• Dan Hegarty: Trans-Eurosonic Express

    October 10, 2013 - By 

    You always know that the end of the year is never far away when the announcement for the annual Eurosonic festival is made. It was officially announced this week that The Strypes will represent Ireland at the Eurosonic Festival in Groningen, The Netherlands next January. The Cavan band were named alongside 27 other acts from around Europe to perform at the festival. Eurosonic is Europe’s most influential new music festival; having previously introduced acts like Franz Ferdinand, Marina & The Diamonds, Villagers, and countless others to a larger European audience.   While we’re on the subject of The Netherlands, those…

  • Dan Hegarty: Obsessive Compulsions

    August 19, 2013 - By 

    He sports one of the most splendid moustaches that you’re likely to see, and he’s proven that he can pen a tune or two over the years. Jerry Fish has brought us one of the catchiest tunes of 2013 in ‘Barefoot & Free’. He’s enlisted the services of R.S.A.G on drums, and put together a pretty funky video to go with it! If you’re going to the Electric Picnic, make sure to pay a visit to his ‘The Jerry Fish Electric Sideshow’ stage at Electric Picnic’s Trailer Park.   We all have the potential to become slightly obsessive about things;…

  • Dan Hegarty: Time Travel

    August 2, 2013 - By 

    I’m still trying to figure out where the past couple of weeks have gone. The much anticipated Longitude festival has been and gone. Some of the highlights included Mark Lanegan Band, Foals, MØ, Half Moon Run, and excellent performances by our very own Young Wonder, MMOTHS, and The Cast Of Cheers. Bring on Castlepalooza, Indiependence, Oxegen, and Electric Picnic! Proving that geography is no obstacle, Cork/Sydney duo In Valour have been working on new material. They’ve also made a video for new track ‘Slow Crunch’. The visuals are stunning, as is the track.   Speaking of Cork, The Vincent(s) are…

  • Dan Hegarty: Sweet 95

    July 12, 2013 - By 

    It was a time when the Blur Vs Oasis nonsense was reaching its peak; the Battle of Britpop as it was called. Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart was WWF (now WWE) Champion, and it would be just a number of years before Irish Rugby fans would become familiar with a man by the name of Brian O’Driscoll. Kerbdog – ‘Sally’   1995 was a year when the grit of what was known as grunge had been replaced by the aforementioned Britpop bands of varying merit. While on these shores bands like Rollerskate Skinny, Whipping Boy, Kerbdog, and Watercress were doing their respective…

  • Dan Hegarty: Sound & Vision

    June 24, 2013 - By 

    There are lost albums, those that should have made their way to ears all over the world, but for what ever reason didn’t. Explosive from Cork band The Shades was released to critical applause nine years ago. Rather than getting any further into what might or should have been right now, take a listen to this gem, and treat yourself by streaming/downloading it for free below. Explosive lp (Free Download) by The Shades In true rock n’ roll fashion Kodaline launched their debut album, In A Perfect World, on a boat last Thursday. On the same day, they also found…

  • Dan Hegarty: Aliens, Queens, & Infinity

    June 10, 2013 - By 

    Call them Alien Pop, call them electro-pop pretenders, what ever your opinion of Nanu Nanu is, it’s difficult not to rattle off superlatives when you’re speaking about their debut album Unit 1. What was essentially a side project for Laura (Glitterface) and Marc (Mirrorman), may well have turned into their main focus for the foreseeable future. If calling this a contender for debut album of the year is considered hype, then I stand guilty as charged! It was a pleasant surprise to see the new Queens Of The Stone Age album Like Clockwork getting to the number one spot in…

  • Dan Hegarty: Hey Ho Let’s Go!

    May 28, 2013 - By 

    What is it about the months of May and June that I love so much? Is it the weather? Nope, certainly not! To be honest, it’s always a great time for new music being unleashed, along with people getting into festival mode. We’ve been served very well on both fronts this year; Enemies, Cat Dowling, Solar Bears, Little Green Cars, and Alias Empire delivered sterling albums, and the festival circuit looks in pretty good shape. Independent festivals like Knockanstockan, Castlepalooza, and Indiependence have announced their line-ups; and there are the larger gatherings like Forbidden Fruit, Sea Sessions, Oxegen, Longitude, Body…