• Pre-Tour Preamble: Vasa & Body Hound

    February 7, 2017 - By 

    Given our island’s reputation, in what now seems to be acknowledged as ‘the days of yore’, for independently successful rock bands of math and post-prefixed inclinations, it makes sense that mainland acts would flex their considerable muscles on our shores. Our so-called ‘island tax’ often extends to a limitation on shows from any less than stadium-ready musical artists and their ilk, but there’s a growing number of thoughtful and decent promoters out there working in synchronicity – many of whom we hope to feature in coming months – with the likes of Belfast’s Solid Choice Industries, Galway’s FEAST, Dublin’s Venture Presents joining forces, uniting the corners of…

  • Primer: ADW

    February 6, 2017 - By 

    In this instalment of Primer street artist ADW chats about his recent projects & inspirations. Photos and interview by Mark Earley. Hi ADW, how’s tricks? Hiya! I’m great thanks, flying high and life couldn’t be better! Can you tell us about your current work? Last November I completed a new body of work which was presented in the solo exhibition BORN TO CREATE and, as I speak, I’ve just stepped off site from after a commission in the 3Arena, in their Premium Lounge no less. It’s been a hectic few months, but loving every minute. BORN TO CREATE, which was you 4th…

  • 17 For ’17: DIE HEXEN

    February 3, 2017 - By 

    Extending from the north of Ireland to the east of Asia, the scope of DIE HEXEN – spatially, temporally, and ideologically – is vast and fascinating, executed in a fashion that marks this enigma of performance art apart from any other musician in the country. DIE HEXEN defies definition or categorisation, an identity and an idea constantly in flux. It’s a marriage of western and eastern concepts; of the unique post-World War II Japanese art theatre, Butoh, the dance of darkness; of myriad twentieth century cinematic, musical and pop-cultural influences; of personal experience and wilful passion. We’ve had glimpses of…

  • ASIWYFA’s Chris Wee on an Irish DnB Institution’s 11th Birthday @ Voodoo

    February 2, 2017 - By 

    The preservation of club nights and music scenes has long been a vital fabric at the heart of any city. For many of us, some of our fondest memories and most formative of years are down to the nights we went to and the venues that inhabited them. In today’s shaky climate it takes the most tenacious of gig promoter to overcome the social media overload and the general gig goer apathy to get people through the door. Many aspiring promoters have appeared and been quickly swallowed by the lack of enthusiasm for anything beyond a few drinks in a…

  • 17 For ’17: TOUTS

    February 1, 2017 - By 

    Three-piece Derry band TOUTS have quickly established a name for themselves in the local music scene and beyond by delivering incendiary live performances, underpinned with an ol-school punk attitude. Still in their teens, Matthew (singer/guitarist), Luke (bassist), and Jason (drummer) have opened for punk rock royalty in Derry’s own, The Undertones.  They’ve also played high-profile support slots and secured upcoming shows with Blossoms and The Coral. As a band, they have been sustained on a diet of stellar mod/punk rock throughout their formative years – who whilst indebted to pioneering artists – have quickly forged an identity of their own…

  • Starless and Bible Black: John Wetton and King Crimson

    February 1, 2017 - By 

    In 1972, King Crimson were in a bit of a mess. The band had been one of the leading lights of Britain’s art-rock scene, taking the ideas and recording approach of The Beatles to an extreme undreamed of. Their 1969 debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King, rewrote the book on what rock and roll could do, but line-up changes had destabilised the band over a series of albums to such an extent where the sole remaining member was guitar virtuoso Robert Fripp, everyone else having quit in the midst of a tour, deciding they’d rather play the…

  • Playlist: Philip Glass at 80

    January 31, 2017 - By 

    No living musician can challenge the joint eclecticism and influence of Philip Glass‘ five-decades-and-counting career. From his countless solo piano releases, string quartets, operas and symphonies to his towering soundtrack work and collaborations with the likes of Bowie, Patti Smith, Aphex Twin, Brian Eno, Allen Ginsberg, Ravi Shankar and David Byrne, the Baltimore master hasn’t as much left his stamp on contemporary classical music than irrevocably altered the course of it. To celebrate his 80th birthday today, we’ve compiled a 30 track, decade and genre-spanning Spotify playlist featuring some of his greatest moments.

  • Stream: The Thin Air’s Death Culture Blues #7

    January 31, 2017 - By 

    Hey, you know what was fun? The most recent installment of Death Culture Blues, our show of experimental, cosmic and ambient sounds on the most excellent Dublin Digital Radio. Miss it? Not to worry: listen back to the show and check out its playlist in full below. We’re back with DCB on DDR this and every other Thursday night from 8-10pm. Check out their full schedule of programmes right here. 1. Polymorphie – Suite NC Part 3 2. 4treck – Pong Ping 3. The Soundcarriers – Low Light 4. Guitar Red – Disco From a Space Show 5. Rodion G.A.…

  • 17 for ’17: Maija Sofia

    January 31, 2017 - By 

    Maija Sofia was reared in remote Connemara, lived in London and now resides in Dublin. Places with their own unique idiosyncrasies and experiences awaiting the inhabitants of such diverse environments. Experiences that inform the decisions we make and the things we create. Maija Sofia’s songs – soft, melancholic compositions guided by the harp and guitar –   encapsulate the creative output born from a wonderment spurred by isolation, something that is omnipresent. She has been compared to Kate Bush, Pj Harvey and Elliott Smith and there are traces of those great artists in her sound but Maija Sofia is a true…

  • 17 for ’17: ELLLL

    January 31, 2017 - By 

    Ellen King AKA ELLLL is a Cork City native who started a music degree with a background in classical piano. When the opportunity arose she immersed herself in every available course on tech and minimal composition, and around 2011 she started performing as ELLLL. She was soon supporting acts like Bee Mask, Vessel and Tim Hecker in venues across Ireland, as well as travelling abroad to support Carter Tutti Void in London. A slow but steady stream of cuts on SoundCloud have become gradually less abstract and more beat-focused, retaining the singular character that’s driven her approach over recent years. A…