• Culture Night – Culture of What?

    September 27, 2013 - By 

    Last Friday saw the return of Belfast’s Culture Night, and by all accounts it was complete success, bigger than before both in terms of events and attendance. On the other side of the world, in the North-East of Portland, Oregon is a street called NE Alberta Street and on the last Thursday of every March through to October is an art event called Last Thursday. The police shut 15 blocks (about a mile) of the street, and while it is an “organised” event there is no programme of events, no registration for performers. People just turn up and do what…

  • The Guide To: In The Court Of… Tom Ravenscroft

    September 24, 2013 - By 

    Spectacularly curated by the comprehensively cultured Duke Special last year, the annual In The Court Of… showcase at Belfast’s The MAC returns this week in the trusty hands of one of our generation’s most informed and sonically attuned broadcasters, Tom Ravenscroft. Running from September 24 to September 28, Ravenscroft – son of the late, great broadcaster, John Peel – has compiled an unmissable five-day bill of music, dance and comedy featuring international artists and performers as well as the very best in local musical talent. With the mini-festival of sorts kicking off this very evening, below is our guide to all things In…

  • Chasin’ The Trane: A John Coltrane Playlist

    September 23, 2013 - By 

    On what would have been his 87th birthday, the towering musical stature of American jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane could not be any more set in stone. One of a small handful amount of musicians to irrevocably transform the landscape of a music contemporary music – both during his lifetime and down the years through the sheer influence and clout of his legacy – he embodied a revolutionary spirit that permeating the length and breadth of his staggering back catalogue as a sessionist, collaborator, bandleader and solo artist. To pay small tribute to the man and his music, we have…

  • Classic album: Mercury Rev – Deserter’s Songs

    September 24, 2013 - By 

    No-one expected this. Previously, Mercury Rev had been the David Baker fronted psyche-noise outfit that was as likely to pick a fight with the audience than write a work of transcendent beauty. Records like Yerself is Steam and Boces are great fun, full of guitars that are distorted to the point where they cease being guitars, and crazy, stream of consciousness lyrics. But they certainly didn’t position the band as one of the most significant bands of the 90s, and this is exactly what Deserter’s Songs did. A couple of things had to happen in order for this change to take place, though. Baker was out,…

  • Culture Night Belfast: Ten Must-See Events

    September 20, 2013 - By 

    With 250 events set to take place across 100+ to over 30,000 people this evening, it’s safe to say we’re spoiled for choice at this year’s Culture Night Belfast. With an understandable leaning towards the more musical end of the spectrum, we have scratched our heads to no end to whittle down the plethora of happenings to a mere decad worthy of your consideration. See you in the streets, rooftops, cathedrals, etc. 1. 101 Sessions Some of Belfast’s finest musicians will quite literally congregate at the wonderfully intimate church on 101 Donegall Street from 7.00pm. As well as music from…

  • The First Time: VerseChorusVerse

    September 19, 2013 - By 

    In the latest installment of The First Time we get the virginal sonic lowdown from North Coast songsmith extraordinare Tony Wright AKA VerseChorusVerse. Traversing his wide-ranging tastes and first-time musical experiences with everyone from John Denver to Public Enemy, we get an invaluable insight into the musical DNA of a homegrown songwriting giant. First Album I Ever Bought: Public Enemy – It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. I was 9 years old and heard ‘Straight Outta Compton’ by NWA at my big brother’s friend’s house. It had been out a couple of years at this stage and…

  • An A-Z Playlist of Grand Theft Auto

    September 17, 2013 - By 

    With the release of arguably the most anticipated video game of a generation, Grand Theft Auto V, Shannon Delores O’Neill casts a nostalgic ear back at some of the best music from GTA – a series that vividly captures the sounds of the era in which each game is set, from the pop and funk of Vice City to the alt-rock and hip hop of San Andreas. And what better to do that than with an A-Z Spotify playlist kicking off with Alice In Chains and ending with Zapp & Roger (“who?” we hear you cry)? NB: don’t forget to do…

  • Radio K

    September 20, 2013 - By 

    The atomic symbol of potassium, the maligned protagonist in Franz Kafka’s The Castle and the unspecified superior feature of a certain breakfast cereal: the letter K denotes and relates to many things. Tentatively established back in 2006, Radio K has steadily established itself as Belfast’s go-to weekly alternative club, set in the suitably underground surroundings of the basement of Belfast’s oldest bar, McHughs at Custom House Square. Casting our eye back to its foundations and the years that have since passed, we catch up with the club’s main players to trace the supremely soundtracked trajectory of a Belfast social institution.…

  • Recap: Hello Skinny, Dig, Survival Knife, etc.

    September 9, 2013 - By 

    This week’s installment of Recap – our weekly look back at the best songs released the week previous – is arguably our most diverse collection to date. Featuring three Irish acts of varying stature and attack, and a new track by a band that describe themselves as… wait for it… “post-music”. More Than Conquerors – Try-Antlers Ahead of the release of their debut album next month, Northern Irish four-piece More Than Conquerors released new tracks, ‘Jaw’ and ‘Try-Antlers’, on Wednesday afternoon. My favourite of the two is the latter – a brilliantly brooding distillation of the band’s increasingly inimitable alt-rock shtick. Dig –…

  • Hard Working Class Heroes 2013: 10 must-see acts

    September 5, 2013 - By 

    Set to take place from Thursday to Saturday 5 October, Hard Working Class Heroes – hands down the country’s leading independent music showcase – is soon set to take place right across Dublin. Over three days and nights, 101 acts will perform at 7 venues across the city for the annual event, now in its eleventh year. From Northern Irish singer-songwriters Joshua Burnside and Little Rivers to Dublin noise pop-quartet September Girls and Cork psych-rock band The Altered Hours, the very best of the country’s musical talent is represented right across the board. Go here to check our the full schedule for…