• Watch: Ten Ton Slug – Hunting Ground

    Galway sludge metal quartet Ten Ton Slug have long been masterfully crafting some of the finest riff-led, crushing metal on the island and with international slots amassing, their debut album is set for release next year. The first single to be taken from the LP – and their first release since 2017’s Blood and Slime – is the  ‘Hunting Ground’, and if its sonic pulverisation is anything to go by, 2020 looks to further galvanise the band’s status. The single was recorded & produced by Ciaran Culhane, and its occultist, paranoia-inducing video was filmed at Cavan’s stately See House, directed and edited by Pádraig Conaty. Check out more on…

  • So Cow Announces New Album

    The brainchild of Brian Kelly – long one of Ireland’s sharpest lyricists and craftsmen of garage pop nuggets – So Cow have announced tracklisting & pre-order details of new album Do Re Me Fa So Cow. Following up on 2016’s Lisa Marie Airplane Tour, the album is available to pre-order on CD & tape now through the So Cow website. The tracklisting is as follows: 1. Now That I Am 36 2. On Time 3. Standard 4. The Exact Order Of Things 5. High Visibility 6. Institiute Of 7. Issue Resolution 8. Two Three 9. Wealth 10. Shorthand 11. Twelve Minutes On Maps 12. Place Of Thickets…

  • What’s the story with Galway’s busking bye-laws?

    At a Galway City Council meeting this past January it was announced that the controversial Street Performance & Busking Bye-laws needed to be returned to the draft stage. This is despite being passed last May (albeit a 9-9 tie in which then-Mayor, Pearce Flannery, had the casting vote). The reason the process had to be restarted was due to an error with the commencement date on the draft. Councillor Mike Cubbard has been out-spoken against the introduction of these bye-laws since the outset and expressed his concern at this new development, saying “we’re getting fobbed off”. Compare this farcical scene…

  • New Pope shares surprise EP, Mångata

    TTA favourite and Galway institution, New Pope AKA David Boland has dropped a spontaneous EP to mark the new year. Titled Mångata, the seven-track release is, for now, a YouTube exclusive and is the first new music to come from the Citóg Records founder in over a year. Since we last spoke to Boland around the release of his 2016 debut LP Love, he’s shared a reworked edition of tracks from his former band The Depravations and continued to be a regular live fixture in Galway’s venues. Strangely though, 2018 also saw him removing all of his previous releases from Bandcamp, including Love and its preceding EP, Youth.  With the…

  • Video Premiere: Dott – Bleached Blonde

    The sun is out and the mighty Dott are back with another summery tune. ‘Bleached Blonde’ is lifted directly from their new album Heart Swell, set for release on Graveface Records next week. The song is a slice of fuzzy-pop written about Anna McCarthy’s love of surfing and her self confessed lack of real talent for it. It’s a treat. Play loud. Pre-order Heart Well here.  

  • Galway’s Lá Tech Festival Is Celebrating Electronics In The West This Weekend

    Galway’s Lá Tech Festival & Conference makes its inaugural outing this weekend in the city’s Commercial Boatclub, Woodquay and it’s looking like a very special way to spend your long weekend. Taking place on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th May, the festival features a huge host of grassroots, local talent from the likes of Tinfoil (DeFeKt, Sunil Sharpe), Jamie Behan, Lolz, Noid The Droid and Tommy Holohan. Representing Galway’s ever-evolving new wave of club promoters at the festival are Refuge Events’ Mossy Hynes, Basement Project, Origin and Anti Social Acid Club. On an international level, the festival will also host some of European techno’s big names in the form of Ancient Methods, Anetha, I Hate Models,…

  • Video Premiere: Dott – Like a Girl

    The month of May is now upon us and with the referendum on the 8th amendment fast approaching we’re seeing a rise of support from artists across the country, urging the people of Ireland to vote YES. We’re pleased to present the Irish premiere of  ‘Like a Girl’ by Dott, featuring a guest appearance from Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz. The video was made by Alison McDonnell-White and features members from Galway Pro-Choice, Galway Parents for Choice and Galway Roller Derby as well as lots of footage of recent marches for women’s rights in Galway. The band along with the many supporters in…

  • Stream: Any Anything – First Time

    Galway’s Any Anything formed from out of a shared appreciation of pop music and hash. After the unfortunate disbanding of their former band Drown – who we were fans of – vocalist/guitarist Robert Dalton and drummer Chris Connors picked up the discarded post-punk and shoegaze remnents and sought to reassemble them with a newfound sheen. Spending the past several months recording with producer Owen Geaney, the resulting EP is one that oozes with a rediscovered confidence, as their debut single ‘First Time’ will attest to. With additional vocals and synths provided on the record by former Drown member Laura McGennis and with new recruits Morgan Doogue (Guitar)…