Now well and truly an Irish musical institution after 14 years, Other Voices have revealed the first acts to play their return to Dingle from December 4 to December 6. With many more acts yet to be revealed, Richard Hawley, Gaz Coombes, Gavin James, Lapsley and Otherkin are the first five acts to be announced. Set to take place at St. James Church in the Co. Kerry town, tickets for Other Voices 2015 will be up for grabs via raffles soon.
There’s inspired, seemingly pre-destined collaborations, then there’s Tony Wright AKA VerseChorusVerse pairing up with drummer extraordinaire David Lyttle to make a genre-warping release recorded over 2 channels over a total of 14 hours. Set for release on November 20 via Lyte records, Say & Do is an impassioned, nine-track tour de force, revealing both Wright and Lytle’s instinctive creative mastery in the vast realms of folk, blues and jazz. More than anything, though, there’s an almost touchable spirit and mettle to the release; something that comes across in the stripped-back video for the album’s jubilant lead single, ‘No Window’. Wright and Lyttle…
Recorded with the likes of Michael Mormecha of Mojo Fury and Jonny Woods of R51 – and launched in style on the Belfast Barge at the weekend – The Little Belfry is the debut EP from Belfast-based singer-songwriter Peter Sumadh AKA The Mad Dalton. A five-track release of ruminating, Americana-tinged folk in the vein of Wilco, Pedro The Lion, Sparklehorse and Ron Sexsmith, it’s a wonderfully-realised release bursting with carefully-crafted pathos and soul. Here’s hoping release number two from Sumadh – an artist of Scots/Canadian heritage – doesn’t incur quite as long a gestation period. Stream/download The Little Belfry below. The Little…
Ahead of the release of their new LP, Soft Days, via CF Records on January 8, Neil Brogan of Belfast band Sea Pinks talks us through some of his current favourite tracks, including the likes of Robert Wyatt, Broadcast and Van Morrison. Little Wings – By Now I don’t buy vinyl very often because I can’t afford to, so when I do buy a record I either end up getting obsessed if I like it or bitterly resenting it if I don’t. Explains by Little Wings is one I bought a little while ago and thankfully it’s one I don’t hate. I like the…
Having moved to London last year, Maija Sofia wrote and recorded The Sugar Sea during a solitary few months that came as a result of independently relocating to alien city. Dealing with the universal traits of loneliness and anxiety – but lightened by juxtaposition with Sofia’s empirical, fairytale mannerisms – the tracks on the Galway’s musician’s debut solo EP makes for a bewitching, almost voyeuristic listen. Three of the songs (‘The Girl Who Pulled the Sun Down’, ‘Hail Mary’, ‘I Will Not Be Worth It’) were recorded in Mowlem Street Studio, Bethnal Green by producer James Hare (Women in Love, Milk White White Teeth) and he…
Having released their third album, Get To Heaven, back in June, Everything Everything played Belfast’s Mandela Hall and Dublin’s Academy this week with support from Mojo Fury. Photos by Colm Laverty and Isabel Thomas. The Academy, Dublin by Isabel Thomas Mandela Hall, Belfast by Colm Laverty
David C Clements has always had an air of the mythical about him. An artist of pace and a craftsman of all but peerless repute in these parts, he has never dabbled in the kneejerk or haphazard, not least in his recorded output. With his highly-anticipated debut album, The Longest Day in History, set for release in early 2016, Clements has released a sampler of sorts in the form of My Dear Mother, a four-track EP that captures him at his most resolute. Speaking of the release, Clements said, “The idea with the My Dear Mother EP is to start introducing the new material…
With the events running from November 6-14 around the city, this year’s Sound of Belfast will culminate in the presentation of this year’s Oh Yeah Legend Award to The Divine Comedy at the NI Music Prize event at the Mandela Hall on November 14. The festivities include many exhibitions from local artists & filmmakers, as well as conferences and masterclasses at the Oh Yeah Centre. These include the Belfast Urban Affinity 2015, aimed at hard-to-reach youths, and the Breaking Into Music Youth Conference, featuring the likes of Phil Taggart, who quickly progressed from BBC Radio Ulster to Radio 1 in recent years. There’ll be also a…
Set to make its grand inaugural appearance at RDS in Dublin this weekend, Metropolis boasts one of the most exciting line-ups for an Irish festival that we’ve seen in quite some time. With full information about times and acts available at their official website here, we have compiled a twenty track playlist featuring our must-see acts at the festival, including Giorgio Moroder (pictured), The Roots, Jamie xx, Le Galaxie and more.
Ahead of her show at Dublin’s Workman’s Club on Sunday, Oklahoma singer-songwriter Samantha Crain chats to Brian Coney about her stellar new album, Under Brand & Thorn & Tree, reclaiming music/art from upper class white men and the imprint of the likes of Jason Molina and David Bazan on her new material. Hi Samantha, Under Branch & Thorn & Tree is, for my money, one of strongest records of the year. There’s such a deep conviction to your words and how you wield them. Looking back, how did you go about writing lyrics what triggered inspiration? Thank you! The first song I wrote…