2005 in Irish music

Summary

January

• On 4 January Ian Brown was confirmed for Oxegen 2005.

February

• On 8 February The Killers were confirmed for Oxegen 2005.
• On 10 February Keane were confirmed for Oxegen 2005.
• At the 2005 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on 13 February, U2's critically acclaimed international hit single "Vertigo" won three awards: "Best Rock Song", "Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" and "Best Short Form Music Video".
• On 14 February The Frames were confirmed for Oxegen 2005.

March

• On 3 March Green Day were confirmed as Saturday night headliners of Oxegen 2005.
• On 4 March tickets for Oxegen 2005 went on sale as an appearance by Queens of the Stone Age was officially confirmed for the festival.

June

• On 11 June Neil Diamond played a sold-out show at Lansdowne Road.
• On 22 June Coldplay played to a crowd of 20,000 at Marlay Park in Dublin. They were supported by Morning Runner and Interpol.
• 2005 saw U2 bringing their Vertigo Tour to Croke Park in Dublin for three dates in the summer following the release of the band's long-awaited eleventh studio album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb the previous year. U2 broke Irish box office marks with ticket sales for these Croke Park concerts, after more than 240,000 tickets were sold in record time.

July

• July marked the 20th anniversary of Live Aid, an event which Bob Geldof had played a significant role in organising. In an attempt to highlight the growing need to cancel Third World debt, Geldof, Bono, Elton John and many others in the music industry campaigned for justice in the build-up to the G8 Conference and Summit in Scotland, leading to the organisation of Live 8 on 2 July. The event, which was only announced by Geldof on 30 May was on a much larger scale than Live Aid, with 10 simultaneous concerts in 9 different countries broadcast live around the world. However, unlike its predecessor, its main aim was to highlight inequalities as opposed to raising money. U2 opened the Hyde Park concert with their rendition of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" alongside Paul McCartney. Snow Patrol performed later.
• Oasis played a sold-out show in Marlay Park, Dublin on Saturday 16 or Sunday 17 July.

August

• Bud Rising came to Ireland for the first time in August 2005. The Chemical Brothers and Sonic Youth, supported by Mainline, played Marlay Park on 19 August, whilst Basement Jaxx, Underworld and Mylo played the same venue the following day. Pixies and Kings of Leon played Lansdowne Road on 23 August, whilst Scissor Sisters, Franz Ferdinand and Maroon 5 played the same venue the following day.
• Arcade Fire were the surprise act at the newly expanded two-day Electric Picnic.

Bands formed

• Delorentos
• Director
• Envelope
• Ham Sandwich
• Humanzi
• The Kinetiks
• Red Organ Serpent Sound
• The Spikes
• Super Extra Bonus Party

Bands disbanded

• Rubyhorse

Bands reformed

• Kerbdog
• The Sultans of Ping FC
• Whipping Boy

Albums & EPs

Singles

• "Happy Sad" – Gemma Hayes '
• "All Is Violent, All Is Bright" – God Is an Astronaut '
• "Feel the Machine" – The Chalets '
• "No Style" – The Chalets '
• "The Irish Keep Gate-crashing" – The Thrills ''''

Festivals

Oxegen 2005

Electric Picnic 2006

Heineken Green Energy

Bud Rising

Live at the Marquee

Slane 2006

Music awards

2005 Meteor Awards

Choice Music Prize