• Watch: Just Mustard – Frank

    April 15, 2019 - By 

    With their singular brand of miasmic, trip-hop-inspired sorcery, the rise of Dundalk’s Just Mustard over the last few months has been a real pleasure to see. The latest milestone in their ascent is the release of ‘Frank’, a track that has emerged as something of a peak from the band’s scintillating live sets as of late. Accompanying the single release is Tim Shearwood’s video. Frontwoman Katie Ball said, “We thought it would be interesting to use stop motion animation to emphasise the broken rhythms of the song. Every character and prop in the video and their interactions represents a different musical or thematic…

  • Watch: VerseChorusVerse – INTRO (A Bandwidth Film)

    April 15, 2019 - By 

    2018 was a busy year from Belfast-based jack of all trades (and master of many) Tony Wright aka VerseChorusVerse. As well as publishing his first book, the North coast musician, solo artist and ex-guitarist/founding member of And So I Watch You From Afar was made an artist-in-residence at the MAC. During that time, Will McConnell of Bandwidth popped by to capture Wright in his element. The result is INTRO, a candid, 22-minute film that hones in on the nuance and heart of Wright’s craft via stripped-back performance, improvised guitar sounds and snippets from the aforementioned first book. Framed by the…

  • BFF 19: A Bump Along The Way

    April 15, 2019 - By 

    Opening the 19th Belfast Film Festival, Mark Cousins, newly installed Chairperson and mega-watt generator of cinematic enthusiasm, advertised the rectangular frame of Movie House Dublin Road as a place where Belfast will “meet the world”. For the inaugural night, at least, the world is the other side of Ulsterbus 273. Northern Ireland’s second city, and the experiences of the women living there, is receiving fresh attention with the success of Lisa Magee’s likeable Derry Girls, and is joined by Tess McGowan and Shelly Love’s A Bump Along The Way, a broad, sometimes difficult local indie with a sympathetic eye for feminine…

  • EP Stream: Rebekah Fitch – Lies We Tell Ourselves

    April 15, 2019 - By 

    That Belfast artist Rebekah Fitch has emerged as one of the country’s most promising solo artists propositions over the last couple of years has come as no surprise to us here at The Thin Air. Tracing the fast-rising vocalist and multi-instrumentalist’s increasingly distinctive brand of alt-pop singles like ‘Not Myself’, ‘Need To Feel’ and, most recently, ‘Poison’ brim with momentum, focus and – above all else – pure inspiration. You’ll find this in abundance on ‘Lies We Tell Ourselves’, a new, four-track EP that underscores Fitch’s upward course – one that, as we’ve suggested before, is surely imminently destined for the world stage.

  • Stream: Peter J. McCauley – Anywhere My Love Will Go

    April 15, 2019 - By 

    Under both his given name and previous moniker, Rams’ Pocket Radio, Peter J. McCauley has been responsible for some emotionally dense and finely-woven balladry. Right up there with his most potent efforts to date is the brief but brilliant ‘Anywhere My Love Will Go’. With its delicate ebb and flow, it’s a masterfully minimalist, yet deceptively intricate tale of love and longing. ‘I wrote this song at a time when I was working on music projects with two groups of older people in Belfast,” McCauley said. “One in a centre in the West of the city and one in an Alzheimer’s unit…

  • Ye Vagabonds – The Hare’s Lament

    April 14, 2019 - By 

    Just under two years since Dublin-based duo Ye Vagabonds announced their debut self-titled album, their second, The Hare’s Lament, has landed. A collection of traditional and folk songs, sung in both Irish and English with a medley of skilfully played string instruments and the most beautiful harmonies, it’s a remarkable follow up. Brothers Brían and Diarmuid Mac Gloinn have created a sound that is based on a rich folk tradition, but have revived it with their own fresh approach and style of songwriting, resulting in just over 40 minutes of elegantly arranged songs that feel both contemporary and rooted in…

  • Stephen Malkmus – Groove Denied

    April 11, 2019 - By 

    The rock press has made much of Stephen Malkmus’ reinvention on Groove Denied, his first solo LP to lack any contributions (credited or otherwise) from his Jicks bandmates; publicised as an homage to the minimalism and analogue electronics of late-’70s and early-’80s post-punk, it’s been received as a left-turn for a songwriter closely associated with ’90s indie noise. Malkmus discussed the new direction with Rolling Stone recently, explaining: “I guess everyone has their distorted self-image, and I have one where I think I’m a music-maker who can go anywhere” – and though the album reflects this playful approach, one might highlight his awareness…

  • Villagers to Play Open House Festival

    April 10, 2019 - By 

    Villagers are the latest act to be announced to play this year’s Open House Festival in Bangor. Doubling up as the only Northern Irish date on the band’s current European tour, Conor O’Brien and co. will play in First Bangor church (a new venue for the festival this year) on Friday, August 23. “We’re thrilled to be bringing Villagers to Bangor for this year’s festival,” said Kieran Gilmore, Open House Director, “and First Bangor Church will be the perfect setting for this very special concert. Dating back to the 1830s, it’s one of the town’s most beautiful and historic churches with a circular auditorium, wooden balcony and divine acoustics.…

  • Women’s Work Festival Programme Launched

    April 11, 2019 - By 

    The programme for this year’s Women’s Work Festival has been launched. The Belfast festival, which has swiftly established itself as a vital fixture in the city’s festival calendar, launched this year’s line-up at the Oh Yeah Music Centre. Returning to various venues across the city across June 5-9, the festival – which is curated by Oh Yeah Musi Centre – will host various events, gigs, talks, and showcases. Among the highlights is a Getting To Know… session with Hannah Peel, a showcase gig featuring the likes of Wynona Bleach, Gender Chores, Molly Sterling and more, an interactive workshop on mental health…

  • Phil Taggart’s Slacker Guide to The Music Industry

    April 16, 2019 - By 

    Like many broadcasters working within music, Phil Taggart is himself a musician. It’s something that has granted the Northern Irish BBC Radio 1 presenter a considerable amount of leeway and insight when it comes to his new book, Phil Taggart’s Slacker Guide to The Music Industry.  With contributions from the likes of Run The Jewels, Biffy Clyro, Charli XCX , Wolfe Alice, Slaves and more, it’s a book that, in “using the knowledge of the people who’ve navigated the difficult waters of the music industry to ask all the questions you never even knew you had to ask”, tackles everything from music videos,…