• Axis Of – The Mid Brae Inn

    November 12, 2014 - By 

    Punk-cum-pop trio Axis Of release the their second album, The Mid Brae Inn, on New Year’s Eve through Smalltown America. The three – comprising Ewen Friers, Niall Lawler & Ethan Harman – launched their debut album Finding St. Kilda in the same venue over two years ago, an altogether more punk affair. ‘Wetsuit’ – the first track to get airplay from The Mid Brae Inn – hints at a much more indie-pop direction for the band who were out-and-out hardcore no more than five years ago. Time will tell whether or not it’s a complete revamp for the outfit, but it’ll be interesting to see how…

  • Conor Scott – Watch Me Go

    November 12, 2014 - By 

    Singer-songwriter and oft-spotted Belfast busker Conor Scott releases his debut three-track EP Watch Me Go on November 17. The as-yet-unsigned musician’s EP will be available from iTunes and Amazon. He’s gained a lot of steam following his performance on BBC vocal-based talent show, The Voice – a reality show at least based on some discernible talent – and his songs have taken him on tour across the UK, performing in venues like Liverpool’s Cavern Club. The official launch takes place at Aether & Echo on November 18, and support comes from the impressive selection of local acts in experimental folk artist Joshua Burnside, folk-pop act New Ancestors and…

  • Gigs of the Week: All Tvvins, The Telescopes, Northern Ireland Music Prize, Luke Abbott, Crayonsmith

    November 11, 2014 - By 

    Ah, sure it’s yourself. How’s the form? Good? Good! So, we trust you’ve toddled in here for the sole purpose of finding out what gigs to hit up over the next few days, so let us not waste your precious time any longer. See below (and beyond the front door). The Telescopes, The Vincent(s) @ The Workman’s Club – Thursday, November 13 Twenty-seven years on from forming in Staffordshire, English space-rock maestros The Telescopes return to Dublin on Thursday night to play a highly-anticipated show at the Workman’s Club. Better still, the guys will be supported by self-proclaimed death pop band…

  • Gigs of the Week: Patrick Kelleher, Kab Driver, Dear Desert, Gifted, The Wedding Present, Radar

    November 4, 2014 - By 

    You’re looking well, you know that? Really well. Gym, is it? Cutting back on the soft drinks, was it? Walking to work in the morning, are we? But enough of the flirting: here’s our Gigs of the Week. Slick back that hair and get out there: much toe-tapping, gallivanting and/or wrecking the gaff awaits. New Natives: Patrick Kelleher, Bouts, Fangclub, Psychics @ The Grand Social, Dublin – Thursday, November 6 The humongously tasteful folks at New Natives will host a stellar four-act bill at Dublin’s Grand Social on Thursday night. Headlined by the inimitable and sorcerous Patrick Kelleher, the show will also features…

  • Gigs of the Week: Go Wolf, Future Islands, Sunglasses After Dark

    October 28, 2014 - By 

    Hallowe’en. There, we said it. Now that we’ve clarified our position on the matter, we’ll move straight to business: here’s our Gigs of the Week, for this particular moment week in time, never to been heard of or seen again, and yet, rather magically, still something yet to be achieved, experienced and appreciated. Time, ladies and gentlemen – think about that for a second. No Tomorrow: Go Wolf, Allez Bartoli, Ed Zealous DJs @ Voodoo, Belfast – Saturday, November 1, 9pm, £5 If we didn’t feature our monthly Belfast gig/club night in the fourth and final Gigs of the Week…

  • The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets

    October 20, 2014 - By 

    Held in partnership with the NI Science Festival, Simon Singh will host a downright unmissable show for all Simpsons aficionados at Belfast’s Black Box on Friday, October 24. Based on his critically-acclaimed book of the same name, The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets will see Singh reveal how the legendary show’s mathematically gifted team of scriptwriters have used the series to explore everything from pi to primes, from calculus to geometry, from infinitesimals to infinity. Sounds fun, right? We’d be inclined to agree. Tickets – priced at £6 or £3 concession – can be purchased here.

  • Hey Symmetric by Karolin Reichardt @ Pollen Studio

    October 20, 2014 - By 

    Hey Symmetry, an exhibition showcasing the recent work from Berlin based artist Karolin Reichardt, will take place at Belfast’s Pollen Studio on Wednesday, October 22. In her work, Karolin – who lives and works in Berlin but has studied at Belfast’s University of Ulster – plays with the precariousness of change and chance. Her art is inspired by personal observations and reactions to the built and natural environment  and is informed by means of scientific data display such as maps, plans and models. Check out some of her work here. Hey Symmetric is open from 6-9pm but the exhibition will also be open…

  • Premiere: North Side Drive – Snow//Sea//Sky

    October 17, 2014 - By 

    Snow//Sea//Sky, the new release from North Side Drive, the “quiet” solo project of math-pop lads Former Monarchs‘ singing sticksman Jonathan Pearson, is, by his own admission, “weird”. In itself, though, that’s no deviation from the norm in an ever-evolving soundscape, moving from post-rock-inflected piano/cello pieces, to a stint at solo piano in honour of his grandfather in his last EP. His third EP under the name, the release invokes weather and the elements, and the moods Pearson conveys in his songs reflect this perfectly. ‘Snow’, for instance, is a beautiful piece, stark in its beginnings, before building up in a…

  • Meb Jon Sol – Southpaw Niños

    October 14, 2014 - By 

    Belfast-based folk singer-songwriter Michael McCullagh AKA Meb Jon Sol has been on something of a far-reaching musical expedition since his Colenso Parade days. A far cry musically from the starry-eyed indie pop of the latter – now defunct – Omagh five-piece, McCullagh’s debut solo album bears the lyrical and thematic imprint of wisdom and experience throughout, each track underpinned by the inner workings of wanderlust or quixotic wondering. Preceded by “yeo!”-generating singles ‘Leave All Your Troubles With Me‘ and ‘Captain of this Ship‘, Southpaw Niños strikes a keen balance between self-reflection and knowingly cavalier abandon, McCullagh’s quasi-mystical, eager tales of the open road and distant…

  • White Male Actors – Ghosts EP

    October 14, 2014 - By 

    Strabane alternative/indie-pop trio White Male Actors release their long-awaited debut EP, Ghosts, through Broken Melody Records on October 20. The band started well when they sent their single ’31 Years’ to the R.E.M. offices in April of 2013 in tribute to their breakup, catching the attention of erstwhile drummer Bill Berry, and now they release their anthemic brand of guitar-led indie-pop to the world, launching it with a Hidden Machine show at Voodoo on October 30. The EP was recorded and mixed in Staffordshire’s Burntwood Studios, as well as in Derry’s Blast Furnace and the one track released so far, ‘Mysteries and…