• Dott’s USA Tour Diary: Part 2

    April 7, 2015 - By 

    In the second of a three part diary entry, our favourite Galway garage pop quartet Dott have high tailed it out of Texas and kick off this leg of the tour with Night School, bringing them from Oklahoma City all the way West to Reno, Nevada. Dott and Night School (from California) are releasing a split record called Carousel on Graveface Records especially for Record Store Day, April 18. Read Part 1 of the band’s USA Tour Diary here. March 23rd. Capital City Bicycle Company, Oklahoma City. We started our short stay in OKC in the best little old school diner called the Hungry Frog.…

  • Visual Arts Outlook (6/4)

    April 6, 2015 - By 

    This week saw the return of Late Night Art; contemporary art galleries in Belfast opening on the first Thursday of the month, from 6pm-9pm. Platform arts opened A Collaboration Monument, while the Golden Thread opened their project space with work by Robert Anderson. Platform Arts, Belfast April 3-29 2015 Örn Alexander Ámundason and Olof Nimar A Collaboration Monument Örn Alexander Ámundason and Olof Nimar explore the difficult sometimes authoritative nature of collaboration. The conjuncture of five different practitioners working on a single project makes for an interesting study of performance and sculpture. Artists Örn Alexander Ámundason and Olof Nimar worked with…

  • Monday Mixtape: Stefan Murphy (The Mighty Stef)

    April 6, 2015 - By 

    In this special Easter Monday installment of Monday Mixtape, Stefan Murphy of Dublin rockers The Mighty Stef (above, middle) selects and talks about some of his all-time favourite songs, including Neutral Milk Hotel, Echo and the Bunnymen, FIDLAR and the Strypes. Desireless – Voyage Voyage Decadent french pop from the 80’s. An abstract song about traveling eternally. Something of a personal anthem since I was young. I have reconnected with this track in a big way recently. I long to cover it.   Garland Jeffreys – Wild In The Streets This recreates the feeling of a New York summer. A hot sticky…

  • Deep Down South: Would Bes, Double Stars, and Limerick-Related Besiegements

    April 6, 2015 - By 

    Ireland is full to bursting of stories from its musical fringes. The Would Be’s have one of the most distinct in contemporary music; infamously turning down 14 major labels (remember when there were fourteen of those?) to follow up their debut single, praised alike by John Peel and Morrissey. Over twenty years later, brandishing a requisite amount of new tunes, the Would Be’s are back, having been coaxed out of retirement by rock scribe Tony Clayton-Lea. Cork label FIFA last week released their new single ‘Bittersweet’, backed up with a legendary John Peel Session in its entirety, and April 18th…

  • Independents in Paris: InFiné

    April 3, 2015 - By 

    Tucked away in a quiet district of Paris lies InFiné, one of the cities flag-ship independent music labels. With an old corner-shop now-turned office as the unlikely-headquarters for the label, they work mostly with electronic and dance music. Sitting down with Alexandre Cazac, we spoke about the origins of InFiné, and what it is like to be a part of their family. Photos by Tom McGeehan How did InFiné come to exist? The first time we (myself & Yannick) saw Francesco Tristano in 2005 playing classical music like Debussy, and then switching to a classic techno track like “Strings of…

  • You Are Not Spock: An Opinion by Seanán Kerr

    April 2, 2015 - By 

    When Leonard Nimoy died who was more sad people who watch Star Trek or people who didn’t? It’s a silly question, when obviously the answer is ‘people who watch Star Trek’. When Kim Jon Il died, who was more sad people from North Korea or people who aren’t from North Korea? It’s a silly question, obviously the answer is North Koreans, you probably saw the clips online, footage of North Koreans balling their eyes out over the death of ‘Dear Leader’ someone we all generally accept was a bit unpleasant, you probably though it was funny, I mean, “DUH don’t…

  • Track Record: Stephen McCauley

    April 2, 2015 - By 

    In the latest installment of Track Record, Derry radio broadcast and bona fide music savant Stephen McCauley selects and talks about some of his all-time favourite records. Stephen presents Soundscapes – featuring a mix of contemporary classical, electronica, ambient and acoustic music – on BBC Radio Ulster every Wednesday night. Photos by Colm Laverty. The Velvet Underground – The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967) I was slow to mention this record because it’s popularity is almost a cliché in itself but it had a profound impact on me when I first heard it and it still does. I was 15 and…

  • DIY Dublin: Love Supreme

    April 1, 2015 - By 

    In the very first installment of DIY Dublin, a new regular feature looking at some of the city’s most intriguing small businesses, organisations and individuals, Stevie Lennox samples the wares of a Stoneybatter institution in the making. I popped in for a chat with Ken Flood, co-runner and proprietor of the wonderfully-monikered Love Supreme, a café that’s been operating for just eight months in Dublin’s recently-thriving Stoneybatter area. Besides its simple, eye-catching – without being intimidatingly extravagant – aesthetic, what was instantly striking was the selection of freshly-made sausage rolls and pies heating behind the counter, and a generous selection of…

  • EP Premiere: Patrick Gardiner – Carcassonne

    April 1, 2015 - By 

    Ahead of its launch at Belfast’s Voodoo on April 9, we’re pleased to present an exclusive first listen to Carcassonne, the second EP from Co. Down singer-songwriter Patrick Gardiner. A subtly eclectic mix of incisive, occasionally wry and consistently considered acoustic tale-telling, the five-track release sees Gardiner’s earnest words drive forth full-band tracks underpinned with some instantly memorable melodic threads and pop nuances. Better still is Gardiner’s guitar-playing throughout, proving very much representative of a craftsman who has played and commanded the instrument from a young age. Go here for the Facebook event page for the launch show and stream the EP below.

  • Interview: Bennie Reilly (Little Xs for Eyes)

    April 9, 2015 - By 

    Mike McGrath Bryan chats to Bennie Reilly from indie pop band Little Xs for Eyes about their new album, Spotify and their plans for the rest of the year. Photo by Abigail Denniston. Everywhere Else has been in the works for a while now. Was there a coherent record in mind all along, or were singles along the way, like ‘Summer Stay’ the focus before collecting them along with other new songs? We recorded the album this time last year, and the songs had all been in development for a couple of years prior to that but during that time we had…