• Cat Power, Arborist @ Empire Music Hall

    July 16, 2014 - By 

    The queue waiting outside Belfast’s Empire Music Hall to buy tickets as doors open tonight shows there a lack of belief Chan Marshall would make it to Belfast again but she still manages to attract a crowd. Ranging from suited-up hipsters to middle-aged couples dressed for a night out, there is a massive amount of interest in seeing the reinvigorated Cat Power make up for the cancelled tour dates of 2012. As the room fills there is a sense of anticipation building in the intimate venue to see what Chan Marshall delivers. The support for the evening is Belfast-based band…

  • Women’s Christmas join Out on a Limb

    July 16, 2014 - By 

    With their debut album, Too Rich For Our Blood, set for release in October, Dublin indie rock band Women’s Christmas have signed to one of the country’s finest independent labels, Out On a Limb. Comprised of members of Jogging, No Monster Club and Villagers (Son Christmas, Boy Christmas and Kid Christmas), the three-piece formed in 2013 with the aim to “capitalise on The Replacements reunion and possible accompanying wave of nostalgia for scrappy out-dated boozy alt-rock”. Fair play, we say. Women’s Christmas launch Too Rich For Our Blood at Dublin’s The Pop Inn on Friday, October 17, supported by Night Trap…

  • Watch: Groom – I’ve Never Been In a Real Fight

    July 16, 2014 - By 

    Having released three albums and EP to date – the latter the exquisite Brothers and Sisters – Dublin indie-pop four-piece Groom have unveiled the video to ‘I’ve Never Been In A Fight’. Directed and edited by the band’s drummer Ruan Van Vliet, the video features frontman Michael Stevens in various places in Dublin including The Lower Deck on Portabello Harbour. The track is taken from Groom’s forthcoming album Bread and Jam, released via Popical Island. Watch the video below. [/video  

  • Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

    July 16, 2014 - By 

    The first of this Planet of the Apes trilogy, 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, benefited enormously from the goodwill produced by exceeded expectations. The original series of films, based on Pierre Boulle’s 1963 sci-fi novel, existed in the public mind primarily as a vague collection of B-movie twists and lines of dialogue, ripe for sly parody. The first attempt at a modern remake, Tim Burton’s 2001 film, was muddled and saddled with an obtuse twist ending. There was room to go further. Rise, in which James Franco’s scientist raises the hyper-intelligent ape named Caesar and unwittingly develops…

  • In Photos: Hall & Oates @ The Olympia

    July 16, 2014 - By 

    We’re firmly of the opinion that Hall & Oates are one of the greatest pop bands to have ever existed. Last night they reeled in the years (namely the Eighties) to a sold-out Olympia Theatre in Dublin. Photographer Aaron Corr was there to shoot the show.

  • Longitude 2014 Must-Sees

    July 16, 2014 - By 

    Off to Marlay Park we go again. After a string of big-name acts performing at the venue these past few weeks, it’s time for Longitude to cap it all off. This is the second year of the festival, and though the line-up mightn’t be as strong as it was last year, there are most certainly a whole host of top acts to catch at this year’s festival. Here are a few of our favourites and a Spotify playlist for your pre-festival persual. Friday Bombay Bicycle Club They might be an obvious choice, but Bombay Bicycle Club are really one of…

  • Manic Street Preachers – Futurology

    July 16, 2014 - By 

    Twenty-five years is a long time to be doing anything, especially making music. One of the biggest problems facing a group lasting this long is that of progression. Where do you go? It comes down to a simple choice: keep pushing forward or stagnate and reiterate. There are pros and cons for both. If you keep advancing you could discover new styles and sounds and be a modern 1970s Bowie but you could also look ridiculous and fail spectacularly like 1990s Bowie. With repetition you end up tying your hands behind your back and locking yourself into a single inescapable…