• Video Premiere: CATALAN! – OKA

    July 17, 2017 - By 

    His debut solo release outside of his work with alt-punk three-piece Axis Of, ‘OKA’ by Ewen Friers AKA CATALAN! is a track that, whilst certainly redolent of the subtly anthemic and nicely bombastic alt-punk of the aforementioned North Coast outfit, explores new, socially-conscious territory. Set for release this Friday (July 21), the opening gambit is a strong, bobbing effort that tussles with indigenous history and social media, hoping to “highlight the value of living in a reality where the human mind can be invigorated and bring positive change”. Inspired by Big Country, Why?, Crass, Les Savy Fav and The Knife, it’s a first release stemming…

  • EP Stream: Jon Dots – Impossibly

    July 17, 2017 - By 

    Jon Dots is the solo music-making moniker of Dublin-based writer and musician Darragh McCabe. Also drummer with one of the city’s most compelling alt-punk bands, three-piece Alien She, McCabe has honed brilliantly imaginative, texture-warping brand of indie-pop in the form of his debut EP Impossibly. A four-track release, it marries exquisite, harmony-laden instrumentation and occasional bursts of orchestration with delicately-worded tales that hit home via McCabe’s clear knack for composition in the vein of the likes of Ed Harcourt, Rufus Wainright, Dirty Projectors, Tune-Yards and early Of Montreal. Impossibly EP by Jon Dots

  • Townlands Carnival 2017

    July 17, 2017 - By 

    Following a stellar outing last year, one of Cork’s very finest summer festival propositions, Townlands Carnival, returns across to Leades House in Macroom across the weekend of July 21-23. Amongst the nicely varied bill of acts playing this year are Rubberbandits (pictured), bona fide Irish festival heroes King Kong Company, Cork’s Ellen King ELLLL, Dublin electronic indie act Le Boom, Om Unit, Hermitage Green, Stomptown Brass, Hvmmingbird, Shookrah and My Fellow Sponges. And taking in a whole host of cross-genre artistry and performance over the three days, this year’s line-up is brilliantly bolstered by spoken word, art trail and installations, a craft village, a children’s play ahead,…

  • EP Premiere: KILNN – KILNN

    July 12, 2017 - By 

    A release “stitched together from several late night experiments”, the self-titled debut EP from KILNN presents three bursts of darkly ambient techno that evokes the likes of Surgeon, Paula Temple and LFO at their most tenacious. Here, the pair – comprised of Rían Trench of Solar Bears and Chris Con of BUDU – have blurred the lines between dank warehouse all-nighters and back-alley futurism via a slew of atomizing beats and some brilliantly foggy ambience. With the promise of some “wild improvised hardware sets in the near future – have a first listen to the EP (which is self-released and will be…

  • Two Door Cinema Club @ Trinity College, Dublin

    July 12, 2017 - By 

    Making their last Irish appearance under the alias “Tudor Cinema club” in 2016, Northern Irish Two Door Cinema Club make their way to Trinity College in Dublin brandishing new material in the form of their latest album Gameshow, an eccentric stab at both new and old audiences that didn’t quite hit the mark for either. As such, it comes as no surprise that there is a definite expectation in the air for the group to rely on their debut Tourist History rather than force feed the crowd their latest venture. Starting off the night are support act Circa Waves, an…

  • Video Premiere: Bodies – I’m Waiting

    July 11, 2017 - By 

    The solo project of Dublin’s David Anthony McGeown AKA Bodies was last on our radar back in November with his debut single ‘Nightmoves’ – an opening gambit we premiered and thought was “right up there with the most curious and captivating debut singles from an Irish artist this year”. New single ‘I’m Waiting’ is taken from a forthcoming EP and finds navigate ambitious and rather spirited alt-pop territory. Better still, the track – recorded at Clique in Straffan, Co. Kildare – is very nicely brought to life via a video written by McGeown and created by Shaun Ryan and Jeff Doyle of…

  • Documenta To Support The Charlatans on Irish Dates

    July 10, 2017 - By 

    Having supported the Tim Burgess-fronted band at Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in 2015 – and later performed at the Burgess-curated Tim Peaks Stage at Festival No. 6 – Belfast drone-pop septet Documenta will support The Charlatans on the Irish leg of their forthcoming December tour. With support on the other shows coming from Average Sex, the Joe Greene-fronted band will support The Charlatans at Dublin’s The Academy on December 10 and Limelight’s Belfast on December 11. Tickets are on sale now.

  • Protomartyr Set For Dublin Show

    July 10, 2017 - By 

    Having last played the city in March last year, Detroit post-punk heroes Protomartyr will return to Dublin for a show at Whelan’s on Saturday, November 18. Support on the night will come from Sauna Youth and Tuam’s finest, Oh Boland. Tickets on sale now priced €16.50 excluding booking fee. Protomartyr released one of the albums of 2015 in The Agent Intellect. Revisit it below.

  • Premiere: Lie Ins – Loose Lips Are For Losers/Sweet Galway

    July 10, 2017 - By 

    We’re pleased to present a first listen to the new double-single from one of the country’s finest indie-folk pop propositions, Dublin three-piece and Popical Island bunch Lie Ins. The fourth in a series, ‘Loose Lips Are For Losers’ (backed with b-side ‘Sweet Galway’) is a digital-only release, recorded completely on four-track cassette by Mark Chester and Ruan van Vliet and written by Mike Stevens. In typical Lie Ins form, the A-side – which is a track that “bemoans the loss of youth and of youthful friends” – is a catching burst of first-rate lo-fi indie-punk that will, if you let it, burrow in the…

  • Video Premiere: The Tragedy of Dr. Hannigan – Hey Little Worried One

    July 7, 2017 - By 

    The self-proclaimed bastard child of North Coast musician Tony Wright AKA VerseChorusVerse and producer and multi-instrumentalist Mr Dean Stevens AKA Deany Darko, The Tragedy of Dr Hannigan is a project that has already won acclaim from the likes of BBC Radio 1’s Phil Taggart, Radio Ulster’s Ralph McLean and RTE’s Dan Hegarty ahead of schedule. And with good reason. Featuring guest vocals from Stephen Macartney of The Farriers, debut single ‘Hey Little Worried One’ is a ridiculously earworming, quintessentially feel-good effort that is, in its blithe tone and swaggering sway, is much more ditty than song. And – let’s face it –…