• Premiere: Goodtime John – Beauty & Chaos

    May 20, 2019 - By 

    Also known as J. Cowhie and GOODTIME, Dublin experimental folk singer-songwriter Goodtime John has long had a remarkable knack for excavating the unspeakable pangs of what it means to exist, survive, forgive, suffer and let go. And though he could surely do it in a much showier manner, it’s in skeletal, largely unadorned compositions where his art and truth comes into sharp focus. On June 24th, he will release a new five-track record, Beauty & Chaos. Recorded completely analogue using only vintage hardware, guitar and drum machine by Emil Isaksson in Studio Möllan in Malmö, love, loss, home, struggle and “being present in today’s over-complicated world” are,…

  • Gary Numan Set For Dublin Show

    May 20, 2019 - By 

    Gary Numan will return to Dublin later this year. The pioneering synth-pop artist and genre-warping artist will play the Olympia Theatre on September 22nd. The show takes place as part of his (R)evolution 40th anniversary tour. Tickets go on sale this Friday at 8am, priced €34.65.

  • Premiere: M.Cambridge – My Sailor Boy

    May 17, 2019 - By 

    Branching out from his critically-acclaimed solo work as Arborist, Northern Irish singer-songwriter Mark McCambridge will release a new album as M.Cambridge next month. Released with help from Help Musicians NI on June 28th, Sea Songs: Anatomy of a Drowning Man is the result of McCambridge following his love of folk music out into the sea and onto the decks of 19th-century packet ships from Ireland, England, the USA and further afield. Traversing interpretations of sea shanties, weaver poems of Ulster and original material, the album was part-recorded in a Curfew Tower, owned by Bill Drummond, in the Co. Antrim town of…

  • Watch: Bouts – Passing Through

    May 17, 2019 - By 

    Not that you need reminding, but Dublin indie quartet Bouts released one of the Irish albums of the year (thus far) back in January. Released today, the fourth single to be taken from Flow is ‘Passing Through’ and what a timely, sun-drenched cut it is. Bounding with starry-eyed hooks, it’s a brisk but brilliant effort that faces down “the transience of life – friendship, music and attachment.” Move over ‘Get Lucky’ – this is the sound of the (Irish) summer. Check out Teresa Weikmann’s video for the single below.

  • Line-Up Announced for Another Love Story 2019

    May 16, 2019 - By 

    One of the country’s very best small summer festivals, Another Love Story will return to Killon Manor in Co. Meath across August 16-18. Today, organisers have revealed the full line-up for its sixth edition. Featuring Dowry, The Redneck Manifesto, AE Mak, Junior Brother, Szun Waves, Maria Somerville, Kobina, Christian Loffler and many more, it’s arguably their strongest and most electric bill to date. See it below. Go here to buy tickets to ALS 2019.

  • Breaking The Plane: An Interview with Oh Sees’ John Dwyer

    May 15, 2019 - By 

    Released last year, Smote Reverser delivered yet another curveballing and nuanced listen from San Francisco garage-psych trailblazers Oh Sees. From the face-searing ‘Overthrown’ to the protracted groove frenzy of ‘Anthemic Aggressor’, it underscored the John Dwyer-fronted band’s rep as arguably the most prolific and forward-pushing rock band around. On Monday (May 20) and Tuesday (May 21), the band makes their long-awaited return to play Belfast and Dublin. Ahead of that, Brian Coney caught up with Dwyer to talk sci-fi, motivation, keep it exciting twenty-one albums in, what “psych” means to him and more. Photo by Thomas Girard ___ Hi John.…

  • Girl Band To Return With New Single, ‘Shoulderblades’

    May 13, 2019 - By 

    After a long time away, one of the country’s very best bands, Girl Band, will return with a new single next month. The Dara Kiely-fronted four-piece will release ‘Shoulderblades’ digitally on June 6 via Rough Trade and as a 12″ single, limited 750 copies with an etching on the b-side, on June 7. Pre-order it here now.

  • Stream: Duellists – Perspective

    May 10, 2019 - By 

    On Friday, May 24th, Northern Irish trio Duellists – a band comprising Throat rhythm section Mike Barr and Rus Crookes and Ex-Element guitarist Peter McCavery – will release their highly-anticipated debut album, Into the Fade. Across twelve tracks, it makes for a fierce, nostalgia-incinerating barrage of first-rate noise-rock, swiftly positioning the three-piece as one of the country’s most vital bands. New single ‘Perspective’ distills this down two face-melting minutes. Marrying a slew of riffs and taut rhythms with McCavery’s larynx-shredding vocals, it makes for a masterful, all-too-short rampage. Delve in and prepare to hit repeat below. Duellists play alongside Podracer at Dublin’s Underground…

  • Premiere: Department of Forever – A Simulation of Here

    May 8, 2019 - By 

    Over the last two decades, Irish sound designer and musician Steve Fanagan has composed and produced under a range of monikers including Northsta5on, Moose Eats Leaf, Small Group Primate, Wrecking Ball and others. His latest nominal conduit is Department of Forever. It’s a project the dense, meditative majesty of which is laid bare on a nine-track release, Unseen Pictures, set for release via new-fangled Irish indie imprint Wow & Flutter on Friday (May 10th). Originally improvised and recorded over a few days and then chopped up, edited, reworked and constructed, the album will (just like all releases set for release via Wow & Flutter) be limited…

  • Other Voices Set For Belfast Return

    May 8, 2019 - By 

    Other Voices is set to make it return to Belfast in the summer. Across June 14-16, the hugely successful Irish musical institution will team up with the 174 Trust to take over The Duncairn for another three days of musical and cultural events. With the line-up for this year’s outing to be announced soon, Ray Griffin of the Duncairn said, “To say that we are over the moon to have Other Voices returning to The Duncairn and our wonderful city is the understatement of the year.” “Central to the shared vision, and delivery of both organisations, is a love for music…