• Kara Walker @ The Mac

    January 23, 2014 - By 

    Critically and unapologetically interrogating underlying racial and gender tensions in today’s society, the works of artist Kara Walker will see its first major Irish exhibition at Belfast’s The Mac from January 24 to April 27. Esteemed for renouncing the sensitivity that tends to shroud the subject, the American artist delves into the myths underyling certain cultural archetypes and the more malevolent underside of how humans act via characters drawn from American popular culture, history and literature. The exhibition will take place across all three of the Mac’s main galleries. For more information go to the Mac’s official website here. Watch an…

  • Stream: The Wood Burning Savages – Flu Season

    January 23, 2014 - By 

    Having just announced that they’ve been selected to play at the Derry Music Trail as part of Other Voices in February, Derry four-piece The Wood Burning Savages have released a wonderfully understated new track titled ‘Flu Season’. Written only two days ago, the song – propelled by fingerpicked guitar shapes, frontman Paul Connolly’s increasingly earnest delivery and impressively unravelling vocal harmonies – was recorded in the band’s wood shed just yesterday. Stream/download the track (for free) via Soundcloud below.

  • Watch: September Girls – Green Eyed

    January 23, 2014 - By 

    One of the highlights from their recently-recently debut album, Cursing The Sea, Dublin noise-pop band September Girls have unveiled the video for their new single, ‘Green Eyed’. The track – inspired by the call-and-response vocal style of Look In My Diary by Reparata and the dreams – the song is about being in a relationship with someone who is untrustworthy, and feeling trapped. Win tickets to see September Girls in Belfast’s Menagerie Bar on Saturday, September 1 here. Watch the video – directed by the band’s guitarist, Jessie Ward, and shot in an evening in September Girls’ basement rehearsal space…

  • Watch: Future Islands – Seasons (Waiting On You)

    January 22, 2014 - By 

    Baltimore synthpop outfit Future Islands have released a video for ‘Seasons (Waiting On You)’, a cut from their forthcoming album Singles. Directed by longtime collaborator Jay Buim, the video features lots of typical cowboy imagery – as well as actual cowboys – and certainly taps into singer Sam Herring’s admission that the song is “…about love, letting go, learning from your mistakes and always feeling that pull….as time goes by and seasons change.” Elsewhere, the band’s trademark waves of pensive electronic sounds shine through, whilst time seems to have softened Herring’s signature rasping vocals – but that seems somehow fitting…

  • Q&A: Girl Band

    January 22, 2014 - By 

    Dublin-based quartet Girl Band have made a hell of a lot of noise in a short space of time. From last year’s gloriously curdling racket of a Blawan cover, ‘Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage’,  the band have been riding on a fresh wave of attention which has not only rekindled interest in their 2012 EP, France 98, but has also created something of a hypestorm around their latest single, ‘Lawman’. What’s particularly refreshing is that said hype seems to be justified – the aforementioned single is a six-minute beast of a thing; all dread-inducing basslines and frenetic percussion.…

  • Watch: Fox Jaw – Kerosene

    January 21, 2014 - By 

    Coinciding with downsizing their name from Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters, Limerick band Fox Jaw have unveiled the video to their punchy new single, ‘Kerosene’. Released on February 28, the single – taken from the five-piece’s forthcoming album, Ghost’s Parade – is propelled by a strutting alt-rock groove and raspy vocal delivery that combine to excavate wonderfully malevolent undercurrents. Watch the video – directed by Shane Serrano from the band – below.

  • Q&A: Hornets

    January 23, 2014 - By 

    Ahead of the release of their forthcoming new EP, No Faith, we chat to Sib, vocalist/bassist from Belfast punk metal band Hornets about the writing and recording of the release, recently expanding to a four-piece and what the next few months hold in store for the band. Photos by David Timlin. You’re set to release your latest EP in the coming weeks. How was the song writing process for these songs and what can we expect to hear? Yes, our new EP, No Faith, is to be released on the 31st March. The song writing process for the EP was much…

  • Stream: Ed Zealous – Diamonds For Eyes

    January 20, 2014 - By 

    Belfast-based quartet Ed Zealous have released ‘Diamonds The Eyes’, the latest single to be taken from their forthcoming debut album, Wired. A typically starry-eyed slice of dancefloor-flooding electro-pop, the three-and-a-half minute track comes after the release of the singles ‘Medicines’, ‘Thanks A Million’ and ‘Telepaths’. Check out our exclusive track-by-track preview of Wired here. Wired will be officially launched at Belfast’s Limelight 2 on Thursday, February 20. Go here for the show’s Facebook event page and win tickets to the show here. Stream ‘Diamonds For Eyes’ via Bandcamp below.

  • Gig of the Week: Daniel Avery, Replete & Chris Hanna @ Aether & Echo

    January 20, 2014 - By 

    Set to take place at the new-fangled Aether and Echo in Belfast, our Gig of the Week this week is a bill topped by electronic artist Daniel Avery, a man responsible for one of the genre’s finest albums of last year, Drone Logic. Supporting Avery on the night is Champion Sound-signed, Kilkenny artist Peter Lawlor AKA Replete and Belfast-based producer and DJ Chris Hanna. Tickets cost £10 and are available at the door. Go here for the show’s Facebook event page.