• Cork Heads: F I L T E R

    January 27, 2015 - By 

    F I L T E R espresso and brew bar in Cork city has quickly become the go to spot for coffee lovers in Cork city. They are situated on Georges Quay and promote a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere with banging tunes and regular exhibitions promoting local creatives. In the latest installment of her column Cork Heads, photographer Brid O’Donovan captures an average day in F I L T E R and chats to owner Eoin MacCarthy and barista Alex Bruce. Can you blindly tell what kind of coffee you’re drinking? Alex: Maybe not the specific region but maybe the…

  • Rave New World (23/1)

    January 23, 2015 - By 

    In the latest installment of Rave New World, the equally, exceedingly tasteful Antoin Lindsay and Aidan Hanratty delve into very best new electronic tracks and mixes of the week, as well as various unmissable upcoming nights and releases. Gigs Hydraulics at The Menagerie, Belfast Friday, January 24 Belfast’s best kept secret returns to The Menagerie tonight with residents Bloom, Jamie Nelson and Jamie Nevin providing the soundtrack. If you head down you’ll be treated to grime, garage and future sounds which is always relentlessly fun. Nobody else in the city is doing anything even remotely similar so treat yourself to this one. AL…

  • 15 For ’15: Goldie Fawn

    January 23, 2015 - By 

    Over the last three weeks we have been revealing a handpicked selection of Irish acts we’re certain are set to do incredible things in 2015 and beyond. Today, we conclude that feature – 15 For ’15 – with a rejuvenated Belfast-based songstress: Katie Richardson AKA Goldie Fawn. Words by Brian Coney. Photo by Joe Laverty. Having well and truly cut her teeth as the leading lady of kaleidoscopic, tale-telling troupe Katie and the Carnival, Belfast-based singer-songwriter Katie Richardson has recently very convincingly metamorphosed and re-established herself as Goldie Fawn. Retaining the swooning, enchanting quality that made her previous incarnation so potent,…

  • 15 For ’15: Edward F Butler

    January 21, 2015 - By 

    Thirteen varyingly exceptional acts down, the penultimate Irish artist in our 15 For ’15 feature is Edward F Butler. Currently based in Belfast, Butler is a wonderfully forward-thinking musician who we reckon is set for very special things over the coming months. Words by Aaron Drain. Photo by Alan Maguire. Multi-talented music man Edward F Butler has had a fairly tremendous run of things so far. Not only has he had a foothold in the cinematic arts, having directed videos for Oh Volcano, as well as the video for his own debut single, 2014’s ‘Running From Fears’, ehas seen his music reach…

  • 15 For ’15: Dear Desert

    January 20, 2015 - By 

    With two acts left to go, Dublin trio Dear Desert are next up in our 15 For ’15 feature, looking at fifteen Irish acts we’ve extremely high hopes for in 2015 and beyond. Make sure to check out the January/February issue of our magazine to read the whole feature in full-blown technicolour physicality. Words by David Turpin. Photo by Loreana Rushe. Dear Desert’s debut single ‘Give It Up’, released last June, intrigued with an alluring combination of suave melody and lo-fi production. The Dublin-based three-piece – made up of Richie Fenton, James O’Donnell and Brendan Miller – followed the track…

  • Deep Down South: More Block Party, Doin’ Pana, and a Bail of Riffs

    January 19, 2015 - By 

    Quarter and the Makeshift Ensemble‘s Block Party last week announced the newest additions to their Block Party festival, happening across North and South Main Streets on February 6 to 8. Added to the multidisciplinary arts weekend’s lineup are psych heavyweights The Altered Hours, shoegaze outfit Elastic Sleep (pictured), as well as Tandem Felix and Fierce Mild. Irish Times journo Jim Carroll brings his Banter series to The Vision Centre @ St. Peter’s on the Saturday. The first session – Inside the Miracle of Sound – will see Jim speaking to Cork musician Gavin Dunne about getting his start in the business,…

  • Monday Mixtape: Ciaran Lavery

    January 19, 2015 - By 

    Tipped by many – including yours truly – to do incredible things in 2015, Aghagallon singer-songwriter Ciaran Lavery selects and talks about ten of his all-time favourite songs for this week’s Monday Mixtape. Missed last week’s with And So I Watch You From Afar guitarist/A Bad Cavalier main man Niall Kennedy? Check that out here. “I had a lot of fun compiling this list.  Growing up I was a huge hip-hop enthusiast, which isn’t easy for a scrawny ginger kid from the country. Aghagallon was never a hot bed of gangsterism (that’s a word, right?) but I’ve been drawn to and always have…

  • 15 For ’15: God Knows + mynameisjOhn

    January 19, 2015 - By 

    Having already featured Alana Henderson, Elastic Sleep, Oh Boland, Sissy, Axis Of, Boyfights, Princess, New Gods, Robocobra Quartet and Night Trap, the next Irish act in our 15 For ’15 feature is God Knows + mynameisjOhn. Make sure to check this and all the rest of the featured acts out in the physical version of our January/February magazine, out soon. Words by Dean Van Nguyen. Photo by Colm Moore. Eric B and Rakim, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg; the history of hip-hop is loaded with producer and rapper collaborations that have seen both artists elevate the other in the same way great actor-director team ups punctuate the history of…

  • Rave New World (16/1)

    January 16, 2015 - By 

    In the first installment of Rave New World of 2015, Antoin Lindsay and Aidan Hanratty delve into very best new electronic tracks and mixes of the week, as well as various unmissable upcoming nights and releases. Gigs Mr. Scruff at Black Box, Belfast Saturday, January 17 Mancunian Mr. Scruff has been DJing for over 20 years and has since built up a pretty formidable reputation for his lengthy sets of jazz, trip-hop and house. He also has his own range of tea. It’ll certainly be fun but if you fancy it you’ll have to make an effort to get a…

  • Inbound: DVO Marvell

    January 20, 2015 - By 

    With the underground Irish hip-hop scene having been injected with some much needed gusto in 2014 by the likes of Simi Crowns, ProFound and BeeMickSee, this year looks set to be the year of DVO Marvell. The Dublin rapper, known by day as Marvell Mavungu, had seen some early success from his debut mixtape The Playbook but remained largely under the radar, much to our dismay, until being awarded a supporting slot for Lil’ Wayne’s 2013 O2 arena show. Having been given that tremendous opportunity to break-out and demonstrate his mission-statement publicly, Mavungu honed his skills further and the evidence was…