The Sabres of Paradise

The long awaited Irish debut.

There are seminal acts, and then there are The Sabres of Paradise. Formed in the early 90s by the late, great Andrew Weatherall alongside studio alchemists Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns, the trio didn't just inhabit the electronic music landscape—they terraformed it.

Their sound was a "dark and menacing trawl through clubland," a place where dub basslines seeped through spooky electro melodies and white noise. Across two legendary albums, Sabresonic and Haunted Dancehall, they defined a specific moment in British culture: the point where the hedonism of acid house met the experimental edge of dub and post-punk. They gave us Smokebelch II, arguably the most beautiful, pastoral electronic track ever committed to wax—a song that transcends the genre entirely.

Thirty years on, and five years after the untimely passing of their captain Weatherall, Kooner and Burns have rebooted the machine. This is not a nostalgia trip; it is a celebration of a legacy. The live show sees the original studio wizards stepping out of the shadows to bring those intricate, menacing, and joyous rhythms back to the stage.

Having The Sabres of Paradise at Glendalough is a profound moment. It is a chance to hear the music that shaped a generation of producers, played loud in the open air. Andrew won’t be on stage, but as the lads say, he’ll be standing in the wings, giving them the nod. Expect dub pressure, breakbeats, and a masterclass in electronic soul.