• Stream: VOXX – Glamour Puss

    February 22, 2016 - By 

    The wonderfully camp late 90s Bowie homage Velvet Goldmine credited Oscar Wilde as the original glam rock alien, so it seems appropriate that after the Star Man’s passing another Dubliner seems determined to pick up the flamboyant rock n roll flame. Enter VOXX frontman Conor Thornton, whose look channels so many androgynous rock legends he appears like the product of one of 70s Mick Jagger’s especially wild orgies. Debut single ‘Glamour Puss’ is an assuredly cocky introduction to the band: featuring a fabulously filthy Josh Homme-worthy riff, the band pile on T-Rex handclaps and sleazy piano to take the track into gloriously trashy retro nirvana. Thornton’s…

  • Animal Collective – Painting With

    February 17, 2016 - By 

    Baltimore’s Animal Collective have spent the best part of two decades attempting to give experimental pop a good name, with mixed results: after scoring a direct hit with 2009’s critical high water mark Merriweather Post Pavilion, the hazy experimentation of 2012’s follow up Centipede Hz alienated many of their new followers, and their trend of swaying between catchy weirdness and self-indulgent noodling has been a feature throughout their discography. As a result, the news that 2016 would bring the first Animal Collective album in four years was met with as much apprehension as anticipation: for a band that on average released an album a…

  • Irish Tour: Villagers w/ Somerville

    February 1, 2016 - By 

    With support from Somerville, Villagers enthralled Dublin’s Vicar Street and Galway’s Black Box Theatre on Thursday and Friday night. Words by Eoin Murray. Photos by Mark Earley and Vincent Hughes. Vicar Street, Dublin Photos by Mark Earley Black Box Theatre, Galway Photos by Vincent Hughes On a freezing Friday night in January when the pelting rain hurts your face there are few things that will warm your body and toast your soul more than hearing a collection of masterfully constructed folk songs that manage to maintain an emotional, poetic rawness despite the very professional polish.  Tonight’s sold out show by in Galway’s…

  • Irish Tour: John Grant

    February 1, 2016 - By 

    With words by Ross Thompson and photos from Alan Maguire and Sean McCormack, we capture the very mighty John Grant at Belfast’s Mandela Hall and Galway’s Seapoint. Mandela Hall, Belfast Photos by Alan Maguire John Grant is, to put it bluntly, as cool as all get out. Whether crooning over torch ballads or getting his proverbial freak on to big-boned electro, he plays the showman with consummate ease. Each of the mantles fit him equally well, thanks in no small part to his not only the appeal of his soaring, velvety voice but also his natural charm. Following support Icelandic multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter…

  • Irish Tour: Ash

    December 22, 2015 - By 

    In the latest installment of Irish Tour, we go on the road to capture NI alt-rock royalty Ash in Dublin, Galway and Belfast. Words by Conor Callanan, photos by Isabel Thomas, Sean McCormack and Alan Maguire. Olympia Theatre, Dublin It’s hard to believe that Downpatrick’s favourite sons Ash have reached the twenty-third year of their career. It doesn’t seem all that long ago when the teenage trio of Tim Wheeler, Rick McMurray and Mark Hamilton appeared on Top of the Pops, had some of their earliest tracks appear in US movies, and got to record a live album in one of Australia’s…

  • Snooker Looping: Steve Davis, DJ

    November 19, 2015 - By 

    Having recently been announced to DJ at electronic mecca Bloc in March – an unmissable prospect in itself – snooker legend Steve Davis chats to Loreana Rushe about his deep, decades-spanning love of collecting and discovering music and swapping the snooker table for decks for the century break of his life. Hi Steve! It’s brilliant to chat to you, I’m a big snooker fan for a 30 year old woman but I’m not here to talk to you about it unfortunately, so let’s get to talking about your love for music! When did you first start collecting music and how large…

  • Ladies and Gentlemen, We’re Floating in Vape.

    November 16, 2015 - By 

    Vastly becoming a popular alternative to cigarettes, Vaping is gently floating towards a cultural connoisseur phenomenon like chemex coffee, craft beer and cronuts. Ciaran McCausland attends Vapefest 2015 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, immersing himself in the billowing flavoured haze to discuss what attracted him and other like minded individuals to the cult of vape. I think it was when I saw the two oul fellas standing outside Thurles Cathedral collecting coin for Fine Gael, each brandishing a vaping contraption, that I decided that vaping had gone mainstream in Ireland. “See” I said to my wife, “even those dying looking old…

  • Premiere: Extra Fox – Palm of Gold

    November 2, 2015 - By 

    Having played in various outfits including The Cast of Cheers and Abam over the last decade, Neil Adams has also been concocting his very own sounds as Extra Fox. Mastered by Mati Schwartz – who has recently mastered material from the likes of All Tvvins – Adams’ sublime new single, ‘Palm of Gold’, sees the Dubliner marry wonderfully propulsive rhythms with retrofuturistic electronica over five subtly euphoric – all too short – minutes. ‘Palm of Gold’ is available for download from November 12. Stream it below.

  • Irish Tour: Beach House

    October 27, 2015 - By 

    Having released two fantastic albums in the space of three months – Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars – Baltimore dream-pop band Beach House played Belfast’s Mandela Hall and Dublin’s Vicar street at the weekend. Words by Cathal McBride and Joe Madsen. Photos by Colm Laverty and Aaron Corr. Mandela Hall, Belfast Photos by Colm Laverty Kicking off their lengthy European tour tonight, Baltimore dream pop duo Beach House unusually have not one but two new albums to promote, having released Depression Cherry and last week’s surprise follow up Thank Your Lucky Stars (written later but recorded in the…