• Zlatanera w/ Slomatics & Bad Boat @ Limelight, Belfast

    January 2, 2016 - By 

    Hail Satan! After four years, Belfast’s premier groove/stoner devil-worshipping metal band Zlatanera have finally put together their debut album Lergerdemain (literally ‘sleight of hand’, or trickery) and of course launched it in fine fashion in their spiritual home, the Limelight in Belfast. Both they and their two support acts also rather brilliantly showcased the many facets of stoner metal to boot. First of these supports is Bad Boat, who have been kicking around the local scene for the last fourteen years (“we should probably get an album together ourselves” quips frontman Tom Clarke). Tonight they are in outrageously superb form…

  • Quarter Block Party 2016

    January 4, 2016 - By 

    Having made their first announcement back in December, Cork’s Quarter Block Party have revealed a slew of new acts and events set for their 2016 outing from February 5-7. Amongst the new additions is Cathy Walsh’s Running Up That Hill, a celebration of feminism equality and solidarity. Provoked by the #wakingthefeminists movement and inspired by Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’, the people of Cork City will march through the streets and dance together in celebration on North Main Street, the historic spine of the city. Elsewhere, Abigail Conway’s participatory installation Time Lab will ask visitors to “dismantle a wristwatch or clock and reconstruct…

  • Cian Nugent – Night Fiction

    January 31, 2016 - By 

    Night Fiction is Dubliner Cian Nugent’s third album; on previous instrumental releases he has shown himself to be a prodigious guitarist and composer, but this record sees Nugent’s vocal chops come to the fore.  His sound tips its hat to world folk music, including African folk; one of the continents great musical exports, Ali Farka Touré’s guitar playing is a good reference point.  Psych rock could also be cited as an influence, and as such his songs often have a hypnotic quality which allows you to immerse yourself in the detail. On ‘Lost Your Way’ guitar lines dance along whilst Nugent’s voice crackles…

  • Premiere: Warriors of the Dystotheque – Return To Coney (feat. Ella Joy – Candi Bianca Remix)

    January 31, 2016 - By 

    An aptly-coined “dystopian journey deep into the heart of modern trip hop and gloomtronica” the forthcoming Return To Coney EP from Warriors of the Dystotheque is a sublime statement of intent set for release via Tigre Fair on March 4. Having formed via Facebook, the four members – including Derry’s Jonny Mac – have coalesced to create a release inspired by cult 70s film The Warriors and in particular, one of the final moments of the film, where The Warriors return to their home turf, Coney Island. A slick maze of lo-fi trip-hop and darkly soundscapes, the upcoming five-track EP evokes the like of Massive Attack,…

  • Bloc Party – HYMNS

    January 30, 2016 - By 

    For many, Bloc Party exist very much at a specific moment in time: Post the treble laden jangle of The Strokes and as somewhat forefathers to the frenetic melodies of bands like Foals and the hybridisation of electronica, house and old fashioned garage rock. Moving away from this point, some would argue that Bloc Party lose their relevance and quality. The two hiatuses that have underpinned the latter part of the group’s career may have offered solicitous gossip on the newsfeeds but they also seemed increasingly remote. And while two long term members leaving the group may be nothing to sniff at, the band’s…

  • LAU @ Duncairn Arts Centre, Belfast

    January 31, 2016 - By 

    There’s something about Edinburgh tables. JK Rowling’s scribblings at one in an Edinburgh café gave birth to Harry Potter and world literary domination. Likewise, when accordionist Martin Green, singer-guitarist Kris Drever and fiddler Aidan O’Rourke jammed at a table in Edinburgh in 2004, little did they know that those would be the first steps towards taking the folk world by storm. Twelve years, five critically acclaimed albums and a slew of BBC Radio 2 Best Folk Band awards later, LAU find themselves in demand at festivals, clubs and concert halls the length and breadth of the UK, in North America…

  • Friday Mixtape: Ken Griffin (August Wells)

    January 29, 2016 - By 

    In a one-off diversion from its usual Monday slot, Ken Griffin from August Wells chooses and selects some of his favourite tracks for this special Friday Mixtape (see what we did there?) August Wells playing the following Irish shows this weekend: Friday, January 29: Thirsty Scholar, Waterford Saturday, January 30: Levis’ Corner House, Ballydehob Sunday, January 31: DeBarras, Clonakilty Nina Simone – Suzanne I first heard this sitting in a bar. I immediately asked the barman to play it again. It was my first time ever hearing Nina Simone. I had no idea what was happening. Was it a man? A woman?…

  • 16 For ’16: Margie Jean Lewis

    January 29, 2016 - By 

    In the latest installment of 16 For ’16 – our feature looking at sixteen Irish (or Ireland-based) artists we’re convinced will do great things in 2016 – Joe Madsen introduces Dublin-based, Australian born classically trained violinist and jazz vocalist Margie Jean Lewis. Photo by Aoife Herrity Riding a reputation as an infrequent but exhilarating performer, Margie Jean Lewis is set to drop her debut EP this year, marking a formal foray into the land of recorded artistry. The Australian-born musician – boasts a lovely voice with bewildering compositions to match – has developed quite the mystique in the Irish electronic circuit,…

  • Shearwater – Jet Plane and Oxbow

    January 29, 2016 - By 

    It’s been a long time since U2 really conjured anything other than annoyance. It’s been nearly two decades since All That You Can’t Leave Behind rekindled some of their initial spark and the group have spent the better part of that time grandstanding, bungling misjudged album launches and releasing music that limps into obscurity months after release. So with the old vanguard falling by the wayside, it’s high time that somebody took up the position and started leading the charge. Shearwater, the brainchild of multi instrumentalist and lead vocalist Jonathan Meiburg, have spent the guts of the last decade finely…

  • Rave New World (29/01)

    January 29, 2016 - By 

    After a brief January lull, Antoin Lindsay and Aidan Hanratty return for their latest look at the best electronic gigs, tracks, mixes and releases of the week. GIGS Out To Lunch presents Call Super at Bar Tengu, Dublin Friday 29 January Call Super comes to Dublin for only the second time, following a late 2014 gig at Gary’s Gang with this four-hour set for Out To Lunch. He’s featured in this column and on this site before, so it’s no surprise that we’re excited about this gig. Never one to reach for the obvious choice, his sets are a constant delight. AH Jika Jika! with…