• Inbound: I Dreamed I Dream

    April 4, 2023 - By 

    “I started living in Claire’s wardrobe without her knowing, and slowly integrated into the house and band. It’s all going quite well!” This is just one side of the I Dreamed I Dream (IDID) origin story, as told by Niamh Hayes. Ultimately, though, the Cork-based quintet – comprised of Hayes, Claire Aherne, Elle Kelleher, Julie Landers, and Laura Dineen – came together through a mutual love of music, which united them at various gigs over the years before becoming buddies let alone bandmates. Formed in 2022, the band have quickly become an exciting live proposition, opening for the likes of…

  • Hands Up Who Wants To Die – Nil All

    April 3, 2023 - By 

    For years, Dublin’s Hands Up Who Wants To Die have been obliterating the eardrums of audiences across the continent. Previously led by the nihilistic poeticisms of one Barry Lennon, the group’s amicable split with the formidable frontman allowed the quartet to refocus on composing their third album, with new recruit Rory O’Brien from Ten Past Seven taking over lyrical duties. On the resulting Nil All, the band’s first release in six years since their split with B.O.B, Hands Up Who Wants To Die expand upon the beautifully brutal soundscapes of the band’s previous releases Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo and…

  • Codeine Set For Irish Show

    April 3, 2023 - By 

    New York indie rock legends Codeine are set for a long-awaited Irish show. Off the back of reuniting late last year, the trio of Stephen Immerwahr, John Engle, Chris Brokaw will stop off at Whelan’s on 30th August as part of 10 EU/UK shows in support of their lost 1992 album, Dessau. The dates also double up as the band’s first non-US shows since 2012. Tickets for the Dublin show at €26.50 and go on sale Widely regarded as slowcore (and sadcore) pioneers, Codeine released two albums during their initial run, 1990’s Frigid Stars and 1994’s The White Birch, as…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 31st March

    March 31, 2023 - By 

    Stretching across synth-pop, fuzzed-out riffs, hip-hop, psych and beyond, here’s our selection of the best tracks from every corner of Ireland this week. Everything Shook – Blacking Out Blacking Out by Everything Shook Loud Motive – Money Jealous of the Birds – Morse Code Lemonade Shoelace – I Think My Heart Is Set On You Daniel Luke – Chatterbox 1000 Beasts – Brigitte Bardot Brigitte Bardot by 1000 Beasts Cinder Well – A Scorched Lament Badhands – For A Little While The Wheel by Badhands ZOiD – Internal Space Element Internal Space Element by ZOiD Dutch Schultz – Whose Is…

  • Irish Tour: Biig Piig

    March 30, 2023 - By 

    Biig Piig live at Cyprus Avenue in Cork, Dolan’s in Limerick with support from Yune Pinku and The Academy in Dublin. Photos by Celeste Burdon, Ian Davies and Kate Lawlor. Cyprus Avenue in Cork by Celeste Burdon Dolan’s in Limerick by Ian Davies The Academy in Dublin by Kate Lawlor

  • The Bonk Announce Irish Tour

    March 29, 2023 - By 

    The Bonk have announced details of an upcoming Irish tour. Almost certainly the country’s finest genre-warping proposition, the Philip Christie-fronted project will embark on the aptly-named Tour In The Month of May, an 11-date traipse across the island, playing various venues alongside the Maija Sofia, Elaine Howley and – at Dubln’s Sugar Club on 27th May – a “mystery legend” to be revealed. Check out the full dates and info below. The tour coincides with the release of The Bonk’s highly-anticipated second album, Greater Than Or Equal To The Bonk. Set for release via boutique label thirty-three45 on 12th May,…

  • Unthank : Smith at Empire Music Hall, Belfast

    March 29, 2023 - By 

    Paul Smith and Rachel Unthank reimagine radical futures through the lens of traditional folk and new songs from and about the north of England during a spellbinding Monday evening in the Empire Music Hall. Shape-shifting arrangements veer from unaccompanied close harmony to mesmerising full band jazz-inflected work-outs. Alex Neilson from free-improvisation folk group Trembling Bells provides an eerie psych-folk backdrop on drums. Accompaniment on clarinet is provided by Faye McCalman from avant-jazz group Archipelago. The Maximo Park frontman adds a sharp pop nous to the songs from their recent record Nowhere and Everywhere – performed in its entirety tonight. The…