The Chats live at the Limelight 2 in Belfast with support from Just Mustard. Photos by Charly Sproule
-
-
Wicklow boasts one of Ireland’s most varied coastlines. From Bray Head’s rocky outcrop to Brittas Bay’s rolling sand dunes, the landscape is almost limitless in its drama, and that’s before we even get to the mountains. In short, it’s the kind of landscape to leave romanticists salivating, and accordingly has been the subject of artists, musicians and storytellers for generations. Its latest muse is Fionn Regan, who returned to the coastline of his home county for his sixth LP, Cala. Since recording his Mercury-nominated debut The End of History in Bray, it’s fair to say Regan has been on somewhat…
-
Féile na Gréine blasted through Limerick this weekend with an unprecedented force taking over venues and public spaces in an explosion of rhythm, creativity and unity. The tireless efforts of Limerick’s best and brightest designers, sound engineers, artists and all round creatives seamlessly came together to create a beautiful moment in time, forever frozen in the hearts and minds of the beholders. Now in its second year DIY LK and Lower your Expectations collaboration glistened day through day with the sheer determination of the community to bring music alive within the city. With this year’s festival expanding into nearly double…
-
Two months on from unveiling ‘Terror’ – a single that we called a heady self-exorcism from the Dublin five-piece – Panik Attacks are back with a sneak peek of some new material. It comes in the form of a live video of ‘Mr Supplier’, a nine-minute effort that, despite being a self-described “early days jam”, manages to capture the darkly push-and-pull of the Rob Walsh-fronted band’s oppressive punk craft. Shot in one take at The Meadow by SCAN, it finds Walsh in particularly possessed form, recounting a mind-bending DMT trip. Have a first look and listen below.
-
As well as announcing it its return to Curraghmore Estate in County Waterford across July 31-August 3 next year, organisers of All Together Now have offered an official apology regarding the traffic issues that beset this year’s outing for many. In a statement, the festival said: “The All Together Now team would like to say we are absolutely and fully committed to making sure that the issues that arose this year’s festival are not repeated. We have taken in every comment, every email and are carefully taking note of where we need to improve. We have met and are working closely with…
-
Inflammable Material, the ferocious debut from Belfast legends Stiff Little Fingers, is now forty years old and stands as one of the great records of the punk era. The Stiffs detailed the frustrations, anger and mind-numbing boredom of Northern Irish life during the Troubles in fearless fashion, helping to define an otherwise dark era for many. This month, the band celebrate its birthday with two Irish dates, a stop in Dublin’s Academy before returning to Belfast’s Custom House Square for the third successive year. I spoke to frontman Jake Burns about that show, his contemporaries, Brexit, and Coronation Street. Hi…
-
Celebrating “the new wave of Irish and international folk, traditional and experimental talent”, Cork’s Quiet Lights Festival will return for its second outing across November 22-24. Presented by Islander, the self-proclaimed “small-scale festigavl with a big heart” will host various shows that aim to shine a light on artists “that are quietly forging new paths, recollecting old tales, and making new stories.” Sure enough, this year’s line-up befits that mentality to a T. As well as the likes of Lankum, Junior Brother, Crevice, Lemoncello, Rough Trade Records’ River Lea, Ye Vagabonds & Brìghde Chaimbeul, Peter Broderick, Rozi Plain and more, the festival…
-
A career-spanning set from Foo Fighters, with support from Hot Milk and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, live at Belfast Vital 2019. Photos by Peter O’Hanlon.
-
Justin Vernon has written his most personal work in isolation, secluded in a cabin in Northern Wisconsin. In the span of 13 years, the Bon Iver project has empowered him to map his personal growth, archive periods of stress, and mediate addiction and trauma. The fourth iteration of this journey, i,i, reflects on the duality of the self as it navigates a turbulent political landscape. The inner and outer worlds communicate here, and seek to find peace. The band embraced a dramatic move towards experimentation on 2016’s 22 A Million, producing some of their most urgent and effective work. Here,…
-
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a member of The Fall? Well, wonder no more. This Saturday, August 24 at Dublin’s Sound House – thanks to one of our favourite promoters in the land, Enthusiastic Eunuch – the opportunity to channel your inner Mark E Smith has arisen, with backing music provided by The Fallen Women, an all-female Fall karaoke band working in association with The Quietus magazine. They’ll play the songs and members of the audience will be invited to sing them. Formed in order to celebrate Mark E Smith’s 60th birthday, they’ve played sold-out shows across the…