• Festival Mixtape: Belsonic 2014

    August 13, 2014 - By 

    An annual fixture at Belfast’s Custom House Square, this year’s Belsonic – running from Friday, August 15 to Friday, August 22 this year – boasts some extremely big hitters. Whether you look to the likes of Nile Rodger’s Chic, Biffy Clyro or Queens of the Stone Age, globetrotting, genre-defining stadium-fillers are very much the order – with some select up-and-coming support acts thrown in for good measure. Check out the full line-up and buy tickets here. Stream our Festival Mixtape for Belsonic 2014 – featuring all fourteen confirmed acts – below.

  • Frame by Frame #11: Tucan – As It Was

    August 8, 2014 - By 

    Back in June, Sligo instrumental band Tucan released easily one of the more interesting music videos from an Irish act that we’ve seen in quite some time. We called it “gloriously messed up”, concluding with “charmed or abhorred, you can’t look away.” Two months on, Colm Laverty delves further, talking to co-director Bryan Quinn about the inspiration behind and the production of the video. Hi Bryan. First off, tell us a little bit about your role on this music video. Bobby (McGlynn, co-director) started the sentence “We should just film someone performing the song, like…” “Jonathan Gunning?” I said. We made the rest of it…

  • Festival Mixtape: Stendhal Festival of Art

    August 4, 2014 - By 

    Headlined by Derry punk pioneers The Undertones and Scottish indie-rock quartet Frightened Rabbit (above), Stendhal Festival of Art returns to the wonderfully scenic Roe Valley this weekend for two days of music, art, theatre, comedy and poetry. With tickets still available to purchase via the official website here, we’ve compiled a ten-track playlist featuring some our must-see acts to catch at the festival – everyone from Malojian and Go Wolf to Making Monsters and Ciaran Lavery.

  • A Guide to the Cathedral Quarter – Part III

    August 1, 2014 - By 

    Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter has become a hub for culture in Northern Ireland in recent years. Once considered a dark and dodgy area of town, the Cathedral Quarter has been completely rejuvenated in recent years alongside the inauguration of the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival fifteen years ago. One of the best things about the Cathedral Quarter is that there are so many venues in such a small area of land – perfect for boosting tourism and the local economy. Taking a quick dander around the quarter you’re sure to pass several stunning landmarks whether it be theatres, bars and pubs, or…

  • Festival Mixtape: Forfey Festival

    July 30, 2014 - By 

    Taking place across the weekend of August 1-3, the wonderfully intimate and unaffected Forfey Festival returns to Forfey Farm near Lisnaskea, County Fermanagh with easily one of its strongest line-ups to date. As is its custom, homegrown folk and acoustic acts make up the majority of this year’s line-up, but there is also a wide range of electronic and rock artists – everyone from Hornets to Affleck – performing across the festival’s three days. Go here to buy tickets for the festival and check out our ten-track Festival Mixtape – including the likes of More Than Conquerors, Ciaran Lavery and Go Wolf (pictured) – below.

  • Festival Mixtape: Indiependence 2014

    July 29, 2014 - By 

    Hands down one of Cork’s finest annual festivals, Indiependence returns to Mitcheltown’s Deer Park across the weekend of August 1-3, headlined by hip-hop overlords Public Enemy, London post-punk trio White Lies and Tom Odell. Better still, this year’s festival boasts some of the very finest acts, of every conceivable ilk and genre, that fall comfortably under the banner “homegrown”. Whether you look to the cosmically-inclined rapture of Cork’s The Altered Hours or Belfast-based indie-pop quartet Go Wolf, amongst several others, the veritable cream of Ireland’s musical crop will be nicely represented across the weekend. Check out the full line-up for the festival…

  • Friday Mixtape: Owen Strathern (Oh Volcano)

    August 1, 2014 - By 

    In the first of a new weekly “thing” here at the Thin Air (sometimes “thing” sums it up perfectly, you know?), Oh Volcano’s Owen Strathern delivers the inaugural Friday Mixtape, featuring some of his all-time favourite tracks – everyone from Talking Heads to The Magnetic Fields. Stream the playlist and read Owen’s thoughts on each track below. Future Islands – Seasons (Waiting On You): “I saw this track on Letterman and pre-ordered their album right away. The guy is mesmerising and this song is incredible.” Caged Animals – Teflon Heart: “I heard this track a few years ago and just heard an instrumental of…

  • A Guide to The Cathedral Quarter – Part II

    July 29, 2014 - By 

    Photo by Nicholas McCloskey Ask anyone in Belfast: the Cathedral Quarter is the artistic home of Belfast where culture parties and never rests. The energy of the area is contagious judging by the thousands that walk the cobbled streets every week, viewing the murals featuring iconic figures of Northern Ireland or just sampling the buzz. Its approach to art is diverse, giving a platform for various art forms as well as music that maybe aren’t as accessible to the masses including spoken word, dance and visual art forms. This acceptance of the arts is so influential that it even has…

  • A Guide to The Cathedral Quarter – Part I

    July 25, 2014 - By 

    Boasting over 200 free events to over 30,000 attendees, the sixth year of Culture Night Belfast is drawing near with much of the focus being directed towards the city’s stunning Cathedral Quarter, an area which prides itself on being at the heart of cultural locality in the city. Set to take place on Friday, September 19, the annual showcase – which calls itself “the city’s biggest, most colourful and inclusive cultural celebration” – will bring the quarter and it’s many established and makeshift venues to life. The annual Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, which celebrated its fifteenth year in early May, brought the very…

  • Classic Movie: Planet of the Apes (1968)

    July 18, 2014 - By 

    It was the beginning of the comedown after the Summer of Love. 1967 had been a remarkable year, where pop culture had truly broken down the barriers, becoming perhaps the most important part of most young people’s lives. Inevitably, the year that followed took on a darker hue, and it was only a matter of time before someone would capture the fear and paranoia that had slowly crept into youth culture. And unbelievably, this dread was perfectly encapsulated in the unforgettable image of a bare-chested man on his knees, pounding his fists into a sandy beach, whilst the waves indifferently…