The Sunday Independent’s Artists Against Homelessness in aid of Focus Ireland will take place on Sunday 17th April at 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin.

Headlined and curated by Kojaque, the gifted Dublin rapper who sang about the issue of homelessness and housing on his 2021 album Town’s Dead, it’s guaranteed to be an inspiring night of wonderful music in aid of a very worthy cause.

Artists Against Homelessness
Curated and headlined by Kojaque
Feat. Damien Dempsey, Shiv, EFÉ, Curtisy, Ahmed, With Love & Negro Impacto
in aid of Focus Ireland

Sponsored by Cadbury and Arachas Insurance

Tickets priced from €25 (booking fee & restoration levy has been waived) on sale now via Ticketmaster

‘The issue of homelessness in Ireland is one that simply shouldn’t exist and can be prevented with the right intervention from government,’ Kojaque says. ‘However, it’s not something that I have felt is in the interest of our government, which is why charities like Focus Ireland and events such as this one are so important. They offer hope to those most in need of it.’

Celebrated singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey will also play on the night, as will the incomparable Zimbabwe-born artist Shiv, who has been described by indie bible The Face as having ‘exploded onto the Irish music scene with a warm, soulful sound.’

‘It is incredibly disheartening to know that with over 8000 homeless people in Ireland, a quarter of whom are children, over 200,000 houses remain vacant in Ireland,’ Shiv says.

Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan echoes this: ‘There are still nearly 9,000 people homeless and the sheer number of children and families who are on the verge of homelessness due to the unstable housing sector is appalling. There are 2,500 children who are homeless with their families, and most lost their homes in the rental sector due to rocketing rents, insecurity of tenure and the rising cost of living. Rents have now passed the peak of the Celtic Tiger and when linked to the spiraling cost of living this has left many thousands of families and individuals at a tipping point between home and homelessness. Focus Ireland work hard every day to help prevent people from losing their homes and these services are needed now more than ever.’

Artists Against Homelessness (previously known as Rock Against Homelessness) has been organised for the last eight years by the Sunday Independent’s Barry Egan. This year’s show, which has been booked by Bekah Molony, reflects the diversity of modern Ireland.

As well as Shiv, it features the brilliant EFÉ, who Soul Doubt magazine described as ‘an astonishing artist’, plus the wonderful Negro Impacto, the Dundalk RnB duo of vocalist Chi-Chi and producer StrangeLove, who Hot Press magazine said ‘served up some of our musical highlights of 2021 with the release of their debut EP’.

From Dublin, the hotly tipped rapper Ahmed, With Love. will also take to the famous 3Olympia stage, as will fellow rising star Curtisy. ‘Homelessness is a major issue in our country,’ Curtisy says, ‘we see it every day and I’ve even had family become homeless. It’s great to be a part of something so positive to mark how much Focus Ireland do.’