• Stream: Rusangano Family – Wasteman

    Formerly known as God Knows + mynameisjOhn, month we had the pleasure of bearing witness to Limerick’s Rusangano Family live in a filming of the Parlour (in which were also guests) at Whelan’s, Dublin. Both on and off camera, the guys – one of the featured acts in our 15 for ’15 feature – delivered an electrifying brace of tracks including the equal parts excellent and ethical ‘Wasteman’. Now, ahead of their midnight performance at our second birthday party at Dublin’s Twister Pepper on Saturday, May 2, the trio have released a studio version of the track. Featuring guitar from Steve Ryan of Windings,…

  • Watch: Patrick Gardiner – I’m Your Creation

    Cornwall-based, Northern Irish singer-songwriter Patrick Gardiner is a methodical songsmith that thrives on the intricacies of his craft. From the poise and refrain of his carefully-considered words to specific chord changes and structures, he has really made an impression on us, live, on more than one occasion. Three years on from his self-released debut EP, Save Myself, the Co. Down musician will release its five-track follow-up, Carcassonne, on April 1. On first listen, it’s a subtly eclectic mix of acoustic tale-telling, Gardiner’s earnest delivery on each track hovering confidently over full-band tracks underpinned with some instantly memorable melodic threads and pop nuances. Ahead…

  • The Thin Air’s Second Birthday @ Twisted Pepper, Dublin

    We’ll be celebrating our grand second birthday at Dublin’s The Twisted Pepper on Saturday, May 2. Kicking off at 6pm in the Twisted Pepper cafe with an exhibition of our magazine covers to date and selected work from our fantastic team of photographers. Following that we have Robocobra Quartet and Night Trap live in the Stage room with our headliners who will be announced on April 2nd. Rusangano Family (pictured) will be playing a special midnight gig for us in the cafe too along with DJ sets from BATS and Andy Walsh from Little Gem. More info to be announced…

  • Bee Mick See – The Belfast Yank

    Does belonging to a location make an album better? Is Springsteen as interesting if you remove New Jersey or Nebraska? What about NWAand Compton? If this is the case, then rapper Bee Mick See’s debut Belfast Yank deserves some serious credit. The album is entirely engulfed in Belfast. Its language, culture and people are the subjects of various tracks ranging from loving portraits (‘Belfast Slang’) to lacerating polemics (‘Natural Scents’). Even his flow, which owes an obvious debt to Slug from Atmosphere, is heavily accented; it could only belong to this city. In spite of its overproduced beats, which bares a welcome resemblance to Malibu Shark Attack, it’s a strangely emotionally honest album. BeeMickSee is surprisingly…

  • Cork Heads: Lorna Sherlock

    Lorna Sherlock is the owner of Mother Jones’ Flea Market which is situated at the corner of McCurtain and York street in Cork city. Brid O’Donovan chats to her about passion for all things vintage and takes some stunning images of her shop. Where the love for antiques and vintage all began. I suppose it was my Mum. I grew up in Cavan but my mother lived in London, in Brixton. When she was growing up everything was bought in the markets. She met my Dad over in London, married my Dad and moved over here. Of course no one had anything…

  • Catch Me Daddy

    Lovers on the run, honour killings and bounty hunters form the narrative context for a film that nails its colours firmly to its stunning visuals and visceral soundtrack in Daniel Wolfe’s dark thriller, Catch Me Daddy. Laila (played by superb newcomer Sameena Jabeen Ahmed) and boyfriend Aaron are laying low from her possessive father in a small northern town on the edge of the Yorkshire moors, idling away their time walking in the hills, doing drugs and dancing in their tiny caravan. The prosaic beauty of their youthful existence is shattered, however, when Laila’s brother, Zaheer, arrives with some low level…

  • Cities Breathing @ O’Reilly Theatre, Dublin

    Videographers and visual artists Peter Martin, Albert Hooi with Al Kennington and Kevin A Freeney of CLU Music, were commissioned to visually explore contemporary Dublin, collecting beautiful, moving imagery of our unique capital. Musical artists CLU Music, New Jackson and I Am The Cosmos, have composed an eclectic array of scores that accompanied the three short films. Photos by Mark Earley. 

  • The Thin Air Stage @ Sunflowerfest

    We are extremely pleased to announce we’ll be curating the scenic Barn stage on Saturday, August 1 at this year’s rebranded Sunflowerfest. Expect further details from us shortly about the stage, which is set to feature an eclectic mix of some of our favourite bands – both established and hotly-tipped – from across the entirety of the island; some of whom will be making their first Northern appearance. Sunflowerfest runs at Tubby’s Farm in Hillsborough – 20 miles from Belfast – during the weekend of Friday, July 31 until Sunday, August 2. With the line-up for our stage TBA, this year’s festival promises the likes of reggae/dub act Dreadzone, up-and-coming folk…

  • Label Mixtape: Touch & Go

    Originally founded as a fanzine in 1979 by Tesco Vee and Dave Stimson before becoming a record label in 1981, Touch & Go was originally a platform for the Chicago hardcore punk scene, before Vee handed the reins over to Corey and Lisa Rusk in 1983, with Corey Rusk still being at the helm today. The label would go on to become synonymous with the 1980s noise rock scene, as well as 1990s math-rock, before expanding into all things alternative in later years. The label is also well known for its DIY ethic, offering artists 50-50 deals after production and…