• Anna Mieke – Idle Mind

    April 30, 2019 - By 

    Hailing from the hills of Co. Wicklow, singer/songwriter Anna Mieke independently released her stunning debut full length LP Idle Mind in April; fusing elements of Irish folk music with those of global  traditions and alternative pop, Mieke’s debut is a tremendously promising effort. Folk influences abound Idle Mind’s soundscapes: Mieke’s cello drones underneath neatly percussive guitars and a layered arrangement of auxiliary instruments such as harmonium (played here by Ye Vagabonds’ Brian Mac Gloinn), bouzouki, piano, drums and fiddle. The bulk of the instrumentation on the album is provided by Mieke and Mac Gloinn, with additional players Matthew Jacobson, Sonny Sampson,…

  • Line-Up Announced for Coaster 2019

    April 30, 2019 - By 

    The line-up for the second outing of Portrush one-day festival Coaster has been revealed. Taking play at Atlantic Bar and Babushka, this year’s event – a self-proclaimed “summer gathering on the Nort Coast celebrating local music” that we’re pleased to co-promote – includes Arvo Party, Blue Whale (pictured), Fox Colony, Catalan! and several more acts. See the full line-up below. Tickets are on-sale now.

  • Chromatics Set For Dublin Show

    April 30, 2019 - By 

    Portland, Oregon synth-pop band Chromatics are set to play Dublin. Taking place as part of their Double Exposure European tour, the Ruth Radelet-fronted band will play Vicar Street on October 22. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 9am, priced €28.50.

  • Foxygen – Seeing Other People

    April 27, 2019 - By 

    Accompanying the announcement of Foxygen’s fifth album Seeing Other People, frontman Sam France penned a letter to fans assuring them that this isn’t the end. “We’re never breaking up. We’re not a band and never were”. Right, then.  We’re told to “read between the lines” on Seeing Other People, but unfortunately the album offers little more than superficial gripes – a tepid and weak account of a public parting that feels, now, like it’s been a long time coming. Opener ‘Work’, with lyrics attuned to the petty stirring of doubt in relationships, sees France play the genius-nightmare creative partner up…

  • Avengers: Endgame

    April 26, 2019 - By 

    God bless Robert Downey Jr. As Tony Stark, the lonely tin man with a hole in his chest, Downey Jr. does more with his face than all of the Avengers films’ awkward speechifying about teamwork, solidarity and what it means to be Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. A decade of story-telling synergy comes to a close with Avengers: Endgame. So much of it is the sludge we’ve become used to, but when the thrusters kick in, and the film finds its heart, it’s because of Downey Jr. He almost — but not quite — makes all of this worth it. It’s been some time since the…

  • SOAK – Grim Town

    April 25, 2019 - By 

    A northern voice cuts through the chatter; “this train is for the following categories of passenger only—recipients of universal credit or minimum wage, the lonely, the disenfranchised, the disillusioned, the lost, the grieving”. You pull your jacket closer to fend off the chill air that fills the carriage, wiping at the window with your free hand. It’s foggy outside, you make out nothing but a few barren trees and distant hills. With a heave the train begins to move, and before the conductor has even announced the destination you know where you’re going. Bridie Monds-Watson’s (aka SOAK) sophomore album Grim…

  • Album Premiere: Larry – Larry

    April 26, 2019 - By 

    Of the myriad Irish debuts that we’ve been itching to wrap our ears around in 2019, the self-titled first album from Dundalk’s Larry must surely rank up with the most eagerly-anticipated Comprising guitarist and vocalist Joey Edwards, bassist Aoife Ward and drummer David Noonan, also of Just Mustard, the band opted record with none other than Steve Albini at Chicago’s Electrical Audio last September. The result is a nine-track release that not only bears the imprint of indie rock trailblazers Sparklehorse, Wilco, Courtney Barnett and Pixies: it’s a record that finds Larry, assured and inspired, carving out special territory within the…