• Irish Tracks of the Week – 25th August

    August 25, 2023 - By 

    From every corner of the island, here’s the very best new music of the week from Aoife Nessa Frances, Meljoann, Joel Jarkin, Akrobat, Touch Excellent, Autre Monde and more Aoife Nessa Frances – Fantasy Meljoann – Broke Joel Harkin – Is Iomaí Lá Sa Chill Orainn Is Iomaí Lá Sa Chill Orainn by Joel Harkin Jape – Lashing Through The Minutes Niamh Bury – Who Am I To Tell Him? Akrobat – Are You Listening Middler – Home Port (Preference Remix) Middler – Home Port (Matheson Remix) Touch Excellent – Couch Song Aby Coulibaly – DYWS? Autre Monde – Strictly…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 18th August

    August 18, 2023 - By 

    It’s been another stacked week for Irish music. Delve into the very best releases of the last seven days, from HAVVK, Slomatics, Tandem Felix and more Tandem Felix – Message of the Afternoon Slomatics – Voidians Strontium Fields by Slomatics Lucy Gaffney – Make Me Smile Amerik feat. Sasha Samara – The Real Thing HAVVK – Expiry Beauty Pageant – A Bank Holiday Miracle Kojaque – Cabra Drive Jordan Adetunji – Things You Do Lucy Blue – Love Hate Soda Blonde – Midnight Show Boyfrens – Soft & Mindless

  • Inbound: Stratford Rise

    August 16, 2023 - By 

    Photo by David McEneaney You might have noticed in these pages over the past year the refreshing air of a heteroglot of brand new, guitar bands. One such act that’s grabbed – and proceeded to mercilessly pulverise – our attention is Bangor quartet Stratford Rise. They’ve been together since early 2020, but it’s still early days, playing live for over a year, but having only just performed their first date outside Northern Ireland in May.  “Gilla Band and a number of no-wave bands inspired our interest in incorporating noise into our songs,” they tell us. Indeed, their debut single ‘Water…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 4th August

    August 4, 2023 - By 

    This Bandcamp Friday, delve into the very best Irish releases of the week, from Natalia Beylis, Soda Blonde, Heliopause, iSad2 and more Natalia Beylis – Afloat In Fog And Feathers <a href=”https://touchsensitiverecords.bandcamp.com/album/mermaids”>Mermaids by Natalia Beylis</a> Heliopause – Runaway <a href=”https://heliopause.bandcamp.com/track/runaway-single-version”>Runaway (single version) by Heliopause</a> Soda Blonde – Bad Machine Mark Waldron-Hyden & Peadar Tom Mercier – Bruach na Laoi: Fidil & Drumaí improvisations Vol. I ​​<a href=”https://blindheadrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/bruach-na-laoi-fidil-druma-improvisations-vol-i”>Bruach na Laoi: Fidil & Drumaí improvisations Vol. I by Mark Waldron-Hyden & Peadar Tom Mercier</a> Orla Gartland – Kiss Your Face Forever iSad2 – Money Back

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 28th July

    July 28, 2023 - By 

    As we try to come to terms with the collective sucker punch that is Sinéad O’Connor’s passing, we also band together and celebrate the very best Irish music of the week from Naoise Roo, Alpha Chrome Yayo, Cruel Sister, Aislinn Logan and more. Naoise Roo – Sacred Cow Elaine Malone – Eat Out of Your Hand Alpha Chrome Yayo – Baby Steps Baby Steps by Alpha Chrome Yayo Cruel Sister – Hands Infinite Left – Infinite Bliss Infinite Bliss by Infinite Left Aislinn Logan – Tír na nÓg Nara – Scarlet Moncrieff – Love Somebody

  • Inbound: Chubby Cat

    July 27, 2023 - By 

    The last year has been markedly transitional for Cat Doran aka Chubby Cat; a new name, new city, and new vibe to contextualise the alt-pop artist’s emergence as she builds on the hype that’s followed her 2021 debut ‘slipping’.  The Cork-born artist made her Belfast debut at Output in 2022, showcasing to an impressively-sized crowd of listeners left reeling by her vocal riffs. A year on, having made the move up from Dublin at the start of this spring to work on new music, what’s to come is certainly Belfast’s gain. The BIMM graduate’s artistic ethic and approach are both…

  • Small Trans Library

    July 24, 2023 - By 

    Librarians James Hudson, Julian Bernard and Greta Jursys write on the forward-pushing goings-on of the Small Trans Library Dublin Photos by David McEneaney Founded in 2018 as the offshoot of a Dublin Fringe project, the Small Trans Library is an all-trans collective of artists and organisers working to bring Ireland a lending library of over 500 trans- and queer-authored books, a host of trans-led events open alternately to Dublin’s trans community and to the public at large, and a radical mutual aid fund which has redistributed over €40,000 over the last three years. The political mission of the library is…

  • Inbound: Lunch Machine

    July 21, 2023 - By 

    “I was working as a waitress when it came to me”, says Jude Barriscale of the origin of her band’s name. “It was really busy all the time, so I felt like a machine that brings you lunch. Lunch is also the break in the working day, the break we all look forward to.” Apt, given how much there is to look forward to from the Belfast-based quartet. Frontwoman Barriscale and company – guitarist Pearse Owens, Robert Mulhern of Tuath on bass, and drummer Kieran Devlin – channel disparate influences like Courtney Barnett, Deftones, Bicep, and “lo-fi hip hop to…

  • Irish Tracks of The Week – 21st July

    July 21, 2023 - By 

    It’s a stacked week for Irish music, with some new music from some of the best names around, including Maija Sofia, Jape, The Mary Wallopers, Kojaque, Nealo, Sweetlemondae, Moondiver and more. The Mary Wallopers – Wexford Maija Sofia – Telling The Bees Space Shepherds – What Fabric? What Fabric? by Space Shepherds Sweetlemondae – Turn The World Jape – Heal These Wounds Kojaque – Bambi (Feat. Gotts Street Park) Connor McCann – I Believe Al Reddan – Galtee Mountain Boy Galtee Mountain Boy by al reddan Moondiver – When U Land moondiver · When U Land Nealo & Jehnova – Tears…

  • Irish Tracks of The Week – 15th July

    July 14, 2023 - By 

    Here’s the very best Irish tracks and videos of the week, from Joel Harkin, CMAT and John Grant, Krea, Soda Blonde and more Joel Harkin – Letters From Alan To George The Sleeveens – Give My Regards To The Dancing Girls CMAT and John Grant – Where Are Your Kids Tonight? Krea – The Callows Soda Blonde – Bad Machine Drew Makes Noise – Flame I Have A Tribe – Fly Like a Bird