• The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – The Echo of Pleasure

    September 1, 2017 - By 

    On their fourth full length release, The Echo of Pleasure, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart have taken a sharp stab at the all consuming 80s aesthetic that has engulfed the world over recent months. It wraps itself around the guts of frontman Kip Burman’s thoughts as he patiently waits to become a father, exploring ideas of love, longing and the human experience. Waiting to become a father is a peculiar state of limbo to be in. While you count down the days, you are already living in the altered existence that comes with having a child. On this…

  • Stream: Tandem Felix – Were You There (When They Crucified The Birthday Boy)?

    September 1, 2017 - By 

    After two years of near total silence, Dublin’s Tandem Felix have returned just in time for Autumn’s drowsy descent. Picking up where 2015’s Comma left off, David Tapley’s soft-tempered croon floats along atop a trademark alt-country backdrop courtesy of Éna Brennan (Dowry, Bad Sea), Jeffrey Courtney (Spies), Evan Keogh and Conor Muldowney. Re-introducing some of the bockety-toy-electronics that brought so much charm to 2013’s Popcorn, ‘Were You There (When They Crucified The Birthday Boy)?’ shows us Tandem Felix back on playful, tongue-in-cheek form, giving us plenty to be excited for when it comes to their debut LP, set to land in 2018. Were You There (When…

  • Watch: Rusangano Family – Tea In A Pot

    August 31, 2017 - By 

    Hands down one of our must-see acts at Electric Picnic at the weekend, the mighty Rusangano Family have just unveiled the video to their new single, ‘Tea In A Pot’. A track following in the wake of their Choice Music Prize-winning debut album, Let The Dead Bury The Dead, the groove-heavy, grime-inclined effort comes accompanied with a simple but pretty excellent video shot in Co. Clare by Shane Serrano. Get the kettle on and give this one a watch.

  • Premiere & Interview: Blue Americans – ‘Bull On Venice Beach/Holy Goo’

    September 1, 2017 - By 

    En­ough tears have been shed over the once-fertile, in-breeding Belfast music scene – or more specifically, a certain strain of D.I.Y. post-hardcore that was once ubiquitous in the wake of Brand New and Reuben’s premature breakups – led by young, hungry outfits like More Than Conquerors, who quite successfully married that sound with an astute ear for a hook, delivered by the gilded throat of Kris Platt. Everyone in that band went their separate ways almost exactly two years ago, following not much shy of a decade together. All things, however, must pass, and since then, the landscape has drastically…

  • Rough Night

    August 31, 2017 - By 

    The one-two punch of last month’s raucous Girls Trip and, now, Rough Night, has sent columnist chins a-stroking about the mainstreaming of the ladette comedy and the gender politics surrounding it. To be fair, the films are noticeably similar in tone and structure, focusing on a group of quasi-estranged old college girlfriends who meet up for an escapist trip of partying, raunchy talk, and bonding. Some have changes in their life they haven’t shared with the others; others have unspoken tensions about adulthood’s diverging priorities. The friends drink, fall out, and make up. (And kill a stripper) Rough Night centres…

  • Premiere: Petty Youth – You Make Me Feel Good

    August 31, 2017 - By 

    A regular fixture in the city’s live scene over the last couple of years, Belfast three-piece Petty Youth are a band whose straight-up, no-frills brand of rock n’ roll aims straight for the jugular. A two-minute burst of breakneck garage rock, new single ‘You Make Me Feel Good’ – a single whose Bandcamp tags include “Buckfast” and “The Hives” – is a textbook case in point. Framed by their influence of various unaffected rockers of yore, this is music that, rather making excuses for itself, invites you to cut loose and leave the thinking to later. Have a first listen…

  • Playing The Long Game: An Interview With American Football

    August 31, 2017 - By 

    Few bands will ever have the underground cult status of American Football. The Illinois quartet are credited with the creation of one of emo’s most romanticised albums and have been part of the most anticipated return in the emo revival. Ahead of playing The Button Factory in Dublin on Monday, Kelly Doherty chats to Steve Lamos about their return. Where did the decision for American Football to get back together come from? A couple people came to us in light of the first album being reissued and asked us to play. I don’t think we had really considered it before…

  • Jack Cooper – Sandgrown

    August 30, 2017 - By 

    After more than a decade in the music industry, Jack Cooper has found a moment to himself to release Sandgrown. The Blackpool native has fronted indie-rock bands The Beep Seals and Mazes in the past, and is currently making music with James Hoare under the title Ultimate Painting, but his first solo record consists of a set of nine easy-going folk inspired tunes with the lyrics, the instrumentation and the production all handled by the man himself. In his own words, Sandgrown is a “loosely connected concept record” that centres around the seaside town of his youth. Not just the…

  • Liam Gallagher Set For Intimate Belfast Show

    August 31, 2017 - By 

    Following the release of his solo debut album, As You Were, Liam Gallagher will play a string of UK dates in December. Ahead of that, the Oasis frontman has announced he will play an intimate show at Belfast’s legendary Ulster Hall on Monday, October 30. Tickets for the date – which are sure to sell out in second – go on sale on Friday, September 8 at 10am. Set those alarms.

  • David Lynch: The Art Life

    August 31, 2017 - By 

    After five years in the making that started off with a Kickstarter campaign, directors Jon Nyugen (Lynch), Rick Barnes and Olivia Neergaard-Holm’s (Victoria) biopic documentary The Art Life is the quintessential homage and insight into the extraordinary career of David Lynch (Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive). And while the focus is directed on his painting and influences from his childhood onwards, the insights into his work processes and day-to-day life are remarkably honest and enlightening, making for an essential watch for any fans of his films, music or art. Initially, we are introduced to Lynch as he works on a painting in his…