• Turner Month @ The National Gallery

    To the benefit of both the National Gallery of Ireland and Irish art fans Henry Vaughan in 1900, despite having no connection to this island, donated his sizeable Turner collection to be split among the national galleries of Scotland and Ireland as well as the Victoria & Albert and Tate museums in London. A quirk of the Vaughan Bequest was a stipulation that the work only be shown in January – to both better preserve the works and enhance it in the lower light of January – and for it to be free of charge. Over a hundred years later the tradition is still being kept and…

  • SPECTRUM: Creative Music for Curious Ears

    Presented by Improvised Music Company in association with Note Productions and Homebeat, SPECTRUM is a new festival experience for fans of innovative music-making. Set to present three days of stimulating music “at the creative intersection where jazz, contemporary, rock and electronic music collide”, the Dublin festival – which will run from March 10-12 at Whelans and The Opium Rooms on Wexford St, Dublin – will have a focus on the live and improvised, complimented by a compelling programme of talks. From a debate on the excessive classifications of modern music led by Professor Matthew Causey from Trinity College Dublin, Paul…

  • RHA Annual Exhibition Announced

    Details for this year’s RHA Annual Exhibition have been announced by the Dublin gallery. With last year’s showcase moved forward to accommodate centenary celebrations for The Rising, this year it will return to its traditional summer slot – running from May 23rd to August 12th. Applications for this the 187th edition of Ireland’s largest and oldest open submission exhibition are due to close on March 23rd, with full details on submissions and forms available here. As well as providing an unrivaled opportunity to view and purchase works by artists emerging and established, it also provides a timely cross-section or current…

  • Watch: Participant – Your Better

    Dublin’s Stephen Tiernan AKA Participant has been riding a well-deserved wave of momentum recently, cropping up on end of year and “ones to watch” lists left, right and centre. Capitalising on that drive, new single  ‘Your Better’ is a real statement of intent, conjuring the hushed intimacy of Sparklehorse with a sparse delicacy all his own. Taken from his second EP, Content, the single is masterfully propelled by Bob Gallagher’s video, an accompaniment that highlights its darker undertones with a powerful narrative metaphor. Tiernan said,”‘Your Better’ was one of those songs that seemed complete from the moment I uttered the first lyric over the…

  • Stream: Documenta – Word Song (Yucatan Cover)

    Belfast drone pop outfit Documenta release a split CD through Tim Burgess’ OGenesis Recordings, tying in with a short Independent Venue Week tour alongside the collaborating bands. The EP consists of an original song by each of the three acts, as well as a cover of one of the other band’s songs. The cosmically-inclined trio of Documenta, Welsh dream-pop act Yucatan, and Manchester’s glistening, kaleidoscopic Horsebeach all met while playing Tim Peaks Diner in Manchester over the summer. They eventually decided to collaborate on this Independent Venue Week UK mini-tour, which kicks off at Belfast’s Voodoo tomorrow night – Friday, January 27 – with Documenta headlining, followed by Welsh &…

  • Stream: Eoin Dolan – I Can Make You Hurt at Will

    An unused track from his 2016 self-titled debut album, ‘I Can Make You Hurt at Will’ by Galway singer-songwriter Eoin Dolan is a subtle, masterfully sombre surf-folk single touching on nocturnalism, the long winter and the hidden laws of love. Released in association with Citóg Records, the track – featuring Patrick O’Toole on lead guitar and Robin Van Der Klooster on bass – is short but sweet testament to the fact Dolan is a master craftsman of tales that confront the innate fragility of relationships and personal becoming. I CAN MAKE YOU HURT AT WILL by Eoin Dolan

  • Stream: Kid Karate – No Way

    Describing themselves as “Mike Tyson serenading his wife with a heavy metal cover of Abba’s ‘Waterloo'” (hey, why not?) Dublin trio Kid Karate evolved many moons ago from a two-piece jam in a Crumlin shed. Ever since, the band – comprised of Kevin Breen, Steven Gannon and Ian McFarlane – have grown into a formidable beast with their earworming, slightly left-of-centre craft. Having had their heads down creating some new sounds, the trio have unveiled their single, ‘No Way’, a four-minute alt-pop anthem set for official release on February 20 that’ll be lingering in your inner ear for hours. Don’t believe…

  • AVA Festival 2017 Line-Up Announced

    Returning for its third annual outing, grassroots Audio Visual Arts festival and conference AVA will return to Belfast’s iconic T13 for an expanded two-day line-up on June 2-3. Set to feature the UK and Irish debut of Jeff Mills and Guillaume Marmin’s collaboration, Marcel Dettman, Bicep, Ben UFO, Fatima Yamaha, Midland, Rebekah, Job Jobse, Denis Sulta, Or:La, Hammer, Saoirse, The Cyclist, Ryan Vail, Jordan, JMX and much more, tickets for the festival are available to buy here priced £50. The festival says, “Alongside a solid roster of incredible artists playing across the two days, there’s an emerging DJ and Producer…

  • Line-Up For Choice Music Prize Revealed

    With the shortlist for this year’s prize announced earlier this month, it’s been revealed that nominees Rusangano Family, Overhead, The Albatross, Katie Kim, All Tvvins, Bantum, Wallis Bird and We Cut Corners will perform at this year’s RTE Choice Muic Prize at Dublin’s Vicar Street on Thursday, March 9. Presented in association with IMRO and IRMA, the follow ten albums will vie for the coveted annual prize on the night. All Tvvins – IIVV (Warner Music) Bantum – Move (Self Released) Wallis Bird – Home (Mount Silver / Caroline International) The Divine Comedy – Foreverland (Divine Comedy Records) Lisa Hannigan…

  • Stream: Jealous of the Birds and Ryan Vail – ‘Love is a Crow’

    Having received airplay on Lauren Laverne’s BBC 6Music show yesterday, ‘Love is a Crow’ is a one-off collaboration from Derry’s Ryan Vail and Portadown’s Naomi Hamilton AKA Jealous of the Birds. Melding a trickle of sublime spoken word from the latter and a bobbing flurry of beats and spectral synth-work from the former, the single is accompanied by remixes from The Cyclist and Belfast’s Dee Lucille AKA DIE HEXEN. Dig below.