accompanied by Celine Byrne and tickets are available from €85 – €155. Tickets can be found on Ticketpoint.
Getaway
God evidently thinks it’s funny to urinate all over his servants on this his greenest isle during summer time, but you don’t have to stand for it. You could convert to Buddhism or alternatively make a break for it – check out the hottest late, late travel deals featured in the newest edition of the Last Minute JOE.
STAYING IN
Sport on TV
It’s a big weekend for football fans with the return of Italy’s Serie A and Spain’s La Liga, whilst we’re hoping for another goal-packed Premier League weekend to satisfy our appetites for 6-0 victories after last weekend’s trio of matches. Without doubt the highlights for fans this weekend are Friday night’s UEFA Super League tie between respective Champions League and Europa League Champions Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid and Jose Mourinho’s league debut as Real Madrid coach against Mallorca Sunday night.
For GAA fans, Sunday’s Football All Ireland Senior Championship Semi Final between Down and Kildare should be a tense affair and gets the JOE live-tracker treatment in the afternoon. Finally, if you’re looking for something a little different, ESPN has the Couture/Toney Boxing v MMA UFC 118 main event in the wee hours of Sunday morning, while motorheads can look forward to the Belgian F1 Grand Prix.
Can new boss Jose Mourinho inspire Real Madrid to glory?
Friday 27 August
Bundesliga: Kaiserslautern v Bayern Munich (ESPN from 7:30pm)
UEFA Super Cup Atletico Madrid v Inter Milan (RTE Two, Sky Sports 1 and ITV4 from 7:30pm)
Saturday 28 August
Premier League: Blackburn v Arsenal (Sky Sports 2 from 12:30am)
Premier League: Chelsea v Stoke (Setanta Sports 1 from 2:30pm)
Premier League: Manchester United v West Ham (ESPN from 4:45pm)
Serie A: AS Roma v Cesena (ESPN from 7:45pm)
Sunday 29 August
MMA: UFC 118 (ESPN 3:00am)
Belgian F1 Grand Prix (BBC1 from 12:05am, Setanta Ireland from 12:45am)
Premier League: Bolton v Birmingham (Sky Sports 1 from 1:00pm)
GAA SFC Semi Final: Kildare v Down (RTE Two from 2:30pm, BBC2 Northern Ireland from 2:30pm)
Premier League: Aston Villa v Everton (Sky Sports 1 from 3:30pm)
La Liga: Racing v Barcelona (Sky Sports 1 from 7:00pm)
La Liga: Mallorca v Real Madrid (Sky Sports 1 from 9:00pm)
On the Box
If you’ve been wondering why snarky, ex-Never Mind the Buzzcocks Simon Amstell has disappeared off our TV screens, it’s because he’s been working on his new semi-autobiographical sitcom, Grandma’s House (BBC2, Sat 10:45pm). Simon stars as Simon in the six-part series, a television presenter searching for meaning in his life – although it’s not much of an acting stretch for Amstell, as you may imagine. Previous episodes have been promising, with the actor proving a natural on-screen scripted comic. On Saturday night’s episode, Simon reads a book that leads him to believe he might be able to control the universe.
Farrell and Gleeson make unlikely hitmen duo for Saturday’s In Bruges
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson put in two of the performances of their careers for In Bruges (Channel 4, Sat 10:00pm), a black comedy centered on two hitmen forced to lie low in the Belgian city after an assignment goes tragically wrong. Irish playwright and director Martin McDonagh brings a lot of laughs and tension to proceedings, as the hitmen’s crime boss (played by a villainous Ralph Fiennes) arrives to clean up any loose ends. Well worth a watch.
DVD
It may have one of the most ludicrous movie titles in recent memory, but John Cusack’s high-concept time travel comedy Hot Tub Time Machine is an enjoyable romp throughout. Cusack stars as a bitter divorcee that rejoins his childhood friends and his shut-in nephew for a guy’s weekend at a now-downtrodden ski resort. After a wild night of debauchery ends in their lodge’s hot tub, each awakens to find themselves back in 1986, with a chance to re-do their past mistakes. A fantastic cast is rounded out by a show-stealing performance by The Daily Show alumni Rob Corddry and shameless cameos from 80s icons Chevy Chase and Crispin Glover. Shut your brain off and enjoy.
Plus
Don’t forget to join JOE this weekend for our GAA live match-tracker, as we’ll be here on Sunday from 2:30pm onwards with coverage of the Senior Football Semi Final between Down and Kildare. Feel free to send your comments mid-game to shout@joe.ie.
