• Start a Band

    November 10, 2014 - By 

    Good day, readers! I’m Chris and The Thin Air have kindly provided me with this platform to talk about the wonderful world of touring and other aspects of life in a band. I began touring about seven years ago, the early days consisted mostly of performing to tiny amounts of people, being broke and sleeping on floors or in vans. Since then there has been no catapult to superstardom, more a gradual yet steady progression in my touring lifestyle and in many ways I feel very fortunate for this, as it has helped me develop a resilience to a lot…

  • Cork Heads: Colm McAuliffe and Máire Dineen (Cork Film Festival)

    November 7, 2014 - By 

    In the latest installment of Cork Heads – looking at some of the brightest creative sparks in the Rebel County – photographer Brid O’Donovan shoots and talks to Colm McAuliffe and Máire Dineen of Cork Film Festival, which opens on Friday, November 7 and runs until November 16. Colm is Head of Short Film for the festival. He also writers for the Quietus, Sight & Sound, Film4, Fade to Black and the Skinny. Maire is Head of Live Music and Special Events for the festival. She also works with Body and Soul Event Creations Ltd. How did you both first become…

  • Tim Wheeler: Solo Domain

    November 7, 2014 - By 

    Tim Wheeler took a break from his front-man duties for Ash to release his debut solo album, Lost Domain, for reasons very close to the singer’s heart and it’s a masterpiece. Deirdre O’Brien caught up with the Downpatrick native for The Thin Air on a very flying visit he took to Dublin just before the record’s release and his show at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre. Since the release of their debut EP Trailer in 1994 – which turned out to be an immediate success for Tim Wheeler, Mark Hamilton and Rick McMurray – Ash have gone from strength-to=strength worldwide for the…

  • BREED @ The National

    November 5, 2014 - By 

    Last night our photographer Sara Marsden popped down to Belfast’s The National to capture one-off street art exhibition, BREED. Showcasing work by Banksy, Faile, Antony Micallef, Paul Insect, Ian Francis, Herakut and more, the exhibition was curated by music video and fashion film director Neil Kerr (below).

  • Choice Cuts: The Best Tracks of… October

    November 5, 2014 - By 

    Black Milk – ‘Everyday Was’ ft. Mel Computer Ugly Opening with 16-bit synth sounds before transitioning into the track proper, Black Milk’s new album If There’s A Hell Below harks back to Cannibal Ox’s 2001 album The Cold Vein. On this opening track, ‘Everyday Was’, a simple and catchy bass melody forms the backbone of a beautifully textured instrumental, once again reminiscent of that CanOx classic. If There's A Hell Below by Black Milk Dutch Uncles – ‘In n Out’ Memphis Industries The first sample of O Shudder, the new album from Dutch Uncles, ‘In n Out’ is an unashamed…

  • AAA: Sons of Burlap @ The Bar With No Name, Belfast

    November 4, 2014 - By 

    In this Halloween special of AAA (Access All Areas) we spent the scariest evening of the year with Sons of Burlap as they performed in front of a packed out crowd  at The Bar With No Name in Belfast. Our photographer Tom McGeehan captured the sons, comprised of members of ASIWYFA, Axis Of and family,  in the dressing room back stage as they turned each other into zombies (see what we did there?) They soon went on to play for over 40 minutes, and even included a trad-punk-experimental-instrumental-ridiculous cover of the Tetris theme tune. Click the gallery below for more photos of the night.

  • AAA: Ensemble Eiru & Inni K @ Unitarian Church, Dublin

    November 4, 2014 - By 

    AAA (Access All Areas) returns and this time we go behind the scenes with Ensemble Eiru and Inni K at the Unitarian Church in Dublin. Our photographer Mark Earley snapped away with the ensemble as they tuned their instruments and soundchecked ahead of the live gig that evening. Check out the gallery below for a comprehensive overview of the event.

  • Track Record: Joe Greene (Documenta)

    November 4, 2014 - By 

    In this latest installment of Track Record we catch up with Joe Greene, singer and guitarist for Belfast based drone pop outfit, Documenta. Ably assisted by fellow Documenta member, Steven Henry, he goes through his record collection discussing ten albums we all should own. Photos by Dee McEvoy Jesus and Mary Chain – Psychocandy Their seminal record. The reason I love it? It sounds like Phil Spector on crystal meth with a broken fuzz pedal. Can – Ege Bamyasi My favourite Can record. It’s a record which has stuck with me. It sounds so odd… but familiar. Spacemen 3 – Playing With…

  • Premiere: Hollow Tide – Peter Fuller

    November 3, 2014 - By 

    A little label beginning to make a big noise out of Carlow of all places, cassette specialists Little League have been quietly putting out a stream of varied and exciting releases from around the world, mostly on limited, hand-assembled tapes, with some initial venturing into CD and vinyl. Running the gamut from good-natured indie/emo with Panucci’s Pizza to a brace of low-fi pop efforts from artists like Grant McAndrew, aka Hollow Tide, the label has made itself a home to independent music, by keeping demand up with small physical runs and maintaining ongoing digital sales, as well as innovations like…

  • The Record: RuggedWood

    November 6, 2014 - By 

    In the latest installment of The Record, our photographer Tara Thomas both shoots and reports back from from folk-pop five-piece Ruggedwood recording in the studio. “Trying to capture the atmosphere of a band laying down tracks is a tough task but one I relished when spending time with RuggedWood in Nutshed Studios Clara Co. Offaly. I arrived to the rhythm of beating drums and made my way into the Control Room, which was pretty impressive. Here I found the members of RuggedWood – Johnny, Ronan, Jerome, Ted & Geoff – passing the time, strumming guitars, having banter and munching crisps, awaiting their turn in the isolation booth. The…