• Ben Folds @ Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, Belfast

    May 14, 2018 - By 

    Ben Folds is a consummate master of contrast. Equally adept at playing plaintive ballads as he is at belting out looney tunes rock and roll, he comes across as a younger, only slightly less grizzled Randy Newman. Folds’ lyrics certainly have the same bite, and are similarly coupled with ear-worm melodies that belie the sardonic nature of the subject matter hiding in plain sight. So, during this evening’s lengthy set the audience is treated to particularly poetic versions of ‘Still Fighting It’, a beautiful tableau of a father-son relationship, and ‘Fred Jones Part 2’, another of Folds’ character studies whose…

  • AVA Festival Preview: Helena Hauff

    May 14, 2018 - By 

    All this week, we’re going to be previewing some must-see acts at this year’s AVA Festival. Set to return to Belfast across Friday 1 – Saturday 2 June, the island’s finest electronic showcase will feature Bicep, Larry Heard aka Mr Fingers, KiNK, Floorplan, Denis Sulta and many, many more at the S13 Warehouse. We have a big giveaway for this year’s festival. To be in with the chance of winning two AVA weekend passes, two AVA T-shirts and, to sweeten the deal, four drink tokens, simply Like our Facebook page here and send us a link to your favourite Bicep track to info@thethinair.net First…

  • Premiere: Switzerland – Waste of Time

    May 14, 2018 - By 

    A song about “the futility of arguments and going with the flow” ‘Waste of Time’ by Dublin quartet Brian Walsh, Shane Murphy, Al Condon and Enda Canavan AKA Switzerland is, hands down, the finest dose of sleepy, jangle-heavy, Pavement-leaning loveliness we’ve heard in quite some time. Comprised of members of Drunken Boat, Hello Moon, Land Lovers, No Monster Club and Paddy Hanna, Switzerland will launch the single at Thomas House on May 19. You should go to that, and have a first listen to the single (and look at its video) below.

  • The Go! Team @ Custom House Square, Belfast

    May 11, 2018 - By 

    This evening sees Brighton based musical magpies The Go! Team bring their kaleidoscopic, crate digging pop to Custom House Square as part of the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. With a stellar archive of hits at their disposal, a crack nine piece band and high energy support from dance pop chameleons The Correspondents, tonight’s performance promises to kick the weekend off with an amphetamine rush of sound and colour. Purveyors of the much-maligned dance subgenre ‘electro swing’, The Correspondents are prone to mixing campy cabaret stylings and big band samples with pummelling drum and bass work outs which could well make…

  • Noel Gallagher @ 3Arena, Dublin

    May 11, 2018 - By 

    Admittedly, looking at photos of Noel Gallagher’s wizened fizzog probably isn’t high on the list of anyone’s priorities, but Aaron Corr took some great photos of said wizened face, and other things, at Dublin’s 3Arena last night. Latch your lovely eyeballs upon them here.

  • Watch: Saint Sister – Twin Peaks

    May 11, 2018 - By 

    Saint Sister have returned with their first new offering since last years ‘Causing Trouble’. ‘Twin Peaks’ is the first single from the bands forthcoming album Shape of Silence and shows a change of pace for the Northern Irish duo. While sonically not as dark as ‘Madrid’ or ‘Tinman’, it’s just as emotive. Here, the pair explore new textures while retaining all the best elements of their sound. Beautiful vocal textures and lush harp strings combine with driving drum and bass rhythms to create a satisfying interplay. Working once again with Hozier bassist, Alex Ryan, Doherty explains “The three of us…

  • EP Premiere: Mike Paterson – Devils In The Water

    May 11, 2018 - By 

    The third release on Homebeat Presents, Devils in the Water by Germany-based, Cavan indie-folk singer-songwriter Mike Paterson is an EP that bounds with nuance, conviction and heart. The EP – imbued with tones of Sufjan and Bon Iver – is a lo-fi tale of Paterson’s “flight from difficult times in Ireland to his new adopted home.” From opener ‘First Song in Germany’ to closer ‘Open Up’, it serves a emotionally-driven four-track introduction to an artist who, despite making his presence known as frontman of Travis Oaks, has re-emerged with a voice and touch all his own. Have an exclusive first listen…