• 15 For ’15: Princess

    January 12, 2015 - By 

    With their track ‘Molly’ (below) coming in at #1 in our Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2014, Dublin duo Princess are our next featured act in our 15 For ’15 feature. Their frankly irresistible brand of dream/noise-pop has had us hooked over the last couple of years, and we are absolutely convinced they’re going to concoct even bigger and better things in 2015 and far beyond. Words by Stevie Lennox. Photo by Isabel Thomas. The duo of Liam Mesbur and Aoife McCarthy – accompanied by various friends – are the core of Dublin experimental indie rock act Princess, who dropped their…

  • Monday Mixtape: Niall Kennedy (ASIWYFA, A Bad Cavalier)

    January 12, 2015 - By 

    In the first of a new regular feature (weekly, in fact, would you believe?) And So I Watch You From Afar axeman and A Bad Cavalier main man Niall Kennedy delivers his wonderfully eclectic Monday Mixtape. Serious tunes ahoy – Niall, take the reigns… “This is the sort of playlist I’d make for a big drive. It includes a lot of my favourite tunes and is nice and varied. It’s good to keep things interesting so you don’t fall asleep when you’re driving – never good! It’s got some of my new favourite bands like PUP and Grouplove, some epic rock…

  • Deep Down South: New Years and Noisy Block Parties

    January 11, 2015 - By 

    To say that 2015 sees a massive year ahead of Cork City’s music scene is an understatement. An ever-changing, ever-adapting beast that has taken several setbacks in stride over the past few years and seen bands and venues lost, found and regrouped, built to the point where the real capital is in many respects set to become the intriguing prospect it is. This year alone sees new records from post-hardcore hunks Terriers (below), alt-rock cornerstones Hope is Noise, death-pop merchants The Vincent(s), and the debut album from much-loved psych-rock outfit The Altered Hours (pictured), adding to their already-varied and exciting discography.…

  • Premiere: Come On Live Long – Trough

    January 12, 2015 - By 

    Having spent the autumn and winter months carving out the follow-up to their critically-acclaimed debut, Everything Fall, Dublin five-piece Come On Live Long have returned with ‘Trough’, a four-minute spectral gem that hints at some extraordinary things in the making. Initially intended to be an ambient interlude on the album, the song began to grow organically as the band invited guest musicians and friends to lend their talents to the piece. Featuring Tadhg Byrne on violin, Matt Rafter on cello, Bill Blackmore on flugelhorn and trombone, and Michael Maguire on accordion, it combines a mini-orchestra of instrumentation, including a pedal organ…

  • 15 For ’15: Speed of Snakes

    January 9, 2015 - By 

    Set to feature in physical form in our forthcoming January magazine, we continue 15 for ’15, a feature looking at fifteen Irish acts we’re absolutely convinced are going places in 2015. Over the first two weeks of January, we’ll be previewing each of those acts, accompanied by words from our writers and an original photograph by our wonderful team of photographers. Next up: Dublin duo Speed of Snakes. Photo by Alessio Michelini. 2014 saw the end of a band called Adebisi Shank, but this year the vibrations of the two remaining hatchlings of the snakes whose trails are the cosmos will reverberate along your consciousness like never before.…

  • New Old Testaments: Genesis and Job on screen

    January 12, 2015 - By 

    December 26 saw the opening of Ridley Scott’s $140-million Moses epic Exodus: Gods and Kings.  As cumbersome as its video game-friendly title, the film is occasionally spectacular but mostly stodgy, not to mention camp in the way that only a very, very serious endeavour can be.  Closer in spirit to Scott’s own Gladiator (2000) and Kingdom of Heaven (2005) than to Cecil B. De Mille’s two treatments of the same material (1923 and 1956), Exodus capped an unusually busy year for the Old Testament on screen. While the first and likely most profitable Biblical film of 2014 was a New…

  • 15 For ’15: Axis Of

    January 7, 2015 - By 

    Set to feature in physical form in our forthcoming January magazine, we continue 15 for ’15, a feature looking at fifteen Irish acts we’re absolutely convinced are going places in 2015. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll going to be previewing each of those acts, accompanied by words from our writers and an original photograph by our wonderful team of photographers. Next up: Belfast-based three-piece Axis Of. Photo by Tom McGeehan. 2015 looks all set for take-off for the North Antrim act dubbed by Rocksound “the most exciting band to come out of Northern Ireland, possibly ever”. Axis Of launch into the New Year…

  • 15 For ’15: Boyfights

    January 8, 2015 - By 

    Set to feature in physical form in our forthcoming January magazine, we continue 15 for ’15, a feature looking at fifteen Irish acts we’re absolutely convinced are going places in 2015. Over the first two weeks of January, we’ll be previewing each of those acts, accompanied by words from our writers and an original photograph by our wonderful team of photographers. Next up: Galway quartet Boyfights. Photo by Sean McCormack. A year and a half of live performance under their belt, Galwegian quartet Boyfights look poised to expand their loyal western fanbase. Two summers ago, the band gained traction in various battles of bands across Galway City…

  • 15 For ’15: Sissy

    January 6, 2015 - By 

    Set to feature in physical form in our forthcoming January magazine, we continue 15 for ’15, a feature looking at fifteen Irish acts we’re absolutely convinced are going places in 2015. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll going to be previewing each of those acts, accompanied by words from our writers and an original photograph by our wonderful team of photographers. Next up is  Dublin lo-fi three-piece Sissy. Photo by Carlos Daly. Boy meets girls. Protest punk meets loud lo-fi garage. A three-piece band is born. Traversing the jagged topography of social commentary, sexual politics and gender inequality, streaked through with black humour and sonic…

  • 15 For ’15: Oh Boland

    January 5, 2015 - By 

    Set to feature in physical form in our forthcoming January magazine, we continue 15 for ’15, a feature looking at fifteen Irish acts we’re absolutely convinced are going places in 2015. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll going to be previewing each of those acts, accompanied by words from our writers and an original photograph by our wonderful team of photographers. Next up is Galway garage-pop trio Oh Boland. Photo by Sean McCormack. What with ‘garage rock/pop’ being one of the three/four musical styles currently en vogue, Tuam’s Oh Boland are likely to leap on most of these ‘to watch’ lists as a matter…