• In Review: Culture Night Belfast 2013

    September 23, 2013 - By 

    With the dust having settled on just about one of the most absorbing nights of art, culture and music that Belfast has ever seen, we gather the thoughts and verdicts of various people who experienced Culture Night Belfast 2013. If the following short selection impressions and opinions isn’t a glowing testament to the power and need for such an annual event, what is? Congratulations to all the participants, organisers and volunteers. We can’t wait for next year already. Andrew Lemon, The Thin Air reviews editor and freelance music writer: “The official attendance figure for this year’s Culture Night stands at 42,000. It’s impressive…

  • PINS – Girls Like Us

    September 22, 2013 - By 

    Prepare to embrace PINS, because everyone else will. Before you lies something quite special. The four-piece, all-female line up has struck a gold many bands can only dream of. The gold in question is finding the perfect fit in each other and just the right musical formula: the 14 tracks on their debut LP Girls Like Us is a striking mix of pop perfection and obvious musical talent. Lead by vocalist and guitarist Faith Holgate, the Manchester-native designed to have a four-piece girls only band, in part, because of the closeness four girls can achieve when it’s just girls. And…

  • Classic album: Mercury Rev – Deserter’s Songs

    September 24, 2013 - By 

    No-one expected this. Previously, Mercury Rev had been the David Baker fronted psyche-noise outfit that was as likely to pick a fight with the audience than write a work of transcendent beauty. Records like Yerself is Steam and Boces are great fun, full of guitars that are distorted to the point where they cease being guitars, and crazy, stream of consciousness lyrics. But they certainly didn’t position the band as one of the most significant bands of the 90s, and this is exactly what Deserter’s Songs did. A couple of things had to happen in order for this change to take place, though. Baker was out,…

  • In Photos: Culture Night Belfast 2013

    September 21, 2013 - By 

    Ahead of our feature review on Monday, we present a wonderful selection of photographer Joe Laverty’s shots of this year’s Culture Night Belfast. With 250 events taking popping up in 70+ venues across the city to thousands of people, it turned out to be a totally kaleidoscopic exposé of art, music and culture – undoubtedly the annual event’s best outing to date. Check out Joe’s photos below and make sure to check to read our review!

  • Manic Street Preachers – Rewind The Film

    September 20, 2013 - By 

    This must be said as a precursor to this whole review. I love the Manic Street Preachers. I love almost everything that they have done; I’m the type of fan who thinks that Lifeblood isn’t a catastrophic  failure and who has literally spent 11 straight hours listening to their entire discography. Needless to say that I am somewhat bias toward the Welsh trio. But even with this level bias in favour of the band, I say with the utmost integrity and honest that their eleventh and latest release, Rewind The Film, is undeniably one of the best albums the band has ever produced and ranks as…

  • Culture Night Belfast: Ten Must-See Events

    September 20, 2013 - By 

    With 250 events set to take place across 100+ to over 30,000 people this evening, it’s safe to say we’re spoiled for choice at this year’s Culture Night Belfast. With an understandable leaning towards the more musical end of the spectrum, we have scratched our heads to no end to whittle down the plethora of happenings to a mere decad worthy of your consideration. See you in the streets, rooftops, cathedrals, etc. 1. 101 Sessions Some of Belfast’s finest musicians will quite literally congregate at the wonderfully intimate church on 101 Donegall Street from 7.00pm. As well as music from…

  • Stream: Rory Nellis – Mind Control

    September 20, 2013 - By 

    When he’s not making sweet music with his band, Belfast-based indie pop foursome Seven Summits, Rory Nellis is also a fully-fledged songsmith in his own right. Whilst we somehow missed the initial release of this last week, we’ve been spinning his new track ‘Mind Control’ over and over this week, ever more in anticipation of a full-length album, expected to be released early next year. Featuring Phil D’Alton of Master & Dog on keys – who also recorded and mixed the single – and Dave Kennedy on drums, stream the track via Bandcamp below (and purchase for it a paltry…

  • Insidious: Chapter 2

    September 20, 2013 - By 

    “So that’s what that was about.” When a film contains a piece of dialogue that’s as offensively condescending to its audience as that, it’s going to be hard to take seriously. But perhaps Insidious: Chapter 2 isn’t meant to be. While most of the film stays true to its shock-horror roots, things jumping out of closets and screeching violins intending to jolt the viewer, the film is dotted with moments of comedy. Some of these are intentional and, unfortunately, ultimately jarring while serving no purpose other than to remove all of the tension from many, many otherwise great moments. Inversely,…

  • Blue Whale – Blue Whale EP

    September 20, 2013 - By 

    Having released three wonderfully wayward “in the studio” live tracks last year Belfast-based four-piece Blue Whale are steadily earning their stripes as one of the country’s most thoroughly forward-thinking bands of a generation. Almost exclusively instrumental in nature, their wonderfully unorthodox brand of hook-filled jazz-punk betrays a collective mentality to stretch the confines of standard deviation, with fun (and having it) unmistakably at that mentality’s root. The question remains, however: how accurately does their four-track self-titled debut EP capture the sheer energy and ingenuity of their live shows? Opening on teasing lead single ‘Was’, there is an immediate sense of transition…

  • The Last Generation – Torann EP

    September 20, 2013 - By 

    The first thing that pops into your writer’s head when hearing Torann’s opening gambit, ‘Chromosome’, is how properly likeable it all is. Sabbath-esque riffing married to a short and sharp alternative package that, while obviously verging on nostalgia for some, such is its proximity in places to the nineties alt-rock influences it proudly wears on its sleeve, its rawness and sheer drive and verve lift it above the usual yarling and wordplay. Post-hardcore and math influences subtly make themselves known, and go surprisingly well with the double-bass assault that peppers the song’s undercarriage, before the whole thing goes into a…