• Inbound: Women’s Christmas

    February 17, 2014 - By 

    Comprised of members from Dublin bands Villagers, Jogging and No Monster Club, lo-fi indie rock three-piece Women’s Christmas are much more than just an intriguing band name. Having released the superb debut EP, Tremendous, last month, we chat to the Ronan Jackson from the band about their formation, the recording of the aforementioned release and what 2014 holds in store for the band in terms of playing, recording and getting their music out there. Hi Ronan. First thing’s first: how did Women’s Christmas come into being? It was a pile of guitar songs that I had kicking around for about two or…

  • Download: Documenta – Latvian Batman EP

    February 14, 2014 - By 

    Having piqued our interested with its lead track, a sublime cover of ‘TV (Girl On Fire)’ by The Perfect Disaster, Belfast drone pop outfit Documenta have unveil their full Valentine’s Day covers EP, Latvian Batman. Featuring the aforementioned take on ‘TV Girl On Fire’, the release also features a cosmically-enhanced cover of ‘Blue Flower by Americana dream pop band Mazzy Star and a special bonus track that comes with a (totally free) download of the EP. Rather than spoil it for you, check out the first two tracks via the stream below and download the full EP via Bandcamp here.

  • Brilliant Corners Jazz Festival

    February 13, 2014 - By 

    After its successful first outing last year, Brilliant Corners Jazz Festival will return to Belfast for a four-day programme from Wednesday, March 26 to Saturday, March 29. Presented by the thoroughly forward-thinking Moving On Music team, the showcase will feature performances from the likes of the Jeremy Lyons Dectet, BDK (Bourne/Davis/Kane trio, pictured) and David Lyttle featuring Soweto Kinch and Duke Special amongst others. Tickets for each show, which vary in price, can be purchased from all participating venues including The Mac, Black Box and Crescent Arts Centre. Go here for more info.

  • Watch: Go Swim – Call Sign

    February 13, 2014 - By 

    Filmed over a period of a few months at various Belfast venues including the Limelight and T13 Skate Park, Belfast-based indie pop five-piece Go Swim have unveiled the video to their new single, ‘Call Sign’. Speaking of the video, the band’s vocalist Steven Smith said, “We picked this track for a video as it was the one we felt was the most energetic and the one we felt we really could ‘let loose’ to on stage so I guess we wanted to really capture that energy in the video so we decided on trying to make the video come across as live…

  • Stream: Documenta – TV (Girl On Fire)

    February 11, 2014 - By 

    Taken from the forthcoming three-track Valentines covers mini-EP, the ingenuously titled Latvian Batman, Belfast-based drone band Documenta have released a stream of their take on ‘TV (Girl On Fire)’ by London band The Perfect Disaster. Originally written by the latter band’s frontman Phil Parfitt and released in 1988 via Fire Records, it featured on the band’s second album, Asylum Road. Retaining the two-chorded infatuation of the original, Documenta’s masterfully understated cover features strings and a hypnotic, droning ambience reminiscent of their original material. Stream the track (released CF Records) via Soundcloud below.

  • Stream: We Cut Corners – Best Friend

    February 11, 2014 - By 

    Taken from their forthcoming second album, Think Nothing, Dublin indie rock duo We Cut Corners have released their latest single, the brilliantly bobbing ‘Best Friend’ The follow-up to the equally impressive ‘Every Thief’ and ‘YKK’ by Conall Ó Breacháin and John Duignan, the track is a stripped-back affair, vehement vocals melding with abrasive guitar textures and a rhythm that emerges from a strut to a crashing conclusion. Think Nothing is released via Delphi in April. Check out the artwork for the album and stream ‘Best Friend’ via Soundcloud below.

  • Gig of the Week: Young Aviators, Hurdles, Foreign Affairs @ Voodoo

    February 11, 2014 - By 

    Our Gig of the Week will see Warrenpoint-derived, Glasgow-based new-wave surf three-piece Young Aviators head a bill featuring the jointly promising Hurdles and Foreign Affairs at Belfast’s Voodoo on Saturday, February 15. With choruses recently compared to fellow Irish émigrés Snow Patrol by The Skinny, the show will be Young Aviators first performance in Belfast since the release of their debut album, Self Help. Go here for the show’s Facebook event page. Watch the video for ‘Forward Thinking’ by Young Aviators below.

  • EP Stream: FAWS – Free Samples

    February 11, 2014 - By 

    The long-awaited follow-up to his 2012 EP, Blues Notes, Dublin electronic producer Faws has unveiled a new three-track EP, Free Samples. Featuring samples from the likes of Bobby McFerrin and Buena Vista Social Club, the EP is a typically shadowy and somnambulist effort from the Irish artist, peaking on the beautifully fragmentary melancholia of its closer ‘Ghetto Lover’. Stream the EP via Bandcamp below.

  • Frame By Frame #002: September Girls – Green Eyed

    February 10, 2014 - By 

    Following on from a feature on the making of Cliff Richard by Abandcalledboy, Belfast-based photographer and filmmaker and Colm Laverty chats to Jessie from Dublin noise pop band September Girls about her brilliant and thoroughly DIY video for the band’s recent single, ‘Green Eyed’. First off, tell us a little bit about each of your roles on this music video. I’m Jessie and I play the red guitar in the band… and I also directed this video! In a sentence, what sets ‘Green Eyed’ apart from other Irish music videos? It was a very DIY affair, made by the band,…

  • Watch: Villagers – Occupy Your Mind

    February 7, 2014 - By 

    “In the advent of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, please find attached a song written for you, your mother, your father and your gay brothers and sisters in Russia.” So reads a Facebook post by Dublin band Villagers, words that accompany the video to their Muse-esque new single, ‘Occupy Your Mind.’ Directed by Alden Volney, the video features the band’s main man Conor O’Brien sat on a theatre stage as luminous, scattered lights beamed onto his face, a faceless captor of sorts overseeing proceedings in the distance. Debuted on Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 show last night, the single follows on from…