• Watch: Sunken Foal – Cutty’s Advice

    September 30, 2013 - By 

    Taken from his forthcoming new album Friday Syndrome Volume 2, Dublin-based electronic producer Dunk Murphy AKA Sunken Foal has unveiled the video to his new track, ‘Cutty’s Advice’. The follow up to his debut album, Fallen Arches, the first volume of Friday Syndrome was released last July to a strong critical reception. Friday Syndrome Volume 2 is expected to be released at some stage in November. Sunken Foal will support Solar Bears at Whelans, Dublin on Friday, October 4. Go here for the chance to win a pair of tickets to the show. Watch the video for ‘Cutty’s Advice’ below.

  • Album stream: Crayonsmith – Milk Teeth

    September 30, 2013 - By 

    Ahead of its official release on the superb Out On A Limb Records on Friday, October 18, Dublin band Crayonsmith have released a stream of their highly-anticipated third album, Milk Teeth. Recorded between Cork and Dublin at Guerilla Studios over the last couple of years, the album “lyrically and sonically focuses on a number of themes such as loss, fear, acceptance, humility and the importance of the love of family and/or friends in order for us to be happy.” With new dates set to be announced, the band have three upcoming shows to promote the new record: Saturday, October 19:…

  • Exclusive stream: Levity Breaks – Maudlin EP

    September 30, 2013 - By 

    Ahead of its launch at Belfast’s Limelight 2 later this week, we have an exclusive first listen to Maudlin, the extremely accomplished debut EP by Belfast-based indie rock four-piece Levity Breaks. Recorded in Spring in their own studio facility in Portadown, the band described the recorded the recording process as having “carefully crafted a collection of songs, spending much time in the production stage as we endeavoured to recreate the energy, verve and tension of their our performance. The launch of Maudlin will be held at Limelight 2 on Thursday, October 2 with very special guests David C Clements and…

  • Breed: Katie and the Carnival, Myles Manley & Hannah McPhillimy

    September 30, 2013 - By 

    Belfast-based photographer Diarmuid Kennedy was in attendance at the latest installment of Breed at Belfast’s The Pavilion on Friday, September 28. The line-up featured fast-rising songstress Hannah McPhillimy, Dublin alt-folk master Myles Manley (above) and headliners, the ever-enchanting Katie and the Carnival. Check out Diarmuid’s photos from the night below!

  • Culture Night – Culture of What?

    September 27, 2013 - By 

    Last Friday saw the return of Belfast’s Culture Night, and by all accounts it was complete success, bigger than before both in terms of events and attendance. On the other side of the world, in the North-East of Portland, Oregon is a street called NE Alberta Street and on the last Thursday of every March through to October is an art event called Last Thursday. The police shut 15 blocks (about a mile) of the street, and while it is an “organised” event there is no programme of events, no registration for performers. People just turn up and do what…

  • Love Inks – Generation Club

    September 30, 2013 - By 

    For newcomers, Love Inks are a lo-fi dream-pop trio named after an ancient voodoo practice. For the initiated, their highly-anticipated second album could be the one to have them wrestle the spotlight off The xx, Beach House and every other band on next year’s Electric Picnic bill. The music revolves around the husband and wife team of Kevin Dehan (bass) and Sherry LeBlanc, the provider of an original sultry voice found somewhere between Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star and Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac. In Generation Club the trio is completed by recent addition, guitarist Derek Brown. The minimalism on…

  • Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist (Ubisoft, Multiformat)

    September 25, 2013 - By 

    Sam Fisher has the best job in the world. Jetting all over the world, breaking into top secret buildings, snuffing bad guys, always talking in a deep, gravely voice. He’s your archetypal superspy: a service hardened tough-nut with a tendency to occasionally go off protocol but who has a keen sense of right and wrong. Now operating from “the Paladin”, a nondescript cargo plane which actually houses a hub full of advanced comms tech, Fisher and his crack team have been charged with stopping “The Engineers”. These faceless terrorists are threatening to destroy a number of American assets if their…

  • Ciaran Lavery – Other People Wrote These

    September 25, 2013 - By 

    Having released one of the finest Irish albums of last year – his mesmerising debut full-length release Not Nearly Dark – Aghagallon-based singer-songwriter Ciaran Lavery is an artist who clearly lives and breathes his craft. When he’s not honing and delivering his own uniquely longing brand of alt-folk he refers to the tales of others and revisits the sweeping imprint of influence that has helped shape his own wonderfully distinctive sound. A four-track manifestation of this, Lavery’s aptly-titled new covers EP, Other People Wrote This, offers a ideal opportunity to re-assess his talents from a totally new and interesting perspective. Starting…

  • Inbound: The Last Generation

    September 30, 2013 - By 

    Having released their terrific second EP Torann earlier this month, Mid-Ulster hard-rock four-piece The Last Generation have all but announced their arrival as one of the country’s most exciting and interesting riff-fuelled acts. Ahead of the Belfast launch of their latest release, we speak to the band’s lead guitarist Stephen O’Hagan about the band’s steady and well-deserved ascent. Hi Stephen. First off, could you tell us how you got together and about the early period of the band? We started the band around two years ago while still attending secondary school in Maghera. We where still very much cutting our teeth as musicians –…

  • Harrison – When It Rains

    September 25, 2013 - By 

    Hip-hop, for me, is music to be enjoyed and considered. It’s unfortunate though that what most would currently call hip-hop is dominated by the kind of backslapping lyricists that appear to only pander to audiences willing to accept alienating stereotypes, or utter musical tripe. Either that or it’s about swag, whatever the hell that is.  On a brighter note, all is not lost. J Dilla is still being released and re-released posthumously; Madlib is still going strong and Peanut Butter Wolf and his Stones Throw label are the gifts that keep on giving. These guys are the true music makers. They are the architects of the…