• A4 Sounds Presents: Hands Up Who Wants to Die & Fixity

    August 22, 2019 - By 

    Having brought together some of the country’s very best acts (Silverbacks & Extravision, The Altered Hours & Jogging) in its previous two outings, A4 Sounds returns on Saturday, August 24th with another stellar two-act bill. Kicking off in the St Joseph’s Parade community art hub from 8-11pm, the BYOB show brings together the boundlessly forward-pushing Dan Walsh aka FIXITY and Dublin noise rock leviathans Hands Up Who Wants To Die. Best bring earplugs. Central to A4 Sounds’ ethos as a not-for-profit organisation is “to shift the cultural norm of undervaluing the work of musicians by providing a fair wage.” As such, tickets for…

  • Mixtape Preview: Teenage Superstars

    August 19, 2019 - By 

    Running (independently) parallel with equally generation-shaping scenes in cities like Washington and Minnesota, Scotland was a singularly fertile ganglion of DIY and indie music throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s. From Teenage Fanclub and The Vaselines to The Jesus and Mary Chain and Primal Scream, towns like Bellshill and East Kilbride – as well much bigger scenes in Glasgow – gave rise to some of the most influential artists of a generation. Such a mottled and many-chaptered narrative can’t exactly be reeled off or pared down into a précis, which is perhaps why few books – and much fewer films…

  • Electric Picnic 2019 Line-Up Announced

    March 13, 2019 - By 

    The line-up for this year’s Electric Picnic has been announced. With more acts to be announced over the coming months, the first wave includes the likes of The Strokes (pictured), Florence & The Machine, Hozier, The 1975 and many more. See the full first line-up below. Returning to Stradbally Hall in Co. Laois across August 30th-September 1st, go here for more information about this year’s festival.

  • 40 New Acts Added to Electric Picnic Bill

    August 14, 2019 - By 

    With just over a month to go, Electric Picnic have revealed the names of forty new acts set to play this year’s festival. Returning to Stradbally Hall in Co. Laois across August 30-September 1st, the festival has announced that Johnny Marr (pictured), Charli XCX, Richard Ashcroft and J Hus will join the likes of the already-announced The Strokes, Billie Eilish, Four Tet, James Blake and more. Check out the current line-up below and go here for more info. This year’s Electric Picnic is sold-out.

  • Line-Up Announced for Body & Soul Stage at Electric Picnic

    July 29, 2019 - By 

    The line-up for the Body & Soul stage at this year’s Electric Picnic has been announced. Featuring the likes of Arvo Party, The Claque (pictured), Inni-K, Padda Hanna and Fonda, the full line-up for the stage – which is always a consistently eclectic affair at the annual Stradbally Estate festival – can be viewed below. This year’s EP line-up features everyone from The Strokes, Billie Eilish and Four Tet to Roisin Murphy, Sons of Kemet and Mitski. Go here to check out the full line-up for the festival, which returns to Co. Laois across August 30th to September 1st. Tickets…

  • Monday Mixtape: Elma Orkestra & Ryan Vail

    August 12, 2019 - By 

    In the latest installment of Monday Mixtape, Eoin O’Callaghan aka Elma Orkestra and Ryan Vail – a duo who has recently released one of the Irish albums of the year in Borders – select some of the tracks made an imprint on writing and recording of the project. Catch Borders, live, at the following upcoming shows: Stendhal Festival – 16th August Electric Picnic – 30th August Max Richter – On The Nature of Daylight (Entropy) This has been one of our favourite tunes to date. We’ve been listening to it since its release many years ago. Most recognise it from the…

  • Preview: Féile na Gréine 2019

    August 12, 2019 - By 

    It’s no longer up for debate: right now, the network of promoters, venues and artists that make up Ireland’s extraordinary DIY music scene (singular) is the strongest and most homogeneous that it’s ever been. From Dundalk, Cork, and Belfast to Letterkenny, Dublin, Derry and beyond, incalculable good people are putting on world-beating shows and festivals, featuring acts of every ilk and every conceivable corner of the island. No area or sound is being overlooked. No band is stranded in the arse-end of nowhere after a show. Blind, sweeping reverence for Dublin as some sort of untouchable bastion of Irish music…

  • Chromatic Launches With a Beautiful One-Shot Performance From Saint Sister

    August 9, 2019 - By 

    Over the coming weeks and months we’ll be teaming up with Chromatic, a Dublin-based duo who film performances using unique spaces as visual and acoustic backdrops. The vision of long-time friends Kieran “Sherry” Sheridan and Ror Conaty – who have both been active in the Dublin music scene for years – Chromatic is a series born from a joint desire to “open up music/musician circles to audiences who might not be aware of the artists on their doorstep.” Sheridan and Conaty correlated that with their love of outdoor natural space, as well as unique buildings and history that’s found across the…

  • Line-up Announced for Ireland Music Week 2019

    August 8, 2019 - By 

    The fifty Irish acts selected to perform at this year’s Irish Music Week has been revealed. Formerly known as Hard Working Class Heroes, the festival and conference “is dedicated to showcasing the very best in new Irish music” and will run in various venues in Dublin across October 1st to 5th. Featuring everyone from Autre Monde and Junior Brother to Maija Sofia (pictured) and Sun Mahshene, check out the full line-up (which, to our surprise, features a handful of acts from previous years and no artists from a currently-thriving Limerick scene) below.

  • Watch: MELTS – Seesaw

    August 7, 2019 - By 

    On their new single, ‘Seesaw’, Dublin five-piece MELTS hit the sweet spot between BJM-leaning, lysergic-dappled garage that pushes forward and wonderfully blissed-out psych conjuring old masters including Jefferson Airplane and Syd-era Pink Floyd. Recorded live at the Meadow by the Deaf Brothers, mixed by Rian Trench and mastered by Fergal Davis, the track – which doubles up as the band’s most inspired single effort to date – features visuals courtesy of Gavin Ovoca and the band. Delve in below. Supported by Grave Goods and Fonda, MELTS launch the single at Dublin’s Bello Bar on Friday, September 20.