• Stream: The Rupture Dogs – Before The Flood

    January 28, 2014 - By 

    With an extremely promising year ahead of them, Belfast-based alt-rock quartet The Rupture Dogs have released ‘Before The Flood’, the second single to be taken from their debut album, Feral. Featuring two accompanying b-sides – ‘Hangman’ and an acoustic BBC session version of ‘Wake Up’ – the single comes to from on its chorus, the band’s grunge-tinged chord progressions melded perfectly with frontman Allan McGreevy’s wonderfully rasping vocals. The Rupture Dogs will play Belfast’s Stiff Kitten on Friday, January 31 alongside the likes of Safe Ships and Nomadic Rituals. Go here for the show’s Facebook event page. Stream the ‘Before The Flood’…

  • Video Exclusive: Abandcalledboy – Cliff Richard

    January 28, 2014 - By 

    Having watched it at least five times revelling in its unmitigated majesty, we’re happy to give you an exclusive first look of the wonderfully retro and decidedly rad video for ‘Cliff Richard’ by Northern Irish alt-rock three-piece Abandcalledboy. “We made it ourselves,” said the band’s drummer and vocalist, Ryan Burrowes. “We basically watched a load of Cliff Richard videos and attempted to re-create our own twisted version with a grand budget of £0.” “We made the costumes ourselves, came up with loads of ideas and then with our friend Odhrain, went and shot it all on what felt like the coldest day ever. It’s…

  • Stream: Replete – Hold Me

    January 28, 2014 - By 

    One of our Acts to Watch in 2014, Kilkenny electronic producer Pete Lawlor AKA Replete is streaming ‘Hold Me’, the first track to be taken from his forthcoming EP of the same name. An unwinding, near six-minute slab of throwback techno house, the track is Lawlor’s first release via Belfast’s Champion Sound Music, who will put out the aforementioned EP on March 4. Stream ‘Hold Me’ via Soundcloud below.

  • Gig of the Week: Little Bear, Go Wolf, The Couth @ The Oh Yeah Centre

    January 28, 2014 - By 

    The sole Northern Irish event taking place as part of Independent Music Week 2014, fast-rising Derry quartet Little Bear, Belfast indie-pop band Go Wolf and Lisburn garage-rock band The Couth will play our Gig of the Week at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre on Thursday, January 30. Running from January 28 to February 2, eighteen venues from across the UK will take part in the inaugural celebration of independent gig venues. “The struggle to compete with large, sponsor-backed venues makes it a tough and challenging time for independents,” said the project’s organiser Sybil Bell. “Combine this with bands finding it harder…

  • Robyn G Shiels Album Artwork Revealed

    January 27, 2014 - By 

    Set for a late Spring release via No Dancing, Belfast-based singer-songwriter Robyn G Shiels has given us an exclusive first-look at the artwork for his second studio album, The Blood of the Innocents. Created by Edinburgh-based designer Ciara Dunne, the artwork (above) echoes the dark and malevolent visual accompaniment to Shiels’ recent video for the exceptional ‘Underneath The Night of Stars’, the lead track from the EP of the same name, released in May last year. Watch the video to that here or stream the single below. Robyn G Shiels is amongst a whole list of Irish acts play the Derry music…

  • Stream: TVVINS – You Better

    January 27, 2014 - By 

    “This feels like a long term project, who knows where it will end up”. So said Lar Kaye of Adebisi Shank – and one half of Dublin synth-pop act TVVINS – in our interview with the latter last year. Two months later and the pair, also comprised of Conor Adams from The Cast of Cheers, have released their second single, the propulsive electro-pop of ‘You Better’. Comprised of vocoder vocals, forward-moving rhythms, arpeggiated synth lines and slick guitar chords, the track is a notably more earworming and forward-moving counterpart to the equable cool of the pair’s debut single, ‘Two Worlds’. TVVINS play…

  • Several More Acts Confirmed For Longitude 2014

    January 24, 2014 - By 

    Now in its second year, several more acts have been announced to be play this year’s Longitude Festival at Dublin’s Marlay Park from Friday, July 18 to Sunday, July 20. Irish acts James Vincent McMorrow (pictured), Hozier and Le Galaxie were confirmed alongside Roosevelt, Bondax, Cyril Hahn, Julio Bashmore, John Talabot, Bonobo, Sam Smith, Chvrches, Haim, Bastille, Haim and Bastille. Several more acts will be announced on Thursday, February 6 ahead of tickets on sale the following day at 9am. See below for the official list of confirmed acts.

  • In Photos: Del Amitri @ Vicar Street, Dublin

    January 24, 2014 - By 

    Remember Del Amitri, the Scottish alternative rock band perhaps best remembered for their 1995 with ‘Roll To Me‘? Yes? No? Well, either way, they played Dublin’s Vicar Street on Wednesday, January 22 and Shaun Neary was there to take a few photos of both them and their support in the form of The O’s. Do revisit ‘Roll To Me’ while you’re at it. Catchy, man.

  • Watch: VerseChorusVerse – No More Years

    January 24, 2014 - By 

    Having been busy planning the release of his eagerly anticipated solo album, Belfast-based singer-songwriter Tony Wright AKA VerseChorusVerse has unveiled the video to his new single, ‘No More Years’. The second track on the forthcoming release, Wright said “The video is a blatant metaphor and also a slight poke/twist at all those singer-songwriter videos that appear to be shot in the woods. I, myself, have been guilty of this too. A fine tradition started by Bryan Adams with that Robin Hood tune, with sci-fi references in there to satisfy my inner and outer nerd.” Wright’s debut album will be released…

  • East India Youth – Total Strife Forever

    January 24, 2014 - By 

    Mostly instrumental and electronic, Total Strife Forever is the 11-track debut from East India Youth (William Doyle). Shostakovich and Brian Eno are just two of the influences cited, so it is clear from the outset that this album has some expansive ideas – ideas its creator often explores at dispiriting length. Total Strife Forever starts very promisingly with ‘Glitter Recession’; a swelling digital hiss supporting a series of harpsichord-style arpeggios. It’s emotional, tuneful, warm – the kind of thing that could be on the soundtrack to the movie Drive. ‘Total Strife Forever I’ (the first of four tracks of the same name) follows next. And…