Few Irish bands command seemingly effortless originality as convincingly as Meltybrains? The lead single from their debut vinyl release ‘Donegal/IV’, ‘Donegal’ is a spirited, expansive ode to escapism, reverb-laced lingering vocal lines and shuffling rhythms marrying in a mighty mesh of fist-clenched, impassioned abandon. ‘Donegal/IV’ is released on February 16. Pre-order it from Rough Trade right here.
A colloboration between the Lyric, the Abbey Theatre and the Soho Theatre, the dark and potent Death of a Comedian will run from February 7 to March 8 at Belfast’s Lyric Theatre. Starring Brian Doherty as small-time stand-up Steve Johnson its tagline “What if I’m not funny? What if I go out there and I’m not funny?” aptly distils the essence of the production. Self-belief, ambition, romance and the pursuit for glory entwine in a heady tale of fame, fortune and failure. Go here to buy tickets to Death of a Comedian and watch the trailer for the show below.
Running from February 19 to March 1, the first ever NI Science Festival will pique curiousity and imagine in everything from music venues and coffee shops to cinemas and museums. During the day the festival will present a whole host of workshops, talks and interactive activities for young people, parents and schools. In the evening the festival will come alive with an eclectic mix of scientific debates, talks, theatre, comedy, music and film for adults. Go here to check out the full festival programme,
Firmly commanding our attention with their debut EP, Dandelion, last year, Dublin trio Cloud Castle Lake have returned with ‘Glacier’, a tracking evoking Radiohead, Sigur Rós, Cinematic Orchestra and Do Make Say Think. A wonderfully-layered effort, beautifully disentangling over five-and-a-half minutes, the track sees Daniel McAuley’s high falsetto vocals take centre-stage yet again – and how. Recorded and mixed by Solar Bears’ Rian Trench, the track will be released via Happy Valley Records on March 16. With shows also taking place in England, the band will play Galway’s Roisin Dubh on March 26, Dublin’s Workman’s Club on March 27 and Limerick’s Kasbah…
Every once and a while you stumble across a voice that just stops you in your tracks. A self-proclaimed “devotional” artist, Dublin’s David Blaney AKA Cat Palace falls firmly within that bracket. Placed somewhere between The Blue Nile, Talk Talk, REM and Bonnie Prince Billy, his unaffected, ache-laced vocals and stripped-back acoustic liturgies forge to concoct something bordering on the mystical. Featuring singles ‘Cage’ and ‘Hear Me Lord’, as well as three other tracks, his debut EP commands, broods and sates in fine fashion, capturing an Irish singer-songwriter doing something very singular indeed. Cat Palace is released at Dublin’s Bello Bar on Saturday…
Having been described as “simple, beautiful and moving” by Rock Sound (where it premiered, no less), Belfast-based quartet A Plastic Rose have unveiled the video for the latest single, ‘Garavogue’. Directed by vocalist/guitarist Gerry Norman, it’s a wonderfully understated accompaniment to the track. According to the band, the song is “an ode to Sligo where Gerry and Ian grew up and the Garavogue is the river that runs through the town.” A Plastic Rose launch their album, Flickering Light of an Inner War, at Belfast’s Mandela Hall on Thursday, February 26. Watch the video for ‘Garavogue’ below.
Comprised of members of sadly-departed Northern Irish alt-rock heavyweights Fighting With Wire and LaFaro, Goons headlined a genre-spanning Independent Venue Week showcase at Belfast’s Limelight 2 last week. Our photographer Liam Kielt was there to capture the aforementioned new-fangled supergroup, PigsAsPeople, Loris and Waldorf & Cannon.
Having received its premiere on Lauren Laverne’s BBC 6Music show this morning, Villagers have unveiled the video for their new single ‘Courage’. Taken from the band’s forthcoming third album, Darling Arithmetic, the track is a typically exquisite effort from Conor O’Brien and co., beautifully propelled in its harmonic simplicity and lyrical incisiveness. According to the band’s YouTube page, Darling Arithmetic was “written, recorded, produced and mixed by O’Brien at home – the loft of a converted farmhouse that he shares in the coastal town of Malahide to the north of Dublin – revealing a single-minded artist at the peak of…
Best known as frontman of quintessential American indie rock band Quasi, Sam Coomes is our latest willing subject in the often indispensable, always mind-bogglingly tasteful Monday Mixtape. Twenty years into the game, ex-husband and wife duo Coomes (Donner Party, Heatmiser, etc) and Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Wild Flag, etc) AKA Quasi are the living, breathing definition of indie rock royalty. Formed in Portland in 1993, the duo’s uniquely infectious, incomparably insightful brand of indie rock has spanned nine studio albums and countless EPs worth of material. Featuring everyone from Serge Gainsbourg to Iggy Pop, Coomes’ mixtape is a sublime, ten-track…
A brand new music festival and conference celebrating and showcasing electronic audio-visuals arts in Northern Ireland, AVA Festival will make its inaugural outing at Belfast’s T13 on Saturday, May 30. Up productions has teamed up with a range of Belfast locals including Matthew McBriar and Andrew Ferguson (Bicep, pictured), Oisin O’Brien (Guerilla Shout) and others to produce the festival a one day-&-night grassroots showcase and conference celebrating the strong current of electronic music and digital visual arts that has emerged from Northern Ireland. Merging an old industrial warehouse-come-skate park (T13) with both established and emerging Electronic Music Producers, DJs and Visual Artists, this…