The RDS will experience a new kind of show on October 21, as the Shelbourne Hall hosts a Red Bull ‘Soundclash’, the first time the long-standing series of events has come to our shores.
The international series dates back to 2006, but has its roots in similar events that have been held in Jamaica since the 1950s, largely involving reggae artists. The Irish event will focus more on hip-hop.
At the event, two groups of artists will occupy their own stages, taking one end of the hall each, and compete in six rounds of musical exchanges in which they seek to outperform the performers at the other end of the room. The winner will be decided based on a crowd decibel measure after each round.
Previous events in the Soundclash series, which has visited over 85 countries, have seen a series of legends take part, including Snoop Dogg, The Ting Tings, and Ludacris, along with giving platforms to local artists anywhere from Beirut to Poland, the US to Australia.
The Irish version of the event is keeping many of its participants under wraps, but the two stages will be captained by Mango x Mathman at one end of the hall, and Abi Coulibaly and Monjola at the other. These ‘crew leaders’ will keep the identity of their battle teams quiet up until the night of the event itself.
The concept of a musical battle is not a common one on the Irish music scene (though there have been various rap battle type events over the years on a small scale), and as such Red Bull’s imaginative tak should draw in plenty keen on Ireland’s growing hip-hop scene and the unpredictable array of stars set to appear.
Tickets are on sale now and priced at €25. The event is over 18s only.
For more information https://www.redbull.com/ie-en/events/soundclash-ireland
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