• Crowdfunder launched for Invisible Britain: Portraits

    February 28, 2018 - By 

    A new photography book showcases cutting-edge documentary portraits from across the UK. Independent film director Paul Sng has launched a crowdfunding campaign for Invisible Britain: Portraits, a unique book of documentary images from more than 30 award-winning photographers including Belfast’s James McCourt. Co-curated by Chloe Juno and Laura Dicken, the book features stories and portraits from across the UK, showing the sharp edge of austerity and cuts to public services. The book arises from the documentary Sleaford Mods: Invisible Britain, co-directed by Sng in 2015, and follows the success of follow-up film Dispossession: The Great Social Housing Swindle. “Negative and…

  • IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Winners Announced

    February 21, 2018 - By 

    Always a significant event in the Irish music calendar, last night saw the 2017 IMRO Irish Live Music Venue of the Year Awards recognise some of the island’s best live music venues. Held at the IMRO HQ in Dublin, the following venues were awarded the top prize for their respective region: Dublin – Whelan’s (pictured) Rest of Leinster – The Set Theatre Connacht – Roisin Dubh Munster – Connolly’s Of Leap Ulster – Leo’s Tavern Coming out on top as the National Live Music Venue of the Year was Mike The Pies in Listowel, Co. Kerry. Elsewhere, Electric Picnic won the…

  • The Thin Air’s Alternative Valentine’s Playlist

    February 14, 2018 - By 

    Sure, every second song is about love (or the lack of it) but that hasn’t stopped us from compiling our annual Spotify playlist of 30 songs that sum up the sometimes transformative, other times crushing realm of love pretty succinctly. Featuring Mojave 3, Elliott Smith, Nick Cave, James Blake, Grizzly Bear, Yo La Tengo, My Bloody Valentine, Big Star, Father John Misty, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Magnetic Fields, Radiohead and more, you can stream and subscribe to it below.

  • The Breeders, Orbital, Ash and More Added to BBC’s Biggest Weekend in Belfast

    February 7, 2018 - By 

    The final acts to play at BBC’s Biggest Weekend in Belfast across May 25-26 has been announced, and it’s pretty special. Joining the likes of Beck, Courtney Barnett and Manic Street Preachers are The Breeders, First Aid Kit, Goldie, Orbital, Little Dragon, Franz Ferdinand, Young Fathers and Ash. We’re going out on a limb here: this is probably the strongest line-up for a festival in Northern Irish music history. Don’t pass up the chance to get tickets when they go on sale this Monday at 10am.

  • Preview: Brilliant Corners 2018

    February 5, 2018 - By 

    Returning for its sixth year, the country’s finest jazz festival, Brilliant Corners will take over various venues in Belfast across March 3-10. Programmed by the ever tasteful team at Moving On Music, this year’s bill is a wonderfully diverse patchwork of jazz and first-rate sonic digression. As well as films including Sidney Lumet’s The Pawnbroker being screened in association with Belfast Film Festival at the Bean Bag Cinema, this year’s programme boasts Belfast’s experimental rock masters Blue Whale, the singular guitar explorations of Jim Mullen alongside the Ronnie Greer Organ Band and a homegrown showcase featuring Joseph Leighton Trio, Sue Rynhart…

  • Premiere: Cranky Face – Vultures

    January 13, 2018 - By 

    Galway rock outfit Cranky Face have shared their new single ‘Vultures’. Taken off their forthcoming EP set for release early this year, it’s a rollicking guitar number for fans of Queens of the Stone Age’s recent output, The Raconteurs and Pixies. With a host of festival appearances under their belt in 2017 and big plans lined up for the coming year, this is not one to be missed.

  • Video Premiere: PrYmary Colours – Lighter Side of Day

    December 22, 2017 - By 

    Christmas is nearly upon us but some are still dreaming of the Summer, particularly Cayisha Graham and Daire Gohery of electro-pop duo PrYmary Colours as they mark the release of their Lighter Side of Day EP with a video for the 90s inspired lead track of the same name. It was shot by Sean Gallagher at Fuinneamh festival in Loughcrew, Co. Meath and Casa Bacardi at Electric Picnic this year, capturing those hedonistic festival vibes completely. As a bonus, the band are offering three tracks Lighter Side of Day, Sunscape and Can’t Do Nothing At All for free as a Christmas present. Click here to download until January 1st.

  • The Thin Air’s Essential 25 Films of 2017

    December 22, 2017 - By 

    End of year rankings obscure as much as they reveal, so we’re keeping it loose for the film countdown. Each of our regular film writers submitted picks for the year’s best in cinema, as well as a ‘wildcard’ pick that deserved more attention. The resulting list of 25 films embraces the art-house and the blockbuster, showcasing stunning work from Ireland, the UK, America and elsewhere, across a healthy range of genres and styles. The films are unnumbered and presented in random order. This rundown only begins to capture the breadth of cinematic experiences offered by the year; please take it as an…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 30 Irish Albums of 2017

    December 21, 2017 - By 

    Ahead of revealing our top twenty EPs of the year, we’re pleased to present the big one: our Top 30 Irish Albums of the Year. Was it a tricky to compile? Very. It’s never easy but it’s always a pleasure. We say it every year but it’s undeniable: the last twelve months have been nothing short of revelatory, and we fully believe the following list of LPs shine a beaming floodlight on what the island of Ireland has to offer, from transcendent traditional revivalism and world-beating hip-hop to obliterating noise and Motorik-driven kosmische worship. 30. Eoin Dolan – UBIQUE UBIQUE…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2017 (50-1)

    December 8, 2017 - By 

    Boy, was this hard. To say this top 100 countdown could’ve very easily been a top 250 wouldn’t be anything resembling an overstatement. From start to finish, 2017 will go down as one of the most compelling years in Irish music in recent memory. Your move, 2018. Go here for 100-51. 50. Wood Burning Savages – Living Hell 49. Maija Sofia – Persephone 48. Group Zero – Pyramid of Light/Love And The Present 47. Ryan Vail & Jealous of the Birds – Love is a Crow 46. Floor Staff – A Love Sublime 45. Super Silly – Not Ready to…