The idea behind Whelan’s Ones To Watch festival strikes me as being so flamboyantly clever. The value is big (acts you know and acts you don’t, all working hard to be remembered) and the cost is low (€5 or €10).

The Kanyu Tree prove to be the big student draw.

A fantastic three-way for a Friday night – Crawdaddy and labels +4 of Cork and Smalltown America of Derry huddled together pre-Christmas and set about kicking off 2012 in the best possible taste.

Great things surely lie ahead.

The Minutes are exactly the type of act Red Bull will be hoping to find with the competition.

For the hardy souls that braved the elements, stepping through the door of The Pint was akin to jumping into the hot tub time machine.

In an evening of delicious treats, it is especially lovely to be introduced to Roisin, Sinéad’s beautiful daughter, who sings angelic backing vocals.

A night of heartfelt homage to a musical icon.

It’s unlikely that the O2 has ever witnessed a more rapturously received double-whammy than ‘Come Together’ and ‘Loaded’.

Home is right!