• Seven Quarters Announce First Line-up of 2015

    January 12, 2015 - By 

    Having had a great first year in 2014, Dublin club Seven Quarters returns to Whelan’s, Dublin, for its fifth outing on February, 27 with Dublin instrumental quartet Alarmist (picturedd) and Neil O’Connor AKA Somadrone. Very much setting itself apart from other Irish club nights, Seven Quarters gives away two exclusive tracks on limited edition 7″  vinyl (hence the idea of the word “seven” referring to the vinyl – the “Quarters” part is based on the fact the club will happen four times a year. . Limited advance tickets are on sale now and the first 150 tickets come with a limited edition vinyl. Dig the poster for…

  • Watch: Women’s Christmas – Thumbs Up To The World

    January 6, 2015 - By 

    You know when you watch a new music video, only to immediately think, “This looked so much fun to make”? Well, Dublin indie rock band Women’s Christmas have just unveiled one of those videos for their single ‘Thumbs Up To The World’. Directed by DADDY and Charlie Doran, the video – fittingly shoddy, in the best possible sense – had us in absolute and utter stitches at the end. In fact, were going on the line here: if you’re not amused by dodgily-rendered floating band members – having the absolute craic in the process – then you are probably dead inside.…

  • EP Download: Winterlude – Four Songs

    January 6, 2015 - By 

    An unexpected start-of-year surprise, Belfast-based musician Neil Brogan has released Four Songs, a wonderfully stripped-back EP as Winterlude. Whilst certainly redolent of certain aspects of Sea Pinks – the Brogan-fronted trio who have have recently released the stellar Dreaming Tracks – the EP is underpinned with more touches of Americana, country and jangle-noir. Download the EP for free via Bandcamp below. Four Songs by Winterlude

  • Watch: Ham Sandwich – Apollo

    January 6, 2015 - By 

    Having featured in our Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2014,Ham Sandwich have unveiled the rather ambitious video for ‘Apollo’. The second single to be taken from the band’s forthcoming third studio album – set for release in April – the (let’s face it, equal parts fun and frightening) video for ‘Apollo’ stars Peter McGlynn and was produced and directed by BQ&Chrome

  • Stream: Sleep Thieves – November Christmas

    December 16, 2014 - By 

    We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: even remotely attempting to write a decent Christmas song is tricky business. Thankfully, there’s some acts more cut out for the job than others – acts like Dublin electro-pop trio Sleep Thieves, who have just released an ultra-lovely, synth-driven effort called ‘November Christmas’. A self-proclaimed “dreamy, bittersweet jam”, the track is diametrically opposed to any kind of festival frivolity – which, as you might expect, works very much in its favour. You can download the track now via Soundcloud.  Stream the track below and treat yourself to the band’s debut album,…

  • Stream: Lantern For A Gale – Captain

    December 15, 2014 - By 

    Taken from their forthcoming debut album, From Adversity, Belfast-based hardcore five-piece Lantern For A Gale are streaming the blistering ‘Captain’. Stream the track below and make sure to catch them at Atlantic Lounge, Portrush on December 23 with 7.5 Tonnes of Beard and PigsAsPeople. Photo by Tom McGeehan.

  • Watch: I Heart The Monster Hero – Bozo vs Slug

    December 14, 2014 - By 

    Directed by Sean Zissou, Dublin lo-fi indie-pop band I Heart The Monster Hero have unveiled the video to their new single, ‘Bozo vs Slug’. It features lots of swirling camera angles and dogs – we couldn’t remotely disapprove. Watch the video for the track below, buy IHTMH’s debut album, Rhythm & Pals, via Bandcamp here and make pop into Dublin’s new-fangled Little Gem records to pick up a physical copy of ‘Bozo vs Slug’ (artwork above) from tomorrow, Monday, December 15. I Heart The Monster Hero play upstairs in Whelan’s on Friday, December 19.

  • Watch: Not Squares – Oops Said Hi

    December 12, 2014 - By 

    Featuring a sweetly simple and – for fans of their earlier material – compositionally familiar video by their drummer/vocalist Keith Winter, Belfast electro-pop dons Not Squares have resurfaced with a new track, ‘Oops Said Hi’. Taken from their forthcoming second, Strange Brew-released Bolts, it is the sound of a band simultaneously staying true to their (instantly recognisable, Vocoder and beat-driven) sound whilst breaking some new territory. Not Squares will play an all-ages show at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre on December 18 and the next installment of Seven Quarters at Dublin’s Whelans on December 19. Watch the video for ‘Oops Said Hi’…

  • Stream: OAKS – SG REX

    December 12, 2014 - By 

    Having unveiled his debut release – the eight-track Safe Haven – back in June, Belfast-based musicians James Bruce AKA OAKS has returned with ‘SG REX’. Clocking in over nine minutes, the track traverses all kinds of sonic territory, driven forward with a thoughtful restlessness, finally culminating in a wonderful, twisted throb. Stream the track via Bandcamp below. SG REX by Oaks

  • Festivals: Quarter Block Party

    December 12, 2014 - By 

    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…