• Watch: Groom – Colours

    September 10, 2014 - By 

    Dublin band Groom have long had an uncanny, seemingly effortless knack for no-shits-given guitar-pop. Their latest single, ‘Colours’, carries on the tradition in fine fashion, brilliantly barbed guitar lines entwined with subtle, Pulp-esque keyboard lines and chord progressions. The video for the track is a suitably simple and rather sweet affair, daughters of band-members kicking back with paints and crayons; not the slightest care in the world. The second song on Groom’s new album, Bread and Jam, ‘Colours’ is released via Popical Island at Sweeney’s, Dublin on Saturday night. Check out the artwork and video for the single below.  

  • The Swapper (Facepalm Games, PS3/PS4/PS Vita/Wii U)

    September 10, 2014 - By 

    If the Sci-Fi genre has taught us anything, it is that there is nowhere lonelier than space. In Gravity, Sandra Bullock was left to drift through the desolate vastness of the cosmos, accompanied only by the voices inside her head. In Moon, Sam Rockwell was trapped in the purgatory of a facility on the other side of that titular heavenly body, trying to fend off madness through a humdrum routine of repairing equipment. That film’s spiritual predecessor, Silent Running, dealt with the same themes and a similar concept: Bruce Der, the sole remaining crewmate on a spacecraft, struggles to keep his mind together…

  • Stream: Matua Trap – Meander Thralls

    September 10, 2014 - By 

    Having very recently released their debut track, ‘Cleave’, Belfast alt-prog trio Matua Trap have followed it up with the equally impressive ‘Meander Thralls’ (see what they did there?) As with the first track, the song is propelled with exquisite harmonies, shifting rhythms and exceptionally imaginative guitar work. Comprised of members of Kasper Rosa and Affleck, the band will play their debut show at Belfast’s Voodoo on Wednesday, September 17. Check out ‘Cleave’ here and stream ‘Meander Thralls’ below. Meander Thralls by Matua Trap

  • U2 – Songs of Innocence

    September 10, 2014 - By 

    So, straight off the bat – let’s forget about Apple, iTunes, hypocrisy, commerce, and even U2 themselves. Daunting though that may be, it doesn’t really help us when it comes to looking at Songs of Innocence, the thirteenth studio album by U2, arguably the biggest band in the world. Like looking at someone like Roman Polanski, or Woody Allen, or whomever, there comes a time when you have to separate the art from the artist, and attempt to consider that in isolation. And this time round, that’s never been more pertinent for U2.Songs of Innocence is eleven tracks of new material from…

  • Not I, Footfalls & Rockaby @ The Mac

    September 10, 2014 - By 

    In theatrical terms, Lisa Dwan’s trilogy of playwright Samuel Beckett’s celebrated short plays at The MAC represented a significant first, and in all likelihood, a last. The actress’s stated intention to retire from performing ‘Not I’ by the end of 2015 means that these handful of Belfast shows had an added spice. It’s hardly surprising that Dwan can see the finishing line for her role as Mouth, as the emotional, technical and psychological demands must surely exact a price. Head strapped to a board, eyes and ears covered, arms immobilized, enveloped in total darkness – this is sensory deprivation taken…

  • Video Premiere: Hands Up Who Wants To Die – Dreft

    September 10, 2014 - By 

    Dublin noise-rock overlords Hands Up Who Wants To Die don’t as much beat around the bush as they tear right through it, an implacable beast steadfast in wreaking furious revenge. Over two years on from the release of their pummeling debut album, the brilliantly-titled Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo, the Barry Lennon-fronted quartet will resurface with its highly-anticipated follow-up, Vega In The Lyre, in just a couple of weeks. First up, though: the video for its merciless lead single, ‘Dreft’. Directed by Sean Zissou and featuring members of the band ensnared in a brilliantly absurd, ever-so-slightly NSFW confrontation with – wait for it – Kriss Akabusi MBE, it is, without…

  • Getting To Know: Oh Volcano @ Oh Yeah Centre

    September 10, 2014 - By 

    The next installment of Getting To Know… at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre on Thursday, September 11 will see new-fangled electro-pop duo Oh Volcano perform and discuss their craft in front of an intimate audience. The pair, comprised of ex-General Fiasco members Owen and Enda Strathern, played their debut headline show in Belfast just last month. To date they have released two singles, ‘Oceans’ and ‘See No Evil’. Doors for the Getting To Know… session at the Oh Yeah Centre are at 8pm and admission is free. Watch the video for ‘See No Evil’ below.  

  • PigsAsPeople – The Plot Against Future Plans

    September 10, 2014 - By 

    Belfast-based sludgy post-hardcore/noise rock trio PigsAsPeople release their mini-album – entitled The Plot Against Future Plans – with a free-entry show at the Mandela Hall on its launch date of September 25. This will be the follow up to their First Four Months and Idles & Us EPs, released in autumn 2012 & 2013 respectively (each of which are available on Bandcamp on a name-your-price basis). The album was recorded at Start Together Studios by Niall Doran earlier this year, and the tracklisting – featuring all-new songs, some of which have been played at recent shows – is as follows: 1. Rooks 2.…