• 19 for ’19: Tebi Rex

    January 31, 2019 - By 

    We continue 19 for ‘19 – our feature looking at nineteen Irish acts that we’re convinced are going places in 2019 – with Maynooth alternative hip-hop duo Tebi Rex. Photo by Zoe Holman Maynooth’s hip-hop scene may not be bulging, but on the evidence of Tebi Rex’s offerings, we believe it truly homes one of Ireland’s most exciting prospects for 2019. The duo, comprised of Matt O’Baoill and Max Zanga, has swiftly attracted attention following the success of ‘Black Enough’ in 2016, with Word Up signing them to their newly launched collective. Although the collective nurtures hip-hop talent whose music…

  • Brilliant Corners Announce 2019 Programme

    January 30, 2019 - By 

    Now in its seventh year, the tastemakers at Moving On Music have announced the programme for their annual highlight – and the country’s finest jazz festival – Brilliant Corners. The festival will take over various venues in Belfast across March 2-9, with a kickoff solo piano concert from Craig Taborn at SARC’s Sonic Lab on Saturday, February 16. As expected, it’s a wonderfully diverse patchwork of jazz and first-rate sonic digression in the spirit of MOM’s booking the year round. It’s appropriate then, that the two first-night offerings on March 2 are the Ulster Youth Jazz Orchestra Shabaka Hutchings’ unmissable apocalyptic synth-jazz project The Comet Is Coming, supported by…

  • 19 for ’19: Larry

    January 30, 2019 - By 

    We continue 19 for ‘19 – our feature looking at nineteen Irish acts that we’re convinced are going places in 2019 – with Dundalk lo-fi alt-rock three-piece Larry. Photo by Aaron Corr When you record an album with Steve Albini (Shellac/Rapeman /Big Black) you get a certain amount of bang for your buck – you get a solid ranking of all the vegetarian restaurants in Chicago. You get recommendations for who best to master your album, i.e. Bob Weston (Shellac). You get to see your music mixed, not only by a master engineer, but also by a World Series of…

  • Polar

    January 29, 2019 - By 

    The world’s greatest assassin is about to retire when his former boss decides he’s a liability. Hoping for a silly shoot ‘em up like The Mechanic or John Wick? Sorry to disappoint but Polar, released this week by Netflix, isn’t it. Instead, this is a film so terrible that it’s an early contender for the year-end worst of lists. Duncan Vizla (Mads Mikkelsen) is the great assassin preparing for his 50th birthday and mandatory retirement. He’s already started to wind down by moving to a snow covered one-street town in Montana. There, Duncan wanders around his log cabin, buys a…

  • Destroyer

    January 29, 2019 - By 

    In Destroyer, Nicole Kidman is cast against type as Erin Bell, a Los Angeles homicide detective haunted by her past. It’s a startling performance from Kidman and one that could have put her in the running to feature in the best actress category at this year’s Academy Awards. We can wonder about the reasons for the omission another time. Destroyer is a middling thriller that benefits enormously from the work of its outstanding lead. When a body is discovered on the streets of LA, Erin Bell comes to believe that the murder is connected to a botched undercover operation she…

  • Details of Conor Walsh Album Announced

    January 28, 2019 - By 

    Details of the release of new music by much missed Mayo artist Conor Walsh has been announced. Called “an album for his fans”, The Lucid will be released on double-sided vinyl on the third anniversary of his death, on Monday, March 11, with pre-sales available via Bandcamp rom February 14. Side A of the album, we’re told, contain acoustic melodies, while Side B comprises electronic material. The stripped-back release was inspired by composers including Hauschka, Aphex Twin and Nils Frahm. Conor’s sister, Fiona Walsh, who helped to bring the project together said: “This album is for his fans and by…

  • 19 for ’19: Extravision

    January 28, 2019 - By 

    We continue 19 for ‘19 – our feature looking at nineteen Irish acts that we’re convinced are going places in 2019 – with Dublin post-punk threesome Extravision. Photo by Moira Reilly There is a shortage of great post-punk in the world today. While we’re a long ways away from the genre’s 1980s heyday, there are a number of contemporary bands, shrouded in darkness and the macabre, who are keeping that flame burning. One such band is Dublin’s Extravision. This three piece have successfully managed to recapture that Manchester sensibility all while infusing it with dream pop to create a woozy…

  • Years & Years w/ Flynn @ The Olympia Theatre

    January 28, 2019 - By 

    It’s been nearly four years since London synth-pop band Years & Years burst into the charts with their mammoth single “King” and won hearts all over the mainstream, became darlings of the internet and prominent public representatives of the queer community. Last summer they returned with their sophomore album Palo Santo, a concept album around a world where gender and sexuality don’t exist and were met with acclaim from critics and fans alike. In the light of their ever growing momentum, Years & Years have returned to Ireland to a packed out Olympia Theatre absolutely brimming with anticipation. Olly Alexander has…

  • Cardi B, Vince Staples, Anne-Marie and More For Longitude

    January 28, 2019 - By 

    Cardi B and Vince Staples are among the twelve new names added to the bill for this year’s Longitude. Also joining the likes of Chance the Rapper, A$AP Rocky, Future, Brockhampton and Rae Sremmurd are new additions Anne-Marie, Gunna, Trippie Redd, Flatbush Zombies, AJ Tracey, JPEGMAFIA, J.I.D, Jimothy, H.E.R and Joey Purp. Cardi B will join Future as a headliner on Sunday night. Longitude takes place across July 5-7. Day-to-day breakdowns will be revealed in the coming weeks. Ranging from €79.50 to €199.50, tickets are on sale now.