Pavement’s Scott Kannberg aka Spiral Stairs with support from Shrug Life’s Danny Carroll alongside Naoise Roo. Photos by Leah Carroll.
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As soon as this gig was announced a few months ago, it was always going to be a scramble for tickets, and so it transpired as it sold out in a matter of minutes. Having the chance to witness one of – if not the most – influential alt-rock bands of all time in such intimate surroundings wasn’t lost on anyone. The history of Pixies pre and post their 2004 reunion is a well-trodden tale and it’s clear from both fans and critics alike, that the idea to release new music, hasn’t exactly hit the heights of their initial time…
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The Music Venue Trust and PRS Foundation have announced a new partnership with the goal of encouraging more young women & gender minorities to break into the world of live music promotion. This scheme builds upon the successful Fightback: Grassroots Promoter project last year, and offers training, mentoring and a practical support network for aspiring independent promoters. Each participant will work towards organising gigs in grassroots music venues across the UK in Spring 2020. Of the initiative, the Trust says: “In the past couple of years there has been a lot of discussion of the need to offer more opportunities for women, trans and non-binary artists. Alongside…
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The programme for this year’s Sound of Belfast has been launched. Taking across November 1-10 in various Belfast venues, the ten-day celebration of local music was established by Belfast’s Oh Yeah Music Centre to promote and celebrate the musicians, bands, venues, promoters and music communities of Belfast. This year’s programme is its most extensive to date, with over 70 performances set for 18 participating venues. As well as live music from atists including Jordan Adetunji, Kitt Philippa, The Darkling Air, Wynona Bleach (pictured) and more, there will also be various workshops and conferences from the likes of PPL, Musicians Union…
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Science fiction has undoubtedly been a bit lacking in quantity and quality in recent years, and so you could be forgiven for getting excited after watching the trailer for Ad Astra, the latest from The Lost City of Z‘s James Gray, which translates from Latin as ‘To The Stars’. And it is indeed very impressive on the visuals and production front, especially with the stunning opener and its ‘space antenna’ scene. But once we get into the thick of the film’s story, with its space noir, whodunnit feel, it turns rather predictable, possibly hollow and scientifically ridiculous. An all-star cast couldn’t save this…
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“I don’t need to tell you about loss”, Nicole Kidman’s grieving mother tells the grown-up Theodore (Ansel Elgort), her one-time foster guest when his mother was killed in a bombing. But actually, she does — she, or someone — anyone — needs to tell us something interesting about it, because no-one else is making the effort. Adapted from Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2013 novel by screenwriter Peter Stroughan and director John Crowley, The Goldfinch is a wounded bird in a box office tailspin, and you can see why. It is a silly, bitty and a little embarrassing, too desperate to be “about” things, too unrelaxed to…
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There’s a feeling we have all gathered here for one last fix. We know the characters. We know the material. We even know the storyline. It’s as if die-hard fans have reunited for one last acoustic performance of their favourite band. Instead of singing along to their favorite songs, they’re mouthing the punchlines of crude jokes before erupting into laughter at a line they’ve heard 10 times before. Within two minutes we’ve already been flashed her black lacy bra from underneath her plain red pullover and been told that shes not obsessed with sex, but she just can’t stop thinking…
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Daniel Johnston fans, rejoice. A tribute night to the late, great U.S. musician and cartoonist will take place at the Black Gate in Galway on October 26th. Kicking off from 10pm, the event will feature Blackbird & Crow, Dylan Murphy, A Lilac Decline, Brendan Dolan (A Band Called Wanda) and New Pope performing the music of Johnston, who passed on September 11th, aged 58. Tickets cost €10 and can be bought here. Things kick off from 9pm. Revisit Jack Rudden’s obituary to Johnston here.
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Like a bucket of red paint into white, Girl Band’s explosion in the Irish music scene half a decade ago proved a new year zero for the country’s underground scene. Their modus operandi was laid out with ‘Lawman’ and a simple, radical rework of Blawan’s ‘Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage’. By the time 2015 debut LP Holding Hands With Jamie came out, they were primed for success. Eschewing the role of traditional rock instrumentation, it was seemingly the sound of four people left in isolation, handed a stack of experimental techno 7”s and traditional rock instruments, and…
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Charli XCX has become a pop touchstone, and the woman everyone is clamouring to collaborate with. In the last two years alone, she has worked with BTS, Diplo, Cardi B, Clean Bandit, and Taylor Swift – not to mention the artists she collaborated with on 2017’s Pop 2. Charli XCX is the benchmark of the late 2010’s pop; heavily influenced by contemporary dance music and produced in tandem with PC Music, it’s messy, fun, outrageous, and appropriately melancholic. Pop 2 was, rightfully, critically acclaimed. How does Charli compete? On collaborations alone, Charli is standout. The release of the album was…