• Irish Tour: The Charlatans

    May 5, 2015 - By 

    Opening with an extended version of ‘Forever’ and followed by the undeniable Madchester groove of ‘Weirdo’, The Charlatans get their CQAF headline gig off to an expectedly strong start, following a reportedly equally triumphant show in Dublin the night before. New album tracks like ‘Talking In Tones’ and ‘So Oh’ sound more like 1995 than 2015 and are welcomed like old favourites. However, the starry-roofed tent inhabitants explode with collective excitement as the fan favourites of ‘North Country Boy’, ‘One To Another’ – a song that’s been given a new generation of fans through soundtracking the E4 sitcom My Mad Fat…

  • Le Tour: Le Galaxie

    May 8, 2015 - By 

    Le Galaxie embarked on a nationwide tour of the country in support of their new album Le Club. They kicked off the party in Dublin at The Academy, then west to the Roisin Dubh in Galway, South for Cyprus Avenue in Cork then North to Echo & Aether in Belfast. Check out the galleries below for a comprehensive overview of the tour. Aether & Echo, Belfast by Sara Marsden Cyrprus Avenue, Cork by Brid O’Donovan Roisin Dubh, Galway by Sean McCormack The Academy, Dublin by Isabel Thomas

  • The Twilight Sad @ Voodoo, Belfast

    May 6, 2015 - By 

    It’s the final show of a ten-week trek across Europe and North America for The Twilight Sad. Front man James Graham tells the Belfast crowd his “liver is fucked.” The relief in his voice sets the tone for a breathless set taking in highlights from their back catalogue alongside half of the tracks from their fantastic fourth album Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave. The Twilight Sad’s gloomy intensity is utterly compelling from start to finish. They begin working through the gears with ‘There’s A Girl In The Corner’ and ‘Last January’ from the new album,…

  • Sharon Van Etten @ Vicar Street, Dublin

    April 24, 2015 - By 

    It was inevitable given the locale and the name of tonight’s performer that the words of Georgie fucking Burgess – indelibly etched into the minds of every Irish person of a certain generation – would be proffered in the direction of the stage. “That was A1, Sharon” – not just hollow, borrowed words in this instance, but a snappy summation of a fine performance bathed in the warm glow of the Vicar Street stage. Sharon Van Etten coos a “hello” to the chattering crowd, quietening them for a time as the five-piece band begins ‘Afraid Of Nothing’. Dark shades and…