• Premiere: Linebacker Dirge – Livia/Motion Parallax

    August 11, 2015 - By 

    Co. Down singer-songwriter Jason Gibson is an artist who thrives on collaboration. Formed back in 2005, his project Linebacker Dirge has seen him write and record with the likes of A Plastic Rose’s Ian McHugh, A Northern Light’s Colm Laverty and James Bruce of Kasper Rosa/Matua Trap. Ten years on from the release of his debut, Postcards, Distance and Sleep (written and recorded with Harry Ffitch of Hello Newman over MSN Messenger, no less), Gibson’s new EP, The Worried Well, is a real re-affirmation of those early stirrings, going that bit further in driving the point (the unspoken and profound…

  • The Twisted Pepper Confirm Closure

    August 11, 2015 - By 

    With rumours circulating far and wide yesterday afternoon, Dublin venue The Twisted Pepper have confirmed that it is set to close after seven years – but not without moving on in a guise. Posting in the Facebook event page for its Closing Weekender (this weekend coming, August 14-16), they wrote: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times… we’re sad, but happily reminiscent to say that this weekend will be the last ever weekend of The Twisted Pepper as a music venue. We are blown away by the messages of support we have received over the last…

  • TTA Session #009: Silences

    August 11, 2015 - By 

    Set to play the likes of Hard Working Class Heroes and Electric Picnic this Summer, Armagh’s Silences have had a steady yet extremely strong rise over the last couple of years. Having first caught our attention back in 2013 with ‘Ghosts’, the Conchúr White-fronted five-piece have evolved from being low-key contenders to one of the country’s most promising acts of their kind (they call themselves an alt-indie outfit, and we’re not inclined to disagree). Filmed in Belfast City Centre, our latest Live Session session features the band – stripped back as a two-piece – performing two tracks (‘The Sea’ and ‘Santa Cruz’) and in conversation.…

  • HWCH 2015 Line-Up Announced

    August 11, 2015 - By 

    The country’s leading bastion and celebration of homegrown, independent music, Hard Working Class Heroes has announced the line-up for the October festival. Taking across several different venues in Dublin throughout the weekend of 1-3, it looks like one of the strongest, most diverse HWCH bills yet. Check out the full line-up below and buy tickets here. 13, Acrobat, AikJ, Ailbhe Reddy, Anderson, Arborist, Atlas Moon, Bad Sea, Bagels, Basciville, Benihana, Bitch Falcon, Buffalo Sun, Buffalo Woman, Callum Orr, Carriages, Cfit, Color//Sound, Comrade Hat, Corner Boy, Darling, Dear Desert, discopunks, DVO Marvell, Elastic Sleep, Electro Sensitive Behaviour Feat. Perry Blake, Elephant, Elm, Everything Shook (below), EXPLODING EYES, Fergal O’Connor, Florence Olivier, Frankenstein Bolts, Half Of Me, Hare Squead, HAWK, Heroes in Hiding, Hot Cops, I Have A Tribe, Inni-K, Jennifer Evans, Johnny Stewart, Joni, Katie Laffan, Kobina, Lie Ins, Lilla Vargen, LORIS, Maija Sofia, Maud in Cahoots, Me Auld Flower, Mere…

  • Classic Album: Gene Clark – No Other (1974)

    August 10, 2015 - By 

    Gene Clark was the Byrd who couldn’t fly. If that sounds trite (and let’s face it, it is) consider the facts. Clark was one of the original members of America’s answer to The Beatles, and whilst Roger McGuinn was the frontman of The Byrds on hit singles like ‘Mr Tambourine Man’ and ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!’, it was Clark who provided the majority of their self-penned material during his tenure with the band. But, in an irony that would be delicious if it wasn’t something that happened to a living, breathing person, Gene Clark was afraid of flying. In 1965, with…

  • Watch: Strength – I Like Compressions (Live)

    August 10, 2015 - By 

    Comprised of the likes of ex-Red Organ Serpent Sound member Rory Moore and Donegal producer Conor McNamee AKA Nyt Bloomer, Derry “pop” band Strength offer up a curious manifesto of sorts on their Facebook page: “I wanted to use pieces of dead machinery: an old drum machine: a broken bass: a vhs recorder. I wanted to use things that people had disregarded or forgotten about, I needed to find the light that was still flickering within these machines. My whole purpose was to create something that would sound good in a crap hi-fi.” An admirable approach for sure, the fruits of…

  • National Youth Jazz Ensemble @ The Sugar Club, Dublin

    August 9, 2015 - By 

    A new Dublin-based big-bang jazz ensemble formed last month, the National Youth Jazz Ensemble play their first ever show at Dublin’s Sugar Club on Monday, August 10. Bringing together some of Ireland’s finest jazz musicians, the project – “aimed at those in the midst of, or who have completed third level education” – hopes to provide a platform through whcih young musicians can excel. With a repertoire comprising of early swing, modern big band chats and every other conceivable sub-genre of jazz, the performance is set to feature the likes of the Irish premiere of Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite and…

  • Watch: Music For Dead Birds – English Weed

    August 10, 2015 - By 

    Having first caught our attention back in 2011 with the stellar, scuzzy lo-fi of The Pope’s Sister, Galway/Mayo “anti-folk” duo Music For Dead Birds will release a double A-Side (artwork above) later this month. One half of that release, their ruminating new track ‘English Weed’ – accompanied with a typically oblique video – conjures hooks and refrains from early/mid-Nineties lo-fi indie rock, coursing forth, aghast, hoarse and lamenting in a perfectly unpolished fashion. Best of all, it confirms Music For Dead Birds’ inimitable, acoustic-driven sound, set in motion with And Then It Rained For Seven Days back in 2009.

  • I’m Your Man @ Project Arts Centre, Dublin

    August 10, 2015 - By 

    Co-presented by THISISPOPBABY, I’m Your Man looks set to be a highlight of this year’s Dublin Theatre Festival from September 24 to October 3 “A gutsy love story that keeps you moving forwards when you think you’re falling backwards”, the production is a self-proclaimed “musical journey from death to new life – a roadmap back from rock bottom.” Featuring music by Mark Palmer, the show – written by Philip McMahon – promises an intimate and poignant experience where music and theatre collide. Tickets – priced €15 – €25 – go on sale on Wednesday, August 12. Photo by Fiona Morgan

  • Watch: Girl Band – Paul

    August 6, 2015 - By 

    Set to both feature on the cover of the next issue of our physical magazine and play our show at Belfast’s Bar Sub on Friday, September 25, Dublin noise rock quartet par excellence Girl Band gave a decidedly revelatory interview in the NME earlier this week, touching on the so-called “psychotic episode” that inspired the content of their highly-anticipated, forthcoming debut album, Holding Hands With Jamie. Edging the expectation up yet another few notches, the Dara Kiely-fronted four-piece have unveiled the suitably fucked-up video for their ‘Paul’ (available to pre-order on 12″ here), quite possibly the strangest (read: greatest) music videos we’ve seen…