Imagining Ireland Returns to the Barbican for 2024
Imagining Ireland 2024
Imagining Ireland 2024
Mon 4 Mar 2024, 19:30
This year will once again see Imagining Ireland come to London, an annual celebration of modern Irish culture created by the National Concert Hall (NCH), produced by Serious Events and supported by Culture Ireland.
Since 2016, this event has brought the best of Irish music, spoken word and poetry to a new audience and now continues to highlight some of the best contemporary music that Ireland has to offer.
This year, Sorcha Richardson takes on the role of curation, after a fantastic event in 2023 led by James Vincent McMorrow.
How to buy tickets
Tickets to Imagining Ireland at the Barbican on Monday 4th March 2024, are available on the website of the Barbican. The event begins at 19:30.
Book your tickets: Make a selection (barbican.org.uk)
The Barbican Hall is the venue for this year’s event, and as an icon of Brutalist architecture is one of the most recognisable venues in music. An international arts and learning centre, the Barbican has played host to artists that have helped to push the boundaries of all major forms including dance, film, music, theatre and the visual arts, and is without doubt a fitting place for an exciting list of Irish musicians to make their mark in London. Aside from theatres, galleries, concert halls and cinemas, the large conservatory in the building is home to 1,500 species of plants and trees, making it a picturesque lakeside oasis for plants and culture alike!
The Artists
This year’s programme of hugely talented artists is curated by Sorcha Richardson. The indie-folk star, who has collaborated with Ellie Goulding and toured with Villagers, stands out through her narrative songwriting, weaving lyrics into cinematic scenes for the audience. The bill includes Ye Vagabonds, who will perform pieces from their celebrated album ‘Nine Waves’, as well as Susan O’Neill, whose timeless voice and unique stylings have seen her earn nominations for the Choice Music prize and the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards.
Rising star of Irish R&B Aby Coulibaly will bring her distinctive mix of ‘90s beats, insightful lyrics and buttery vocals, while MOIO is establishing himself as a leading force in the emerging Irish Creative community, with his soulful alternative R&B. Rachael Lavelle is sure to captivate the audience on the night too, with tracks from her existential coming-of-age album ‘Big Dream’ that showcases her ability to combine an arresting vocal style with humorous observations on existence.
To celebrate the event, Sorcha has curated a dedicated playlist that will give you a flavour of the evening, which you can listen to below!