• Interview: Katie Richardson on HATCH! @ The Mac

    December 11, 2013 - By 

    Not content playing as part of Katie and the Carnival, Salt Flats and in various other collaborative musical endeavours, Belfast-based musician, singer and musical director Katie Richardson is the epitome of a tireless, committed and boundlessly passionate artist. From December 4 right up until January 4 (and many weeks in advance in preparation) her current creative occupation is composer and musical director of HATCH! Adventures of the Ugly Duck at The Mac, Belfast. With the production having already smitten hundreds of attendees and several critics, we speak to Katie about the ins and outs of the biggest production she’s been…

  • Girls Names announce European tour

    December 9, 2013 - By 

    Starting to crop up in all different kinds of end of year lists, Belfast-based four-piece Girls Names have announced details of a forthcoming European tour. Starting in London on February 5 and concluding in Italy’s Savignano Sul Rubicone on February 13, check out the eight dates below. February 5: The Lexington, London February 6: Espace B, Paris February 8: Ferme de Biereau, Louvain-la-Neuve February 9: Rössli, Bern February 10: Blah Blah, Turin – door sales only February 11: Garage Genova, Genova – door sales only February 12: Off Modena, Modena – door sales only February 13: Sidro Club, Savignano Sul Rubicone Watch the wonderfully…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2013 (100-75)

    December 10, 2013 - By 

    It’s that time of year again: End Of Year” lists are steadily rolling in from every conceivable direction, many of us are still debating the BBC Sound of… verdict for next year and we’re all silently pondering our own favourite albums and EPs of the last twelve months. Closer to home, it’s been yet another ridiculously impressive year for Irish music, both North and South. Since January 1, right up until the writing of this article (December 10), a single week hasn’t gone by that wasn’t soundtracked in some way by the very best in new, homegrown music. As such –…

  • Stream: The Groundlings – Life Is Fine/Roses Red, Violence Blue

    December 9, 2013 - By 

    Belfast-based rock n’ roll band The Groundlings have unveiled a stream of two new tracks titled ‘Life Is Fine’ and ‘Roses Red, Violence Blue’. Two brilliantly garagey efforts from the three-piece – recorded by the band themselves – both tracks are expected to feature on a six-track EP at some point in the new year. The Groundlings play a Cramps Tribute night at Belfast’s Voodoo on February 8. Go here for the event page. Stream ‘Life Is Fine’ and ‘Roses Red, Violence Blue’ below.

  • Watch: The Late David Turpin – Fur

    December 6, 2013 - By 

    Taken from his third studio album We Belong Dead, Dublin-based singer-songwriter The Late David Turpin has unveiled the video to his new single, ‘Fur’. Made in collaboration with photographer Mark Duggan and the actress Julie Shanley as well as friends of Turpin, the video was inspired by Derek Jarman’s The Angelic Conversation and Jean Cocteatu’s La Belle et la Bete. Speaking of the video, Turpin said, “When I made ‘Fur’ I was thinking about hair. Because we live in a pornographic society, hair – like all the realities of the body – is something we seem to either fetishise or…

  • Red Enemy sign to Mediaskare, release new video

    December 6, 2013 - By 

    In a brilliant one-two, Dublin progressive hardcore/metal band Red Enemy have announced they have joined the roster of U.S.-based Mediaskare Records, unveiling the video to their latest single ‘Changing The End’ in the process. In a post on their official Facebook page, the five-piece said, “We’re chuffed to announce that we have officially joined the Mediaskare Records roster. Mediaskare has been the home to some of our best friends and favourite metal bands down through the years and it’s truly an honour to be a part of their future plans. You can expect an album in 2014 but we will have more…

  • Nebraska @ QFT

    December 6, 2013 - By 

    From Friday December 6 right up until Sunday December 22, Queen’s Film Theatre Belfast will be screening Alexander Payne’s latest film, Nebraska. Having established his filmmaking style on the likes of Sideways, About Schmidt and the The Descendants, Payne’s latest film sets a very odd couple off on a journey – this time across the plains of the small-town Midwest. Boasting a cast including Bruce Dern (pictured), Will Forte and June Squibb, the move is, according to the QFT website, “an affectionate but refreshingly unsentimental portrait of small-town America, and the complex, often troubled, relationships we have with our parents,…

  • Out To Lunch Arts Festival 2014 Line-up Revealed

    December 4, 2013 - By 

    Boasting appearances from acts and people as diverse as ventriloquist Nina Conti, Irish novelist Edna O’Brien and multi-faceted English rock musician Julian Cope (above), the line-up for the ninth annual Out To Lunch Festival has been announced. Taking place from January 2 to January 26, the annual Belfast festival of music, arts and culture will commence with Scala Strings at The Black Box on Thursday, January 2 and conclude with the closing day of an exhibition by Julian Friers titled In Concert. There’s dozens of fantastic shows on throughout the festival’s three-week stint, all of which (including ticket bookings) you can…

  • London Grammar, Go Wolf @ Limelight, Belfast

    December 5, 2013 - By 

    London Grammar are what you’d call a success story. An indie band that had nothing whatsoever in terms of recorded output this time last year now find themselves with a number two debut album, a top 20 single and a near-sell out UK tour under their belts. This kind of instant and successful leap into the collective conscience is, presumably, what we refer to when we talk about bands ‘making it’ – and it just so happens that tonight’s support act is a band from Northern Ireland who have been tipped for big things themselves. Whilst Go Wolf‘s style couldn’t…

  • Fionnaula Fagan’s Dreaming Protected Me at the MAC

    December 3, 2013 - By 

    On Friday, December 6, sound and installation artist Fionnuala Fagan will present Dreaming Protected Me at Belfast’s The Mac. An evocative and thought-provoking performance, it shares the extraordinary experiences and insights of six people who have lived through either the Bosnian conflict or the Northern Irish troubles, via newly composed songs, voiceovers and visuals. For the premier of this production, Fionnuala will be joined on-stage at the MAC by musicians, Clare Galway, Patrick Davy and Una McCann, with visual designs by video artist, Conan McIvor. This evening also marks the launch of the double-disc album of the work. Go here…