Concerts and festivals aren’t on the cards for a while, so in the meantime, we looked at five acts who have yet to grace the stage in Ireland.

We’ve all thought about it – when are gigs coming back? Last month in an oddly dystopian move Arkansas had small clusters of fans seated in roped off-areas in America’s first gig since the pandemic started.

While it brings food for thought i’ll politely pass on any similar ideas for the time being. There’s nothing quite like getting someone else’s sweat flicked at you as you are thrown about a messy crowd and having seen enough variations on livestream ‘Lockdown sessions’ to last a lifetime I’d rather wait for the real thing to come back instead of any placeholders.

Instead we’ve looked optimistically towards the future and painted a picture of concerts that should inevitably happen all going well. When European tours are back on track we are hoping a few artists will post up in Ireland to make their debuts, better still they could be part of some huge festival line-ups next summer that act as a celebration of sorts. Anyways here’s five acts that need to perform in Ireland for the first time when this is all over!

Smino

St. Louis native Smino was scheduled to perform in Ireland for the first time in March of this year. For obvious reasons he couldn’t make it, but it means the hype for his headline show has been steadily building and by the time it eventually comes round the energy will be off the charts.

With Smino being part of two supergroups there’s scope for performances of legendary proportions were he to tour with either crew. Ghetto Sage features him and fellow mid westerners Saba and Noname who he has worked extensively with and he is also part of Zoink Gang with JID, Buddy and Guapdad 4000.

I’m fiending to hear ‘Wild Irish Roses’ on Irish shores.

Smino’s show has been rescheduled for November this year and you can grab tickets here.

Rimon

Rimon is a genuinely globetrotting artist and it’s only right she gets to perform in Ireland once things have calmed down. Having left a religious community in Eritrea to move to Germany, then relocating to Holland – all to pursue music, she’s proven she’s confident no matter where she lands.

Her soulful sounds first caught our attention on her spellbinding Colors performance and since then she has released a new EP that features the likes of Denzel Curry and solidifies her position as one of RnB’s most exciting talents.

Any looming post-corona anxiety would melt away listening to her soft tones live in an intimate venue.

Channel Tres

There’s a basement rave-shaped hole in my heart at the moment and once things are back to normal we are going to need a quick injection of dark and dingy nights to make up for the time spent drinking cans on our sofas.

Compton native Channel Tres is a childhood friend of August 08 and DUCKWRTH and narrowly avoided a career in EDM in order to develop his beautifully dense sound.

He recently remixed Tyler, The Creator’s ‘Earthquake’ and was scheduled for a few European dates prior to the coronavirus outbreak. He’s top of our list of electronic acts that need to shell it here!

House of Pharoahs 

UK rap is having a moment. There’s no shortage of variation and different styles and House of Pharaohs are perhaps the greatest example of the indefinable quality that is rampant in the genre right now.

They don’t fit the traditional UK rap group mould. They aren’t on the drill wave and aren’t restricted by any of the quintessential tenants of grime. With ‘RWM’ being played on Blonded radio it’s just one example of the level of co-signs they’ve been routinely receiving.

Made up of six rappers and numerous other creatives, it’s a collective that is defying genre. Sam Wise, Blaze, Bandanna, Kevin Taylor and AJ were set to grace the stage at The Road To The Great Escape in Dublin, but will no doubt be back in Ireland once it is safe to do so.

If no one books them I’m starting a petition to get them here.

Pa Salieu

Coventry’s Pa Salieu is one of rap’s most resilient young up-and-comers. Having been shot in the head last year and survived it seems nothing can stop his rise to the top. Having received nods from a slew of notable names it appeared that he was ready to body festival season with appearances at Rolling Loud’s first European edition in Portugal pencilled in before the pandemic hit.

Possessing a truly unique sound that blends elements of afroswing, drill, hip hop and dancehall he’s at the forefront of a new wave of UK artists making serious noise.

His Gambian heritage and this penchant for merging sounds has drawn comparisons to J Hus, but Pa Salieu is an artist carving out his own unique and distinct lane.