• Glen Hansard @ Seamus Heaney HomePlace, Bellaghy

    January 17, 2017 - By 

    “Imagining a hero On some muddy compound, His gift like a slingstone Whirled for the desperate.” Seamus Heaney – Exposure Having spent the last while in the eye of the Apollo House maelstrom and the ensuing bureaucracy that continues to surround it, the unassuming presence of Glen Hansard in Seamus Heaney HomePlace this evening is – before he even plays a note – testament to the character of a man and artist who doesn’t perceive a hierarchy between musician and listener; celebrity and fan; government and citizen. In much the same way one of his most potent influences in Heaney never entertained the…

  • Output Belfast Reveal 2017 Line-up

    January 16, 2017 - By 

    Set to return to the city for its third year in a row on Thursday, February 16, the line-up for this year’s Output Belfast – the country’s largest music conference – has been revealed. Organised by Belfast City Council in partnership with Generator NI, the conference – which takes place between the MAC and the Oh Yeah Music Centre – will include panel discussions, music sessions, workshops and speed networking events as well as keynote speeches from award-winning musicians and managers of globally-recognised talent. With specifics venues, line-ups and times to be announced, a series of free shows hosted by the…

  • Premiere: The Mad Dalton – Oh Marseille

    January 15, 2017 - By 

    Taken from his forthcoming debut album, which is set for release at some point this year, ‘Oh Marseille’ is the latest single from Belfast-based Scots-Canadian singer-songwriter Peter Sumadh AKA The Mad Dalton. Featuring Zarah Fleming on cello and Ciaran “Scruffy” Gallagher on accordion, the track – a gently affecting folk-classical ballad produced by James Lyttle at Lisburn’s Millbank Studios – is something of a delicate, more formalised departure from previous material, including October single ‘The Devil Came To Derry’. Have a first listen to the single and check out Dog Kennel Productions’ video below. ‘Oh Marseille’ is officially released on Saturday, January…

  • Run The Jewels Set For Dublin and Belfast

    January 16, 2017 - By 

    Having surprise released their self-titled third studio album on Christmas Day, Run The Jewels have announced that they’ll kick-start the forthcoming European leg of a World tour with a brace of Irish shows. Killer Mike and El-P will stop off at Belfast’s Limelight on March 28 (poster above has incorrect date) and Dublin’s Olympia on March 30. Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 20th at 10am. Go here for Caolan Coleman’s review of RTJ3.

  • Monday Mixtape: Alana Henderson

    January 16, 2017 - By 

    In the latest installment of Monday Mixtape, fast-rising, Belfast-based cellist and songwriter Alana Henderson selects some of her all-time favourite songs from the likes of Nick Drake, Crooked Still and Ani DiFranco. Ane Brun – Big in Japan I love her reworking of this 80s hit. Her voice is so pure, it gives me chills. Nick Drake – Cello Song Had me at ‘cello’, but there’s more to it than just that. I don’t think anyone can match Nick Drake for gorgeous melancholy. The intimacy of the lyrics in ‘Cello Song’ is what really floors me. Arthur Russell – Wild Combination Arthur Russell,…

  • Premiere: Feather Beds – ‘Headache Dreams’

    January 13, 2017 - By 

    Back in August of 2015, we premiered Ah Stop, a stellar, four-track EP from Dublin producer Michael Orange AKA Feather Beds. Seventeen months on, Orange has resurfaced with the news that he will release a new album, Blooming, later this year. To tide us over in the meantime, we’re very pleased to premiere its first single, ‘Headache Dreams’, a whirling, tripped-out surge of electronica summoning Porcelain Raft, Jape and Panda Bear. We’re big fans. Feather Beds should and hopefully will be massive. Have a first listen below.

  • Video Premiere: Saramai – Heavenly

    January 13, 2017 - By 

    Having popped up on the likes of Hard Working Class Heroes and Other Voices last year, Co. Meath duo Samarai straddle a wonderfully inviting line between longing chamber pop and straight-up balladry. The third track on their sublime Magnetic North EP, the ‘Heavenly’ distils the duo’s essence to a song conjuring the subtle, gossamer-like emotive power of This Mortal Coil’s ‘Song to the Siren’ and ‘Mysteries of Love’ by Julee Cruise. Currently working on a new single which they will release in the coming weeks with their eyes on a full-length album, Saramai play Dublin’s Workman’s Club on Tuesday for Syrias…

  • Brilliant Corners Announce 2017 Programme

    January 11, 2017 - By 

    One of the country’s most reliably consistent and forward-thinking jazz festivals, the line-up has been revealed for the fifth outing of Moving on Music’s Brilliant Corners. Set return to various venues in Belfast from March 7-11, the festival pays homage to the inimitable Charles Mingus with I Am Three, get experimental with Sirene 1009 and FAINT+, showcase some stellar local talent with Hands, Organ Failure, and Joseph Leighton, delve into full prog-rock mode with Belgian guitar trio Dans Dans and Norwegian guitar-bass-drum blasters Hedvig Mollestad Trio, before bowing out with Robocobra Quartet and Strobes. Elsewhere, Belfast Film Festival will once again be screening some…

  • 12 Irish Acts Set for SXSW ’17

    January 10, 2017 - By 

    Ahh, South By Southwest. Fully indispensable festival and conference or overly hectic annual industry circus? The jury still seems to be out on that one but, as far we’re concerned at least, it’s firmly slotted in the former camp. Set to return to Austin from March 10-19, this year’s outing will see 12 of its 500 acts – including several TTA favourites – flying in from the Emerald Isle. With the likes of Enemies, Rusangano Family and Saint Sister featuring last year, SXSW ’17 will see Robocobra Quartet, Ryan Vail, LOAH (pictured), Silences, Birds of Olympus, Jealous of the Birds, A.S Fanning, The Academic, Picture…

  • RTÉ Choice Music Prize Shortlist Revealed

    January 11, 2017 - By 

    With a new primary sponsor in RTÉ in tow, the shortlist for this year’s Choice Music Prize has been revealed on 2FM’s Tracy Clifford Show by Tony Clayton-Lea. Set to take place at its home at Dublin’s Vicar Street on March 9 (tickets here) the 12th annual award will once again celebrate and acknowledge the best in Irish recorded music, with one winning act walking away with €10,000 on the night. Set to be chosen by a panel of twelve Irish music media professionals and industry experts, the following ten releases will vie for the prize: All Tvvins – IIVV (Warner Music) Bantum…