• “Social Consciousness and Bono”: Nomeansno interviewed

    May 24, 2013 - By 

    In 1979, two brothers got together in a basement in Canada, and began making noise. In 2013, that noise shows no sign of dissipating. Nomeansno have blazed a trail through punk rock, tackling the subjects that few others would dare to, and experiencing more reinventions than a gaggle of scientists at a reinventing convention.  Currently somewhere out there in the world, preaching the gospel, Steven Rainey caught up with guitarist Tom Holliston to get the low-down on the career that never should have been. Nomeansno are an enigma. Wrapped in a conundrum, if you like. Whatever suits you. A lot…

  • Trans-Europe Express #1: Slovenia

    May 21, 2013 - By 

    Go on, admit it. You’ve heard Slovenian music before. In fact, you hear it once a year in May when you make excuses to your friends for staying in, switch on BBC One and then sit there without as much as a single pang of shame as the Eurovision theme fades and Graham Norton gleefully introduces a series of horrendous, instantly forgettable acts. And there you are, dancing around your living room and singing along to the choruses of songs with unpronounceable titles, while your last shred of dignity shrivels up and dies and your partner discreetly packs their bags,…

  • Instatour: Croupier

    May 20, 2013 - By 

    In our second installment of Instatour, the lads from Wicklow band Croupier share their instagram snaps from recent gigs at the Camden Crawl in Dublin, their various radio interviews and some well deserved down time with fellow musicians…

  • Classic Album: The Smashing Pumpkins – Adore

    May 17, 2013 - By 

    It starts with the sound of twilight, that special moment when the air seems to vibrate, and time stands still. Over plucked acoustic guitar, a breathy voice intones warm whispers, comforting and safe. “The sky’s cruel torch on aching autobahn.” It is a moment that signifies change, and just over an hour later, everything is different. Put simply, this was the end of an era. In a career categorised by controversies, Adore perhaps remains the Smashing Pumpkins’ most difficult moment. Music, and the world in general, was undergoing a period of transition, a tumultuous decade finally careering to a halt.…

  • Under Cover: Mark O’Brien

    May 17, 2013 - By 

    In the second of our weekly features on the importance of cover artwork, Loreana Rushe chats to Mark O’Brien. He’s the bassist in Enemies and the man behind the the beautiful artwork for their sophomore album, Embark, Embrace. Hi Mark! Tell us a little bit about yourself. Well, I’m 23 years old and living in lovely Greystones, Co. Wicklow. I graduated from IADT Dun Laoghaire with a degree in Visual Communications last year and have continued designing since. These days most of my work is coming from the music realm which is brilliant since art and music have always been…

  • Lost In Necropolis: Nomadic Rituals

    May 15, 2013 - By 

    In the very first of his regular column on all things metal – Lost In Necropolis – Conchobhar Ó Dochartaigh catches up with Belfast-based doom/sludge metal three-piece Nomadic Rituals ahead of the release of their debut album to talk doom, recording and their thoughts on the local metal scene. Tell us about how the band formed. Was there a shared vision or aim in mind? What influences would be a good reference point for those unfamiliar with you? Craig, our vocalist/bassist, asked us if we wanted to form a sludge/doom band, so we organised a jam to see if it…

  • OST: Our Krypton Son

    May 13, 2013 - By 

    In the first of a new feature, we implore Derry singer-songwriter Chris McConaghy AKA Our Krypton Son to take us through ten songs that irrevocably formed his not only his taste in music, but also his approach as a songwriter himself. Bowie, Cave, the Floyd – below is an aural insight into one of the finest music-making minds in the country. The Beatles – ‘There’s A Place’ “An underrated belter from their debut. Introspection in a pop song in 1962? Why, yes.”   Rush – ‘Tom Sawyer’ “Legends. The song that made the 13 year old me want to be…

  • The Round-Up: 10/05/13

    May 10, 2013 - By 

    The very first of what will be our weekly retrospective on what’s been happening in the music world – both local and much further afield – this week’s Round-Up is a decidedly English affair… Bow Down As has often been his way for five decades now, David Bowie got into a spot of bother on Wednesday for the religious imagery in his video for his latest single, ‘The Next Day’. Featuring the sixty-six year-old as a Christ-like figure, the video was taken down from YouTube for supposedly breaching its Terms of Use. It has since been returned with an adult-only…

  • Dave Magee: How Music Became Disposable

    May 4, 2013 - By 

    I miss music. What’s that you say? There’s loads of it? No there isn’t. That’s not music. That’s advertising. That’s what that is. Maybe I’m getting old (check that – I am getting old) but I remember a time when I was so passionate about bands I loved so dearly that I would argue the bit out to hammer home my point. I had a conversation with a friend recently about how nostalgia taints our view of music, books, films etc. About how the things we still love from our youth are only still loved by us because they remind…