• Irish Tracks of the Week – 19th April

    April 18, 2024 - By 

    From every corner of the island, here’s the most essential new Irish music of the week, featuring Pillow Queens, exmagician, Stray Planets, Winnie Ama, Stomptown Brass and more Pillow Queens – Name Your Sorrow Name Your Sorrow by Pillow Queens exmagician – Sharpen These Stray Planets – I Liked You Better Before Winnie Ama – Tangled Stomptown Brass – It Did Went Down It Did Went Down by Stomptown Brass Colm Warren – Dead Days SLOUCHO feat. EMBY and Zack Oke – Brand New PostLast – Connect 4 Nylophone – More of the Same  

  • Do The Strand: A Catch-Up With Phil Kieran

    April 16, 2024 - By 

    Ahead of its final live performance of The Strand Live this Saturday, 20th April, Belfast producer and techno legend Phil Kieran talks to Andrew Moore about constant evolution, AI’s impact on music and his masterfully ambitious new studio album Photo by Sean McMahon Originally published in the Spring 2023 issue of The Thin Air Buy tickets to The Strand Live, featuring Phil Kieran and the Ulster Orchestra, here It’s 5:32pm on a grey Monday afternoon in Belfast and electronic composer Phil Kieran is quietly working away in his studio. Located in the old Strand Cinema – and the new Strand…

  • Authentic and In Control: An Interview with Shiv

    April 16, 2024 - By 

    From on a blue velvet couch in a bustling hotel lobby in Dublin City Centre, Zimbabwean-Irish sensation Shiv chats to Ciara Byrne, reflecting on her unconventional journey to becoming a musician and the contributions and pitfalls of social media as a platform for self-promotion. Diving into her new single ‘Limerence,’ collaboration, working with Bricknasty and finding her own authentic voice, Shiv lays herself bare in the wake of her musical re-emergence Photos by Seán McMahon Shiv’s new album ‘the defiance of a sad girl’ is out on 4th July. Your music career started with a recording of you being uploaded to…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 12th April

    April 12, 2024 - By 

    It’s silly how strong a week it’s been for new Irish sounds. Here’s the very best of them from Shiv, Natalia Beylis, a horror soundtrack by Lankum’s Ian Lynch, His Father’s Voice, MELTS’ second album, Voids, and the latest in Moot Tapes’ single series featuring Flowers at Night Shiv – limerence Cosha – MurMurs Interlude Natalia Beylis – Lost – For Annie (Excerpt) Lost – For Annie by Natalia Beylis Ian Lynch – All You Need Is Death (Original Soundtrack) His Father’s Voice – Arm’s Length Arm's Length by His Father's Voice Moot Tapes Single Series: Flowers at Night –…

  • Cutting Teeth: A Conversation with John Patrick Higgins

    April 10, 2024 - By 

    A rare jack of all trades & master of many, Belfast-based writer, filmmaker, playwright, screenwriter, theatre director and musician John Patrick Higgins has only gone and successfully written two books. We can’t say for sure, as they’re not yet published, but we can all but guarantee you that they’ll change your life. Or, your know, your immediate awareness of indispensable writing from these shores. The first of those two books, Teeth: An Oral History, is, we are reliably informed, a bitingly funny story illustrated by the author and featuring a glossary of useful terms, as most of his references pre-date…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 5th April

    April 5, 2024 - By 

    Another week, another plethora of wonderful new Irish sounds, from the likes of Oh Boland, Bricknasty, Cardinals, Pastiche, Scattered Ashes, Phil Kieran, Rory Nellis and more. Oh Boland – Here Comes The Order Of Malta Western Leisure by Oh Boland So Cow – Jesus Meets The Women EP Jesus Meets The Women EP by So Cow Bricknasty – Boyfriend ​​Search Results vs. The Daisy Chain Search Results vs. The Daisy Chain (Live in Dublin, 17th September 2023) by Search Results, The Daisy Chain Phil Kieran feat. Cynthia Sley – Out Of My Mind PKR 038 ‘Out Of My Mind’ Feat…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 29th March

    March 29, 2024 - By 

    The floating landmass we find ourselves upon is, once again, bursting at the seams with world-beating new sounds. Delve into the latest from Niamh Bury, Becky McNiece, Ciara O’Neill, Akrobat, Conn Thornton and more Niamh Bury – Yellow Roses Becky McNeice – Melting Ciara O Neill – Mother Seán Clancy – Four Sections of Music Unequally Divided Lord Jane – I Did It To Myself mellorush – wishing on a star Conn Thornton – I Believe In You Meteorite Season by Conn Thornton Akrobat – Shank Akrobat · Shank The Personal Vanity Project – Callan NAHreally & The Expert –…

  • Thranifesto: An Interview with Leeann Toland

    March 27, 2024 - By 

    Ahead of live outings in Belfast, Derry & Dundalk for her first special, Thranifesto, Derry-based comedian Leeann Toland chats to us about the local scene, the etymology of thranness, bridging comedy and music, loving problematic men, and Madonna as a psychohistorical tool. Photo by Billy Woods How is the comedy scene in Derry, and how did you get started within it? The scene is quite small in Derry but strong, The Cosh – run by Fintan Harvey and Ro Boyle – has a monthly night on in The Brickwork – run by Peter E Davidson – too, where I’ll be…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 22nd March

    March 22, 2024 - By 

    It’s been another ridiculous week for world-beating Irish music. Dig into new Fears, MELTS, David Holmes, New Jackson, Lucy Gaffney, Kormac feat. MayKay and more MELTS – Waves of Wonder Fears – affinity affinity by Fears Kormac feat. MayKay – Waiting on You David Holmes feat. Raven Violet – Blind On A Galloping Horse Remixes Vol. 2 David Holmes Ft. Raven Violet – Blind On A Galloping Horse (Remixes Vol. 2) by David Holmes Lucy Gaffney – Forgive to Forget New Jackson – Like Ruth Mac – Tutti Fruiti Fizzy Orange – Choo Choo

  • A Litany of Failures Announce Dublin Fundraiser Schedule

    March 21, 2024 - By 

    In conjunction with IMRO, Irish grassroots independent compilation series A Litany Of Failures is set to hold a bank holiday weekend-long fundraiser over March 30th & 31st at the Button Factory. The two day event will act as a fundraiser for Volume V of the compilation series, which was been described by the Irish Times as “indispensable listening for any Irish music fan with a modicum of taste”. The full lineup is a veritable who’s who of forward-thinking Irish artistry from all corners of the island. The project was conceived as a way that DIY and independent artists could come…