• Underworld, Sloucho and More for AVA 2025

    In one way or another, we say it every year: AVA Festival just keeps levelling up. Hands down one of the island’s very best summer festivals – and an electronic institution in Belfast – AVA returns to take over the Titanic Slipways across 30-31st May. With a new, arts-focused initiative to be announced in the coming weeks, this year’s line-up is more than enough to get us excited. For edition number 11, organisers have brought together headliners including Underworld and Overmono, and countless big hitters, among them VTSS, KI/KI, 999999999, Job Jobse, Sally C and Tommy Holohan. A slew of…

  • Applications Open to Perform Stendhal 2025

    We’ve a lot of love for Stendhal Festival here at The Thin Air. When Glasgowbury took its final bow at Eagle’s Rock in Draperstown in 2013, there was, despite the sadness, a shared belief that Stendhal could pick up the baton, fill the gap and create something even bigger and better for the future. Sixteen years later, the annual Limavady festival hasn’t just filled the gap – it has redefined what a homegrown festival can be. Stendhal has become a cornerstone of NI’s cultural calendar and a beacon for creativity, collaboration and unforgettable live experiences. At the heart of this…

  • Nine Inch Nails Set For Dublin Return

    Nine Inch Nails have announced their highly-anticipated return to Dublin. Two years on from playing the venue, Trent Reznor and co. will return for a show at 3Arena on June 15th. The show doubles up as the opening night of the band’s Peel It Back world tour, the full dates of which are below. Tickets for Nine Inch Nails at Dublin’s 3Arena go on sale at 12pm next Wednesday, January 29. Revisit a stone-cold NIN classic below. Photo by Jenn Five

  • Brilliant Corners 2025 Announced

    If you’re into jazz or just good music in general, you’ll hopefully already know that Brilliant Corners is one of the top festivals in Ireland – and year 13 is shaping up to be something special. Big shout-out to the legends at Moving on Music who’ve been making this happen year after year, pushing the boundaries of jazz and bringing a level of talent to Belfast that you won’t find anywhere else. It’s not just one of the best jazz festivals around – it’s straight-up one of the best festivals on the island, full stop. From 28th February to 8th…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 17th January

    From every corner of the island, here’s the very best music of the week, featuring brand new Mantua, Chalk, BICEP, Joshua Burnside, Cruel Sister and more Mantua – high talk//swell divide high talk//swell divide by Mantua Chalk – Afraid BICEP – CHROMA 008 TANGZ Joshua Burnside – Climb the Tower Cruel Sister – XOXO Hotgirl – On The Brink Good Skin – On a Night For Lovers Ria Rua – I Love That For You

  • Track-by-Track: Leo Miyagee – VEIN OF FOLLY

    VEIN OF FOLLY marks the first fully collaborative project from Belfast-based rapper Leo Miyagee and producer Eulogy, a release that delves into “the delicate balance between sanity and insanity that exists within us all.” This seven-track collection is a genre-pushing masterclass, drawing on influences from the late 2010s SoundCloud rap era, ambient icons like Clams Casino, 회사AUTO, and Burial, as well as UK rap and grime. The duo breaks down the writing and production behind each track, joined by Chris McKenna, a third member of their collective, who contributed to the project’s world-building, creative direction, artwork, and conceptual references—including inspiration…

  • Second Edition of Femme Fest Set for Róisín Dubh

    Last July, Galway’s Shark School hosted the very first Femme Fest at Róisín Dubh. Alongside the garage rock contenders, the event – dubbed “a collection of the most badass, rockin’, female-fronted bands in the country right now” – made a strong debut, featuring Shark School, Cruel Sister, Affection to Rent, Vernon Jane, and Red Sun Alert. Now, six months later, Shark School have gone all out for the festival’s second edition. Taking place on Thursday, 27th February, it also serves as a stellar showcase of female-fronted bands from across the island, as well as some of the fiercest and fastest-rising…

  • Earth Set for Long-Awaited Irish Return

    Earth, one of the most seismic and influential bands in contemporary music, are set to return to Ireland after more than a decade. The long-running sonic vision of Dylan Carlson – drone pioneer, rock sage, and genre-redefining master – Earth have shaped some of the most defining releases of the past 30 years. From the groundbreaking Earth 2 to their latest LP Full Upon Her Burning Lips, via classics like Hex and The Bees Made Honey in the Lion’s Skull, Carlson and an evolving lineup – currently joined by long-time drummer Adrienne Davies – have continuously transformed, securing their place…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Releases of 2024

    We made it. Another year, another chapter in the ever-expanding story of extraordinary Irish music. At the close of last year’s list, we dared 2024 to rise to the challenge. Twelve months later, this island’s unstoppable scene hasn’t just answered the call – it’s once again shattered expectations. Emerging voices and seasoned icons, bedroom producers and global trailblazers alike have flipped the script, raised the bar and delivered a tapestry of sound as diverse as it is thrilling. In our 2022 round-up, we noted how Irish music seemed to channel the chaos of the world, and that urgency hasn’t let…