• Up and At Them: An Interview With Thor Harris

    April 20, 2017 - By 

    Thor Harris is a percussionist extraordinaire best known for being the pulsing, rhythmic heart of avant rock legends Swans. Yet he is also a carpenter who crafts his own instruments, an artist and a staunch opponent of the political right. The latter of which got him in a bit of trouble when his tongue-in-cheek video dubbed ‘How to Punch a Nazi’ saw him suspended from Twitter. Though the incident may have been a shock to the Austin based musician it highlighted his particular brand of philosophical, social commentary and political outrage. On April 28 he’s bringing his group Thor &…

  • 25 Years On: Looking Back at Pavement’s Debut Album Slanted and Enchanted

    April 19, 2017 - By 

    Slanted And Enchanted, Pavement’s debut album, has aged oddly well in the twenty five years since its release. It’s an album that hundreds of bands have tried to ape and one that few indie rock bands have ever equalled. It would be easy to say that its an album that exceeds the sum of its parts but that would be doing a huge disservice to the band themselves. From Stephen Malkmus’ laconic delivery of his oblique witticisms to the lo-fi/hi-fi quality of the recordings themselves to the band’s winsome way with melody, it’s an album that never fails to delight…

  • Record Store Day 2017: Irish Round-Up

    April 15, 2017 - By 

    Doubled up as its tenth annual outing, Record Store Day takes place this Saturday, Saturday 22. As ever, record stores the length and breadth of the country will be marking the occasion in different ways. Here’s our run-down of where to be this Saturday, from 8am right up until the end of the after-party. Dublin Spindizzy Records As some new standalone titles, Spindizzy on South Great George’s Street will stock up to three-quarters of this year’s RSD titles in limited quantities. Opening at 8am especially for the day (with access from the Drury St. entrance) the store will also host Spindizzy and friends…

  • Preview: An Act of War – TANK at the MAC

    April 14, 2017 - By 

    In 1965, an American scientist lived with a dolphin for ten weeks to try and teach him to speak English as part of a NASA-funded research project into human-animal communication. Condemned as an elaborate circus trick, these lessons remain a controversial episode in the space race between the two Cold War superpowers. The critically-acclaimed, Fringe First award-winning TANK rips this history apart to explore the difficulties of bridging cultural divides, the politics behind the stories we tell and what happens when you inject a dolphin with LSD. Ahead of its two-night residency at Belfast’s the MAC across April 20-21, Brian Coney talks…

  • Keeping a Certain Distance: An Interview With Neil Hannon

    April 13, 2017 - By 

    With the release of their eleventh record Foreverland last year, Neil Hannon’s The Divine Comedy continue to deliver witty, literate pop that still dents the album charts twenty years after their commercial peak. Jonny Currie catches up with Neil Hannon ahead of his show at Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter next month to discuss touring routines, growing old with your audience, and the importance of pop stars keeping their distance from fans. The Divine Comedy play Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival on May 3. Go here to buy tickets. You’re playing at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival next month. When was the last…

  • Inbound: Foreign Owl

    April 11, 2017 - By 

    Foreign Owl is a band whose members have found their musical home in Derry by way of a protracted route through the Southern prefecture of Fukuoka, Japan and the mean streets of Burt, Donegal. Members, Eoghan Donegan (Guitarist/Singer), along with brothers Míchéal (Bass/Singer) and Ciarán McCay (Drums/Singer) struck up a friendship after meeting at Japanese drumming (Taiko) classes in Derry. What started out as a mutual appreciation of film, soon germinated into a real desire to express themselves through music, inspired by their surroundings, art and Japanese culture. Along the way, Radio Foyle’s Stephen McCauley has championed the band by…

  • Festival Mixtape: Body & Soul 2017

    April 11, 2017 - By 

    We say it pretty much every year but the line-up for this year’s Body & Soul is a thing of beauty. Returning to Clonmellon, Co. Westmeath across June 23-25, the festival will host everyone from Sleaford Mods, Austra and Metronomy to Mykki Blanco, Songhoy Blues and The Moonlandingz. With organisers opting, as ever, for sheer quality over any notion of genre-specific necessity, we’re looking forward to joining the thousands who’ll descend upon Ballinlough Castle this Summer Solstice Weekend. But first? Here’s our annual Body & Soul Festival Mixtape, featuring twenty acts we won’t be missing for anything.

  • Track Record: Steve Caffrey (Destriers)

    April 5, 2017 - By 

    Studio Manager of Sound Training Productions & Temple Lane Studios and vocalist/guitarist in Dublin experimental punk band Destriers, Steve Caffrey reveals some of his all-time favourite records, including The Locust, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Minor Threat and At The Drive-In. Photos by Colum O’Dwyer. Destriers’ debut 7″ Cynosure will be out soon on Distro-y Records. They play The Poor Relation in Cork on Friday with Bailer, Parthalon, Horse and Ilenkus, as well as The Roisin Dubh in Galway on Saturday, April 8 with Rest & Ilenkus. At The Drive In – Relationship of Command This album came out at a time when Rage Against The Machine, Nu Metal…

  • Track Record: Josh Guyett (Ilenkus)

    April 2, 2017 - By 

    Josh Guyett of Galway metal/hardcore band Ilenkus and tireless promoters FEAST Presents reveals and waxes lyrical about some of his all-time favourite records, including Dillinger Escape Plan, Girl Band and giveamanakick. Photos by Sean McCormack Ilenkus play the following dates to mark the release of their new Hunger 7″. April 7: The Poor Relation, Cork (w/ Bailer/Horse/Partholon/Destriers) April 8: Roisin Dubh, Galway (w/ Rest/Destriers) April 13: Live Video Recording, Dublin (limited spaces available) April 14: Voodoo, Belfast (w/ Unyielding Love/Molarbear) April 16: Dolans, Limerick (Siege Of Limerick) Miss Machine – Dillinger Escape Plan I first heard this record back in ’05 and I literally couldn’t…

  • Belfast Film Fest Blog: Day 9

    April 7, 2017 - By 

    It’s engines go for festival, and we’ll be running daily reactions, reviews and previews of upcoming screenings here on this regular blog. There’s going to be a lot to get through. Send us your film reactions at conor@thethinair.net, or tweet @thethinair – we want to hear what you’re seeing and what’s good. Day Nine – Friday 7th We’re closing in on the home stretch here. Expect more reviews and reflections over the weekend, including cinematographer Kirsten Johnson’s absorbing, reflective doc-collage Cameraperson and Breaking Bad‘s Betsy Brandt’s not-bad (that’s a lot of Bs) lead turn in missing-husband drama Alice in Motion, but for…