• Roving Eye: Le Galaxie in Brighton

    July 16, 2015 - By 

    The latest Roving Eye trip took me to Brighton to get a little taste of The Great Escape with party time favourites Le Galaxie. Brighton – nicknamed “London by the Sea” – has witnessed huge gentrification over the last decade, albeit without losing its notorious licentiousness. It has a charming seaside resort exterior, with beautiful Regency architecture converted into guest houses or pied-à-terre for London bourgeois weekenders. However, a gentle scratch of the surface reveals an undercurrent of bohemian non-conformist attitudes and the UK’s largest recreational drug market. Seemed like the perfect location for the UKs leading music industry festival,…

  • Midweek Mixtape: Songs To Lament Life To When The Party’s Over But You’re Still Awake

    July 15, 2015 - By 

    It’s 3.30 am and you’re sitting alone at the kitchen table in the house of friend. It’s deadly silent apart from an occasional snore from the living room where most of your friends passed out a few minutes ago. You’re surrounded by empty bottles of cider and are still cradling your last paper cup of wine. You had been excited about going out but it was average and the exact same as every other night out. The silence and the sickly yellow filter on everything in the room caused by overly harsh lighting and the smell of cigarettes and stale…

  • Interview: Deerhoof

    July 15, 2015 - By 

    Last year, Californian experimental indie rock quartet Deerhoof released their twelfth studio, La Isla Bonita, having spent the last twenty years unfailingly re-inventing themselves as one of the most exciting and downright inimitable bands of their generation. Ahead of Cork, Dublin and Belfast shows on Tuesday, August 18, Wednesday, August 19 and Thursday, August 20, the band’s vocalist/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki and drummer Greg Saunier about their legacy, their expectations and memories of playing Ireland and their mantra of always looking forward. Photo by Chad Kamenshine Hi guys. What stage are you at right now as regards another album? as soon as one comes out, are…

  • EP Premiere + Interview: THVS – Everyday Hexes

    July 15, 2015 - By 

    Forming from the embers of Belfast riff-wielding institution Comply or Die, heavy rock three-piece THVS are on the precipice of completing the first stage of their instantly ear-grabbing metamorphosis. Officially released on Friday (July 17), we’re pleased to present a first listen of their expectedly visceral four-track EP, Everyday Hexes, also chatting to frontman Michael Smyth about the writing and recording of the EP, the formation of the band and their plans for the future. Hi Michael. First thing’s first, how did THVS come about? The band came about after a band practice got cancelled so Matt and I decided to go up and play anyway.…

  • Track Record: Michelle Considine (little xs for eyes)

    July 14, 2015 - By 

    In the latest installment of Track Record, Michelle Considine from little xs for eyes selects and talks about some of her all-time favourite records, including Björk, Future Islands, The Books and Patrick Kelleher and his Cold Dead Hands. Take it away, Michelle… Photos by Abi Dennison I was raised in a vinyl fanatic’s household.  My dad had a huge collection of classic albums from the 1960s/70s and my brother had a massive 80s/90s album collection (I don’t think he’s ever bought a tape or cd in his life if it was available on vinyl!) so I was lucky to have a…

  • The Song (Struggles) To Remain The Same: Led Zeppelin at Live Aid, 13th July 1985

    July 14, 2015 - By 

    In no uncertain terms, Live Aid was a turning point in the history of popular music. Never before on this scale had pop and rock musicians striven to present themselves as a community, a socially conscious bunch of friends who were just trying to, y’know, save the world, man. But rather than a collective of friends, this was more like a club, and the membership was pretty damn exclusive. As the cream of the pop scene clamoured to be involved, one of the most exclusive bands in rock history was waiting in the wings, ready to play it low key.…

  • Label Mixtape: Matador Records

    July 13, 2015 - By 

    Founded in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York apartment, before Gerard Cosloy came on board the following year, it’s remarkable how quickly Matador Records became one of the most influential record labels operating in the indie world. As well as signing US bands, the label also became a reliable source for British bands on small UK labels to expand their international reach. Now part of the Beggars Group, recently operating in London as well as New York, and still going strong with the same two managers at the helm, Matador inspires such devotion that Pavement and Guided By…

  • Monday Mixtape: Anton Newcombe

    July 13, 2015 - By 

    Ahead of his show with Tess Parks at Dublin’s Sugar Club on Wednesday night (July 15), Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe selects and talks about not five, not ten but twenty-three of his all-time favourite songs, featuring 13th Floor Elevators, Joni Mitchell, Dungen, Marvin Gaye, Nina Simone and more. The Doors – The Crystal Ship There’s something about this beautiful love song that touched me when I was very young. Still love it. Dungen – Panda God, when this came out I was taken back – so powerful in any language. Love these guys, love Sweden. John’s Children – Smashed Blocked…

  • The Record: Enemies

    July 13, 2015 - By 

    When we get to see a band on stage it’s hard to reverse engineer the process and think about how and why the performers got there. On stage it’s about performance and precision. Some swagger, some sway but what they all have in common is the process. The particulars may vary but they’ve all engaged in the craft. Whether solo or sextet, singer-songwriter or composer they’ve all started with a melody, the faintest whisps of an idea or, maybe, nothing at all. It’s a process that Enemies, playful math-rock maestros that they are, take very seriously. Over the space of…

  • Rave New World (10/7)

    July 10, 2015 - By 

    Aidan Hanratty delivers the lowdown on all the very best electronic gigs, tracks, mixes and releases of the week. Antóin is off at the fabled Freerotation weekender in Wales, but despite the Twitter buzz it’s not the only place to be seen this weekend. There’s a rake of stuff happening, even into next week, so don’t feel like you’re missing out too much. Subject – DJ QU at Pacino’s Friday 10 July 2015 House mainstay DJ QU brings his stately presence to Pacino’s, while a host of local talent is set to play at this three-room affair. Lubomyr Melnyk with Otto…