• Wes Anderson Night @ The Pavilion, Belfast

    On Friday January 9, Belfast’s Pavilion Bar hosts a screening of The Royal Tenenbaums as part of a night celebrating the unique universe and music of director Wes Anderson, one of the most distinctive figures in cinema of the past two decades, who has brought us the likes of Rushmore, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Fantastic Mr Fox.  Anderson is as famous for his film soundtracks as he is for the films themselves, so after the screening, Joe Lindsay of the Super Fuzz Big Muff club night at McHugh’s will be playing music – we’re talking Latin-American Bowie covers, quirky French pop, the Stones, the…

  • No Parachute @ Established

    Launching in printed form in 2015, No Parachute – a new photographic project by And So I Watch You From Afar guitarist Rory Friers and their manager Graham Smith – will take place at Belfast’s Established on Thursday, December 18. Comprising of photographs taken on and off the road over the past few years, the selected images were all taken on iPhone. Speaking of the project, the pair said it “documents the duelling lives of band people and the contrasting moments that we are presented with along the way. From sureness and bliss to the harsh and unpleasant, from the…

  • Festivals: Quarter Block Party

    Cork’s varied and vital cultural communities have always been a pillar of life in the city, but the past year or so has seen exponential growth, despite setbacks. Next year looks set to be a cracker, with a bumper crop of albums and EPs in the pipeline for release, and the announcement of  the Quarter Block Party festival, taking over the venues and businesses of North and South Main Street for a weekend, from February 6th to the 8th. Run as a collaboration between The Makeshift Ensemble (the force of nature behind the Quarter arts all-dayers at the Triskel) and…

  • No Spill Blood – Heavy Electricity

    Dublin dystopia-soundtracking bass/synth/drums trio No Spill Blood have put forward ‘White Out’, the first track to be unveiled from their upcoming debut LP, the Brass Eye-referencing Heavy Electricity, which follows up on their excellent 2012 debut, the Sargent House-released Street Meat EP. The trio is comprised of Hands Up Who Wants To Die bassist Matt Hedigan, drummer Ror Conaty – who recently replaced Adebisi Shank’s Lar Kaye – and synthscaper Ruadhan O’Meara. Their forthcoming 9-track album – featuring vocals on one song from D.I.Y. punk icon Mike Watt -it sounds like more of what you’d come to expect, with the retro-futuristic synth lines that…

  • Block T Christmas Party: Squarehead, Bantum, Bad Santa Screening, Live Visuals & more

    The Sugar Club hosts the Block T Christmas Party on December 13 which looks to be an attack on the senses. On the night, they combine visuals and audio, with a screening of Billy Bob Thornton black comedy Bad Santa, performances from Dublin lo-fi garage pop Squarehead, Irish DJ/producer Ruairi Lynch aka Bantum – accompanied by a live visual mapping show from Slipdraft –  some Block T DJ’s and a night-closing DJ set from Donal Dineen of 2fm. The plethora of activities doesn’t stop there though, folks, as video intervals come from Darklight, there’s a Print Your Own Christmas T-shirt workshop by Damn Fine Pint. Tickets are available from the Sugar Club for €12, or €10…

  • Gigs of the Week: Gifted, Bob Log III, Girls Names, Yule, Cian Nugent, Sissy

    Ho, ho, ho-w are you? Sorry, that was terrible. Let’s try that again. How are you? Good? Good. Here’s five gigs happening over the next few days that we were really think you should make a concerted effort to attend. Happy Hanukkah. Gifted: Ciaran Lavery & more @ The Empire, Belfast – Thursday, December 4 Yet another first-rate bill by the acoustically-inclined folks at Gifted, Aghagallon songwriting extraordinare Ciaran Lavery will headline the latest installment of the night at Belfast’s Empire on Thursday, December 4. Also on the bill is John Blek, Travis is a Tourist and Orchid Collective.   Sissy,…

  • Premiere: Gross Net – Gross Net EP

    Recently-arrived post-punk/neue Deutsche welle-influenced duo Gross Net – comprised of Girls Names‘ Philip Quinn and Autumns‘ Christian Donaghey, completed by programmed drums – have announced a brooding, excellent new three-track self-titled EP in the form of a cassette, recorded by the band themselves over the course of a day. The EP is out on Sligo label Art For Blind, who have accommodated releases from The Altered Hours, Hands Up Who Wants To Die, Perfect Pussy and more. The limited edition coral red cassette is available to pre-order for just £3.50, with a free download code – or simply only £2 digitally – from the Gross Net Bandcamp. You can…

  • Gigs of the Week: Tim Hecker, Conan, Mos Def, Boxcutter, Callum Stewart

    Pigs of the bleak? Nope. Figs of the streak? Not a chance. Swigs of the geek? That doesn’t even make sense. What you were looking for – searching for, all these years – was this week’s installment of the ever-ingenuously titled Gigs of the Week. Inclined towards leaving the house and watching people perform music over the next few days? Read on and right on. Tim Hecker, Ellll @ Button Factory, Dublin – Thursday, November 20 Supported by Cork electronic noise artist Ellll (read about her in the November issue of our physical magazine here), Canadian ambient artist Tim Hecker (pictured)…

  • Second Chance Cinema Weekender

    The all-but cinematically-omniscient folks of Second Chance Cinema will host another Weekender at Belfast’s South Bank Playhouse from Friday, November 28 to Sunday, November 30. Fans of pop-up cinema take note: the schedule very nicely traverses cosy matinees, weird romance and the work of local filmmakers across the three days and nights. See below for the full schedule: Friday November 28 Northern Irish Shorts – 8pm Alternative Energies. Produced by DU Dance, 2014 (20 mins) Bombin’, Beats and B Boys, Dir. Chris Eva, 2013 (30 mins) Following the Iron Compass, Dir. Paul McParland, 2013 (15 mins) Same Again, Dir. Aidan…

  • Smart Casual Vol. 1: Come Down With Me

    The Pavilion hosts a unique, new – to Belfast – night, tentatively titled Smart Casual – almost certainly a reference to this – in its middle bar on November 23. The night takes its cues from other clubs, with the likes of Body & Soul, Optimo, and the aim is to create something of a chillfest, with an eclectic but dubby/spacey atmosphere, which will progress to a conclusion of straight-up house and techno. The laid-back night is open deck, meaning anyone with the skills and the means is encouraged to bring their own wax and spin to their heart’s content. Admission is completely free and the event kicks…