• Open Ear Festival Announces Stage Times

    May 28, 2018 - By 

    One of the most unique and diverse festivals in Ireland, set in the beautiful off-coast sanctuary of Sherkin Island, Open Ear Festival holds its third annual outing from May 31-June 3, and times have just been announced. From avant-garde sound design and ambient music to experimental dance music and groovy electronics, it is a festival that champions the best of the best in the Irish undergrowth. As a festival of forward-thinking musical technologists, it’s nigh-on-peerless in Ireland right now. This year, the Thursday includes an opening concert featuring Dream Cycles, electroacoustic artist Roger Doyle and organist & drone artist Aine O’Dwyer in a hidden location on…

  • Celtronic 2018

    April 19, 2018 - By 

    Ireland’s leading electronic music festival returns for its eighteenth year across Derry. Celtronic runs from June 27-July 1, featuring concerts, film screenings, workshops, seminars, recording projects and more. Headlining musical proceedings is the iconic veteran Roman Flügel, Steve Bug, Gerd Janson closes events, techno artist DVS1, noisician Paula Temple, Avalon Emerson. Local names include OR:LA, The Cyclist, Ryan Vail and Darren Allen. One of the highlights is sure to be the premiere of new music from Phil Kieran and three local musicians, recorded at Celtronic Studios and performed by the Ulster Orchestra. Priced £59.88 including booking fee, tickets are available to buy…

  • I.NY Festival 2017

    October 4, 2017 - By 

    We have no shortage of boundlessly inviting festivals right on our doorstep, but some go that little bit further by excavating the long-standing cultural trends and bonds that ensure Ireland’s creative standing on the world stage remains unique. A festival that celebrates “the relationship between Ireland and New York, one story at a time” I.NY is a perfect case in point. Set to take place at a number of venues in Limerick City across October 5-15, this year’s outing will delve into and highlight the strong ties between the NYC and Ireland, inviting a range of creatives – artists, writers, musicians, educators, entrepreneurs and more…

  • Festival Mixtape: Arcadian Field 2017

    July 20, 2017 - By 

    In just its second year, nestled at the foot of Dundalk’s Cooley Mountains, grassroots festival Arcadian Field is one of the truly independently-minded festivals in Ireland this summer, and takes place over the weekend of August 5th & 6th. The lineup features some of our favourite acts from across every corner of the island, encompassing a huge breadth of genres; performing are the likes of electronica alternative act Nouveaunoise, hip-hop act Naive Ted, Donegal experimentalists Tuath, Galway garage rockers Oh Boland, the anthemic alternative songstress Naoise Roo, Dundalk native & multi-instrumentalist, the rootsy Elephant, Dublin fuzzniks Thumper, Belfast jam band Electric Octopus, and many more across the board. The site,…

  • Longitude 2017

    July 18, 2017 - By 

    With an increasingly younger and more hectic audience, Longitude takes to Marley Park for its fifth year. Originally established as an indie pop festival drawing headliners such as Vampire Weekend and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, line ups have taken a sharp left turn over the last couple years turning Longitude into Ireland’s primary two-day hip-hop party with a Sunday addition of a folk day. The increased crowds and popularity of the festival cause serious issues on the Friday with entrance queues lasting hours and constant mini human landslides being led by the post-Leaving Cert demographic filing through the gates. Dua Lipa’s…

  • Submissions Open For Hard Working Class Heroes 2017

    June 20, 2017 - By 

    The country’s leading annual celebration of homegrown, independent music, Hard Working Class Heroes will return to Dublin from September 28-30. With less acts set to appear this year, the festival are now taking submissions via here. According to the festival, “HWCH is an event with a proven pedigree when it comes to showcasing new and exciting talent. The key difference is that international agents, festival bookers, record labels, publishers, managers, event curators, journalists, editors, radio DJs and taste-makers come to HWCH to find new Irish acts only The closing date to apply is July 14.

  • Putting Their Back Into It: We Meet Small Northern Irish Festival Our Back Yard

    April 24, 2017 - By 

    If there’s one thing the island of Ireland isn’t lacking it’s a well-attended and well put-together summer musical festival. But in the North – beyond the sway of Stendhal and Sunflowerfest – there’s still some scope for expansion; a little leeway and growth for annual showcases that put affordability and community at the heart of their manifesto. One such festival currently spearing their own thing is Our Back Yard, a festival that embody the “small but massive” mindset spearheaded by legendary NI DIY festival Glasgowbury. Ahead of its return to Gilford – just outside Portadown – on July 1, we talk to…

  • Ten to Catch at Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival 2017

    April 24, 2017 - By 

    Set to take over the quarter from April 27 to May 7, Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival returns from April 27 to May 7 with yet another exceptional programme of art, music, theatre, literature and ideas. And whilst it’s tricky even whittling it down to three times the amount, here’s our outright 10 must-see, must-attend, must-recommend-to-all-of-your-friends recommendations for this years festival. Don’t forget those tickets, you hear? William Basinski Friday, May 5 – The Black Box – 20.00 Our absolute highlight? NYC avant-garde master William Basinski (pictured above) at the Black Box. Profoundly unmissable. Discover/re-visit the extraordinary The Disintegration Loops below.…

  • More Acts Announced for Body & Soul

    April 20, 2017 - By 

    A host of new acts have been added to the bill of this year’s Body & Soul ahead of its return to Ballinlough Castle in Co. Westmeath across June 23-25. As well as Australia’s RÜFÜS, Lyra and Patrick O’Laoghaire’s I Have a Tribe are amongst the latest acts added. Deep in the woodland, Ryan Vail (pictured), Auxiliary Phoenix Trio, Dowth, PrYmary Colours and Wastefellow will play the Pagoda Stage. Elsewhere, B&S’s favourite party arena Reckless In Love will feature Byron Yeates, Automatic Tasty, Breen, Cáit, Eoin Ryan, Homebeat DJs, Lumo, DIP DJs, Major Problems DJs, Neil Flynn (Lossless), Bantum, ELLLL and John Daly…