Emirates Open Skies - March '14 

Nice to give the adopted hometown a plug every now and then. Especially if it's somebody who's bucking the trend like Gib Cassidy, proprietor of one of Dublin's coolest record shops and a man who's started his own record label. Shades of Terri Hooley abound. 

If in town be sure to drop by. You'll find Gib, Elastic Witch, and an eclectic bunch of stuff in the Twisted Pepper building, Abbey Street. On Friday 28th February the legendary Neneh Cherry is showcasing her new album there. Not bad eh? 

On my very first InterRail trip I visited Monaco/Monte Carlo with my rag-tag bunch of travel companions. We ended up wandering aimlessly about the grounds of the Grimaldi palace and it was all profoundly depressing. Deciding to take solace in beer I left the rest of them to it and meandered down to the Casino area. I settled myself in at the Café de Paris, ordered a ludicrously expensive lager, and watched the bling drift by. As I drained the meagre glass and stubbed out my cigarette I promised myself when I returned I'd do it in style or not at all.  So, here's the tale of a dream come true.