• Smalltown America All-Dayer: Lost Avenue & Freak’s

    September 15, 2015 - By 

    In the second installment of our multi-part feature, we’re pleased to present two new live videos featuring Derry punk band Lost Avenue and Freak’s at Derry label Smalltown America’s sixth All-Dayer. Having featured headliners Scottish trio Carnivores in the first installment, the new videos capture two of the country’s most promising young bands performing two of their very best tracks, ‘Daggers’ and ‘Symmetry and Correlation’ respectively. Buy the STA All Dayer #6 here and check out both videos – shot and edited by Paul Martin Brown – below.  

  • Stream: EMBRZ – ‘Lights’ (Feat. pennybirdrabbit)

    September 14, 2015 - By 

    Sprawling in its own delicate way, ‘Lights’ by Kildare producer Jack Casey AKA EMBRZ is a deftly composed slice of electro-pop. Featuring wonderfully warped vocals courtesy of Los Angeles singer pennybirdrabbit, the new single was released on Friday via Slow Down Records. Stream the track below and keep up with Casey’s future stirrings here.

  • Shortlist Revealed for Northern Ireland Music Prize 2015

    September 14, 2015 - By 

    Having previously been scooped by Foy Vance and Robyn G Shiels, the shortlist for this year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize has been revealed. Set to take place at Belfast’s Mandela Hall on Friday, November 14, the following twelve albums will vie for the annual prize, as voted for by more than 70 people from the Northern Irish music industry and media: A Plastic Rose – Flickering Light of an Inner War And So I Watch You From Afar – Heirs Axis Of – The Mid Brae Inn BeeMickSee – Belfast Yank Ciaran Lavery and Ryan Vail – Sea Legs Duke Special – Look Out Machines The Lost…

  • Monday Mixtape: John Kowalski (Solar Bears)

    September 14, 2015 - By 

    Having just received test pressings for their forthcoming third album, Dublin electronic twosome Solar Bears are on the brink of re-confirming their reputation as one of our very finest outfits (not that necessarily needs doing, of course). Ahead of some more announcements, John Kowalski from the duo delivers this week’s wonderfully diverse, suitably esoteric Monday Mixtape, featuring tracks from Plaid/BDP, The Emotions, Claude Marbehant, The Remarkable Earth Making Machine and more. Photos by SCAN

  • Slender Songs @ FILTER Cafe, Cork

    September 14, 2015 - By 

    A curious highlight in the programme of the inaugural Sounds From A Safe Harbour festival, Cork-based graphic designer, artist and co-founder of Fractured Air, Craig Carry will host a new exhibition, Slenders Songs, at Cork’s FILTER Cafe from September 16-October 16. Comprised of twenty prints based upon a selection of musicians taking part in Sounds From A Safe Harbour, the exhibition (see samples of the artwork above and below) is named after Seán Mac Erlaine’s sublime A Slender Song album. The exhibition launches on Friday, September 18 from 7.30pm-9pm with live music from Seán Mac Erlaine and Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, as well as…

  • No Boundaries @ The Academy, Dublin

    September 14, 2015 - By 

    One of a string of stellar fundraising shows that have cropped recently to help aid those affected by the Syrian refugee crisis, The Last Mixed Tape and the Melted Lady will host No Boundaries at Dublin’s Academy this Friday night (September 18). A charity event to raise funds for the Irish Red Cross and their current Migration Crisis appeal, the line-up – taking place over two rooms – will feature everything and everyone from The North Sea, Buffalo Woman and Kormac (live) to DJ sets from the likes of Le Galaxie and Mother. Tickets are €15. Go here for the event’s Facebook page.

  • Us Against Us @ The National, Belfast

    September 14, 2015 - By 

    Almost a year on from curating BREED in the same venue (check out our gallery from the night here) music video and fashion film director Neil Kerr will launch a new group show at Belfast’s the National on Culture Night Belfast 2015. Running from September 18 for three weeks, Us Against Us will feature the talents of sixteen artists selected by Kerr. With themes ranging from the current refugee crisis to commercialism and police brutality, it is an exhibition that promises to be thought-provoking and inspirational. Works will be available for purchase throughout the exhibition. Artists exhibiting include the following: Leo Boyd Stephen Millar Kev…

  • Premiere: Cat Palace – Slime EP

    September 10, 2015 - By 

    Having positively kicked our ass (in the perfectly non-physical realm of being smitten) with the release of his ache-laced, quasi-mystical debut self-titled EP back in February, Dublin artist David Blaney AKA Cat Palace elicited the following rather grandiose words from yours truly:  “… an Irish singer-songwriter doing something very singular indeed.” In relatively recent hindsight, it transpires we were so on the money we may as well have been resting on a goldmine – a fact doubly confirmed with Slime, Blaney’s second, four-track EP. Whilst continuing in the generally hushed, lo-fi leaning vein of Pedro The Lion, Jason Molina and Bonnie Prince Billy, Slime sees Blaney’s decidedly…

  • Smalltown America All-Dayer: Carnivores

    September 10, 2015 - By 

    The first in a two-week series of videos capturing Derry label Smalltown America’s recent, hugely successful sixth All-Dayer, we very much start as mean to go on in the solid company of Scottish alt-rock trio Carnivores. Illustrious headliners at the eight-act showcase at the tail-end of July, the STA-signed band went one further and seized the opportunity to record their entire performance as a live album, the aptly-titled Live at Smalltown America. A self-proclaimed “glimpse of three men lost in a primal blur of musical electricity, swimming in seas of violent noise”, the nine-track release is available to download for two weeks…