• Premiere: Like Chandeliers – Scars

    December 13, 2019 - By 

    Dublin three-piece Ronan Jackson, Nigel Farrelly and Christopher Barry aka Like Chandeliers have been concocting supremely sleepy sounds since 2016. Doubling up as their latest and greatest effort to date, new single ‘Scars’ is a wonderfully balmy dose of dream-pop, marrying broad, Badalamentian washes of synth with twinkling arps and Kranky-worthy, spoken-word vocals. Think Devotion-era Beach House, playing in the corner in a back room of the Bang Bang Bar, quietly relaying the heart-stung pangs and unknowability of it all in super slo-mo. It’s something Rita Macedo’s beautifully understated visuals for the track taps into and then some. Have a first listen and look below.

  • Stream: Various Artists – Unscene Bazaar 7

    December 11, 2019 - By 

    As with last year, it’s been another stellar for Irish compilations. From Live @ Fennor Lane and Buntús Rince: Explorations in Irish Jazz, Fusion & Folk 1969-81 in the first half of the year, to Cítog Records Vol. 4 and Wacker That! by Belfast imprint Touch Sensitive in the second, we’ve been gifted all kinds of carefully-compiled, far-reaching sounds from labels, producers and collectives right across the island. Joining the list, right on the cusp of 2020, is How Bazaar, the seventh installment of Limerick imprint-of-sorts Unscene’s consistently rewarding compilation series. And what a trove it is, too. Offering up sounds that span drone, turntablism, hip-hop, improve, noise,…

  • Applications Open for Stendhal 2020

    December 9, 2019 - By 

    Northern Ireland’s premiere music & arts festival, Limavady’s multi-award-winning Stendhal holds its tenth edition over the weekend of 6th-8th August 2020. Its organisers have just announced the re-opening of musical submission – with many of last year’s most prominent names [SOAK, Roe, Ryan McMullan] initially coming to their attention in previous years through the submission process. Festival Director Ross Parkhill said “We welcome submissions from acts in every genre, every age, every background, every level of experience. If you play music we want to hear from you. 2020 is a benchmark year for us, a real milestone for Stendhal and we want to make it as memorable as possible for all…

  • Tyler, The Creator, Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky and More Announced for Longitude 2020

    December 6, 2019 - By 

    Talk about a first line-up announcement. Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, The Creator and A$AP Rocky are among the first names announced to play next year’s Longitude festival. Returning to Marlay Park in Dublin across July 3-5, the festival have also revealed the following in the first line-up announcement: J Hus, AJ Tracey, Young Thug, Dababy, Aitch, Playboi Carti, Lil Tecca, Mabel, Charli CXC, Jay1, Earthgang, Pop Smoke, IDK and Santi. More acts are to be announced. See the day-by-day headliner breakdown below. Friday July 3rd: Kendrick Lamar & J Hus Saturday July 4th: Tyler, The Creator & AJ Tracey Sunday July…

  • Q+A: Mature Cheddar @ Voodoo Belfast

    December 5, 2019 - By 

    Since launching back in 2014, Mature Cheddar has steadily held its reputation as one of Belfast’s most beloved club nights. With a very admirable emphasis on not taking itself too seriously (and, let’s face it, where’s the downside in that?) it proudly spins the very best in the ’80s and 90’s cheese every Saturday, upstairs in Voodoo on Fountain Street. But what sets it apart from other nights of its ilk? Why should you check it out? And what does the future for the night hold? We donned our favourite spandex and caught up with main man Niall Kennedy – also of And…

  • Mixtape Preview: Amazing Grace

    December 3, 2019 - By 

    “If you watch modern music documentaries, you have all these talking heads who explain it and lead you by the hand through the whole thing, but in this, the music envelopes you, there’s no chat.” These words by Joe Boyd, one of the producers on Aretha Franklin concert film, Amazing Grace, sums up, with incision and pure, matter-of-fact concision, what sets it apart in one fell swoop. Originally directed by the Oscar-winning Sydney Pollack, and later predominantly realised by producer Alan Elliott, it is an experience that is revelatory in all the right places. Capturing the Queen of Soul as…

  • Video Premiere: Extravision – Our City

    November 27, 2019 - By 

    You may recall, at the start of the year, we featured Dublin’s Extravision in 19 for ’19, our series profiling nineteen genre-spanning Irish acts that we had high hopes for the year ahead. And sure enough, the trio have well and truly into gear. Comprising members of Sissy, Surge and No Spill Blood, the band’s new single, ‘Our City’ is an equal parts searing and celebratory overture to Dublin. Recorded with Daniel Fox of Girl Band at Sonic Studios, it calls out and stares down the runaway bureaucracy of the city’s landlords and hotel developers with fist-clenched aplomb. Ahead of new releases coming in the…

  • Sigrid Revealed as First Indiependence 2020 Headliner

    November 26, 2019 - By 

    Sigrid has been announced as the first headliner for next year’s Indiependence festival. The Norwegian pop sensation, born Sigrid Solbakk Raabe, will top the bill on one of the days of next year’s three-year event,  which returns to Mitchelstown in Co. Cork across July 31-August 2 2020. Weekend tickets for the festival are on sale now, priced 149.00 for 3 Day Camping and 189.00 for 3 Day Camping (VIP).

  • Faith No More, Deftones, Refused & More For Sunstroke 2020 at Punchestown Racehouse

    November 26, 2019 - By 

    Well, well, well. What about this for a line-up. Across June 13-14 2010, Sunstroke 2020 will take over Punchestown Racecourse for one of the strongest Irish festival bills in recent memory. Taking place over three stages, the inaugural festival will feature sets from Faith No More (pictured; playing one of their first shows in four years), Deftones, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Killing Joke, Refused, Helmet and more. See the full line-up below. Sunstroke festival originally ran from 1993 to 1995. Early bird tickets go on sale on Tuesday, December 3rd at 9am, priced €129.50 for weekend tickets and €159.50 for…

  • Blanck Mass For Belfast and Dublin

    November 26, 2019 - By 

    Blanck Mass is set for a couple of Irish shows next year. The scintillating noise project of Benjamin John Power of Fuck Buttons, Blanck Mass will stop off at Belfast’s Ulster Sports Club on Friday, March 13th and Dublin’s Workman’s Club on March 14th. Tickets for Belfast go on sale Thursday at 10am (price TBC). Dublin tickets are priced €16 and go on sale on Friday at 10am.