• Premiere: A Northern Light – Paranoia

    February 5, 2016 - By 

    Having formed back in the starry-eyed days of 2010, Belfast-based alt-rock trio A Northern Light have always leaped straight for the jugular, a tradition which their rousing new single, ‘Paranoia’, more than comfortably attests to. Recorded for the most part with Neal Calderwood at Manor Park studio, much of the instrumentation on the track, including its web of synths, drum loops and backing vocals, were recorded by the band at home. Driven by Omar Ben Hassine’s urging drum-and bass rhythm – often an ANL sonic trademark – it’s a subtly layered, typically impassioned effort from the threesome. Taken from the forthcoming first installment of their two-part LP, Kingdoms, ‘Paranoia’ is released on February…

  • Interview: Noise, Lust and Depression with Autumns

    February 4, 2016 - By 

    Ahead of three Belfast shows in the coming months, Derry’s Christian Donaghey AKA Autumns is a man on a mission. Having recently recorded his debut LP in two days at Smalltown America Studios, Donaghey chats to us about the art of improvisation, the literary impact on his work and his plans for the year. Hi Christan, you’ve recently finished recording your debut album.Who did you record with and how did it go? I recorded the album with a great engineer and long-time friend of mine called Caolán Austin, who I’ve known since I was around thirteen. We recorded it in my…

  • Townlands Carnival Unveil First Line-up

    February 4, 2016 - By 

    With Irish summer festival announcements creeping up all over the place recently, Co. Cork’s Townlands Carnival have revealed their first string of confirmed acts. Set to return to Macroom from July 8-10, Damien Dempsey, Jerry Fish (pictured), R.S.A.G, Daithi, Talos, Saint Sister, The Altered Hours and the Eskies are amongst the first names to be announced. With quite a few more acts to be unveiled, check out the current line-up below and go here to buy tickets.

  • Quarter Block Party 2016

    January 4, 2016 - By 

    Having made their first announcement back in December, Cork’s Quarter Block Party have revealed a slew of new acts and events set for their 2016 outing from February 5-7. Amongst the new additions is Cathy Walsh’s Running Up That Hill, a celebration of feminism equality and solidarity. Provoked by the #wakingthefeminists movement and inspired by Kate Bush’s ‘Running Up That Hill’, the people of Cork City will march through the streets and dance together in celebration on North Main Street, the historic spine of the city. Elsewhere, Abigail Conway’s participatory installation Time Lab will ask visitors to “dismantle a wristwatch or clock and reconstruct…

  • 16 For ’16: Exploding Eyes

    February 4, 2016 - By 

    The penultimate act in our latest installment annual Ones to Watch feature – 16 For ’16 – Brian Coney profiles Dublin heavy psych trio Exploding Eyes. Photo by Derek Kennedy. Having released their wonderfully urgent, blues-soaked new single ‘We Need Love’ just last month, Dublin heavy psych trio Exploding Eyes tip their decidedly fuzzed-put hat to a gamut of garage-rock luminaries ranging from Mountain and Blue Cheer to Andromeda and Thee Oh Sees. Throwing both back and very much forward, their latest effort evokes the likes of Jon Spencer and the Doors at their most resounding to give us a…

  • 16 For ’16: Strength

    February 3, 2016 - By 

    Having played our Independent Venue Week showcase at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre on Saturday night, Derry’s Strength are the latest Irish act we’ve handpicked as a “one to watch” throughout 2016 and beyond. Words by Brian Coney. Photos by James Cunningham. Arguably one of the bolder, more idiosyncratic propositions to emerge in the North over the last while, Derry’s Strength were formed from the smouldering embers of sadly-departed psychobilly art-rockers Red Organ Serpent Sound. With the release of the former’s bugged-out new single, ‘Northern Ireland Yes’ (their attempt to “embrace the cultural psyche of the North and send it back…

  • Watch: Solar Bears – Wild Flowers

    February 2, 2016 - By 

    A sublime three-minute of quick cuts and ecstatic late-summer intoxication, Michael Robinson’s video for ‘Wild Flowers’ by Dublin duo Solar Bears is the culmination of months of shooting footage on both 16mm and 8mm film in the Mid-Atlantic region of America. Running parallel with the track’s conjuring of an clarion dreamland far beyond, its footage wonderfully juts around a veritable Shangri-La of perfect Summertime abandon. Musically, the track more than delivers; Solar Bears through and through, its bubbling, synth-heavy electronica is as prismatic and sorcerous as ever. With fresh warping textures emerging and warping on every bar, it feels as much a swift exploration as its visuals.…

  • Output Belfast Showcases Revealed

    February 2, 2016 - By 

    On Thursday, February 18, Output will return to Belfast for the latest installment of the North’s largest one day music conference, featuring key speaker, bona fide music industry legend Steve Albini. Later in the evening, several of the city’s venues will host a variety of free, genre-spanning showcases, including our show with Nialler9 at the historic Duke of York, featuring Paddy Hanna, Katie Laffan, exmagician and A Bad Cavalier. Check out the other showcases below. PRS/Scratch My Progress present: Abandcalledboy, Hot Cops, R51 & Silences @ Oh Yeah Centre Champion Sound and Third Bar present: Alphabetika, The Late Twos, Ryan Vail,…

  • Watch: Damola – WorkFlow

    February 2, 2016 - By 

    The first release as part of the Word Up Collective – a new-fangled Dublin collective with a particular penchant for Irish hip-hop, pop, soul and R&B – ‘WorkFlow’ by Dublin’s Damola reveals an artist that has come on leaps and bounds since he started rapping back in 2008 before formed Backshed Inc. a quartet that includes Sam Ojo, Ange MC and video director Steven Beatsmith. Written in his bedroom and Dublin’s 25A bus, the track is a preview from Damola’s forthcoming ChildLIKE Mentality EP, a song that professes to give “an insight into his struggle in finding balance between dream chasing and making a living while…

  • The Thin Air Tuesday Throwdown: Hot Cops w/ Katharine Philippa @ Lavery’s, Belfast

    February 1, 2016 - By 

    Almost certain to be their breakthrough year, Belfast indie rock slackers Hot Cops return to play our Tuesday Thowdown at Lavery’s Belfast for the launch of their stellar new single ‘Passive Passive‘ on Tuesday, February 9. Support comes from Belfast-based pianist/singer-songwriter Katharine Philippa, easily one of the most thrilling live prospects in the country right now. Check out her Soundcloud. Admission is free. Doors are at 9.30pm. The Thin Air DJs before and after.