• Smolder and Scully: The Fall Review

    November 18, 2014 - By 

    Your mum’s favourite serial killer is back. At the end of last year’s five-episode run of BBC2’s The Fall, Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) packed in his moonlighting strangling escapades and carted his family onto the next Stenna Line to the Highlands. But you can’t keep a good stalker down, especially when he’s one half of the BBC’s most locally successful and internationally exportable drama for years. In last week’s sophomore opener, he’s back to eyeing up brunettes on the Larne line. In the meantime, creator Allan Cubbit has had to defend the show against claims that it glamourizes female violence,…

  • AAA: Therapy? @ Mandela Hall, Belfast

    November 17, 2014 - By 

    In an AAA (Access All Areas) set Shaun Neary shoots Northern Irish alt-rock legends Therapy? before, during and after their spectacular Troublegum set at Belfast’s Mandela Hall on Saturday night as part of this year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize.

  • Interview: Paul Smith

    November 16, 2014 - By 

    Maximo Park frontman Paul Smith talks to Shannon Delores O’Neill about his new, forward-thinking collaboration with Peter Brewis (Field Music) for their Frozen by Sight album, released today. Frozen by Sight has been described as a “playful departure from [both Peter’s and your] previous groups”. Do you agree? Peter and I have known each other for over a decade but we never got to formally work with each other; we’d watched each other’s bands, shared the same musical ideas and always just thought, “Will we ever get to do something?” We were then lucky enough to get commissioned work by the Festival…

  • ‘First Things First’ Exhibition @ Irish Georgian Society

    November 14, 2014 - By 

    One Strong Arm is a brand new letterpress studio that uses antique wooden and metal type settings to produce beautifully original prints. The new studio, based in Pimlico, Dublin, is the brainchild of Dave Darcy. For the launch of One Strong Arm, Dave teamed up with craftsman Mick Minogue to produce a set of prints that “merge the traditional with the contemporary, through typography and illustration”. The prints pay tribute to the opening lines of some famous works of literature – from the likes of Kafka to Hunter S. Thompson. ‘First Things First’ launched in the Irish Georgian Society last night sponsored…

  • Playlist: Northern Ireland Music Prize 2014

    November 13, 2014 - By 

    A year on from Foy Vance walking away with the inaugural album award, this year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize will take place at Belfast’s Mandela Hall on Saturday night. Culminating in Northern Ireland alt-rock legends Therapy? (above) performing their landmark 1994 album Troublegum in full, the ceremony will see twelve of the North’s finest acts – from the quaintest to the downright behemothic – compete for the prize. Go here to buy tickets to the ceremony – also featuring performances by Robyn G Shiels, Sullivan & Gold and More Than Conquerors – and stream our Northern Ireland Music Prize playlist via Spotify…

  • Track Record: Anna McCarthy (Dott)

    November 14, 2014 - By 

    GO WEST! For this installment of Track Record we head to Galway to catch up with the delightful Anna McCarthy from garage pop quartet Dott. One things for certain, Anna sure likes her heft and she shares with us her ten favourite records, ranging from sludge metallers Kylesa to the classic riffage of our very own Thin Lizzy. Photos by Sean McCormack. My Bloody Valentine – MBV This was definitely worth the wait. Listening to My Bloody Valentine makes me feel like I’m wrapped in a fuzzy blanket and this came along just in time for when I really wanted a new…