• The Skibunny Christmas Carol Announced

    December 6, 2018 - By 

    Having made their long-awaited return back in July, legendary Belfast DJ duo Tanya Mellotte and Mark Gordon AKA Skibunny have announced details of the forthcoming Skibunny Christmas Carol at Belfast’s Menagerie on Thursday, December 20th. Featuring a live set from the Skibunny house and friends, the following acts will perform: Robyn G Shiels, LARKS, Tom McShane, Mark Gordon, Tanya Mellotte, Bro Dougan, Joe Greene and Roisin Stewart from Documenta, Girls Rock School NI, Rocky O’Reilly, Richard Hill and many more to be announced. As ever, Skibunny DJs will close the night out. Few festive events have unmissable written all over them –…

  • Video Premiere: Squarehead – Always On

    December 6, 2018 - By 

    Strange, desperate times call for great, defiant music. Fighting their corner, and sounding the best they have ever sounded, is the re-emergent Squarehead. Comprising Roy Duffy, Ruan Van Vliet and Ian McFarlane, the Dublin indie-rock heroes are back after a lengthy, self-proclaimed “mental-health break” (always a good shout, busy artists) with a brand new album in the can. Featuring sometime fourth member, Ruadhan O’Meara (No Spill Blood/Magic Pockets) on keyboards and synth duties, lead single, the sublime ‘Always On’ sees “the boys now men with crippling responsibilities and a feeling of bewilderment at the world around them.” It’s quintessential Squarehead and a latecomer for one of the Irish singles…

  • Premiere: A Bad Cavalier – On My Side

    December 6, 2018 - By 

    It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Belfast’s A Bad Cavalier. The side-project of the Niall Kennedy – who has been busy once again this year zig-zagging across the world in And So I Watch You From Afar – went off the radar in mid 2016. Now, Kennedy is back with one beast of a  new single – the irresistible, pop-leaning, Weezer-conjuring alt-indie anthem, ‘On My Side’. Have an exclusive first listen to the single, and keep up to speed with ABC’s second wind via a quick Q+A with Kennedy, below. Tell us more about the writing of ‘On…

  • Video Premiere: Any Joy – The Fall

    December 5, 2018 - By 

    Cork indie-psych outfit Any Joy have just unveiled the new video for new single ‘The Fall’. Soaked in reverb, it’s another out-of-focus opiate drip to distract from more pointed undertones. Following the band’s aesthetic & musical thread of reccurent patterns, the video was created by frontman Oisin Dineen. Of the track, the band says “It’s a soundtrack to a potential self-sabotage and ultimate demise. It could be an appropriate theme tune for the current state of affairs across the Irish sea.” ‘The Fall’ comes from Any Joy’s new EP – due out next year – following up on their excellent & hugely underappreciated 2017 debut LP Cycles and this summer’s ‘Sucker‘ from A Litany of Failures…

  • Another Love Story Announces Return

    December 5, 2018 - By 

    Hands down of the country’s finest small summer festivals, the incomparably scenic and always wonderfully curated Another Love Story will return to Killon Manor in Co. Meath across August 16-18 2019. Doubling up as its sixth edition, organisers have said they will “continue our commitment to delivering a festival experience at a scale that allows a sense of freedom, personality and an unparalleled attention to detail to shine through, and we want you there with us to continue the dream.” A self-proclaimed summer celebration of music, art, discussion, food, fun & frolics”, the festival’s line-up will be announced over the coming…

  • Stella Donnelly To Play the Grand Social

    December 5, 2018 - By 

    Fast-rising Perth singer-songwriter Stella Donnelly will play next year. The Wales-born artist – who will release her debut full-length album on Secretly Canadian next year – will play the Grand Social on April 29th. Tickets for the show are €15.00 and go on sale this Friday at 9am.

  • Chance the Rapper, A$AP Rocky, Future and More For Longitude 2019

    December 5, 2018 - By 

    Chance the Rapper, A$AP Rocky and Future are among the first names announced to play next year’s Longitude. Returning to Dublin’s Marlay Park from Friday June 5 to Sunday July 7, the festival have once pulled out the stops for a big first reveal. With more acts to be revealed, Brockhampton, Rae Sremmurd, Lil Uzi Vert, Juice WRLD, Versatile, Aminé, Denzel Curry, $uicideBoy$, Lil Baby, Sheck Wes, Clairo, Slowthai and Flohio were also announced. Weekend tickets – which are charged at €189.50 – go on sale this Friday from 9am. Day ticket info to come.

  • Video Premiere: That Snaake – Dogs 4 Xmas

    December 5, 2018 - By 

    We might’ve just shared the mobile video for ‘Scofflaw // Sisyphus‘, but Dublin quartet That Snaake have upped their satire game with an merry offering of paranoia & nihilism, barely concealed by the Incesticide-era Nirvana & Wipers-recalling sludge-punk it calls a gift wrap. Dripping with references to history & pop culture – high and low-brow – it paraphrases Cabaret’s ‘Mein Herr’, about collective myopia blinding us to the rise of fascism in inter-war Germany, before the narrator takes us through questions of what’s missing in their life, and the Darth Maul costume they wore at Christmas. As the band – some of the most underappreciated burrowers Ireland has of the neuroses of the human…

  • Watch: Rory Nellis – The Fear

    December 4, 2018 - By 

    By all accounts one of the highlights at Other Voices in Dingle at the weekend, Belfast-based singer-songwriter Rory Nellis is riding a real wave of momentum at the moment. It’s something that’s just been underscored with his new single, ‘The Fear’ – a track that doubles up as arguably the songsmith’s most assured – and inspired – single effort to date. Now, the song comes pair with a sublime and wonderfully stripped-back video, courtesy of Belfast photographer and videographer Joe Laverty. Also featuring songwriter and Nellis’ fellow sonic conspirator Philip Watts d’Alton, you can watch it below. On Thursday night, Rory…

  • New Order and Paul Weller to Play Dublin’s The Summer Series

    December 4, 2018 - By 

    The first names set to play The Summer Series in Dublin next summer have been announced New Order will close the run on Sunday, July 7th, while Paul Weller top the bill on Thursday, July 4th. More acts are to be announced. Tickets for both shows – which take place at Trinity College in Dublin – go on sale this Friday, December 7 at 9am, priced €60.45 for New Order and €49.90 for Paul Weller.