Having had an extraordinary 2013, Derry band Little Bear have unveiled the video to their single, ‘Night Dries Like Ink’. Shot and edited by Samuel Steele of Missing Piece Film, the video – shot at the Derry’s Playhouse – is a suitably entrancing accompaniment to the song, the fast-rising Northern Irish band’s debut single on Smalltown America. Buy the ‘Night Dries Like Ink’ double A-Side single as a deluxe transparent green 12″ vinyl here. Watch the video for the song below.
A cover of Blawan‘s terror-techno ‘Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage?’ may not be the most orthodox way for a grunge-rock band to bring themselves to the attention of the blogosphere, but then again ‘orthodox’ isn’t exactly the word that first comes to mind when listening to Dublin quartet Girl Band. They certainly have their influences – fans of Mclusky, Liars, and Metz will want to get on board – but there definitely seems to be something setting the group apart from most modern ‘guitar music’; whether it be the pent up frustration that seeps through their songwriting,…
Not only one of our must-see highlights from this year’s Out To Lunch festival, our Gig of the Week is Dublin electronic four-piece Le Galaxie at Belfast’s Black Box on Friday, January 10. If you weren’t fortunate to have caught the guys practically destroy the likes of Forbidden Fruit and Electric Picnic last summer, this show in the relatively intimate surroundings of the Black Box is all but certain to be a hugely memorable consolation. Tickets for the show – priced at £10.00 – are available to purchase right here.
Oh boy, are we excited for this one! Currently writing material for their third album, Dublin electronic duo Solar Bears will headline our next showcase at Belfast’s Voodoo Bar on Saturday, March 22. Having released the exquisite Supermigration last year and recently signed a published deal with Warp, the two-piece’s DJ set will follow sets from Derry electronic twosome Ryan Vail and Belfast-based jazz-punk quartet Blue Whale – two of the finest acts of their respective genres currently based in Northern Ireland. Doors at 8.30pm, door tax is £8.00 (pay at the door). Go here for the Facebook event page…
Despite would-be highlight Julian Cope rather laughably jumping ship at the last minute due to “safety fears”, the three-week music and cultural feast that is Belfast’s Out To Lunch festival boasts it strongest and most colourfully diverse line-up to date. Now in its ninth year, we have whittled the fifty odd acts set to perform at this year’s festival down to a mere eight bands and solo artists equally worthy of your time, money and attention throughout the month of January in the very safe city of Belfast. Chris Braniff Is The Young Shadow – The Black Box, Thursday, January 9 1.00pm…
Taking place at Belfast’s Black Box on Sunday, January 5, our very first Gig of the Week of the new year is all but certain to be one of the highlights from this year’s Out To Lunch festival in Belfast. The first date of her first ever headline tour, Cavan folk singer-songwriter Lisa O’Neill will top a three-act bill also featuring Belfast-based music collective The Salt Flats and fast-rising Northern Irish songstress Hannah McPhillimy. O’Neill, who has recently released her superb second album, Same Cloth Or Not, last performed in the city in support of Glen Hansard at Belfast’s The Mac in October.…
Sixty-five increasingly exceptional songs in, we’re pleased to round up our first ever countdown of the Top 100 Irish Tracks of the year. Truth be told, this list could have been much, much longesear – such was the extent and quality of the output from our homegrown musical talent over the last twelve months. From unassuming bedroom artists treading the often very thin line between absolute anonymity and mass recognition to genre-defining, decades-spanning bands that fall comfortably under “legendary” status, we’ve been very happily bombarded with some truly extraordinary Irish music over the last year. Until next time… listen, enjoy…
With 2014 fast approaching, we’re very itchy underfoot to wrap up our countdown of our top 100 Irish songs of 2013. A veritable wealth of great music of practically every shade of genre featured in the first and second installments of the list and we very much continue on that trend on from tracks #50 to #35. Check back next week for tracks #34 to #1 and have a very merry festive period from us in the meantime! 50. Linebacker Dirge – Words Are Missing Fronted by Jason Gibson, Belfast-based alt-rock quartet Linebacker Dirge are comprised of members of bands including…
Officially launched at the weekend at Belfast’s wonderful Sunflower Bar, Troubles, the latest EP by Northern Irish twee-folk collective The Jepettos is available to stream and purchase via Bandcamp. Featuring the singles ‘Chemicals’ and ‘Water’ (featuring Alana Henderson and Scott Jamison of Go Wolf) the four-track EP is a brief but brilliantly burrowing release brimming with the band’s instantly recognisable brand of lullaby folk. Stream (or buy for a mere £3.00) the EP via Bandcamp below.
Having really hit home with the superb ‘YKK’ last month, Dublin indie rock duo We Cut Corners have unveiled the video to their new single, ‘Every Thief’. Set to feature on their forthcoming debut album, Think Nothing – out via Delphi in April – the track is, for the most part, a decidedly more restrained affair than ‘YKK’ from Conall Ó Breacháin and John Duignan. Sparse and delicate in equal proportion for the first half, the track erupts at its climax – the refrain of “Will you be mine?” cutting off in striking fashion at the end. Watch the video for the…