• Interview: Cymbals

    January 31, 2014 - By 

    C Having just released their long-awaited second album, the stellar The Age of Fracture, London DIY ‘tropi-disco’ four-piece Cymbals have spent the last two months carefully re-imagining their decidedly danceable electro-indie craft. Inspired by the decaying nature of semantics and everyday meaning in the modern age – as written in the book of the same title by Princeton academic, Daniel T. Rodgers – the album is challenging and resolutely enjoyable in equal proportion. Ahead of their Belfast show at Belfast’s Limelight 2 on Thursday, February 6, we talk to the band’s bassist Luke Carson to discuss concepts, inspiration and the band’s implicit “manifesto”…

  • Kings Of Leon Announce Marlay Park Show

    January 31, 2014 - By 

    Yet another big name announcement for the Dublin venue today with Kings of Leon confirmed to be performing at Marlay Park on 4th July. Support for the show will be provided by Irish golden boys Kodaline. Tickets for the show are priced at €61.50 and will go on-sale from Ticketmaster on Saturday, February 8 at 10am. Arcade Fire and the Pixies, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, as well as Arctic Monkeys, Jake Bugg and Miles Kane will  also play Dublin’s Marlay Park throughout the summer. Watch the video for ‘Beautiful War’ by Kings of Leon below.

  • Other Voices: Derry Music Trail

    January 31, 2014 - By 

    Returning after the success of last year’s proceedings, the Other Voices Music Trail will take pace in Derry/Londonderry again this February 7 to 9. Having had over 450 entries from acts from across the country wishing to perform at the four-day showcase, the panel hand-selected 60 acts to perform right across the city’s innumerable venues, bars, cars and cultural landmarks. Featuring the likes of Bell X1, East India Youth, Public Service Broadcasing and dozens of Irish artists, check out the poster and full line-up for the trail below. Thursday, February 7 Annie Mac w/ Ryan Vail, Dollface Devereaux, Deep Fried…

  • Choice Cuts: The Best Tracks of… January

    January 31, 2014 - By 

    In the first of an new series-based feature, Belfast-based writer Aaron Hamilton trawls through the very best music released in the month of January, distilling his favourites to a mere eight tracks.  Whereas the first five are in no particular order, the final three are, as you might well guess, in order of consecutive greatness. Will we be humming their choruses this time next month? Check yourself then and read on now. St. Vincent – Digital Witness [Loma Vista] A second teaser to her upcoming album, ‘Digital Witness’ shows a decidedly weirder side to Annie Clark’s music. The big horns are…

  • September Girls – Cursing The Sea

    January 31, 2014 - By 

    For devotees and avid consumers of feedback-drenched guitar pop that once formed the backbone of the “Paisley Underground” or C86 scenes, it may seem like a long, cold Ice Age has been in situ.  September Girls could be those first green shoots emerging through the rocky landscape or the first of the small, furry animals to roll out of hibernation. This ain’t punk, and it sure isn’t nihilism. The songs on Cursing the Sea surf the wave of the Sixties and Eighties guitar bands and the influence of the sonic genius of the Beach Boys and Phil Spector.  For sure,…

  • Watch: TVVINS – You Better

    January 30, 2014 - By 

    Having emerged on Monday via a Soundcloud stream, Dublin side-project TVVINS have unveiled the old school video game-esque video for their ridiculously infectious forthcoming single, ‘You Better’. Created by Kevin Freeney of Vibes, the video features Conor Adams and Lar Kay in a malfunctioning Atari netherwold. Are they trapped? Have they died on tour and gone to the Commodore 64 in the sky? Nobody knows but what we can say for certain is that the video is a brilliantly inspired accompaniment to the track, the duo’s second single since forming last year. Check out James Hendicott’s introductory interview with the band…

  • Slint to release remastered Spiderland boxset

    January 30, 2014 - By 

    Touch and Go Records have announced that they are to release an extensive, remastered boxset of Spiderland by pioneering Louisville post-rock band Slint. Remastered from the original analog master tapes by Bob Weston and pressed on 180 gram vinyl, the record will be accompanied by fourteen previously unreleased outtakes and demos personally selected by the band and pressed on two 180 gram vinyl albums, a 104 page book with 100 never-been-seen photos documentary the band’s entire history, as well as lyrics to the songs on Spiderland and a forward by Will Oldham. It will also include a remastered version of…

  • Watch: The Mighty Stef – Nightwatchman of the Iveagh Flats

    January 29, 2014 - By 

    Bearing the influence of its producer, Alain Johannes (Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures) Dublin rock band The Mighty Stef have released the video to their masterfully moody new single, ‘Nightwatchman of the Iveagh Flats’. Propelled by frontman Stefan Murphy’s gruff vocal tones – think Mark Lanegan via Nick Cave, Ian McCulloch and (good) Bono – the song is set for a worldwide digital release on February 14. Reflecting the band’s passion for horror movies and culture, the video was shot at various locations around Dublin City in January and is “the tale of a local rock band who incur the wrath…