• Stream: Badlands – Caramisou

    November 24, 2015 - By 

    An artist who considers Ireland and Italy as two other home countries, Swedish producer Catharina Jaunviksna AKA Badlands‘ dusky and interstellar craft is very nicely pronounced on new single, ‘Caramisou’, the lead cut off her forthcoming debut album, which is set for release in Spring of 2016. Set to support Somadrone at his Oracle album launch gig at Dublin’s Unitarian Church on November 28 alongside Sorcha McGrath (Wounded Healer/Ships) and Danny Snow of Villagers, stream Jaunviksna’s latest effort below.

  • Playlist: Björk at 50

    November 21, 2015 - By 

    Fifty years ago today, Hildur Rúna Hauksdóttir – an Icelandic activist of Irish ancestry – gave birth to a baby girl named Björk who would become one of the most inimitable, fiercely original and independent musicians of all time. Having boldly and consistently transformed the landscape of both Icelandic and experimental music and culture over the last four decades, we have compiled a career-spanning, twenty-track playlist featuring our favourite Björk tracks, from House-heavy debut cut ‘Big Time Sensuality’ to the sweeping brilliance of ‘Joga’, a tribute to both her native land of Iceland. Here’s to the next fifty years.

  • Watch: Rachael Boyd – Esoteric Path (Live)

    November 19, 2015 - By 

    Released in tandem with the single itself, Belfast contemporary/electronic musician Rachael Boyd has unveiled a live video of her performing ‘Esoteric Path’, a wonderfully woven post-classical mesh of piano, strings and enveloping rhythmic patterns. Written, performed and produced entirely by Boyd, it’s yet another brilliantly arranged and becalming effort from the artist, who last caught our attention back in February with live, four-track release Recordings.  As well as the studio and live video versions of the track, Belfast-based producer James Bruce AKA OAKS has also offered up an impressive remix of the track. Stream it along with the original and watch the…

  • Sense Prevails: Funding Restored for 32 Northern Irish Arts Organisations

    November 19, 2015 - By 

    Having been told that they were set to lose 7% of their planned funding from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, 32 of the biggest and most vital arts organisations in Northern Ireland have been informed that’s been reversed as part of the Stormont executive’s November budget. Amongst those organisations – a collective cultural beating heart in the North of the country – are the MAC, Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, The Ulster Orchestra, the Lyric Theatre and Derry’s With the Culture Minister Carál Nί Chuilίn having been criticised over cuts to the Art’s Council budget, the Department of Culture, Arts and…

  • Track Record: Michael Stevens (Lie Ins/Skelocrats)

    November 19, 2015 - By 

    In the latest installment of Track Record, Michael Stevens of Dublin bands Lie Ins and Skelocrats reveals and talks about some of his favourite records from the likes of The Wave Pictures, Charles Mingus and The Magnetic Fields. Photos by Aidan-Kelly Murphy. Compiling a list of my ten favourite records was agonising and fun. There are many, many records I had to leave out and I felt sad for them; but it was nice that I got to listen to them all anyway. As for the ones listed here, there are records that one could objectively say are better. But these…

  • Girl Band Announce String of New Dates

    November 18, 2015 - By 

    Having had to pulled out of European and Northern American dates due to “health issues in the band” last month Dublin noise-rock masters Girl Band have announced a string of new dates for 2016, culminating at their biggest show in Ireland to date at Vicar Street on Friday, April 1. The Dara Kiely-fronted band have also unveiled a live Rough Trade session version of ‘Baloo’, a highlight on the band’s critically-acclaimed debut album, Holding Hands With Jamie. Watch it and check out the new dates below. Fri 22nd Jan – Brewery Corner, Kilkenny, Ireland Sat 23rd Jan – Gabo’s, Castlebar, Ireland Wed 17th…

  • Stream: Vogelbat – Miw (feat. Sad Mermaid)

    November 18, 2015 - By 

    Evoking the likes of Arca and FKA Twigs in equal measure, Berlin-based Kilkenny producer David Sheenan AKA Vogelbat has unveiled a brilliantly burrowing new track, ‘Miw’. Featuring masterfully warped vocals courtesy of singer-songwriter Sad Mermaid – also based in the German capital – it serves as a strong introduction for newcomers to Sheenan’s aesthetic, in which “100% of [his] music created on a laptop with no external MIDI plugins, solid state synths or traditional instruments (as they “all reside [back] in Ireland”). Stream the track via Soundcloud below.

  • HOUSE @ the MAC: From Vogue to MikeQ

    November 17, 2015 - By 

    Not only a stand-out event at this year’s Outburst Queer Arts Festival in Belfast, the premiere of HOUSE at The MAC on Thursday night is almost certainly set to be one of the most inspired happenings of the year. Having descended from the legendary Harlem Drag Scene, the New York House and Ballroom Community is one of the most exciting underground scenes in the world. HOUSE brings three of the city’s most innovative performance makers and cultural agitators together for an immersive performance and discussion that presents a very rare and intimate glimpse into the history of the House and…

  • Low Amongst New Acts Set for Other Voices Live

    November 16, 2015 - By 

    Low are amongst a new wave of acts announced to play this year’s Other Voices Live in Dingle from December 4-6. Joining the Ohio slowcore pioneers are Jack Garrett, Keaton Henson, Glen Hansard and The Academic, whilst the acts set to play IMRO’s Other Room are Saint Sister, Talos, Gavin Glass Bitch Falcon and Hawk. Elsewhere, the following acts are set to play the free Music Trail across Dingle: Last week, Richard Hawley, Gaz Coombes, Gavin James, Lapsley and Otherkin were the first acts confirmed to play the annual showcase, which sees its 14th outing this year.

  • Robyn G Shiels Announces New Dates, Collaboration Album

    November 13, 2015 - By 

    When it rains for Belfast-based acoustic doom master Robyn G Shiels, it pours. As well as a downright unmissable “Alternative New Year’s Grieve Party” at Belfast’ Sunflower Bar with Hornby Ban Jovi AKA Hornby of The Continuous Battle of Order, Heliopause and a DJ set from Documenta’s Joe Greene,  Shiels will continue his excellently-titled November Reign Tour throughout November (see dates below), including a performance at the Jarman Award Whitechapel Weekend in London on November 21. Elsewhere, Shiels has teamed up with musician Steve Nolan to deliver an extraordinary, nine-track collaborative album titled sky drew near. Going under the dual moniker Rs.sN, Shiels…