• Hannah McPhillimy: Freedom Songs @ Crumlin Road Gaol

    November 25, 2013 - By 

    Belfast Music Week has been host to many an interesting gig this year, from bookstores to bars, from balconies to boats, there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of quirky or fascinating venues, and now Hannah McPhillimy finds herself playing at The Crumlin Road Gaol. In conjunction with No More Traffik, ‘Freedom Songs’ is less of a traditional performance for the Belfast based singer/songwriter and more of an interactive journey through history. Tonight’s show is down in the depths of the now renovated and rejuvenated jail where Hannah uses all three corners of the triangular room to tell a capella…

  • The National @ The Odyssey, Belfast

    November 15, 2013 - By 

    Restraint. A hard quality to achieve in one’s day to day life. Musically, however, it’s very difficult indeed. Amplified by speaker stacks and placed in the glare of spotlights, many bands affect emotion by stomping on a distortion pedal or guldering angst-ridden couplets. In stark contrast, the austere members of The National continually reign in such fits of childish pique. Take, for example, ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’, with its spiralling drum patterns, mournful horns and droning guitar. It’s a perfect storm albeit one that never breaks but pulses and throbs towards a climax which never quite arrives. It creates a thrilling tension,…

  • Enablers, Blue Whale, Selaah @ Voodoo, Belfast

    November 16, 2013 - By 

    Five years on from wowing a close-knit assembly at Lavery’s Bunker, one of the most distinctive post-rock bands of a generation return to the Belfast tonight dogged and purposeful despite founding guitarist Joe Goldring having his guitar stolen in Dublin the night before. Founded in 2004 and fronted by poet and spoken word artist Pete Simonelli, San Francisco’s Enablers are all but an act unto themselves, their thoroughly immersive brand of abrasive yet introspective instrumentalism propelled by a masterful confrontational voice that just about guarantees special things on the stage time and time again. Kicking off proceedings in typically inimitable fashion…

  • PigsAsPeople, El Ten Eleven, Droids @ Radar

    October 29, 2013 - By 

    Since resuming service in September Radar has hosted numerous strong acts, and tonight proves to top them all, should you have a taste for a bit of noise and jumping around. Droids open the night up with a guitar-led onslaught of enormous chords and hooks, alongside big vocal anthems. They play 30 minutes to a relatively quiet Speakeasy, but the slowly growing numbers in front of them doesn’t put them off. There are more than a few nods given to post-hardcore band Thrice throughout, with distorted walls of sound topped by piercing melodic riffs being a common factor in most of…

  • Drenge – The Limelight 2

    October 30, 2013 - By 

    Sheffield rockers Drenge may have received a sharp spike in interest recently thanks to Labour MP Tom Watson’s parting assertion that they are “an awesome new band”, but it’s visceral and absorbing live performances like tonight’s in the Limelight 2 that will surely see their popularity continue to increase. Brothers Eoin and Rory Loveless make up a guitar and drums duo, but their live setup is anything but lacking – one only need take note of the array of amp stacks and microphones which flank the pair on stage. The modest gathering of hipster-cum-metalheads that have assembled tonight are treated…

  • Primal Scream – Limelight 1, Belfast

    October 28, 2013 - By 

    Tonight, Belfast’s Limelight 1 plays host to the first of two intimate Primal Scream shows in our fair city, and by 8.15pm the fact that it’s a Wednesday evening hasn’t seemed to deter too many fans. Entering the venue, a decent sized crowd are pocketed along the bar and the sides of the room as the equipment is tinkered with for tonight’s supporting act, a DJ set from David Holmes; an appropriate opening act for the band, having both the coveted title of Bel-Funks first son and producer of Primal Screams latest ear bender More Light. As he begins to…

  • Everything Everything, Thumpers, Outfit @ Limelight 1, Belfast

    October 14, 2013 - By 

    Having released their breakthrough, critically devoured second album Arc back in January, Manchester quartet Everything Everything stop off at Belfast’s recently expanded Limelight 1 comfortable in their status as 2013’s most comprehensively doted-upon darlings of English indie pop. But, as is invariably the case, having come to prominence so rapidly over the last few months, it remains to be seen how well the Jonathan Higgs-fronted four-piece fare in satisfying older fans whilst accommodating for the whims of the very newly inducted. The first of Everything Everything’s two touring support bands tonight, Liverpool psychedelic pop five-piece Outfit deliver a commanding performance to…

  • Moon Duo, Deptford Goth, Kelpe – The MAC, Belfast

    October 2, 2013 - By 

    For the final instalment of ‘In the Court of Tom Ravenscroft’, the eclectically curated mini-festival at The MAC,  we are being treated to a somewhat canonical foray into the tastes of a man who, like his father before him, has ample time for exploring the realms of music that’s slightly further away from left of the field. Approaching the venue from the courtyard at around 8.30, a surprising mix of young, fresh faces and Cathedral Quarter veterans mingle around the box office and bar area, debating and discussing topics that will ultimately become fond memories of the evening; the mightiest…

  • Manic Street Preachers – Ulster Hall, Belfast

    September 24, 2013 - By 

    Manic Street Preachers are the great survivors of British rock music. In an era where the touring landscape is awash with bands of their vintage (and younger) on money-spinning reunion tours, the Manics keep racking up the albums, the tours and the years – 27 at the last count. And yet here they are, packing out the Ulster Hall again as they tour to promote their eleventh studio album, Rewind The Film – yet another top five chart hit. Given that album’s delicate nature – all acoustic guitars, slow tempos and snatches of brass – it’s not surprising that tonight’s…

  • In Review: Culture Night Belfast 2013

    September 23, 2013 - By 

    With the dust having settled on just about one of the most absorbing nights of art, culture and music that Belfast has ever seen, we gather the thoughts and verdicts of various people who experienced Culture Night Belfast 2013. If the following short selection impressions and opinions isn’t a glowing testament to the power and need for such an annual event, what is? Congratulations to all the participants, organisers and volunteers. We can’t wait for next year already. Andrew Lemon, The Thin Air reviews editor and freelance music writer: “The official attendance figure for this year’s Culture Night stands at 42,000. It’s impressive…