• EP Stream: Silences – Sister Snow

    October 20, 2014 - By 

    Having experiencing a very encouraging 2014, Armagh indie-folk outfit Silences is the harmony-driven, effortlessly impressive brainchild of one Conchúr White. With a voice instantly conjuring two of the band’s biggest influences in Villagers and Death Cab For Cutie, there is an earthly, delicately pastoral allure to their craft; something that is in abundance on their second EP, Sister Snow. Over four wonderfully wistful tracks, the release never strays too far from its source – a distinctly provincial air of yearning, propelled by subtly hypnotic acoustic instrumentalism and White’s breathy meditations upon home, belonging and adulation. The fact that the band manage to set themselves apart…

  • The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets

    October 20, 2014 - By 

    Held in partnership with the NI Science Festival, Simon Singh will host a downright unmissable show for all Simpsons aficionados at Belfast’s Black Box on Friday, October 24. Based on his critically-acclaimed book of the same name, The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets will see Singh reveal how the legendary show’s mathematically gifted team of scriptwriters have used the series to explore everything from pi to primes, from calculus to geometry, from infinitesimals to infinity. Sounds fun, right? We’d be inclined to agree. Tickets – priced at £6 or £3 concession – can be purchased here.

  • Track Record: Michael Smyth (THVS/Tusks)

    October 19, 2014 - By 

    Let’s face it – who doesn’t like to brag about their record collection? In this, the latest installment of Track Record, the toweringly tasteful Michael Smyth, ex-Comply or Die commander-in-riff and current THVS frontman/Tusks sticksman, takes Liam Kielt – and you, our ever-informed readership – on an illustrious ramble through his sweet record collection. Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit 7” First one, a classic! I know it’s a single but this is the first record I ever bought. I got this in Hector’s House – I really miss that place. When I first got into music, properly, my friend gave me a copy…

  • Hey Symmetric by Karolin Reichardt @ Pollen Studio

    October 20, 2014 - By 

    Hey Symmetry, an exhibition showcasing the recent work from Berlin based artist Karolin Reichardt, will take place at Belfast’s Pollen Studio on Wednesday, October 22. In her work, Karolin – who lives and works in Berlin but has studied at Belfast’s University of Ulster – plays with the precariousness of change and chance. Her art is inspired by personal observations and reactions to the built and natural environment  and is informed by means of scientific data display such as maps, plans and models. Check out some of her work here. Hey Symmetric is open from 6-9pm but the exhibition will also be open…

  • Thom Yorke – Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes

    October 20, 2014 - By 

    Listen Thom­­, we need to talk. It’s not me, it’s you.  You’ve decided to release your new record, Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes via Bittorrent. Conceptually, it’s neat wee idea, using the model which the industry has railed against for the last 15 years. It’s cheeky and somewhat clever, but a bit ‘too little too late’ considering the success of services like Bandcamp. The album’s release model is also stuck with being compared, quite fairly, to the ‘Pay what you want’ model of 2007’s In Rainbows. The thing is, that album legitimately challenged how we experience and release music in the modern…

  • Stream: Southern – Cool Kid

    October 20, 2014 - By 

    With new Irish dates expected to be announced soon, Belfast-derived, Liverpool-based brother and sister band (Thom and Lucy) Southern have really grown in stature and repute over the last few months. Currently doing the rounds supporting Jake Bugg on his UK and Irish tour, the band – also featuring Eoghan Clifford on drums – really hit home with their new single, ‘Cool Kid’. At just under three minutes in length, the track is all business – catchy, digestible, immediately familiar, it bears no sonic fat to trim, encouraging repeated listens from the get-go. We’re also a fan of the claps. Where…

  • Stream: OneKnown – JST BKZ

    October 19, 2014 - By 

    With the recent announcement that his previous outfit UNKNWN are no more, Belfast-based electronic producer Chris Hanna has wasted no time in getting back on his feet. Released under his new moniker, OneKnown, ‘JST BKZ’ is sweet cut of skittering, arpeggiated instrumentalism, conjuring the shadowy electro doom of Lorn. OneKnown is part of Belfast-based electronic imprint Champion Sound, who hold a showcase at Belfast’s Menagerie on November 15 (also featuring a DJ set from Hanna). Stream ‘JST BKZ’ below. Why? JST BKZ. Sorry.

  • Watch: 7.5 Tonnes of Beard – The Fear

    October 19, 2014 - By 

    Comprised of expertly gruesome artwork by Rich Stuart and live footage of the band performing, Belfast-based sludge metal five-piece 7.5 Tonnes of Beard have unveiled the aptly-accompanying video for their pulverizing new single, ‘The Fear’. Released ahead of a run of Irish dates with Hornets, the band – comprised of Johnny Adger and Rory Friers of And So I Watch You From Afar, Blane Doherty of Gacys Threads, Andrew Coles and Micky Higgins – comprehensively pummel over the track’s six-and-a-bit minutes, conjuring everyone from Eyehategod, Burning Witch, Down and Converge in the process. 7.5 Tonnes of Beard play the following shows over the next…