• Rave New World (6/2)

    February 6, 2015 - By 

    In the latest installment of Rave New World, the impossibly heedful, ineffably excellent Antoin Lindsay & Aidan Hanratty delve into best new electronic tracks and mixes of the week, as well as various unmissable upcoming nights and releases. Gigs Ken & Ryu – EP Launch Party at The Menagerie, Belfast Friday, February 6 James McConville AKA Ken & Ryu is launching his Fantasy Ink EP at The Menagerie tonight alongside Defcon, Jamie Nelson and Paul McCarthy. I reviewed the EP on these very pages and the party should be equally as enjoyable. AL Twitch Present Ben UFO, Pearson Sound and Pangaea at The Mandela…

  • Classic Soundtrack: Once Upon A Time In The West – Ennio Morricone

    February 6, 2015 - By 

    In a film primarily concerned with death, it’s fitting that the soundtrack serves as an elegy. Graceful, portentous, and dramatic, Ennio Morricone’s score for Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West is more or less devoid of the whoops, shrieks, and catchy electric guitar that helped both men make a name for themselves on A Fistful of Dollars in 1964, a soundtrack that became one of the most iconic and evocative of its era. But despite that, it might just be the best thing one of the 20th century’s finest composers ever put his name to. Italian director Sergio Leone had made a few…

  • Stream: Meltybrains? – Donegal

    February 6, 2015 - By 

    Few Irish bands command seemingly effortless originality as convincingly as Meltybrains? The lead single from their debut vinyl release ‘Donegal/IV’, ‘Donegal’ is a spirited, expansive ode to escapism, reverb-laced lingering vocal lines and shuffling rhythms marrying in a mighty mesh of fist-clenched, impassioned abandon. ‘Donegal/IV’ is released on February 16. Pre-order it from Rough Trade right here.

  • Death of a Comedian @ Lyric Theatre

    February 6, 2015 - By 

    A colloboration between the Lyric, the Abbey Theatre and the Soho Theatre, the dark and potent Death of a Comedian will run from February 7 to March 8 at Belfast’s Lyric Theatre. Starring Brian Doherty as small-time stand-up Steve Johnson its tagline “What if I’m not funny? What if I go out there and I’m not funny?” aptly distils the essence of the production. Self-belief, ambition, romance and the pursuit for glory entwine in a heady tale of fame, fortune and failure. Go here to buy tickets to Death of a Comedian and watch the trailer for the show below.

  • NI Science Festival

    February 6, 2015 - By 

    Running from February 19 to March 1,  the first ever NI Science Festival will pique curiousity and imagine in everything from music venues and coffee shops to cinemas and museums. During the day the festival will present a whole host of workshops, talks and interactive activities for young people, parents and schools. In the evening the festival will come alive with an eclectic mix of scientific debates, talks, theatre, comedy, music and film for adults. Go here to check out the full festival programme,

  • Stream: Cloud Castle Lake – Glacier

    February 6, 2015 - By 

    Firmly commanding our attention with their debut EP, Dandelion, last year, Dublin trio Cloud Castle Lake have returned with ‘Glacier’, a tracking evoking Radiohead, Sigur Rós, Cinematic Orchestra and Do Make Say Think. A wonderfully-layered effort, beautifully disentangling over five-and-a-half minutes, the track sees Daniel McAuley’s high falsetto vocals take centre-stage yet again – and how. Recorded and mixed by Solar Bears’ Rian Trench, the track will be released via Happy Valley Records on March 16. With shows also taking place in England, the band will play Galway’s Roisin Dubh on March 26, Dublin’s Workman’s Club on March 27 and Limerick’s Kasbah…