• Stream: Jealous of the Birds and Ryan Vail – ‘Love is a Crow’

    Having received airplay on Lauren Laverne’s BBC 6Music show yesterday, ‘Love is a Crow’ is a one-off collaboration from Derry’s Ryan Vail and Portadown’s Naomi Hamilton AKA Jealous of the Birds. Melding a trickle of sublime spoken word from the latter and a bobbing flurry of beats and spectral synth-work from the former, the single is accompanied by remixes from The Cyclist and Belfast’s Dee Lucille AKA DIE HEXEN. Dig below.

  • Chelsea Wolfe Set For Dublin Show

    Two years on from an extraordinary show at The Button Factory, Californian singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe has announced that she will return to Dublin to play Whelan’s on April 15. Kicking off an 11 date European tour that concludes in Athens two weeks later, full ticket details for the show – including price – are yet to be announced. Check out the full European tour dates below and stream a highlight from her 2015 album Abyss below.

  • Ride Announce Irish Dates

    30 years on from forming in Oxford, shoegaze pioneers Ride have announced they will play Belfast’s Limelight on March 21 and Dublin’s Olympia on March 22. Having been busy working on their first studio album in twenty years, Andy Bell and co. reunited in 2014 and performed a series of tour dates in Europe and Northern America in early 2015, as well as playing the likes of Coachella and Primavera. Tickets for both shows go on sale this Friday, January 27, priced £24 + booking fee for Belfast and 34.50 inc. booking fee for Dublin.

  • Watch: For Foresters – Towels

    Having been playing together for the better part of six years, Donegal/Dublin trio For Foresters are a self-proclaimed theatrical, poetic and expressive act comprised of Gabriel Paschal Blake, Conal Doherty and Gary Hamilton. Presenting themselves as “not just musicians but storytellers who recite their pro’s through raw, rustic tunes” their debut single ‘Towels’ is a strong and summoning effort that – whilst certainly a long time coming – has been worth the wait. Accompanied a sublime – albeit rather bleak – video courtesy of Charlie Joe Doherty featuring Michael Kennedy, the single is a swelling cloud of first-rate experimental ambient…

  • Having The Last Laugh: An Interview with Susan Calman

    If laughter is indeed the best medicine, then Scottish comedian, actress and writer Susan Calman should be designated GP. Having imbued her diverse and far-reaching career with promoting mental health awareness via her own personal experience, Calman talks to Brian Coney about process, profile and positivity ahead of appearing at Belfast’s the MAC on February 5 (tickets and full info here). Hi, Susan. You’re setting off on a string of tour dates in February. How are you feeling about the shows? And tell us more about this particular show, The Calman Before The Storm. I’m really looking forward to getting out on…

  • New Additions to Iveagh Gardens Line-Up

    Two new dates have been added to this year’s series of shows at Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens. With Fleet Foxes, Passenger and Damien Dempsey already set to play dates, it’s been announced that Baltimore’s Future Islands and Scottish indie rock heroes Belle and Sebastian (pictured) will play the annual concert series on Thursday, July 6 and Thursday, July 20 respectively. Tickets for Future Islands go on sale on January 27, whilst tickets for Belle and Sebastian go on sale on January 30. Both are priced €45.

  • Watch: Bad Sea – Solid Air

    When it was released back in September last year, TTA’s Aoife O’Donoghue said ‘Solid Air’ by Dublin duo of Ciara Thompson AKA CMAT and Alan Farrel Bad Sea had “a wistful quality that evokes nostalgic memories of hazy summer days.” Ahead of what’s expected to be a busy 2017 for the fast-rising pair, they have just unveiled Ricardo Deakin’s video for said debut single, a narrative-driven, nicely presented accompaniment impressively reflecting the hidden fragility that can often underpin a relationship. Have a peek.