• Album Stream: Elder Druid – Carmina Satanae

    October 6, 2017 - By 

    Recorded at Belfast’s Start Together with Niall Doran, Carmina Satanae by Belfast sludge-doom five-piece Elder Druid marks the arrival of one of the country’s most promising low-end propositions. Officially launched at Belfast’s Bar Sub tonight, the release filters the holy tetrad of Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, Kyuss and Sleep across eight tracks of psych-dappled, occult-leaning heft. Speaking to us about the dark lyricism that steers the album, guitarist Jake Wallace told us, “It gives the songs a lot more depth having stories being told underneath all the riffs and not just random babbling. Gregg has a very imaginative thought process and…

  • Phoenix Set For Olympia Show

    October 4, 2017 - By 

    Having last played the city as part of Longitude back in 2013, French indie-pop quartet Phoenix will play Dublin’s Olympia Theatre on March 27, 2018. The show will mark the end of a string of European live dates for the band, who have been touring worldwide to promote their new album, Ti Amo, since May. Tickets for the Dublin show are priced €34.50 and go on sale this Friday at 9am.

  • Stream: And So I Watch You From Afar – Dying Giants

    October 2, 2017 - By 

    North Coast quartet And So I Watch You From Afar are nothing if not ambitious. Having spent the last few years carving out their very own path in the world of masterfully-crafted instrumental rock, the Belfast-based foursome will release their fifth studio album, The Endless Shimmering, via Sargent House on October 20. Having let the cat out of the bag last month via lead track ‘A Slow Unfolding of Wings’, new single ‘Dying Giants’ goes one further. Blending the band’s instantly recognisable brand of intricately-woven fretboard exhibitionism with a slew of face-melting passages and a sublime – and somewhat unexpected – outro, the song’s…

  • Kendrick Lamar and James Blake Set For Dublin Date

    October 2, 2017 - By 

    Having last played the city at last year’s Longitude Festival, Kendrick Lamar will kick off his Damn. at Dublin’s 3Arena on February 7. Kicking starting a 15-date string of shows, culminating in Berlin on March 5, Lamar will be supported on all shows by James Blake. Tickets for the Dublin show are priced €62 including booking fee and go on sale this Friday, October 6 at 9am. Here are the full tour dates:

  • Yawning Man Set To Make Irish Debut in Belfast

    September 28, 2017 - By 

    Here’s well and truly one for the diaries: La Quinta desert rock legends Yawning Man will play their first ever Irish show at Voodoo in Belfast on December 14. Having jammed their way into sound exceptional territories since 1986, the band – whose sounds occupies a unique place between surf, psychedelia, Krautrock, Spaghetti Western soundtracks and the barren desert abyss of Palm Desert – will be supported on the night from Belfast-based jam band par excellent Electric Octopus. This is pretty unmissable booking. Tickets are £10 cash on the door.

  • Stream: Other Creatures – Luxembourg

    September 27, 2017 - By 

    Ahead of this weekend’s Hard Working Class Heroes, Dublin three piece Other Creatures have released their first single, ‘Luxembourg’ from their aptly titled The First EP. The EP will be released by Trout Records where the band will be joining the likes of Saint Sister, Tandem Felix and Spies. ‘Luxembourg’ is the band’s first official release and is one loaded with jagged guitar chords and thunderous drums, giving it a post-punk flare that is brightened by the energised vocal melodies of Konrad Timon. This truly infectious track is an indie gem reminiscent of bands like Pavement, Interpol and Band of Horses. …

  • Video Premiere: Sue Rynhart – Black As The Crow Flies

    September 29, 2017 - By 

    The follow-up to her 2014 debut album, Crossings – a release that was nominated for Best Jazz Album at the Irish Times‘ Ticket Awards – Dublin vocalist and composer Sue Rynhart’s new album Signals has been receiving a wave of critical acclaim from a wide range of Irish and international voices. Forging an exquisite midpoint between delicate and forceful, jazz and classical, as well as contemporary and canonical sonic realms, her emotionally-dense avant-garde craft rewards an attentive ear and repeated listen. Directed by artist Sophie Merry, we’re pleased to present a first look at the video for ‘Black As The Crow…

  • Father John Misty Set for Vicar Street Return

    September 26, 2017 - By 

    Having released his critically-devoured third studio album, Pure Comedy, back in April, Josh Tillman AKA Father John Misty will play Dublin’s Vicar Street on May 28 next year. Tillman’s last show in the city – as part of his I Love You, Honeybear tour – was in the same venue back in October, 2015. Tickets for the May 2018 are priced at €36.50 and go on sale this Thursday at 9am.

  • Watch: Fontaines – Hurricane Laughter

    September 26, 2017 - By 

    Dublin post-punk outfit Fontaines have returned with the announcement of ‘Hurricane Laughter/Winter In The Sun’. Following ‘Liberty Belle’ from May this year, the new 7″ will be released on October 6th. ‘Hurricane Laughter’ (below) is as propulsive as its title might suggest, with a relentless motorik groove and circular guitar lick that begs for repeated listens. It’s carried by a droll, spoken-word vocal that has more than a hint of Mark E. Smith at its core, albeit Mark E. Smith via North Dublin. It also comes paired with a fitting video directed by Javier Martínez de Velasco. On the other side then is…

  • Album Premiere: Shrug Life – ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

    September 27, 2017 - By 

    Concluding his review of their debut album – the eminently-tilted ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ – just the other day, TTA’s Will Murphy said, “Shrug Life deserve to be heard. Nurture them because fuck knows we’re not going to get another group like them for a long time.” To say those words are representative of our feelings about this release would be a towering understatement. We’ve watched on with glee as the Dublin trio of guitarist/vocalist Danny Carroll, bassist Keith Broni and drummer Josh Donnelly have evolved into one of the country’s most peerlessly engaging acts over the last couple of years – something that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ confines over eleven tracks…