Alex Zhang Hungtai known by his stage name Dirty Beaches, is a Taiwanese-born Canadianmusician based in Montreal, Quebec.

Dirty Beaches released a number of EPs and instrumental-focused albums on cassette-only labels, before releasing the full-length Badlands in March 2011. Badlands was subsequently nominated as a long listed nominee for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize. Dirty Beaches has also released singles including "True Blue"/"Sweet 17," "Lord Knows Best" and "Lone Runner," as well as videos, many of them directed by Zhang himself.

Dirty Beaches began as a one-man band, sometimes employing sampling, inspired by Zhang's longtime love of hip hop. In addition to his own years moving between countries and on the road touring, films are one of Zhang's influences, particularly those by Wong Kar-wai. life. The Zhang said Wong's movies are "usually about the passage of time, and how in relation it distorts your relationship with everything else in central Dirty Beaches character is a product of those experiences. Of someone traveling long distances in search of something, in exile, misplaced, with no home to return to." His new album Drifters/Love Is The Devil is released in May.

“ultimately what you get here is a refreshing take on the well-worn tropes of lo-fi-- raunchy, old-fashioned, and pompadoured, there's nothing else that sounds like this right now.” – Pitchfork Best New Music 8.2

Video: Speedway King

Ticket Information:

Tickets €13.00 (including booking) from www.tickets.ie & www.ticketmaster.ie