• 17 For ’17: Gaze is Ghost

    January 30, 2017 - By 

    What is the distinction between a songwriter and a composer? Where is the line drawn and indeed, what does it mean? Just one listen to Strabane-born, Cambridge-based Gaze is Ghost will tell you that sometimes one of these descriptions alone is not enough. Since announcing herself onto the world with the outstanding mini-album Plume back in 2013, a sepia-toned ode to her temporary Parisian home, her reputation has been quietly on the ascendancy. Racking up support slots for Mancunian anti-punks Crywank amongst others, Laura McGarrigle’s ever growing fan base is no mean feat for an artist undoubtedly out of love…

  • Stream: New Jackson – Electric Blue

    January 30, 2017 - By 

    Including a fair few Irish artists, 2016 expectedly saw a deluge of Bowie tributes in the form of various covers, remixes and collaborations. Now, just over a year on from Bowie’s passing, David Kitt has offered up his own tribute in the form of ‘Electric Blue’. Produced under his New Jackson moniker and set for release in collaboration with Elliot Lion via Cin Cin Records on February 10, the single takes the basis of ‘Sound of Vision’ for a stellar, unravelling 10-minute dancefloor trip that really rewards a full (and indeed repeated) listen. Photo by Dorje de Burgh

  • #CorkLovesMusic

    January 27, 2017 - By 

    Presented in association with First Music Contact, the inaugural #CorkLovesMusic will see a standalone series of free music industry clinics, talks and performance events kick off in Coughlan’s on Wednesday, February 22. Set to run throughout the year, the opening event will feature one-one-clinics with FMC CEO Angela Dorgan, talks featuring Young Wonder/aboveDat producer Ian Ring, venue promoter Joe Kelly and arts journalist Ellie O’Byrne, as well as performances from Sillk, The Sunshine Factory and Ghostking. Reserve your place at the launch here and keep ’em peeled more announcements throughout the year. Leaf EP by GHOSTKING IS DEAD

  • Watch: Participant – Your Better

    January 25, 2017 - By 

    Dublin’s Stephen Tiernan AKA Participant has been riding a well-deserved wave of momentum recently, cropping up on end of year and “ones to watch” lists left, right and centre. Capitalising on that drive, new single  ‘Your Better’ is a real statement of intent, conjuring the hushed intimacy of Sparklehorse with a sparse delicacy all his own. Taken from his second EP, Content, the single is masterfully propelled by Bob Gallagher’s video, an accompaniment that highlights its darker undertones with a powerful narrative metaphor. Tiernan said,”‘Your Better’ was one of those songs that seemed complete from the moment I uttered the first lyric over the…

  • Stream: Documenta – Word Song (Yucatan Cover)

    January 26, 2017 - By 

    Belfast drone pop outfit Documenta release a split CD through Tim Burgess’ OGenesis Recordings, tying in with a short Independent Venue Week tour alongside the collaborating bands. The EP consists of an original song by each of the three acts, as well as a cover of one of the other band’s songs. The cosmically-inclined trio of Documenta, Welsh dream-pop act Yucatan, and Manchester’s glistening, kaleidoscopic Horsebeach all met while playing Tim Peaks Diner in Manchester over the summer. They eventually decided to collaborate on this Independent Venue Week UK mini-tour, which kicks off at Belfast’s Voodoo tomorrow night – Friday, January 27 – with Documenta headlining, followed by Welsh &…

  • Inbound: MUNKY

    January 25, 2017 - By 

    If you’re becoming slightly jaded with run of the mill music and want to expand your ear to something different, MUNKY are the antidote. Today, the Dublin quartet released the video for their new single ‘Hunter Gatherer Blues’, four minutes of infectious disco-infused rock. Zara Hedderman spoke to their frontman, Zac Stephenson about the video, their influences and their forthcoming debut headline gig in Whelan’s on February 1. Who are MUNKY? MUNKY are Zac Stephenson (lead vocals, guitar),  Sam Russell (drums), Conor Lawlor (lead guitar) Niall Donnelly (bass). What brought you guys together to form the band? Zac: I met Conor…

  • Stream: Eoin Dolan – I Can Make You Hurt at Will

    January 25, 2017 - By 

    An unused track from his 2016 self-titled debut album, ‘I Can Make You Hurt at Will’ by Galway singer-songwriter Eoin Dolan is a subtle, masterfully sombre surf-folk single touching on nocturnalism, the long winter and the hidden laws of love. Released in association with Citóg Records, the track – featuring Patrick O’Toole on lead guitar and Robin Van Der Klooster on bass – is short but sweet testament to the fact Dolan is a master craftsman of tales that confront the innate fragility of relationships and personal becoming. I CAN MAKE YOU HURT AT WILL by Eoin Dolan

  • Stream: Kid Karate – No Way

    January 25, 2017 - By 

    Describing themselves as “Mike Tyson serenading his wife with a heavy metal cover of Abba’s ‘Waterloo'” (hey, why not?) Dublin trio Kid Karate evolved many moons ago from a two-piece jam in a Crumlin shed. Ever since, the band – comprised of Kevin Breen, Steven Gannon and Ian McFarlane – have grown into a formidable beast with their earworming, slightly left-of-centre craft. Having had their heads down creating some new sounds, the trio have unveiled their single, ‘No Way’, a four-minute alt-pop anthem set for official release on February 20 that’ll be lingering in your inner ear for hours. Don’t believe…

  • 17 for ’17: Alien She

    January 26, 2017 - By 

    While 2016 has proved a political and problematic wreck in many regards, Dublin trio Alien She have made the most of it, using the ups and (mostly) downs of the past twelve months to fuel their experimental and progressive sound. While the group has been floating around the Dublin music scene for the last number of years, 2016 proved to be a particularly productive year. Besides their active gigging schedule, the latter half of last year brought the release of the track ‘Cold Brain’ from their debut album Feeler, soon to be released. The group comprises of artists and activists…

  • 17 for ’17: Bad Sea

    January 25, 2017 - By 

    There’s nothing rough about the waves that Bad Sea have been making in the Irish gig scene. Their dreamy folk-country combo has seen them playing everything from Castlepalooza to Other Voices to the recent Therapy Sessions at the Workman’s Club (as part of the First Fortnight Festival). The duo, Ciara Thompson and Alan Pharrell, met on Tinder, and managed to form a powerhouse of a musical relationship out of a dating site. All that’s available for listening online at the moment is the band’s poignant debut single, Solid Air, which offers the perfect juxtaposition between Thompson’s unique and gentle swaying…