• Culture Night Belfast line-up revealed

    Set to take place on across over six hours on September 20, the impossibly eclectic line-up for this year’s Culture Night Belfast has been announced. The city’s self-proclaimed “biggest and boldest cultural celebration” will see 250 events take place across 100+ venues to over 30,000 people in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter beyond from 4-10pm. A Banksy exhibit in the city’s smallest contemporary art gallery, an evening of drinks and book-readings with local novelists in McHughs basement, a poetry slam at Golden Thread Gallery, “new tunes and new talents” live at the check-out of a Tesco… the lists of things happening goes on…

  • Voodoo Fiend Club

    A new monthly metal, hardcore and punk night in Belfast’s Voodoo Bar, the Voodoo Fiend Club is presented in conjunction with Belfast-based independent label Savour Your Scene records. Proposing to “bring you the best in alternative music on a night out – metal, hardcore, punk, crust, d-beat, noise prog and thrash – the next club night is on Friday, August 30. Hit up the club’s Facebook page to keep up to date with future nights. Watch ‘Cut Throat Blues’ by Belfast-based Savour Your Scene band Lantern For A Gale below.  

  • No Alibis Bookstore present: Jo Nesbo @ Ulster Hall

    Internationally acclaimed and best selling Scandinavian author Jo Nesbo will hold a special talk at Belfast’s Ulster Hall on Sunday, September 15 in association with No Alibis Bookstore. Also a musician, songwriter, economist and ex-footballer, Nesbo will discuss his new book, Police – the tenth installment of his Harry Hole series. Tickets are priced at £7 and are available purchase here.

  • Festival Diary: Way Out West 2013

    In its seventh year, Way Out West has grown to one of the biggest music events in the Swedish calendar. Held every year in the city of Gothenburg since 2007, it is only the second time it has been run over three days. The festival is divided into two parts Way Out West (WOW) and Stay Out West. The former is held in the west side of the city in Slottskogen the city’s biggest park, the latter at selected venues around the city throughout the day and night. Being Swedish it is also environmentally friendly. Serving only vegetarian food to…

  • Watch: The Hot Sprockets – Comin’ On

    One of the best visual accompaniments that we have seen from an Irish band in quite some time, Dublin band The Hot Sprockets have unveiled the wonderful video for their new single, ‘Comin’ On’. A huge effort involving a case of colourful extras, the video was shot in one take by Little Beast Films at the rather beautiful Hazel Hatch House. The single itself is set for official release on September 20. Watch the video below!

  • Stream: Safe Ships – Safest of Ships

    Recorded, mixed and mastered by Lee McMahon, Belfast-based punk quartet Safe Ships have released a brand new track, the ever-so-slightly self-referential ‘Safest of Ships’. The song is the b-side to the band’s forthcoming new single ‘Fighting Fit’, which will be launched on Wednesday, October 2 at Belfast’s Voodoo. Support on the night comes from Past Victories, Bellos and Tied To Machines. Go here for more info. Stream the rollicking ‘Safest of Ships’ via Bandcamp below.

  • Stream: September Girls – Ships

    Set for release on September 7 for Cassette Store Day, Dublin noise-pop band September Girls are streaming their new single ‘Ships’. The band’s hand-crafted cassette will be available to buy from the Haus of PINS website for £5 from the date of release. September Girls play Distillation 04 at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre on Friday, September 20 alongside Sea Pinks and Affleck. Stream ‘Ships’ via Soundcloud below.

  • DuckTales Remastered (Capcom, multi-platform)

    In days of old when gamers were bold and self-replenishing health bars weren’t invented, videogames were hard. Rock hard. Titles such as Super Star Wars, Castlevania and Ghosts ‘n Goblins made no concessions to ninnyish players reliant upon bountiful 1ups, mid-level game saves and unlimited continues. This was in part due to the influence of those Japanese fans who preferred their games to be from the more punishing end of the difficulty scale. Further, the limited memory of consoles meant that if you died you were whooshed back to the beginning of a given level. Precision timing was required to avoid spiked ceilings and bottomless…

  • Album stream: God Is An Astronaut – Origins

    Co. Wicklow post-rock band God Is An Astronaut are streaming their sixth studio album, Origins, via Bandcamp. Their first album as a five-piece the album “cements their place as one of the world’s most intense, musically – and visually – inventive post rock bands”. It also sees the Torsten Kinsella-fronted band’s return to Rocket Girl Records, who released their debut album back in 2005. Check out the band’s new video for ‘Reverse World’ and stream/buy Origins below.  

  • Superchunk – I Hate Music

    This makes absolutely no sense to me. I have no idea why a label would release an album like Superchunk‘s I Hate Music at the tail end of the Summer. This is a record that was perfectly designed for golden hour driving sessions and mid-day drinks in the park. It’s an album that brings a near-insurmountable level of joy and energy with every song. It’s hard not to listen to this sweet little treat of a record without having a stupidly big, ear to ear grin plastered to your face. What’s even more impressive about this whole situation is that…