Castlebar.News      
    From The West of Ireland
    Go to Castlebar | Photo Gallery | Castlebar Directory | Nostalgia Board
Entertainment and the Arts : Music : Moka Live Last Updated: 2, Apr 2018 - 10:02


80's Icon Hazel O'Connor plays Moka Live
By Moka Live
30, Sep 2008 - 23:54

Email this article
 Printer friendly page

hazel2.jpg
Born in Coventry, England, Hazel O'Connor had a story to tell long before she hit the headlines as the first major female star of the 80s. She left home at 16, lived in a squat in Amsterdam, travelled to Morocco then headed across the pole to Japan where she worked as a dancer. Next stop was Beirut in the Lebanon, to dance at The Crazy Horse. However, civil war broke out and she was forced to leave. She travelled from West Africa, overland, crossing the Sahara desert, to North Africa, finally getting back to London and wondered what to do with the rest of her life well she was 21 now! Inspired by her older brother Neil O'Connor and the punk movement, she decided to try her hand at singing and song-writing because singing made me happy she said.

hazel5.jpg

A talented musician and actress, her career has been a rollercoaster one. Her breakthrough came in the film Breaking Glass (1980), in which she played a singer struggling to cope within the music industry. Sadly, this was to be the case in her music career as she battled over copyrights and clauses for a number of years. However, her determination persevered and she now happily records and tours with her friend, Carmac De Barra.

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY

‘Beyond Breaking Glass establishes Hazel O’Connor as much more than an 80’s icon. If you ever get the chance to see her, don’t think twice…just go!’ - Edinburgh Central Telegraph

"Her voice is a female amalgam of Rod Stewart, Leonard Cohen and Tam White – with a touch of Eartha Kitt – but it remains her own, unique and unforgettable". - The Scotsman

‘I felt I had seen a true artist perform, which is something you can’t say very often in these days of Steps and Spice’. - East Anglian Times

‘O’Connor’s superb singing voice and musicianship goes far beyond the punk style with which she made her name’. The Stage

moka_live_jpeg_3.jpg
Moka Cafe Bar, Spencer Street, Castlebar.  Tel 094 9250180  info@moka.ie

Saturday 18th October

Doors 9pm (closing 10pm)

Tickets €20 - available now from Moka.



© Copyright 2008 by © Contributor(s) and Castlebar Web Pages 1997 - 2018

.. Top of Page


Moka Live
Latest Headlines
An Evening with LUKA BLOOM at Moka Live
Mundy to play Moka Live
Dave Browne, former "Picture House" frontman at MOKA LIVE
The UK's No.1 ROD STEWART Tribute at MOKA LIVE
80's Icon Hazel O'Connor plays Moka Live
An Evening With Juliet Turner at Moka Live
Danny Charlton for Acoustic Set at Moka Live
Andy Irvine at Moka - Postponed
Andy Irvine plays "Moka Live"