• Deep Down South: A Round-Up, More YESEquality Gigs and a Big Weekend

    ANNOUNCEMENTS, REMINDERS AND SUCH: While concentrating on the various nooks and crannies of Cork City’s multifaceted scene, this column does sometimes miss the major announcements. Our reasoning is that DIY shows do need the support and a specific platform, and most of the big festivals and events are already sorted for national press. However, we’d be completely remiss if we didn’t serve as somewhat of a reminder of what’s going on around town, especially with tonnes of stuff on the way. Adding to our coverage of the Sounds from a Safe Harbour, 100/1 and other fests in recent weeks, here’s a…

  • The Hefty Fog: Metal Is Gay

    Heavy Metal has never and will never be a bastion for political correctness, nor should it. It’s all about hyperbole on steroids, and if you don’t get it, you don’t get it. You’ll fail horribly trying to change it. However, through all the goat cults, slopping entrails, corpse-bothering, and general rhubarb, the only thing that still shocks me about it all is the homophobia. Now, Metal fans aren’t especially homophobic, but when it does show up on the odd forum or comments box, it’s pretty ugly, and it’s hard to wrap your head around it. If anyone could for the…

  • Festival Preview: AVA Festival

    Billed as a “one day-&-night grass roots Audio Visual Arts festival”, AVA Festival aims to promote the wealth of talent in Northern Ireland’s electronic music and visual arts scene. Taking place in the Titanic Quarter’s formidable T13 Building on Saturday, May 30, the one day event will be split into two broad sections: a daytime conference from 11am-4pm with a series of keynote speakers and panels, and an evening showcase from 4pm with some of the stars of Northern Ireland’s impressively healthy electronic and club scene. The likes of Bicep, Space Dimension Controller and Optimo are all involved in what…

  • Interview & Guest Mix: I Am The Cosmos

    Two years on from the release of their extraordinary, critically-acclaimed debut album, Monochrome, Dublin-based duo Cian Murphy and Ross Turner AKA I Am The Cosmos are still very much one of the country’s most exciting propositions. Choosing to perform rare live appearances and currently focusing on recording and their ongoing colloborations with the likes of Jape, Lisa Hannigan and Solar Bears, the pair play their debut Belfast show at Chromatic at The Woodworkers this Saturday, May 23 (free entry). Ahead of that show, Cian Murphy chats to Mike McGrath Bryan, as well providing us with an exclusive mix featuring the…

  • Interview: The Cribs

    Ahead of Belfast and Dublin shows this week, English indie rock brother trio The Cribs are already working on their forthcoming seventh studio with none other than Steve Albini, having just released their sixth, For All My Sisters. In a revealing conversation with Will Murphy, Ryan Jarman from the band touches upon being “reluctantly co-opted” by the mainstream, the loyalty of their fans and the band’s “opinionated” nature. So, how is this tour going for you guys? It’s really short. We’re literally just here doing The Great Escape from Brighton and then we’re going out to do a couple of Irish dates. I…

  • Q+A: Tell No Foxx

    Wicklow soundscapers Tell No Foxx have been thrust into the public eyes and ears the past few weeks following the release of their well-received single ‘Dust’ last March. Living somewhere between kaleidoscopic and melancholic, their massive pop sound has earned them the applause of fans and critics alike. Liam Doyle caught up with the lads ahead of their supporting slot this Sunday with Indiana at the Workman’s Club in Dublin to get the low down on ‘Dust’ as well as their plans for the future. It looks like it’s been a busy year for Tell No Foxx, any personal highlights…

  • Rave New World (15/05)

    Antoin Lindsay and Aidan Hanratty delve into very best new electronic tracks and mixes of the week, as well as unmissable upcoming nights and releases. GIGS Twitch Present Motor City Drum Ensemble b2b Antal at Mandela Hall, Belfast Saturday, May 16 Twitch are on a roll recently and this weekend they’re bringing back two of the best DJs they had last year. Motor City Drum Ensemble is one of the finest selectors of disco and house you’ll find and I still regularly bring up Antal’s set at Twitch last year as being one of the best I witnessed all year.…

  • DIY Dublin: The Co-Present on Radiomade.ie

    In this installment of DIY Dublin, Justin McDaid chats to Dwayne Woods, the founder of The Co-Present on Radiomade.ie about the origins of the show, Whelan’s Says Yes on Friday, May 15 and what the future holds. Photos by Abigail Denniston. For those who haven’t heard; what, where, and who is the Co-Present? The Co-Present is what I like to call an interactive alternative Irish music radio show based in Dublin city centre, we go live on Radiomade.ie every Friday between 1 and 3 pm. Each week we have two Irish acts come in to the studio one act will perform live…

  • Interview: Ane Brun

    Ahead of her highly-anticipated return to Dublin in December, James Hendicott chats to Norwegian alf-folk singer-songwriter Ane Brun about her forthcoming seventh studio album, working with the likes of Peter Gabriel, and the profound feeling of excitement she gets when starting a new musical project. Your last couple of releases, the ‘best of’ and the rarities album were interesting, in that one summarises your career, and one diverges totally from it and delves into other people’s work. i in particular came straight out of the blue. Was that an exciting way of doing things for you? Will you be returning…

  • Visual Arts Outlook (12/5)

    This week’s main event in the Visual Artists Ireland “Get Together” which happens on Ireland’s National Day for Visual Artists. This year at IMMA (Irish Museum of Modern Art) the “Get Together” is the best way for emerging artists to network and see what’s out there for them. There will be established artists talking about their practice, speed curating for advice and discussion of your work, the announcement of the VAI members award and the launch of the 126 Gallery Footfall Report on Artist Led Spaces in Ireland. This all takes place among a whole host of other events and…