• Watch: Ciaran Lavery – Left For America (Live)

    Aghagallon singer-songwriter Ciaran Lavery has unveiled a live video for a new song, ‘Left For America’. Recorded for Dublin-based live music platform BalconyTV, the  track follows in the vein of his superb debut album Not Nearly Dark, which was released in March to a wave of critical acclaim. Lavery is is currently on a brief UK and Irish tour. The remaining dates over the next two weeks are: October 15: Broadcast, Glasgow October 16: Dublin Castle, London October 18: The Revelry, Exeter October 19: Exwick Mill, Exeter October 26: Voodoo, Belfast (Emerald Armada EP launch) Read our review of Lavery’s recent…

  • Stream: We Cut Corners – YKK

    Taken from their forthcoming second album – set for release at some point next year – Dublin indie-rock duo We Cut Corners have unveiled their excellent new single, ‘YKK’. Set for release via Delphi on November 25, the short track is a simple but characteristically infectious little slice of the two-piece’s craft. To coincide with the release – the band’s first single in over a year – We Cut Corners are set to play four dates over the next while: Thursday, October 17: CMJ showcase, Fat Baby, Rivington St, NYC Friday, October 18: The Planetary/The Great Escape Party @ CMJ, Pianos, Ludlow…

  • Shortlist for Northern Irish Music Prize announced

    The fourteen-strong shortlist for the inaugural Northern Irish Music Prize has been revealed. Organised by Belfast’s Oh Yeah Music Centre, the new award is “aimed at recognising the great wealth of recorded music from these parts”, focusing on albums released by Northern Irish bands over the last 12 months. The shortlist (below) is the result of votes from The Academy AKA several dozen industry professionals including music writers, DJs and editors amongst others. A Plastic Rose – Camera Shutter Life And So I Watch You From Afar – All Hail Bright Futures Anthony Toner – Sing Under The Bridges Axis…

  • Gig of the week: Astralnaut, Dutch Schultz, Bellos

    This week’s Thin Air gig of the week is surely one of the heaviest Radar line-ups at Belfast’s QUBSU to date. Headlined by fast-rising sludge-doom overlords Astralnaut (above), the three-band bill on Thursday, October 17 also features the riff-fuelled talents of the ever blistering Dutch Schultz and one of the country’s best breakthrough bands of the year, alt-rock three-piece Bellos. Check out our Live Session with Bellos here, our recent interview with Astralnaut here and the video for Dutch Schultz’s fantastic ‘Year Of The Mule’ here. See below for the Radar poster for the show.  

  • Instatour: Enemies

    Having first played a two-week tour in Japan five years ago supporting none other than toe, Co. Wicklow four-piece Enemies give us a peek into their recent, seemingly very fun tour of Asia in the latest installment of Instatour.

  • The Weeknd – Kiss Land

    When Abel Tesfaye mysteriously emerged two years ago with a dazzling set of ice cold mixtapes that vividly depicted post-breakup anxiety, lurid sexual encounters and drug-enhanced paranoia, the impact of his music was only heightened by the ambiguity surrounding the artist. Preferring to lurk in the shadows of promotional imagery (or not appear at all) and presenting himself under the peculiar misspelled guise of The Weeknd, the faceless Ontario native leaned on his piercing falsetto to lure listeners into his desperate and debauched world. While Tesfaye may have crept to the spotlight over time by breaking his anonymity, performing live,…

  • Everything Everything, Thumpers, Outfit @ Limelight 1, Belfast

    Having released their breakthrough, critically devoured second album Arc back in January, Manchester quartet Everything Everything stop off at Belfast’s recently expanded Limelight 1 comfortable in their status as 2013’s most comprehensively doted-upon darlings of English indie pop. But, as is invariably the case, having come to prominence so rapidly over the last few months, it remains to be seen how well the Jonathan Higgs-fronted four-piece fare in satisfying older fans whilst accommodating for the whims of the very newly inducted. The first of Everything Everything’s two touring support bands tonight, Liverpool psychedelic pop five-piece Outfit deliver a commanding performance to…