• Premiere: SlowPlaceLikeHome – Tiger Lilly

    May 17, 2016 - By 

    Written, recorded, and produced in the forests of South Donegal, where all his previous releases have originated from, the new Double A-side single by Keith Mannion AKA SlowPlaceLikeHome reveals the workings of an artist constantly evolving his craft. Set for 10″ release on May 23, ‘Tiger Lilly/Friday’ sees Mannion move more toward the live setting with production. Where 8 minute B-side ‘Friday’ tells the tale of a self-styled magician and Coulrophobic called Friday, the former – which we premiere here – is a burrowing electro-pop gem that tells the story of reflective delinquency from the eyes of a night owl. Nice. SlowPlaceLikeHome play…

  • Video Premiere: Tuath – Existence is Futile

    May 17, 2016 - By 

    A self-described multilingual experimental, progressive psych rock/shoegaze band”, Donegal’s Tuath (or tribe in Gaelic) have quickly established themselves as one of the country’s most singular propositions. With a heavy-metal influenced rhythm section and hints of jazz fusion woven throughout their sound, they are far from in the business of seeking slick categorisation – a fact impressively confirmed on their forthcoming second EP. Set for digital release on June 15, the lead/title from Existence is Futile is a downtempo gem that sits somewhere between a lamenting Madlib instrumental and a trip-hop inspired Praxis jam. Directed by Raymond McBride, the track’s accompanying video proves a suitable hallucinatory backdrop here. Check out our…

  • Album stream: Overhead, The Albatross – Learning To Growl

    May 17, 2016 - By 

    Having formed back in hazy mists of time (2009), there’s something particularly gratifying seeing Dublin instrumental six-piece Overhead, The Albatross all but swamped with acclaim following the release their long-awaited debut album, Learning To Growl. Recorded at Clique Recordings and mixed by Phillip Magee, its nine tracks burst forth in masterful triumph, touchably impassioned and perfectly restless from opener ‘Indie Rose’ right up to ‘Big River Man’, a finale that serves as an emphatic full stop. Whilst many releases of this ilk is by its very nature necessarily “cathartic” (and not always with a degree of sophistication to warrant its nascency) OTA have bypassed formulaic rubric to forge their own brand of quite vital instrumentalism that demands your attention from the off.…

  • Watch: No Monster Club – Drinking at the Doldrums

    May 17, 2016 - By 

    With an opening theme sounding Metronomy jamming Daniel Johnston’s ‘Some Things Last A Long Time’ after one too many hours drifting on a carousel, ‘Drinking at the Doldrums’ is quintessential No Monster Club. Doubling up “the official No Monster Club video game – the world’s first ‘choose your own adventure’ moment in which you are given no options whatsoever” features NMC himself Bobby Aherne foraging and possibly getting a little lost in a forest. As for the track itself? You’ll be humming it for years. Probably.

  • Open Ear Festival

    May 16, 2016 - By 

    With the perfectly gallant promise of hosting “the best experimental music Ireland has to offer (and the occasional dance floor banger)” the inaugural Open Ear Festival takes place at the  scenic Sherkin Island off the coast of Cork this June Bank Holiday from June 3-5. Inspired in equal parts by the wealth of diverse electronic music talent in Ireland by other alternative festivals including Unsound in Krakow to Rathin off the coast of Antrim, the organisers hope Open Ear will “carve out a unique space in what is a crowded Irish festival landscape.” Making the mark from the off, this…

  • EP Stream: EVVOL – Physical L.U.V

    May 16, 2016 - By 

    Having spent the last few months holed up in their Kreuzberg studio, Berlin-based Irish-Australian duo EVVOL have unveiled what they have described as a “very personal” five-track EP, Physical L.U.V. The follow up to last year’s Eternalism – a masterful debut album brimming with dramatic nocturnalism – the new release builds on that momentum with brooding panache, majestic hooks and wonderfully wonky darkwave textures, documenting what the pair have called “the physical and emotional comforts and constraints of love”.

  • Album stream: Land Lovers – The Rooks Have Returned

    May 13, 2016 - By 

    There’s something uncannily accurate about Dublin’s Land Lovers calling themselves “Undulating Pop”. With a craft that equally weaves and lulls with gaze-y, wave-like motion, their new album The Rooks Have Returned is a full-length earworm sweetly balanced between throwback jangle and dream-pop. Tipping its lyrical hat to everything from 1916, mortal restlessness and nostalgic reminiscence, it wears the band’s key influences of Elvis Costello, New Order and David Bowie on its proverbial sleeve, bursting forth with a level of hook-heavy songwriting that we’ve come to expect from the Irish five-piece. The Rooks Have Returned is out via the mighty Popical Island on Monday…

  • Absolut Stage Announced for Body & Soul

    May 13, 2016 - By 

    Promising to explode with beats, drinks, midsummer vibes and theatrical spectacle, the line-up for the Absolut stage at this year’s Body & Soul has been revealed. Curated by Arveene, Midsummer Nights by Absolut will host the likes of Irish/Canadian duo Deadbots, Extended Play Record’s Timmy Stewart, Get Down Edits, Billy Scurry, DJ Deece, Mother DJs, Claire Beck, LUMO DJs, Fish Go Deep, Donal Dineen, RSAG, Rory Philips and Stevie G over three days and nights at Ballinlough Estate from June 17-19. Check out the full Absolut line-up below and go here to buy tickets to this year’s festival.

  • Battle of the Bay 2016

    May 16, 2016 - By 

    Doubling up as their 10th birthday outing, Dublin’s Dollymount Strand will play host to this year’s Battle of the Bay Watersport Festival on Saturday May 28 and Sunday, May 29. Having steadily grown as one of the best free family weekends in the Irish summer calendar, the festival will play host to sun, sand, kites and surfboards as both Ireland the world’s best kitesurfers descent on the beach to showcase their skills. With over 10k visitors expected over the weekend, this year’s festival will also include DJ sets all days, live music from Rachel McCormack, The Ukelele Band, Anti-One, Evil Empire, Silent Interlude,…

  • Introducing The All-New Co-Present

    May 12, 2016 - By 

    Having just released the first video in their new cross-country series Spotlight On, The Co-Present are set to underline their reputation as an impassioned, fully independent pillar of Irish music. After some re-branding and time off, presenter/producer Dwayne Woods and sound technician/show co-founder Gav Hennessy have evolved the project from a rather wonderful Dublin-based online radio station on Radiomade.ie to something that hopes to focus on the very best musicians and music venues in every corner of the country. We caught up with Woods to discuss the all new Co-Present’s very exciting future. Hey Dwayne. So, what’s different about the all-new Co-Present and what do you hope…