• Inbound: Foreign Owl

    April 11, 2017 - By 

    Foreign Owl is a band whose members have found their musical home in Derry by way of a protracted route through the Southern prefecture of Fukuoka, Japan and the mean streets of Burt, Donegal. Members, Eoghan Donegan (Guitarist/Singer), along with brothers Míchéal (Bass/Singer) and Ciarán McCay (Drums/Singer) struck up a friendship after meeting at Japanese drumming (Taiko) classes in Derry. What started out as a mutual appreciation of film, soon germinated into a real desire to express themselves through music, inspired by their surroundings, art and Japanese culture. Along the way, Radio Foyle’s Stephen McCauley has championed the band by…

  • What’s Happenin’ wi’ TOUTS? An Interview With Derry’s Young Punks

    March 1, 2017 - By 

    Derry three-piece TOUTS have wasted little time transitioning from a cover band to an uncompromising punk rock band in the past year.  Having just wrapped up in the studio, they have two E.P.’s tucked in their back pocket, with the first set for release in April*. After meeting at the Brandywell, home of Derry City F.C., the line-up has changed over time, with the current trio consisting of Matthew (singer/guitarist), Luke (bassist), and Jason (drummer).  As a band, their taste has evolved, from mod and pub rock beginnings, to punk rock usurping all other influences. They appear to have the…

  • 17 For ’17: TOUTS

    February 1, 2017 - By 

    Three-piece Derry band TOUTS have quickly established a name for themselves in the local music scene and beyond by delivering incendiary live performances, underpinned with an ol-school punk attitude. Still in their teens, Matthew (singer/guitarist), Luke (bassist), and Jason (drummer) have opened for punk rock royalty in Derry’s own, The Undertones.  They’ve also played high-profile support slots and secured upcoming shows with Blossoms and The Coral. As a band, they have been sustained on a diet of stellar mod/punk rock throughout their formative years – who whilst indebted to pioneering artists – have quickly forged an identity of their own…

  • Label Mixtape: Castle Face Records

    November 1, 2016 - By 

    San Francisco based Castle Face Records is an independent label that was formed ten years ago by Thee Oh See’ John Dwyer along with associates.  Brian Lee Hughes – who worked on a film for Coachwhips (another J.D. fronted band) final performance – fell in love with Dwyer’s work and offered financial assistance to allow him to release his endless stream of musical conceptions.  It came at a time when a major label had duplicitously dropped the ball when it came to releasing Thee Oh Sees’ Sucks Blood (2007).  These serendipitous events proved to be the catalyst needed to form Castle…

  • Blood and Guts: An Interview with Le Butcherettes’ Teri Gender Bender

    October 10, 2016 - By 

    For the uninitiated, Le Butcherettes are a three-piece punk rock band based in El Paso, by way of LA and the streets of Guadalajara, Mexico.  As founder and front-woman Teri Gender Bender has alluded to, her grounding in a deeply religious city, where ‘humble hard-working people’ live on the same streets as ‘violent kidnappers’ had a profound impact on her mind-set.  This juxtaposition of good and evil would act as her musical education, informing image, lyrics and sound. Through a process of cultural osmosis Gender Bender drew inspiration from many sources, be it Mexico’s ‘raw corruption’ or American punk music –…

  • Jack White – Acoustic Recordings 1998­ – 2016

    September 13, 2016 - By 

    Jack White is by many people’s reckoning one of the most iconic guitarists of his generation. Standing at a burly six foot plus with his ghostly pale complexion and colour coordinated outfits he has always cut a formidable onstage presence. Photos of him wrestling his red and white Airline guitar will sit alongside the likes of Hendrix and Phil Lynott. It’s invigorating to witness his mastery of the stage. As one half of The White Stripes he not only managed to compensate for a lack of instruments by producing a colossal amount of noise; he was visually mesmerising, throwing himself around like a man possessed and constantly jolting between…

  • Cian Nugent – Night Fiction

    January 31, 2016 - By 

    Night Fiction is Dubliner Cian Nugent’s third album; on previous instrumental releases he has shown himself to be a prodigious guitarist and composer, but this record sees Nugent’s vocal chops come to the fore.  His sound tips its hat to world folk music, including African folk; one of the continents great musical exports, Ali Farka Touré’s guitar playing is a good reference point.  Psych rock could also be cited as an influence, and as such his songs often have a hypnotic quality which allows you to immerse yourself in the detail. On ‘Lost Your Way’ guitar lines dance along whilst Nugent’s voice crackles…

  • King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Paper Maché Dream Balloon

    November 11, 2015 - By 

    Their long-winded name gives the distinct impression King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are some whacked-out middle-aged men playing 80’s progressive rock, talking about spirituality and shit.  And on previous albums they have leaned in that direction, with sustained improvised grooves, but it has always been more in line with repetitive psych rock rhythms, than drawn out introspective jams.  On last album Quarters! there were majestically sprawling tracks, four of them to be precise, lasting 10 minutes and 10 seconds each.  They used wizardry of Gandalf proportions to instil magic in songs of that length, intricate musical patterns were weaved…

  • Tension & Trepidation: A Guide to Goblin

    October 31, 2015 - By 

    As it’s Halloween and Claudio Simonetti’s kings of the Italian horror genre just played District 8, Dublin last night, it seemed apt to have a look at the irrefutable endowment Goblin made to horror soundtracks, and their contribution to music as a whole. In 2015 the band is more popular, and influential than they have been at any time in the past. They probably never thought their scores would serve as a touchstone for metal, electro and experimental music, but it undoubtedly has. Goblin emerged from the remnants of a number of splintered Italian prog rock acts in the early 70s.Keyboardist and frontman Claudio Simonetti and original drummer…

  • Documenta – Drone Pop #1

    October 19, 2015 - By 

    As one of the forerunners in a burgeoning Irish psych-rock scene, Documenta are an intriguing prospect.  They have realistic expectations of their audience and a keen sense of artistic integrity.  Their music doesn’t invite the fanfare of over-excited teens screaming a chorus back at them.  It is music to be absorbed, introspective and thought provoking; it lends itself well to the escapists among us, those who want to drift away momentarily to dream of halcyon days. There’s clarity in their approach – a three-record agenda has been mapped out, this being the second in the trilogy before they move on…