• Creed II

    November 30, 2018 - By 

    Rocky is a hero because he got up. And so is Sylvester Stallone. The franchise he’s been shepherding for half a century just keeps going. But sometimes it’s okay to just not take the fight, even when the crowd’s singing for it. 2015’s punchy, nimble Creed successfully re-orientated the Balboa brand around a new generation, Michael B. Jordan putting in a powerhouse performance as the son of Apollo. Hollywood franchises may be folding in on themselves like Inception’s boulevards, but thanks to the energies of regular collaborators Ryan Coogler and Jordan, Creed was the best example of a studio franchise embracing…

  • Shoplifters

    November 28, 2018 - By 

    When talking about great film-making legacies, there are few people alive that can rival Japanese writer-director Hirokazu Koreeda (The Third Murder, After The Storm) for consistency, quality and diversity. With his latest, Koreeda might just have intricately pieced together his finest movie to date, which is a feat in itself, given the stunning body of work that he has already got under his belt. As with all his films, Shoplifters is a gradual, deeply emotive, wonderfully humorous and highly intelligent tale that shows a side of Japan that is rarely seen with an empathetic eye. Shoplifters tells the story of…

  • Cate Le Bon For Dun Laoghaire

    November 28, 2018 - By 

    Welsh avant-pop singer-songwriter Cate Le Bon will play a solo piano show at the Pavilion Theatre in Dun Laoghaire at the start of next year. The critically-acclaimed artist – who is currently working on her fifth studio album – will play the venue on January 6. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Thursday, November 29) at 9am, priced €22.

  • Stefan Murphy Set For Dublin Return

    November 27, 2018 - By 

    Hands down one of the most incisive and naturally-gifted songsmiths that the island of Ireland has ever produced, Atlanta-based Dublin artist Stefan Murphy will return to play upstairs in Whelans on Thursday, January 24. It’s a new tour from a rejuvenated artist whose output and shows over the years, – from Subtonics and the Mighty Stef to his fertile solo guise Count Vaseline – speaks for itself. Better still, a forthcoming solo album (his first simply as Stefan Murphy) bears the imprint of some of his all-time big influences, including Velvet Underground, Van Morrison, Jonathan Richman and Townes Van Zandt. Tickets for…

  • Watch: Dreaming of Jupiter – Fading

    November 27, 2018 - By 

    Fast-rising Dublin three-piece Dreaming of Jupiter have eked out their own niche from a wide-spanning palette of nocturnal neo-soul, ambient, alt-pop and beyond. It’s a creative honing, with an emphasis on real attention to detail, that has served them well on their debut EP, Fading. Its title track is a perfect case in point. It’s serves up a shapeshifting four minutes of nuance and melody, driven home by vocalist Gough’s effortless vocals. Dreaming of Jupiter launch Fading at Dublin’s Button Factory on Thursday night. Support comes from Roe and Xo Mo. Stream the EP and watch the video its title track below.  

  • Watch: Cubs – Swallows Will Be Leaving

    November 27, 2018 - By 

    Comprising artists on Galway indie imprint Rusted Rail –  namely Aaron Hurley (Phantom Dog Beneath The Moon), Keith Wallace (Loner Deluxe), Cecilia Danell (A Lilac Decline), Eddie Keenan (AKA The Driftwood Manor), Scott McLoughlin (Phantom Dog Beneath The Moon) and James Rider of United Bible Studies) – Cubs‘ sedate and self-proclaimed “left-of-field folk” is equal parts phantasmal and pastoral. It’s improvisational, sylvan and snugly-woven approach that is laid bare on the group’s second album, the recently-released, Darkr Earlyr. A highlight from the release, ‘Swallows Will Be Leaving’ is a paean to nature’s passage into wintertide via the parting of hirundinidae from the skies.…

  • Stream: Comfy Coffin – Lifetime Achievement Award

    November 27, 2018 - By 

    Last year, we were introduced to Utrecht-based Wicklow artist Bobby Mink AKA Comfy Coffin via debut single ‘Content as a Cog‘. Sixteen months on, Mink has caught our attention again with the homespun, electro-leaning pop of ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’. Paired with its b-side – the cosy, Postal Service-conjuring ‘All Smiles’ – the self-proclaimed “lonely one man band” is clearly in inspired form. Stream the tracks – as well a live acoustic version of the a-side, and a music video for the b-side – below.

  • Win Tickets to Robyn G Shiels EP Launch

    November 27, 2018 - By 

    On Thursday (November 29), Belfast-based singer-songwriter Robyn G Shiels will release one of the Irish releases of the year, Death of the Shadows, at Belfast’s Strand Arts Centre. Self-released via Black Tragick Records on 10″ vinyl on Friday, it’s a masterfully funereal five-track EP that finds Shiels’ unmistakable brand of darkly alt-folk at its most emphatic. To win a pair of tickets to the launch show, featuring Shiels and full band, with support Oisín ó Scolaí & The Virginia Slims, simply send your answer to the following question to info@thethinair.net: What is the title of Robyn G Shiels’ debut album?

  • Album stream: SPIES – Constancy

    November 27, 2018 - By 

    Having re-emerged back in March after a three year hiatus, Dublin five-piece SPIES have released their long-awaited debut album, Constancy. From single and cascading alt-pop anthem-in-the-making ‘Ho Chi Minh’ to slow-burning closing lament ‘Love is a Dream’, via three other first-rate singles, ‘Young Dad’, ‘Broadstone’ and ‘Uriah’, it’s an assured return from a band who have well and truly hit their stride. According to singer Michael Broderick, the album primarily revolves around change and transformation: “Our attempts to remain constant in an environment that is inevitably transforming. I wanted the songs to journey through a process of coping (and not…