• Florence and the Machine @ 3Arena, Dublin

    November 21, 2018 - By 

    It’s been nine years since Florence Welch and her varied band of musicians burst into the mainstream with their orchestral indie pop and grew to extreme levels of fame. Since then, the indie pop phenomenon has released four well received albums and has developed a reputation for emotional, bombastic live shows. As an artist with a fairly traditional album cycle approach in an era of constant Spotify releases and attempts at social media virality, Welch’s work veers in and out of the spotlight every couple of years so it’s easy to forget just how impactful Florence And The Machine’s back…

  • Life Trainee: An Interview With SOAK

    November 19, 2018 - By 

    It’s been three years since Derry born singer-songwriter SOAK broke into public consciousness with her emotionally raw and beautifully-crafted debut album Before We Forget How To Dream. After heaps of critical praise, a Mercury prize nomination, an Irish Choice Music Prize Album of The Year victory and a little time away from the limelight, the 22 year old is back with a new song ‘Everybody Loves You’, the promise of a second album coming soon and a tour at the end of November. Ahead of her show at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre on November 26 (tickets here), Kelly Doherty spoke…

  • Julien Baker w/ Becca Mancari @ Vicar Street, Dublin

    September 30, 2018 - By 

    There’s a medium-sized crowd at Vicar Street to welcome Julien Baker and her support act Becca Mancari to Dublin. Opening the night on a lovely note, Mancari’s mostly acoustic songs are simple yet emotional and her passionate takes about performing on a tour of two queer women are both endearing and inspiring. She’s a perfect compliment for Baker’s style with just enough hope to balance out the sadness of the latter’s music. There’s something incredible about Julien Baker and her talents. Baker has a particularly special type of stage presence. The atmosphere she controls and creates is impenetrable – every…

  • A Series of Unexpected Surprises: An Interview With Julien Baker

    September 20, 2018 - By 

    Speaking to Julien Baker feels like talking to your friend in a bar. Her unassuming nature and down to earth discussion can almost make you forget what a successful, accomplished person you’re dealing with. Despite being only 22 years old, Baker has managed to forge an illustrious career with her emotive, gentle indie rock. Having shared stages with the likes of Death Cab For Cutie and Paramore, with two critically-acclaimed albums already under her belt, she is humble about her success. “I try to be personally aware that any response to the record at all has exceeded what I expected,”…

  • The Top 10 Sets At All Together Now 2018

    August 7, 2018 - By 

    Starting for it’s first year ever All Together Now has brought together the best in Irish and international talent to a picturesque Waterford setting. For its first year, All Together Now is mostly superbly organised; it has one of the most stacked line-ups of the summer, excellent communication between the festival and its goers and a generally beautiful design. The organisers should be incredibly proud for establishing a new festival that should last for many years to come. Here’s the top 10 sets that we caught at this year’s inaugural outing. Words by Kelly Doherty. Photos by Patrizio Mancuso. Mura Masa…

  • 10 Sets To Catch at All Together Now 2018

    August 2, 2018 - By 

    This Bank Holiday Weekend (August 3-4), All Together Now pops up at Curraghmore House in Co. Waterford for its first run. With one of Ireland’s most stacked festival line-ups this summer, here’s our guide to the acts you have to catch this weekend. Words by Kelly Doherty Go here to buy tickets to ATN 2018 Fleet Foxes – Sunday, 10.30pm, ATN Stage The Seattle folk kings returned from a long break to regain their crown with their 2017 release, Crack Up and are set to light up the ATN stage as the festival’s final headliner on Sunday night. Expect expansive,…

  • The 8 Best Sets at KnockanStockan 2018

    July 31, 2018 - By 

    KnockanStockan has long established itself as one of of Ireland’s biggest small festivals and with a line up of amazing homegrown Irish talent from all genres and movements, it appears to have exceeded expectations. While the line-up is stellar and the festival is endlessly appealing in terms of appearance and size, Knockanstockan 2018 struggles with one major stumbling block: disorganisation. With many stages running towards hours late, a lack of security around ensuring safety in campsites and production room, problems with clear signage indicating who is playing where and when and issues around officially booked transport to and from the…

  • The 8 Best Sets at Townlands Carnival 2018

    July 26, 2018 - By 

    Cork’s Townlands Carnival returned another year filled with the brightest and best in upcoming Irish music, as well as a handful of international names. It’s a formula that works superbly with Townlands, which made for an incredibly enjoyable, relaxed experience that drew a highly eclectic crowd and kept all tastes satiated. These were our highlights. Words by Kelly Doherty HappyAlone Closing up the relaxed Friday night of Townlands were Cork natives HappyAlone over at the Rising Sons stage. Having recently received a lot of attention due to their live shows and impressive social media presence, the band are a clear headliner…

  • The Top 10 Sets at Body & Soul 2018

    June 26, 2018 - By 

    Body & Soul has quickly become one of Ireland’s biggest festivals and this year it’s as popular as ever despite a small downsizing in music acts. 2018 easily established the festival as one of Ireland’s best with a carefully curated line up and one of the safest, most inclusive festival experiences around. With an amazing presence of queer culture (it was impossible to go for more than a few minutes without seeing a pride flag) and a wholesome, local festival despite its increasing popularity, Body & Soul 2018 made for an exceedingly fun festival. Here’s our top ten sets from…

  • Mount Kimbie – Love What Survives

    September 8, 2017 - By 

    It would be a hard push to find an electronic act in 2017 as dynamic and ever changing as Mount Kimbie. The London duo came to prominence through their perfecting of the highly popularised post-dubstep sound on their 2010 debut Crooks & Lovers. Further acclaim came then with their sophomore effort Cold Spring Fault Less Youth. Having teased listeners with collaborative singles featuring James Blake and King Krule over the last few months, album number three Love What Survives lands with now with a considerable hype wrapped around it, leaving us itching to discover whether the pair have succeeded in evolving with the indie-electronic…