• Deep Elm Records & How The Mainstream Ate Our Collective Souls Before Selling Them In A Bargain Bin In A Two For One Deal

    It’s hard to be an independent record label in 2014. Between the slow, fluctuating, apparent demise of the CD, the hyper-commercialisation of alternative cultures and the fact that the average modern music consumer has the attention span of a five year old after a can of Monster, it’s a struggle for even the most robust, stubborn indie label to stay indie and stay functional. Today, the decision of a young person deciding to focus their career on working with and financing small bands is seen as admirable – it’s a sweet idea, but they’ll eventually give up and get a…

  • Longitude 2014 Must-Sees

    Off to Marlay Park we go again. After a string of big-name acts performing at the venue these past few weeks, it’s time for Longitude to cap it all off. This is the second year of the festival, and though the line-up mightn’t be as strong as it was last year, there are most certainly a whole host of top acts to catch at this year’s festival. Here are a few of our favourites and a Spotify playlist for your pre-festival persual. Friday Bombay Bicycle Club They might be an obvious choice, but Bombay Bicycle Club are really one of…

  • Beyond Berghain: The Authentic Berlin Experience

    If you have recently thought of visiting, moving to, or simply losing a weekend in Berlin, let me first of all congratulate you. Your sense of judgement is sound. In the words of Metronomy – if you’ve got to go to Berlin… GO. Everyone knows Berlin is quite actually the Laney Boggs of the world. Even when it wasn’t “hot” (thanks Cold War), David Bowie was living here, for Christ’s sake. And, again, like She’s All That, no one was particularly surprised that the moment Berlin took off her glasses (bye bye Wall), she became a shit-hot babe. But, sadly…

  • The Smuggest Album Ever Made: Pink Floyd’s The Division Bell

    Apparently, Pink Floyd are set to release new music. Well, ‘new’ music. It says so on Polly Samson’s Twitter. And frankly, she should know. After all, she wrote most of The Division Bell, and now lists herself as the writer of something called The Endless River, a record made by her husband David Gilmour, featuring various other people, and credited to Pink Floyd. And if all this turns out to be the case (which it does) then there’s every chance that music fans are in for a pretty grim Autumn, as another catastrophically over-content monstrosity will be dumped upon us,…

  • Monty Python: still relevant, influential and, yes, funny

    I write in reference to an article published yesterday on the Belfast Telegraph’s online Opinion section, by editor Mike Gilson. Today’s topic was that of Monty Python Live (Mostly), the group’s first major reunion since 1983’s Meaning Of Life, their string of performances at the O2 in London, and, specifically, the simultaneous broadcasting of the closing night across 450 of the UK’s cinemas (July 20) – a theatrical teaser trailer of which Gilson had the misfortune of witnessing with his own naked eyes. Before I continue, I’d like to clarify that my intentions, as crass and insulting as they may appear, are…

  • No Good Trying: A Syd Barrett Playlist

    “I wasn’t always this introverted. I think young people should have a lot of fun. But I never seem to have any.” So said Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1971. Three years on from parting with Pink Floyd – a band he co-founded and named – Barrett had just released his second and final studio album, Barrett, before withdrawing from the limelight, a visionary, plagued genius; victim of psychedelic consumption. Tales of his heavy LSD use and notoriously erratic behaviour are well documented, agonisingly revealing the birth and decay of arguably psychedelia’s brightest star, a beatific songsmith, equally entrenched and liberated by his…

  • Classic Album: The Sisters of Mercy – Some Girls Wander By Mistake

    Incredibly, the Sisters of Mercy have not released any new music for twenty-one years. Their last release was a compilation entitled A Slight Case of Overbombing back in 1993, which featured one new song, and since then they’ve been silent. However, unlike My Bloody Valentine or Guns ‘N’ Roses, who also left epic gaps between records, creating a mystique that sustained them, The Sisters of Mercy have disappeared into the realm of myth or legend, forgotten by all but the most devoted few. But a cursory look at the period they were active shows that they were a Big Deal,…

  • Electric Picnic 2014: Must-See Acts

    Electric Picnic is possibly one of the most eclectic festivals in the country. Each year the line up strives to provide something for every palate. In the picturesque surroundings of Stradbally, Co. Laois it began as a daylong event with Groove Armada in 2004 and has grown each year since. So what has this summer’s weekend event got in store? Headlining are Portishead, Outkast and Beck with each artist representing different aspects of the musical spectrum. In recent years, Portishead have almost leant toward noise music with their most recent album Third. The aforementioned Third is a far cry from…

  • Classic Album: The Divine Comedy – Promenade

    I’m none too smart, a sumo-intellectual at best, but people often assume I am clever because of my large forehead, glasses and the fact that I talk far too much. My learning is skin-deep and a mile wide but I have a felicitous ability to put random things together in a manner that would answer Lautremont’s dictum: I can’t get any of my dissecting done as the whole place is lousy with sewing machines and umbrellas. But mostly what I like doing is showing off. And this is a record that really shows off. It is, if you like, a…

  • Preview: Pick ‘n’ Mix Theatre Festival

    Pick ‘n’ Mix. The phrase typically brings to mind the stale, sugary, empty promise of overpriced cinema confectionery. The Pick ‘n’ Mix Theatre Festival on the other hand promises to deliver something altogether more nourishing. Now in its seventh year the festival is named for the variety and scope of the shows it exhibits. In previous years the festival has played host to everything from high-energy dance shows set against computer generated backdrops to audio/visual pieces designed for infants. The point is very much “something for everyone”, something a bit unique for everyone with a sense of adventure that is.…