By Colm Phelan
Metropolis made its debut in Dublin’s RDS last year and was an enormous success. This year it returns to the same venue and boasting many exciting acts.
Last year the festival took place on the 7th and 8th of November, and generated a lot of interest from the beginning, being one of the only festivals of its kind around that time of year.
Eight different arenas hosted acts including The Roots, Jamie xx and Hot Chip. As well as live music, the event offered what they advertised as “Conversations’’, a series of panels and talks including names such as Giorgio Moroder (an Italian singer, songwriter and DJ) and Howard Marks (Welsh drug smuggler turned author).
This year expects to be a similarly diverse affair, with live music, ‘’conversations’’ and the new initiative “installations” set to feature throughout the three day fiesta.
The festival opened on Thursday night, with American music producer Joshua Davis aka DJ Shadow hitting the stage for the opening party.
Friday boasts several internationally acclaimed DJs, with Groove Armada, Cyril Hahn and Solomun and recent Q Award winner Jack Garratt amongst the most recognisable names.
Saturday’s affair will include Grace Jones, Klangkarussell and The Sugarhill Gang to mention just three.
Trinity Orchestra, who featured last year, return this year to play a tribute to David Bowie.
If you want to take a break from all the music, make sure to check out the “installations”. With Metropolis advertising itself as “multi-disciplinary, dynamic arts festival”, they offer more than just music and panels. They have revealed they will be bringing to Dublin the world’s largest mirror ball, the same height as a three storey building, which will spin above the festival goers.
Also welcomed to the festival is the Andy Warhol Silver Clouds exhibition. Metallic balloons filled with nitrogen, helium and ambient air will be floating around at eye level, which allows you, the festival goer, to become a physical part of the “installation’’.
With doors opening at 3pm, Metropolis and Just Eat have teamed up to make sure no one goes hungry. Red Bull, Bulmers and Absolut will make sure no thirst goes unquenched.
The festival has also teamed up with Labrynth, an art collective that are producing a projected installation which will partner the REPEAL project.
“Since REPEAL seeks to give a voice to an issue that needs to be heard, we thought it would be interesting to literally project the issue further using a projection installation that will exist as an alternative interpretation of the traditional petition format,” said April Delaney speaking on behalf of Labrynth.