• Preview: Recreating The Velvet Underground & Nico @ The MAC

    May 16, 2017 - By 

    This Saturday (May 20) Belfast’s the MAC will host a special event celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Velvet Underground’s seminal debut, The Velvet Underground and Nico. We speak to bandleader Donal Scullion about its legacy and what to expect on the night. Go here to buy tickets, priced £12.50-£25.00. Hi, Donal. How did the idea for this show first come about? Had been chatting to Stu Campbell (The MAC), he said they were thinking of doing the 50th anniversary of that album and would I be interested in playing or organizing it. It was always a big album for me…

  • Sun Kil Moon Set For Vicar Street

    May 16, 2017 - By 

    Having released his eighth studio album, Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood, back in February, Mark Kozelek AKA Sun Kil Moon will play Dublin’s Vicar Street on November 28. His biggest ever headline show here, tickets for the show – which will be fully-seated and come at the end of a European tour that will see Kozelek and his band play eleven countries in seventeen days – go on sale at 9am this Friday priced €29.80 including booking fee. Read Justin McDaid’s review of Common as Light… here.

  • Watch: RUTH – Off My Mind

    May 15, 2017 - By 

    Fast becoming one of the country’s finest alt-pop propositions, Co. Kerry’s RUTH caught our attention back in October with her single ‘Queen of the Con’. A few months on, new single ‘Off My Mind’ goes one further, proving a slick, synth-driven effort that perfect encapsulates her knack for a killer, FM-friendly hook. Be warned: this one burrows deep. Check out the track and its rather celestial visuals (courtesy of Ciarán O’Brien) below.

  • Festival Mixtape: Longitude 2017

    May 15, 2017 - By 

    Set to return to Dublin’s Marlay Park across July 14-16, the bill for this year’s Longitude is yet another mix of hip-hop, pop and indie. Headlined by Stormzy, The Weeknd (pictured) and Mumford and Sons, the focus is on some big names, divvied by some more under-the-radar acts and some homegrown sounds. Ahead of this year’s outing, here’s our annual festival mixtape, featuring Tom Misch, JP Cooper, Milky Chance and more. Go here to buy tickets to Longitude 2017.

  • Preview: Heliopause on The Passion of Joan of Arc Film Live Score @ The MAC

    May 12, 2017 - By 

    Ahead of teaming up with This Ship Argo to live score Carl Theodor Dreyer’s classic 1928 silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc at Belfast’s the MAC on Thursday, May 18, Belfast musician Richard Davis AKA Heliopause talks to Brian Coney about the process, impetus and collaborative drive underlying the project. Go here to buy tickets Hi Richard, first off – how did the project come about? What drew you guys to The Passion of Joan of Arc? I first watched the film a few years ago when working at The Duke of Yorks cinema in Brighton with my friend & co-worker Sophie,…

  • Stream: Morrissey and Marshall – She’s Got Love

    May 12, 2017 - By 

    Set to release their new album, We Rise, on May 26, London-based Dublin duo Morrissey and Marshall know a thing or two about the craft of classic songwriting. With a pop-centric sound conjuring the refined, harmony-driven quintessence of The Thrills, The Charlatans, the duo’s latest single, ‘She’s Got Love’, channels the more earworming – and decidedly sun-kissed – peaks of Britpop’s more discerning exponents, whilst filtering the influence through the prism of their own compositionally slick approach. We’re fans.

  • The National Set for Cork and Dublin

    May 11, 2017 - By 

    Having been dropping hints over the last while, The National have announced that they will release their seventh studio album, Sleep Well Beast, via 4AD on September 8. To coincide with its release, the band will kick off a word tour at Cork’s Opera House as part on September 16 as part of this year’s Sounds from a Sae Harbour Festival, followed by two night at Dublin’s Vicar Street (September 17 and 18). Tickets – priced €60 for Cork and Dublin TBC – go on sale on Friday, May 19 at 10am, with pre-sale tickets on Tuesday, May 16 at 10am. This…

  • Girl Band Cancel All Upcoming Shows

    May 9, 2017 - By 

    Having previously cancelled tour dates in 2015 and 2016 for the same reason, Dublin’s Girl Band have announced that all upcoming tour dates have been cancelled due to health issues. Posting on Facebook, the band said, “We’re very sorry to announce that due to health issues in the band we have to cancel all upcoming shows for this year. We sincerely apologise to all the promoters and fans affected by this.” As comments under said status have already repeatedly pointed out, health is paramount here; the fans can wait, health cannot. All the best to the guys from everyone at…

  • Premiere: Citog Records – Volume 2: Melancholia in the Mirror

    May 9, 2017 - By 

    Home to some of our favourite artists from the West of Ireland, Galway independent, artist-run label Citóg Records will launch their second compilation at their spiritual home at the Roisin Dubh on Thursday night in association with Strange Brew. Featuring everyone from Drown, Field Trip, New Pope to Whim, Eoin Dolan and Majestic Bears, the fourteen-track release is a carefully-curated, genre-spanning collection of tracks, perfectly encapsulating the imprint’s dedication to commitment to eclectic, homegrown sounds and their firm – and on-point – belief that their neck of the woods is a “culturally significant, artistically stimulating” bastion of creativity. Playing on the launch night are The…

  • Com Truise To Play Button Factory

    May 9, 2017 - By 

    His first Dublin headline show since playing the Grand Social back in 2011, American producer Seth Haley AKA Com Truise will play the Button Factory on Saturday, November 4. The show – presented by the ever-tasteful Hidden Agenda – will come off the back of the release of Haley’s first album in six years, Iteration, out via Ghostly International on June 16. Tickets – priced €11.03 – €13.23 – are on sale now.