• BeeMickSee – The Belfast Yank

    February 26, 2015 - By 

    Portland-born, Belfast-raised rapper BeeMickSee releases his long-awaited, aptly-titled debut album The Belfast Yank globally on March 16.  Some of the tracks have been made available through previous EPs & singles, available to check out on Bandcamp. With the question hanging over the album of: “What do you do when your parents move you from the hipster mecca that is Portland Oregon to the urban jungle that is post-ceasefire Belfast?”, the former punk-hop Bomb City 7 alumnus Brendan Seamus eschews the usual misogynist hip-hop patter – instead favouring lyrics chartering the experience of relocation in an unfamiliar, often uncivilised society, cross-Atlantic cultural parallels, strained relationships and bullying. Recorded in Start…

  • Start A Van

    January 27, 2015 - By 

    The follow-up to his introductory piece – Start a Band – And So I Watch You From Afar drummer Chris Wee continues his regular column with some of the more interesting, occasionally perilous tales of a touring band on the open road. Hello again and apologies for the delay on this follow-up installment of my column. My friends, family and colleagues will collectively attest to my gross misuse of such phrases as ‘sorry for the late reply’, ‘sorry i’m only getting back to you now’ and ‘sorry I just saw this’. In truth, I am awful at correspondence. I feel like my pre-disposition towards…

  • ASIWYFA Announce Fourth Album Details, European Tour

    January 26, 2015 - By 

    Globetrotting North Coast quartet And So I Watch You From Afar have announced details of their forthcoming fourth studio album. Set for release via Sargent House on May 4, Heirs is the follow-up to the band’s third album All Hail Bright Futures, released back in 2013. The album will be the first featuring material written by guitarist Niall Kennedy, who replaced founding member Tony Wright back in 2011. The band have also announced an extensive European Tour to coincide with the album release. Check out the artwork for Heirs above and read our exclusive fature-length interview with the band in the first…

  • Monday Mixtape: Niall Kennedy (ASIWYFA, A Bad Cavalier)

    January 12, 2015 - By 

    In the first of a new regular feature (weekly, in fact, would you believe?) And So I Watch You From Afar axeman and A Bad Cavalier main man Niall Kennedy delivers his wonderfully eclectic Monday Mixtape. Serious tunes ahoy – Niall, take the reigns… “This is the sort of playlist I’d make for a big drive. It includes a lot of my favourite tunes and is nice and varied. It’s good to keep things interesting so you don’t fall asleep when you’re driving – never good! It’s got some of my new favourite bands like PUP and Grouplove, some epic rock…

  • No Parachute @ Established

    December 16, 2014 - By 

    Launching in printed form in 2015, No Parachute – a new photographic project by And So I Watch You From Afar guitarist Rory Friers and their manager Graham Smith – will take place at Belfast’s Established on Thursday, December 18. Comprising of photographs taken on and off the road over the past few years, the selected images were all taken on iPhone. Speaking of the project, the pair said it “documents the duelling lives of band people and the contrasting moments that we are presented with along the way. From sureness and bliss to the harsh and unpleasant, from the…

  • Axis Of – The Mid Brae Inn

    November 12, 2014 - By 

    Punk-cum-pop trio Axis Of release the their second album, The Mid Brae Inn, on New Year’s Eve through Smalltown America. The three – comprising Ewen Friers, Niall Lawler & Ethan Harman – launched their debut album Finding St. Kilda in the same venue over two years ago, an altogether more punk affair. ‘Wetsuit’ – the first track to get airplay from The Mid Brae Inn – hints at a much more indie-pop direction for the band who were out-and-out hardcore no more than five years ago. Time will tell whether or not it’s a complete revamp for the outfit, but it’ll be interesting to see how…

  • Start a Band

    November 10, 2014 - By 

    Good day, readers! I’m Chris and The Thin Air have kindly provided me with this platform to talk about the wonderful world of touring and other aspects of life in a band. I began touring about seven years ago, the early days consisted mostly of performing to tiny amounts of people, being broke and sleeping on floors or in vans. Since then there has been no catapult to superstardom, more a gradual yet steady progression in my touring lifestyle and in many ways I feel very fortunate for this, as it has helped me develop a resilience to a lot…

  • AAA: Sons of Burlap @ The Bar With No Name, Belfast

    November 4, 2014 - By 

    In this Halloween special of AAA (Access All Areas) we spent the scariest evening of the year with Sons of Burlap as they performed in front of a packed out crowd  at The Bar With No Name in Belfast. Our photographer Tom McGeehan captured the sons, comprised of members of ASIWYFA, Axis Of and family,  in the dressing room back stage as they turned each other into zombies (see what we did there?) They soon went on to play for over 40 minutes, and even included a trad-punk-experimental-instrumental-ridiculous cover of the Tetris theme tune. Click the gallery below for more photos of the night.

  • Gigs of the Week: Electric Picnic, Twitch, Sargent House Label Show, Bonnie Prince Billy & Shizz The Fest

    August 26, 2014 - By 

    With the now-sold-out largest music & arts festival in Ireland very much looming before us, it’s a relatively quiet week ahead in terms of gigs, but there are a few of doozies in the coming days scattered across the island. First and foremost: Electric Picnic – Stradbally Estate, Co. Laois; August 29-31 Unfortunately for most, it’s now too late to snap up tickets for Electric Picnic, but for those who wish to see out the Irish summer in style, there’s always one of the most eclectic bills on the circuit. For those who are heading, the Picnic contains some acts of…