• Christmas Hearts Single Launch @ Whelan’s, Dublin

    Christmas Hearts launched their very special charity single for Peter McVerry trust last Thursday in Whelans, featuring live performances from Swimmers, Brian Kelly of So Cow, Paddy Hanna and a very special guest appearance from Villagers frontman Conor O’Brien who also appeared on the record. If you haven’t done so already, please buy the single here. Photos by Colm Moore.

  • Track Record: Bantum

    Dublin-based Corkman Ruairi Lynch AKA Bantum has a fine taste in music. “But where’s your proof?!” we hear you cry. And cry you shall. Our response is the following piece. Read and delve in unison. Photos by Tara Thomas. Metallica – Master Of Puppets I keep going back to this album. I don’t listen to as much metal as I used to but this will always stick with me. As relentlessly fast and heavy as this album was, it made space for melody here and there, and some of the arrangements were just insane. Playing along to that album really helped…

  • Track Record: Chris Couzens (Slomatics)

    In the latest installment of Track Record, Chris Couzens from Belfast-based doom overlords Slomatics gives us an insight in his wonderfully wide-ranging record collection. Photos by May Chan. Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast My grandmother bought me Powerslave by Iron Maiden for Christmas in 1984. It made a big impression on me as an eight year old and I’ve been hooked on music since. I could have easily picked any or all of the first eight Maiden records in this list. I went with Number Of The Beast because of the iconic Derek Riggs cover. It’d be impossible…

  • Track Record: Oh Boland

    We head back to Galway for Track Record, this time to hang out with Oh Boland, where Niall Murphy (vocals) mostly discusses his favourite albums and Eanna (MacDonnacha, bass/vocals) sneaks in with a few words about Weezer’s Blue Album. Photos by Sean McCormack. The Sonics – Here Are The Sonics One of the first garage bands they say. It’s hard to disagree, and what a band. That super primitive sound, mad rackety rock n’ roll played by pimples on a one day studio bender. That guitar sound is just to die for! Total belligerence. The beat is total energy and Gerry Roslie…