The Guide: Ruby Wax, St Vincent, Crowded House and other events to see, shows to book and ones to catch before they end

Visiting Ireland to tie in with the publication of her latest book, I’m Not as Well as I Thought I Was, the comedian Ruby Wax leans into the potentially problematic mix of squeezing laughs out of serious topics – in her case checking into a mental-health clinic in 2022 (which, she writes, “wasn’t exactly on my radar”). But, as Wax is a long-established pro (as well as the author of How to Be Human: The Manual), a smoothly delivered combination of jokes and mindfulness is guaranteed. Her tour of Ireland continues on Saturday, October 19th, Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin; Sunday, October 20th, Mac, Belfast; Monday, October 21st, Lark, Balbriggan, Co Dublin; Tuesday, October 22nd, Town Hall Theatre, Galway.
The creative shapeshifter Anne Clark, who began her music career as a member of the choral rock band Polyphonic Spree and of Sufjan Stevens’s touring band, has long mined a rich countercultural seam. Songs from her latest album, All Born Screaming (“post-plague pop”, as Clark describes them) will mostly feature here, but fans can rest assured that previous albums such as Masseduction (2017) and Daddy’s Home (2021) will be dutifully represented.
You only have to list a handful of songs – Don’t Dream It’s Over, Something So Strong, Four Seasons in One Day, Distant Sun – to realise how vivid a mark New Zealand’s Neil Finn and Crowded House have left on the pop music landscape. You could easily add another dozen to that brief inventory. Next year, with Finn and bassist Nick Seymour as the sole constant members, the band celebrates its 40th birthday, but it will surely continue with the recent additions of Finn’s sons, Liam and Elroy. You’ll leave the venue whistling the tunes, whatever the weather.
When it comes to stretching creative envelopes without breaking them, Rhiannon Giddens (in partnership with Francesco Turrisi) is world-renowned. Expect the usual exemplary performance from “one of the most important musical minds currently walking the planet”, as American Songwriter describes her. This is a charity concert in aid of Ruhama, which offers nationwide support to women affected by prostitution, sex trafficking and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation, and of Sonas, which supports women experiencing domestic abuse.
With 70 events over 16 days, including three main-stage operas – Le Convenienze ed Inconvenienze Teatrali, by Gaetano Donizetti, from 1827; Le Maschere, by Pietro Mascagni, from 1901; and The Critic, by Charles Villiers Stanford, from 1916 – and two Pocket Operas (including work by Alberto Caruso with a libretto by Colm Tóibín), Wexford Festival Opera has set the stage for another series of innovative experiences. In addition, this year’s Festival Forum features a public interview with Garry Hynes, cofounder and artistic director of Druid theatre company.
It’s all in the details, right? Murder One returns to the scene of previous adventures with a line-up of notable crime-fiction figures. Highlights include a masterclass with Catherine Ryan Howard, public interviews with the bestselling authors Peter James and Steve Cavanagh, and themed discussions about the sometimes unpredictable nature of friendship (with Karen Perry), adapting books for the small screen (with Jo Spain and Jane Casey) and the importance of location in crime novels (with Stuart Neville).
“The Banksy of the poetry world” and “the poet laureate of Twitter” are but two descriptions of Brian Bilston, the 54-year-old British writer who in the past 10 years has written more whimsical and gently satirical poems than anyone surely has a right to read. On the page, form plays a part in the enjoyment, as poems can appear as spreadsheets, diagrams and Scrabble clues. Off the page? The success of Bilston’s live shows could hinge on his performance skills, which by all accounts pivot between well-honed comic timing, poker-faced delivery and very clever yet heartfelt wordplay.
Her, Allure is billed as a “photographic odyssey” through the work and career of the Dublin photographer Ruth Medjber. From her teenage years taking photos of emerging bands to being Hozier’s on-tour photographer (not forgetting her official coverage of the Glastonbury festival for the BBC, and her remarkable pandemic portrait collection, Twilight Together), Medjber has always had a restless but fortifying impulse to connect. She’ll take part in a public interview with the musician MayKay (who features across a sequence of exhibition images) at Photo Museum Ireland on Saturday, October 19th, at 1pm.
Twenty-five years later and Kerry International Film Festival is still going strong. Must-sees include the schedule of short films across the weekend, the documentary (and opening film) Housewife of the Year, and a special screening of the forthcoming Cillian Murphy film Small Things Like These.
Marble City Music Festival, Kilkenny/Cork, November 28th-December 6th, marblecitymusicfestival.com
Jarlath Regan, 3Olympia, Dublin, January 8th-11th, ticketmaster.ie
Ralph McTell, nationwide tour, April 24th-May 18th, ralphmctell.com
Remembering Christy Dignam, Vicar Street, Dublin, May 29th, ticketmaster.ie