• Psykick Dancehall No. 2: Laura Sheeran, Bad Bones & Katharine Philippa

    March 22, 2016 - By 

    Almost a year on from featuring as the cover artist on the eighth issue of our physical magazine (which you can revisit here) Laura Sheeran will headline the next Psykick Dancell at Dublin’s Bello Bar on Saturday, April 2. Co-presented by The Thin Air and Medium Presents, the show will also feature two more of the country’s most exciting acts, Belfast’s Katharine Philippa and Dublin producer Sal Stapleton AKA Bad Bones. That’s three of the country’s very best dark experimental pop artists for just €6/7. Event page here.

  • Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival 2016

    March 8, 2016 - By 

    Set to return to Belfast for its grand 17th outing from April 28-May 8, this year’s Cathedral Quarter Art Festival is set to be yet another mouth-wateringly, curiousity-satingly sublime 11 days and nights of music and culture. Ranging from the likes of legendary reggae producer Lee “Scratch” Perry (pictured), The Zombies and Arab Strap’s Aidan Moffatt to David Holmes, John Cooper Clarke and Grandmaster Flash, this year’s line-up (in full below) is, for our money, the strongest CQAF outing to date. Go here to buy tickets.

  • KnockanStockan 2016

    March 1, 2016 - By 

    Having expanding to three days due to demand, annual Wicklow independent music and arts festival KnockanStockan will return to Blessington Lakes across the weekend of July 22-24 for its tenth anniversary outing. Calling it a “celebration of the last 10 years of Irish music”, this year’s festival will also play host to special ‘Honorary Guests’ that won’t be identified until they take to stage. Bettine McMahon from the festival said, “We really want the element of a birthday surprise at this years festival, so our lineup is under lock and key right now, even most of the crew don’t know…

  • Women’s Work Festival

    March 1, 2016 - By 

    A programme inspired by the likes of Kate Bush and Bjork, the seeds of forthcoming inaugural Women’s Work Festival at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre were sown amidst planning for the 2014 International Women’s Day event at the Belfast venue and music scene. Two years on, the festival – that will highlight, celebrate and showcase women in music, as well as facilitate discussion with industry and artists on the issues surrounding the debate – is a fully-fledged,  proposition, set to take place from its launch with legendary DJ Annie Nightingale on Friday, March 4 until Friday, March 11. Set to be a wonderfully eclectic and important festival…

  • Women of Notes @ Thirty Four, Dublin

    February 21, 2016 - By 

    Set to launch at new Dublin cafe Thirty Four on Saturday, March 5, Women of Notes/Mná na Notaí is a new photography and narrative series that aims to celebrate some of the country’s most prominent and successful female musicians. A year-long project that coincides with International Women’s Day 2016, it is the latest collaboration between music photographer Ruth Medjber and journalist Louise Bruton, and features the likes of Mary Black, Lisa Hannigan, Fight Like Apes’ MayKay, SOAK, Heathers, sisters Loah and Feather, Sleep Thieves‘ Sorcha Brennan, Wyvern Lingo, Saint Sister, Joni, Sinead White and more. According to the organisers, “each…

  • F_Festival 2016

    February 17, 2016 - By 

    A new, free multifaceted platform aimed at generating visibility and equality for women in the arts, the inaugural F_Festival will inhabit various iconic Dublin venues with an eclectic spectrum of female artists across March 12-13. With the main focus of the festival being art, film, spoken word, comedy and discussions, its main objective is to “highlight inequality within the arts community with a showcase from some of Ireland’s brightest female talent” in venues including Hangar, The Grand Social, Wigwam, Film Base, The Back Loft, Sweeney’s and The Gallery of Photos. Will full line-up information to be released, keep an eye on…

  • The First Time: An Exhibition by Joe Laverty @ Oh Yeah Centre, Belfast

    February 16, 2016 - By 

    Joe Laverty is a well established and highly respected photographer, working closely with local acts creating an astonishing body of work which he proudly presents in his first solo exhibition. ‘The First Time’ offers an intimate look into the lives of some of Northern Ireland’s most intriguing musicians and artists, cast by his highly individual and primary use of monochrome. Here we are treated to portraits of Alana Henderson, ASIWYFA, Girls Names (above) and Malojian all shot in recognisable locations in Belfast or in Joe’s workplace at Blick Studios. The exhibition features hand-selected images originally created for The Thin Air,…

  • NI Science Festival 2016

    February 15, 2016 - By 

    Is there anything more satisfying than flicking through a freshly-printed, beautifully designed festival programme bursting with every shade of varyingly mind-expanding and curiousity-sating event? Having recently had that very same experience checking out the programme for this year’s forthcoming NI Science Festival we swiftly discovered that the short (and long) answer to that is no. Set to return to various venues across the North of the country from February 18-28, the festival will be divided into many day and night events. During the day the festival will present a range of workshops, talks and interactive activities for young people, parents and schools. In the…

  • FEAST present: Alright the Captain, Steve Strong, A Werewolf – Irish Tour

    February 12, 2016 - By 

    For the past year or so, the dedicated team of Galway’s FEAST organisers have been hosting some of the most interesting acts that fit the spectrum of what one supposes could be called the more “colourful” side of metal. Having put on bands such as Math Rock heavyweights Alpha Male Tea Party and Roisin Dubh locals Race the Flux as well as more sludgy outfits such as Torche and Bitch Falcon, FEAST’s place has been to promote acts who, for reasons unknown, may go unnoticed outside of the niche in Ireland otherwise. Next week sees the first FEAST tour taking…

  • Quarter Block Party 2016

    January 4, 2016 - By 

    Having made their first announcement back in December, Cork’s Quarter Block Party have revealed a slew of new acts and events set for their 2016 outing from February 5-7. Amongst the new additions is Cathy Walsh’s Running Up That Hill, a celebration of feminism equality and solidarity. Provoked by the #wakingthefeminists movement and inspired by Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’, the people of Cork City will march through the streets and dance together in celebration on North Main Street, the historic spine of the city. Elsewhere, Abigail Conway’s participatory installation Time Lab will ask visitors to “dismantle a wristwatch or clock and reconstruct…