• The Irish Government are Officially Taking the Piss

    November 16, 2021 - By 

    After 19 months of uncertainty, wilful obstruction, and – finally – some brief reprieve over the last four weeks, the Irish government has once again U-turned on its decision to throw the hospitality sector a lifetime. From midnight on Thursday, all pubs, nightclubs and restaurants in the Republic of Ireland will have to close at midnight. For the music industry that means one very obvious thing: those weeks of frantic planning, scheduling, booking, organising and liaising by bookers, venue owners, artists and DJs? It was more or less all for nothing. There’s no two ways about it: the Irish government…

  • The Art of Slowing Down: An Interview with FRMR

    November 16, 2021 - By 

    Last month, Northern Irish folk songwriter and poet Andrew Farmer aka FRMR unveiled one of the year’s finest LPs from these shores, Amelanchier. As well as offering a short piece on the making of the album, Farmer talks to us about songwriting, self-belief and the art of slowing down. Making The Record ‘Amelanchier’ by FRMR Amelanchier was recently launched into the world. But before we touch on the album, can you tell us a little bit about how you got to where you are as a songwriter today? In 2009 I took a year out to take part in a creative programme based…

  • Girl Band Change Name to Gilla Band, Announce Dublin Residency

    November 16, 2021 - By 

    Dublin quartet Girl Band have changed their name to Gilla Band with immediate effect. Off the back of their blistering set at Pitchfork London on Sunday night, the band released the following statement regarding the decision. “We are changing our band name,” they said. “We will no longer be performing or releasing records under the name Girl Band. We apologise for choosing a misgendered name in the first place and to anyone who has been hurt or affected by it. When we were starting off it was chosen without much thought, from a place of naivety and ignorance. We had…

  • Elaine Mai – Home

    November 15, 2021 - By 

    The title of Elaine Mai’s long-awaited debut album, Home, holds a lot of weight. Living through a pandemic changed the way we understand the meaning of the word, with many people left to create their own sense of home with what they had. For Mai, who has been an active figure in the Irish music scene for 10 years now, these nine tracks feel like a homecoming in themselves. Inviting a host of female collaborators to contribute to the album, this record further solidifies Mai’s esteemed place within the scene, and the home she has found within it. Home’s arrangements…

  • Monday Mixtape: Soda Blonde

    November 15, 2021 - By 

    Dublin alt-pop band Soda Blonde guide us through their all-time favourite songs, from Air and Massive Attack, to Kate Bush and Laurie Anderson. Catch Soda Blonde live in December: December 5th: Cyprus Avenue, Cork December 7th: Mike The Pies, Listowel December 9th: Whelan’s, Dublin December 14th: Roisin Dubh, Galway December 15th, Empire Music Hall, Belfast December 16th: Whelan’s, Dublin December 19th: Dolan’s, Limerick Kanye West – Say You Will Kanye has always had this ability to create sonic landscapes and unusual textures that really hit you emotionally before any lyrics begin. This is something as a band we always aim…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – November 12th

    November 12, 2021 - By 

    It’s been another great week for Irish music. Dig into our round-up below, featuring new releases from Windings, Odd Ned, ANDI, Neil Dexter and more Windings – Focus On The Past 5 Focus On The Past 5 by windings Odd Ned – Arpo Realm Long Mile Works by Odd Ned Caoilian Sherlock – Big Child EP Big Child by Caoilian Sherlock Laurie Shaw – Bargain Hunt Lisa Hannigan – Live at The National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 2020 ANDI – CEDARWARD EP Neil Dexter – I’ll Be With You Jealous of the Birds – Belfast Song KhakiKid – Cozy Girl…

  • All Together Now Announce 2022 Line-Up

    November 10, 2021 - By 

    All Together Now have announced a stacked line-up for its return next summer. Across the August Bank Holiday (July 29-July 31 2022) the festival will make its return to Curraghmore Estate in Co. Waterford after a three-year break. And it was well and truly worth the wait. Across 18 stages of music, art, theatre, spoken word, comedy, food and more, the festival will feature sets by the likes of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Underworld, Sinead O’Connor, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, DJ Koze, Jungle, Groove Armada, Honey Dijon, Dry Cleaning, Joy Orbison and more. And there’s an absolute…