• Interview: New Secret Weapon

    June 26, 2014 - By 

    Ahead of playing this year’s Sea Sessions in Bundoran at the weekend, we talk to Dublin prog-tinged alt-rock trio New Secret Weapon about their guerrilla-style live shows, breaking free from songwriting conventions and recording their long-awaited self-titled debut album with Solar Bears’ Rian Trench.  Hi guys. You said you formed “in the aftermath of KnockanStockan Festival 2007”. What was the catalyst for formation there? There were many catalysts but the best one was probably the fact that the three of us had never played music together before and we played as if we’d been playing together our whole lives. Seven years on,…

  • TTA TV: The Wood Burning Savages

    June 26, 2014 - By 

    Currently en route to perform at this year’s Glastonbury – an extraordinary feat for such a relatively new act – Derry quartet The Wood Burning Savagespopped into Belfast’s Voodoo last week for a quick interview and live session. Filmed and edited by photographer and filmmaker Colm Laverty, Paul, Dan, Shea and Aaron perform a couple of songs and talk about forming, recording and playing the greatest festival around.  

  • TTA TV: A Plastic Rose Interview

    June 20, 2014 - By 

    Having nipped home for a few days to play a triumphant set at Spectrum Festival, Nottingham-based alt-rock band A Plastic Rose kindly called into Belfast’s Voodoo late last week for an interview with Colm Laverty, touching upon their formation, the Nottingham music scene, their “epic” second album, Flickering Light of an Inner War, as well as the benefits and disadvantages of no longer being a band living in Belfast.  

  • Interview: Paddy Hanna

    June 24, 2014 - By 

    A restless artist and then some, Paddy Hanna is deservedly well regarded as one of the most prolific musicians in Dublin and beyond. When he’s not busy singing in Grand Pocket Orchestra or playing in Popical Island bands No Monster Club, Ginnels and Skelocrats, he’s writing, recording and playing his own wonderfully infectious, clever indie pop music. Off the back of the release of his exquisite debut album, Leafy Stiletto, we talk to Paddy about the incestuousness of Popical Island, scraping the “serious misery muck from [his] mind’s floor” and finding the time to commit to so many different projects. Hi Paddy. You released the…

  • Inbound: Dear Desert

    June 19, 2014 - By 

    In this installment of Inbound – a feature introducing some of the country’s finest fast-rising musical talent – we chat to newly-formed Dublin-based band Dear Desert about how they got together, their influences and plans for the future. Hi guys. Can you tell us a bit about yourselves individually? Brendan: We are a Dublin based band but we all come from different parts of the country. We’re all working in Dublin and doing our best to make time to write and head to gigs. I work in music, so its easy to keep an ear out for new bands to see.…

  • Inbound: Big September

    June 17, 2014 - By 

    Featuring original photography by Alessio Michelini, we catch up with Wicklow indie rock five-piece Big September to talk about the recording and release of their debut album, the escapism inherent in their music and the band’s ahwe abundance of self-confidence looking towards the next few months. Hi guys. You released your debut album a month ago to a great response. How does it feel having it out there? It feels amazing. We had such a laugh making it and it makes it so much better that it did so well. We’re really thankful to everyone who bought it – it means so much to…

  • Inbound: Temper-Mental MissElayneous

    June 3, 2014 - By 

    In this installment of Inbound, Loreana Rushe chats to the mesmerising Temper-Mental MissElayneous about her many influences, hiphop culture in Ireland and the power of the spoken word. Hi Elayne. Can you tell us a bit about yourself? (Your background, things you enjoy etc) All I wanted to be since as long as I can remember was different. Spumco’s Ren & Stimpy are my heroes since age 7. I wanted to correlate my artistic motives with their creator, Kricfalusi’s artistic vision to never repeat his characters facial expressions twice. I read multiple books simultaneously. Currently one of those many books is…

  • Q+A: Ted Chippington and the Nightingales

    May 7, 2014 - By 

    Formed in Birmingham in 1979, post-punk mavericks the Nightingales split up in 1986 after seven years, three albums, eight John Peel sessions and tours with everyone from Bo Diddley to Nico. They returned to the stage in 2004, and are playing their first ever Irish dates this month, including a slot at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. The band hit McHugh’s in Belfast on Thursday, May 8, with ‘anti-comedian’ Ted Chippington in tow, the man who Stewart Lee has often cited as the reason he started doing stand-up. Nightingales frontman Robert Lloyd and Chippington tell Andrew Johnston about life as outsiders. Words by Andrew Johnston…

  • The Record #004: Funzo

    May 2, 2014 - By 

    The brainchild of Liam McDermott, Dublin hip-hop group Funzo have had a prolific and tireless journey since their inception in 2009. With 250 live shows – including numerous high-profile festival appearances – under their belt, they launch their debut album, The Great Lonesome, at Dublin’s Twisted Pepper on Saturday, May 17. Talking to us for the latest installment of The Record, McDermott fills us in about his songwriting process, the recording of the “concept” album and his very generous plan for its launch. In-studio photos by Shaun Neary. Hi Liam. You recently recorded your new album, The Great Lonesome. First off, can you tell us…

  • Interview: Ginnels

    May 2, 2014 - By 

    Mark Chester’s Ginnels – a well-loved and lively part of Dublin’s ever expanding DIY scene – describe themselves modestly as “like your dickhead neighbour drowning out your Byrds and Feelies records with his poorly recorded noise ‘jams’ and his stoned mates. Except actually good.” They’re definitely right about the last part. Chester’s scene credentials are substantial, with the vocalist heavily linked in with Dublin record label Popical Island as well as playing roles in No Monster Club and Grand Pocket Orchestra. He seems able to orchestrate a collection of garage rock albums on a budget that’s too tight to talk of, and…