• Incubus @ Ulster Hall, Belfast

    Unlike many of their MTV2-approved peers whose day in the sun came to end many years ago, Incubus, it would seem, have aged surprisingly well. Having weathered getting older via a string of latter-era albums that aren’t (entirely) unlistenable, live, Brandon Boyd, Mike Einziger and co. still possess that which helped set them apart at the turn of the millennium. Doubling up as their long-awaited Belfast debut, tonight’s show at the iconic Ulster Hall is full testament to that. 27 years and eight albums in, the Californian band have long known what their fans have come to expect and deliver accordingly.…

  • Sound of Belfast 2015 Programme Announced

    The programme for this year’s Sound of Belfast has been announced, with the events running from November 6-14 around the city, culminating in the presentation of this year’s Oh Yeah Legend Award to The Divine Comedy at the NI Music Prize event at the Mandela Hall on November 14. The festivities include many exhibitions from local artists & filmmakers, as well as conferences and masterclasses at the Oh Yeah Centre. These include the Belfast Urban Affinity 2015, aimed at hard-to-reach youths, and the Breaking Into Music Youth Conference, featuring the likes of Phil Taggart, who quickly progressed from BBC Radio Ulster to Radio…

  • Causeway @ Ulster Hall

    On Wednesday, March 26, Belfast’s historical Ulster Hall will play host to the premiere of Causeway, a special orchestra-electronic tribute to the Northern Irish coastline. The third commission undertaken by Ulster Orchestra and Associate Composer Ian Wilson, the production is “firmly rooted in the mythos and history of Northern Ireland, in this instance taking its inspiration from the formation of the Giant’s Causeway.” Speaking of the event, the Ulster Orchestra said, “In order to depict the three geological processes which helped form the Causeway – shifting tectonic plates, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes – Ian, for the first time in his work, has combined…

  • The 1975 @ Ulster Hall, Belfast

    “Do you like cabbage and bacon?” and “Will you go to my formal with me?” are just a sample of the rather odd questions posed to Matthew Healy and Adam Hann from The 1975, by a giggle of teenage girls. The Thin Air was at a local radio station to see a private acoustic set prior to their headline slot in the Ulster Hall. We were the oldest people there. While the band played quite beautiful acoustic versions of their singles ‘Sex’ and ‘Chocolate’, their fans snapped photos excitedly, making us slightly sad that their full attention wasn’t focused on what…