• Video Premiere: Strength NIA – La Floresta

    February 14, 2017 - By 

    Hands down their strongest single effort, ‘La Floresta’ by Derry outfit Strength NIA is a track that perfectly sums up the beating heart of the Rory Moore-fronted band’s experimental alt-pop craft to date. With its uncanny melodic surge and rhythmic panache, it makes for an extremely transmitting three-and-a-half-minutes from the fast-rising act. The single – which is set for official release on February 28 – also comes accompanied with rather brilliant video courtesy of Conor McFeely. Have a first watch and listen below now.

  • Premiere: Looking Svelte – Evolve

    February 14, 2017 - By 

    If you’ve been at least moderately au fait with the Irish alternative scene over the last few years, the name Ryan Burrowes is likely to ring a bell. From his work as main-man in Banbridge purveyors of scuzzy post-hardcore noise, Abandcalledboy, up until his recent membership in Belfast’s Robocobra Quartet, he’s tread a busy, involved path that’s always hinted at some autonomous experimentation bubbling beneath the surface. Serving as confirmation of that suspicion, his new-fangled, solo moniker Looking Svelte is a self-proclaimed pop project that will yield self-produced debut EP, Gelatine, this Friday (February 17). Featuring the influence of Triphop, noise…

  • Stendhal Festival Make Annual Call For Artist Submissions

    February 14, 2017 - By 

    Right up there with our very favourite Irish festivals, Stendhal Festival of Art in Limavady have announced that they’re on the look-out for artist submissions for their 2017 installment across August 11-12. Set to return for its seventh outing, artists interested in taking part in the multi-award winning event can complete an application form via the festival’s website here. Organiser Ross Parkhill says that the submission process is one of the team’s favourite times of the year: “We really love when submission time comes around. We try our best to keep on top of all the amazing new music that…

  • First Acts Revealed for Castlepalooza 2017

    February 14, 2017 - By 

    With many more acts yet to be announced, Girl Band (an Irish festival exclusive, we’re told), Wild Beasts, David Kitt and Waze & Odyssey are amongst the first names set to play this year’s Castlepalooza when it returns to Charleville Castle in Tullamore across August 4-6, Shit Robot, I Have a Tribe, Heroes in Hiding, King Bones and Lumo Club are also amongst the first names. Elsewhere, Colm O’Regan, Kevin McGahern, PJ Gallagher and Deirdre O’Kane are the first comedy acts confirmed for the Laughter Lab. Tickets are now available to buy, ranging from €59 to €119.

  • William Basinksi – A Shadow In Time

    February 14, 2017 - By 

    It is with great trepidation that I approach A Shadow In Time, the new album from William Basinski, that titan of ambient music. An artist with a staggering work rate and whose most well-known work, 2002’s Disintegration Loops, is one of the most important pieces of sound art created in the 21st century given its context in proximity to the attacks on New York City on September 11th 2001. A Shadow In Time is his twentieth album under his own name, along with many collaborative works in various other mediums. It is yet another daunting work, comprised of two tracks…

  • Moon Duo – Occult Architecture, Vol. 1

    February 14, 2017 - By 

    Sometimes a side project starts to outgrow its parent band. Such appears to have happened recently with Portland’s Moon Duo, formed by Wooden Shjips’ vocalist/guitarist Ripley Johnson with his partner Sanea Yamada, with the latter band’s lack of activity since 2013’s Back to Land allowing Moon Duo’s more recent releases to fill the gap. Despite plenty of similarities in sound, swapping the Shjips’ looser psych for an increasingly mechanical krautrock sound has seen them gradually become the more essential of the two, and fourth album Occult Architecture, Vol. 1 has done nothing but cement that. Part one of a “two…

  • Stream: Lighght – Superstar (unmix)

    February 14, 2017 - By 

    Cork based electronic producer and promoter with the Diffract club night, Lighght, has released a new track. And yes, before you ask, it is of course swirling, atmospheric edit of Jamelia’s 2003 R&B classic ‘Superstar’. Duh. Having put out a variety of glitching, industrial tracks reminiscent of Nicolas Jaar and Dorian Concept in the past year or so, the producer will be releasing more singles and audiovisual projects in the coming months as well as continuing to host the regular Diffract events.

  • The Sad & Beautiful World of Sparklehorse at The MAC

    February 13, 2017 - By 

    On April 8 we will co-host a special, two-part event The MAC as part of Belfast Film Festival celebrating the life and music of the sadly-missed Mark Linkous, aka Sparklehorse. Following a screening of Alex Crowton and Bobby Dass’ new documentary ‘The Sad & Beautiful World of Sparklehorse’, the evening will also feature a Q+A with the filmmakers, as well as a live, one-hour performance, ‘A Night of Sparklehorse’ with Belfast-based singer-songwriters Tom McShane, The Mad Dalton, Heliopause, Pixie Saytar and more. Tickets are available from The MAC, priced at £10.50 & £12.50. Things kick off at 8pm.

  • Video Premiere: Tayne – Heartbeat

    February 14, 2017 - By 

    It being Valentines Day and all, Tayne, the brand new project from Matthew Sutton, guitarist from It Was All A Bit Black And White, has unveiled the spick and span video for his debut single ‘Heartbeat’. The Galway native, London based musician first debuted his new musical endeavour back in December with a suitably glistening cover of Fleetwood Mac‘s ‘Dreams’. Stepping further into the light then, Tayne’s debut original track is a dazzling synth pop romp that will satisfy fans of All Tvvins and The Naked and Famous. With more to come from the artist in the coming months, enjoy the flashy video for ‘Heartbeat’…