• The Wood Burning Savages w/ Son of the Hound & Fabric @ Sandino’s Bar, Derry

    These are exciting times for The Wood Burning Savages. Since forming four years ago, the Derry quartet have kicked up something of a storm in the local and even national music scene, with an appearance at Glastonbury 2014 and a glowing tribute from BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson among the highlights of their constantly evolving careers. Their latest journey home, in the middle of an Irish tour that has also seen them descend upon Belfast’s Oh Yeah! Centre for Culture Night 2015, is a rather entertaining affair where the talented foursome and their two support acts fully flex their musical…

  • Leon Bridges @ Olympia, Dublin

    Texan soul man Leon Bridges trades in the sort of classic soul you might expect to hear over the hiss and crackle of an AM radio as well as the sweet blend of rhythm and blues with pop sensibilities that put Berry Gordy’s Motown Records on the map back in the early ‘60s. Despite the fact that he is still only 26, Bridges sounds like he’s been around for a long time. The show marks the second time that the singer-songwriter has performed on Irish shores this year following his performance at Longitude back in July. On that occasion, he…

  • Brand New w/ Basement @ Vicar Street, Dublin

    Vicar Street is buzzing tonight. This evening’s show, Brand New, is rather comfortably sold out. The touts out front are making a killing and the attendees are decked out in a multitude of attires ranging from well worn tees to freshly pressed school uniforms. The anticipation is pabalate as this is the first time the New York punks have visited the Republic in many years. The group also haven’t had a major release since 2009’s Daisy and have only recently released any kind of output, the single ‘Mene’. Yet, as evidenced by the crowd, Brand New are able to inspire…

  • Lisa Hannigan & Aaron Dessner @ Cork Opera House

    It’s a Friday night like no other of the year in Cork City when Lisa Hannigan and Aaron Dessner take to the stage in Cork Opera House. Where the streets would normally be filled entirely with workers seeking their weekly escape from the monotony of paid employment in the corners of Cork’s pubs and clubs, this particular Friday is a night to remember rather than to numb. With the collision of the annual Irish initiative, Culture Night, and the Bryce Dessner curated showcase/festival, Sounds From A Safe Harbour, the combination of Irish folkster Lisa Hannigan and The National’s Aaron Dessner…

  • Sleaford Mods @ Black Box, Belfast

    Culture Night has been washed away.  The Cathedral Quarter’s cobbled streets that welcomed all ages two nights ago are now a soaking slip hazard on a subdued Sunday evening. You’ve no chance of taking shelter from the rain in the Black Box without a ticket either as tonight’s Sleaford Mods gig is a sell-out. In the words of ‘Bronx in a Six’ – “What culture? Fuck culture.” The mood in the venue is chilled but expectant. One half of the duo Andrew Fearn can be found casually chatting to people in the crowd before setting up on stage. This venue…

  • SOAK w/ Sea Legs & Jessica Doherty @ Playhouse, Derry

    Small in physical stature but massive in national and international impact, Bridie Monds-Watson, the artist otherwise known as SOAK, has established herself as a confident and chameleonic performer – casually costumed yet commanding, modestly mannered yet musically masterful. These are not words one uses lightly, but they are well earned in the Derry chanteuse’s case; her meteoric rise and the reception of debut album Before We Forgot How To Dream are testament to this. And she expectedly, deservedly returns to loud applause at a packed out homecoming gig in Derry’s Playhouse Theatre, accompanied by a worthy pair of support acts…

  • Jeffrey Lewis and Peter Stampfel w/ Shrug Life @ The Hub, Dublin

    U:Mack absolutely spoil Dublin. The breadth and magnitude of underground artists they’ve brought into the city is unparalleled and the undeniably consistent quality of musicians they bring is frankly jaw dropping. U:Mack are one of the city’s unquestioned saving graces and this show, Jeffrey Lewis and Peter Stampfel is a testament to the group’s quality and mentality. It was a wise decision moving this show from it’s original venue, The Hangar, to the small, more intimate location of The Hub. With it’s amusements lighting and couches, it feels like a much more appropriate, friendly and homely setting for this kind…

  • Holly Herndon @ Spiegeltent, Dublin

    It’s hard to think of an appropriate introduction for Holly Herndon. Her latest album, Platform on 4AD/RVNG, blends vocal explorations, teasing ASMR and the occasional burst of full-on techno. She’s also got an academic bent to her work, studying for her doctorate in composition at Stanford. In recent months she has been involved in Infiltrate with Love, a fundraiser in support of imprisoned whistle-blower Chelsea Manning. All this might lead one to believe that her performances could carry an air of dry or overly cerebral seriousness, but instead, her appearance at Dublin’s Fringe Festival was at turns playful, dream-like and, put…

  • Action Bronson w/ Meyhem Lauren @ The Academy, Dublin

    Though there is a sea of snapbacks, tonight The Academy is marked by a mixed crowd. It could be indicative of the widening appeal of serious hip hop in the last half decade or it could simply be the pure, well-rounded appeal, of one man. Because Action Bronson seems to have that kind of reach. By summoning up the ghosts of hip hop’s past and pressing them into intelligent and accessible hits the New York rapper has amassed quite a following. Hence the sold out show and the tight huddle reaching from the stage to the bar. But first it’s…

  • Parquet Courts w/ Cian Nugent & The Cosmos @ Limelight, Belfast

    It would be a surprise if Parquet Courts play a gig of this size in Belfast again. The Brooklyn-via-Texas quartet are squeezing in this trip up north after gigs in Galway and Limerick, and before an appearance down at Electric Picnic the next night. Not very practical perhaps, but for a band in thrall to the pre-internet era of following your own muse free from promotional “practicalities,” it makes perfect sense. This is an early show at the Limelight. Good news for Parquet Courts fans who want an early night, bad news for any staff with the difficult task of…