• Garth Brooks concerts officially cancelled

    July 14, 2014 - By 

    The final chapter in what’s (let’s face it) been a disastrous series of events, Garth Brooks has finally released a statement confirming that the proposed five Dublin concerts will not go ahead, and that the refund process to go ahead via Ticketmaster. Read his statement below. “I have always been advised to NEVER send a message in “the moment.” It is said it is best to take a walk, wait awhile, and think about it. With that said, I just received the news the Irish council cannot change their earlier ruling to not allow the licenses for all five shows. To…

  • Download: Robocobra Quartet – Artbook Flipping/Spring Rounds

    July 14, 2014 - By 

    The follow-up to their double single ‘Threnody for Vengaboyz/Snake Charmin’, self-proclaimed “chamber punk” four-piece Robocobra Quartet have made their latest double single, ‘Artbook Flipping/Spring Rounds’, available as a Pay as You Like download. A heady and compelling sonic concoction evoking Soul Coughing, Gil Scott-Heron, Charles Mingus, Allen Ginsberg, Isotope 217, John Zorn and Rage Against The Machine, the quartet’s blend of hip-hop, jazz, beat poetry-inspired vocals (courtesy of drummer/vocalist Chris Ryan) and improvisational noise is captured very nicely over the two tracks, alliterative throwdowns blending with frenetic sax overtures and some wonderfully boss bass work. Stream/download the double-single via Abbreviated Records on…

  • Watch: Interpol – All The Rage Back Home

    July 14, 2014 - By 

    In what can only be described as a monumental return to form, Interpol have released the video for ‘All The Rage Back Home’ from their forthcoming fifth album El Pintor. If this video is anything to go by it’s safe to say Interpol are back doing what they do best, creating soul-crushing, heartbreaking music capable of making your hair stand on end; something they really haven’t truly achieved since Antics. The album is available for pre-order right now with an immediate mp3 download of ‘All The Rage Back Home’. Watch ‘All The Rage Back Home’ below. El Pintor is due…

  • Transformers: Age of Extinction

    July 14, 2014 - By 

    That the Transformers films, brought to us jointly by Hasbro’s accountancy department and the jock-bro personality of Michael Bay, are bad is nearly common knowledge. But few Hollywood franchises have so aggressively courted the kind of sublime awfulness to which audiences have been subjected every second summer or so in recent memory. At the beginning of Age of Extinction, the fourth in the franchise and scripted by series regular Ehren Kruger, Optimus Prime is introduced hiding out in an abandoned movie theatre, where the old-timer owner bemoans the state of modern cinema. “It’s all sequels and reboots!” he complains, a…

  • Stream: LORIS – Do It Right

    July 14, 2014 - By 

    Belfast electro-indie three piece LORIS have released their second single ‘Do It Right’, the follow up to their debut single ‘I’ve Been Quiet’. Together since 2013, the band once again give us their own brand of thoughtful indie-pop that’s not too dissimilar to the likes of Skibunny or Little Boots. Albeit with a  more upbeat atmosphere than their previous single you can stream and download it for free via their Bandcamp page. Listen to the new single ‘Do It Right’ below. Do It Right by LORIS  

  • OOIOO – Gamel

    July 14, 2014 - By 

    Today’s word of the day is metallophones. This group of musical instruments is the key to the Gamelan musical traditions of Indonesia that provide the bedrock for Gamel. Basically, any tuned metal you can hit with a mallet is covered by the term, and since most Westerners are only likely to have come across a glockenspiel and maybe a vibraphone it becomes a useful umbrella term covering an embarrassment of ignorance. It is within Gamelan that OOIOO have perhaps discovered their musical home. Six albums and nearly twenty years of experimental improvisation by Yoshimi and her cohorts have led them…

  • Gigs of the Week: The National, Longitude, Arborist, Phosphorescent, Cat Power

    July 14, 2014 - By 

    With the World Cup having concluded after four glorious (and already sadly-missed) weeks last night, it’s safe to say many of us are significantly more inclined to leave the house more often to indulge in some first-rate shows and summer festivals. From indie rock globetrotters to local songwriting masters, here’s our rundown of the some of the most must-see gigs happening across the country over the next few days. The National – Iveagh Gardens, Dublin; Friday, July 18 Ohio indie kings The National return to Ireland this week with a string of dates in Cork, Galway and Dublin. The group have been making outstanding dark, melancholic…

  • The Thin Air Writers Club @ Oh Yeah Centre, Belfast

    July 14, 2014 - By 

    We’re teaming up with Belfast’s Oh Yeah Music Center from Monday, July 21 to Friday, July 25 to present The Thin Air Writers Club, a five-day music journalism course looking at many different aspects of the craft, profession and industry. Aimed towards those aged 14-18 year old, the course will take place from 10am to 4pm each day, with each daily installment focusing on everything from writing reviews, conducting interviews, feature writing, digital presentation, blogging, building a portfolio and much more. Culminating at the next Volume Control gig at the Oh Yeah Centre on Friday, July 25, the course – £60.00…

  • Meb Jon Sol: Bound For Glory

    July 14, 2014 - By 

    I pulled my cap further down my brow and buried my face deeper in my scarf to shelter from the biting cold. It had been threatening to snow all day but so far only delivered misty rain that cascaded down in brilliant sheets through the winter night. First came a pair of headlights, piercing the rain grey. Soon the entire shape of the lorry tore around the McKenzie roundabout I was standing on, shuttling at a speed which I feared would cause it to topple over on top of me. The driver maneuvered the roundabout with ease, circling and parking…