• The Death of Stalin

    November 3, 2017 - By 

    Armando Iannucci is a writer/director better known for his groundbreaking and highly acclaimed work on television shows like I’m Alan Partridge and The Thick Of It. But, as shown with recent films like the razor-sharp political satire In The Loop and his latest, The Death Of Stalin, Iannucci can now be revered as one of the UK’s top filmmakers. And while his latest is a little light on historical accuracy, there is no doubt that this is a fine piece of absurdist satire, bolstered by an exceptional cast. On the 5th of March 1953, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin – one…

  • Album Review: Lankum – Between The Earth And Sky

    November 2, 2017 - By 

    Lankum (under their previous name Lynched) released their well received debut album, Cold Old Fire three years ago. Having been plugging away for some time on the live scene, this record helped establish the band as one of the luminaries of a recent wave of Irish folk. Alongside acts such as Landless, Spook of the Thirteenth Lock, and The Gloaming and individual artists such as Lisa O’Neill and Brigid Mae Power, amongst many others, Lankum represent a new generation of practitioners, deeply aware of and knowledgeable of the folk tradition, yet unafraid to draw from beyond the confines of the…

  • Interview: Rory Nellis

    November 2, 2017 - By 

    Ahead of launching his stellar new album, There Are Enough Songs In The World, at Belfast’s The MAC on Saturday, November 11, we catch up with Belfast’s Rory Nellis to talk momentum, collaboration, the craft of carefully-considered songwriting and more. Go here to buy tickets to Rory Nellis at The MAC Hi, Rory. You release your new album There Are Enough Songs In The World in just under two weeks. How are you feeling ahead of getting it out there? The final mastered track just came through today so I’m extremely excited and unbelievably relieved that it’s all done. Tell us about the…

  • Premiere: CATALAN! – Alive

    November 1, 2017 - By 

    Back in July we presented a first look and listen to ‘OKA’, the debut solo single from CATALAN! AKA Ewen Friers of North Coast alt-punk three-piece Axis Of. What we said of that track (“whilst certainly redolent of the subtly anthemic and nicely bombastic alt-punk of the aforementioned North Coast outfit, explores new, socially-conscious territory) could be directly applied to new single, ‘Alive’. Featuring some great visuals courtesy of Tristan Crowe and Chrissie McGlinchy, it’s a fuzzed-out and perfectly trouncing effort that will almost certainly become something of a live favourite for the project in the coming months.

  • Watch: Autumns – You’re A Right Useless Cunt Aren’t You

    November 2, 2017 - By 

    What’s your favourite song title of the year? Although we quite like ‘Dishing Out Hadoukens’ by The Tragedy of Dr. Hannigan and ‘Everyone Else (Can Fuck Off)’ by Half Forward Line, ‘You’re A Right Useless Cunt Aren’t You’ by Derry’s Christian Donaghey AKA Autumns is a worthy contender in our eyes. Taken from his recently-released Dyslexia Tracks – a pulverizing, five-track EP that comes hot on the heels of his debut album Suffocating Brothers – it’s an eight-minute traipse of rabid electronica that now comes accompanied by some suitably oppressive visuals from Belfast’s Barry Cullen.

  • South Park: The Fractured But Whole (Ubisoft, Multiformat)

    November 1, 2017 - By 

    As any fule kno, the list of videogames that have made the transition to successful cinema or television adaptations is shorter than an Ewok’s trouser legs. Last year’s Assassin’s Creed is a case in point: a richly detailed and layered console franchise that was squandered on a half-baked, deeply frustrating movie that in turn made a respectable taking at the box office but ticked off both critics and gaming fans alike. It was not the first adaptation that failed to leap the gap between different media, and it certainly will not be the last. Likewise, the number of films or television programmes…