• Silent Hill 2 – A Psychological Horror Masterpiece

    October 31, 2013 - By 

    Silent Hill 2 is a masterpiece. It’s not a masterpiece in the traditional sense, where every aspect of the work is perfect. It’s a masterpiece in the sense that, despite being fundamentally broken in many ways, it still feels like a brutal, cohesive, human experience. Silent Hill 2 is not perfect – but it’s alive. This sequel is, for all intents and purposes, a reboot. Removing the B-movie cult storyline that the original was based on, Silent Hill 2 unshackles itself from the continuity of the franchise. The foggy town of Silent Hill is no longer the manifestation of tortured…

  • City Council release statement regarding Van Morrison concert

    October 30, 2013 - By 

    Belfast City Council have released a statement concerning the delegation of tickets for a Freedom of the City concert by Van Morrison at the Waterfront Hall on November 15. The statement has arrived following a backlash from some members of the public due to one fifth of the tickets for the free concert having been held back for “VIP” guests. Read the statement below: “Belfast City Council wishes to clarify its position in relation to the Van Morrison ‘Freedom of the City’ event at the Waterfront Hall on Friday, 15 November. This is an official ceremony to confer Freedom of the City…

  • Watch: Frightened Rabbit – Holy

    October 30, 2013 - By 

    Half way through their current tour Scottish indie rock band Frightened Rabbit have unveiled the video to ‘Holy’. A classic visual take on the general tediousness of modern life, the video features one woman’s kneejerk “return to nature”, culminating in a scene that will be familiar to anyone who has watched The Hours. The track itself is taken from the band’s fourth studio album, Pedestrian Verse. Frightened Rabbit will play Dublin’s Olympia on November 14 and Belfast’s Mandela Hall the following night. Watch the video below.

  • Exclusive EP stream: Katharine Philippa – Broken To Be Rebuilt

    October 30, 2013 - By 

    Ahead of its release tonight at Belfast’s McMordie Hall, we are delighted to present an exclusive stream of the spectacular Broken To Be Rebuilt, the eagerly-anticipated new EP from singer-songwriter Katharine Philippa. Co-produced, mixed and master by Matt Duke, the six-track EP features extra instrumentation from five different musicians, including Duke himself. The closing track is an orchestra quartet version of the album’s title track, bookending a release that perfectly captures Philippa’s spectral and sublime craft. Stream the EP in full below.

  • Inbound: A Bad Cavalier

    November 1, 2013 - By 

    In the latest installment of Inbound, Brian Coney talks to And So I Watch You From Afar guitarist and ex-Panama Kings frontman Niall Kennedy about his (essentially) new solo project A Bad Cavalier, the release of his superb debut EP, Ex Libris, and trying to make the time to make the whole solo thing work. Hi Niall. You’ve just released Ex Libris, your first solo release under the moniker A Bad Cavalier. How long has it been in the making? It’s been in the making for quite a while now. I started A Bad Cavalier when I was 16 and I have been…

  • Drenge – The Limelight 2

    October 30, 2013 - By 

    Sheffield rockers Drenge may have received a sharp spike in interest recently thanks to Labour MP Tom Watson’s parting assertion that they are “an awesome new band”, but it’s visceral and absorbing live performances like tonight’s in the Limelight 2 that will surely see their popularity continue to increase. Brothers Eoin and Rory Loveless make up a guitar and drums duo, but their live setup is anything but lacking – one only need take note of the array of amp stacks and microphones which flank the pair on stage. The modest gathering of hipster-cum-metalheads that have assembled tonight are treated…

  • Gig of the Week: Bouts, Hurdles, Go Swim

    October 29, 2013 - By 

    Off the back of the release of their stellar debut album – Nothing Good Gets Away – our gig of the week this week will see Dublin indie rock band Bouts return to Belfast for a special album launch party on Friday, November 1. Supported by two of the North’s finest indie bands, Hurdles and Go Swim, the four-piece will play the wonderfully tucked-away Menagerie in the heart of the Holylands –  their first show here since they supported Amateur Historians in the same venue early last year. Go here for the show’s event page, check out our interview with Bouts…

  • Watch: Mojo Fury – Origami Bird

    October 28, 2013 - By 

    Ahead of setting off on a UK tour tomorrow, Mojo Fury have unveiled the excellent video to their new single, ‘Origami Bird’. Comprise of various visual delights including hand-drawn illustrations and silhouettes similar to those used in the band’s video for ‘The Difference Between’, the video’s visual art concept was devised by Helena Hamilton. Check out our 5 out of 5 review of the band’s new album, The Difference Between, here. Watch the video for ‘Origami Bird’ below.

  • Line-up announced for Belfast Music Week showcase

    October 28, 2013 - By 

    Belfast indie-pop band Go Wolf, fast-rising Derry collective Little Bear and indie rock quartet Seven Summits (pictured) are amongst the twelve acts confirmed to play this year’s Belfast Music Week showcase at Belfast’s Limelight Complex on November 12. Set to be a showcase of this year’s proceedings, the line-up for the showcase was hand-picked by a broad panel of industry figures from Northern Ireland and further afield. According to the official Belfast Music Week website, “it’s a chance to see legends and breaking talent, and to appreciate the ongoing success stories and a musical city that continues to make us…

  • Lou Reed: A Tribute Playlist

    October 27, 2013 - By 

    Arguably punk’s greatest ancestor, Velvet Underground founder and uncompromising solo artist and collaborator for the last five decades, Lou Reed has passed away the age of 71. One of the finest songwriters of the twentieth century (and, for many, beyond) his songs and art traversed genre, sentiment and style, dividing critics and fans from his 1972 self-titled effort right up his notoriously at odds collaboration with Metallica in 2011. From heroin and the NYC underground to Diet Coke and t’ai chi, Reed came a long way from the sixties, constantly re-affirming his right to be restless and fearlessly re-inventing his musical manifesto…