• The Thin Air 1st Birthday/No Tomorrow #2: We Cut Corners, Liza Flume & Deadman’s Ghost @ Voodoo Belfast

    April 29, 2014 - By 

    Twelve most excellent months in, we celebrate our very first birthday – to the day, no less – on Saturday, May 3 at Belfast’s Voodoo at the second ever outing of our gig/club night, No Tomorrow. Headlining on the night are We Cut Corners (pictured), the Dublin indie-rock duo whose new second album, Think Nothing, is set to see them elevated to the highest echelons of worship-worthy fanboyery (and, indeed, -girlery). Brilliantly urgent and idiosyncratic in equal proportion, recent singles ‘YKK’, ‘Best Friend’ and ‘Every Thief’ are go-to tracks to heed their mastery. Main support on the night comes from Australian…

  • Gig(s) of the week: Wallis Bird, Hornets EP Launch & Come On Live Long

    April 23, 2014 - By 

    Having wisely branched out to more than one must-see gig in our weekly preview of shows happening across Ireland each week, this week there was no shortage of gigs to choose from. Alas, we must still be in some ways selective, otherwise we’d be saying, “Go to everything”. And who has the money or time for that? So, looking towards the next few days, we figured the following three shows are more than worth checking out: Having released her debut album, Architect, back in 2012, Wexford folk-pop musician Wallis Bird returns to Dublin on Friday night (April 25) for a show at…

  • Output #5 @ The Stiff Kitten

    April 17, 2014 - By 

    Seeing its Belfast debut on Wednesday, April 23, at the Stiff Kitten, creative panel event Output will host a discourse amongst an array of electronic and dance music professionals. Presented by Generator NI, the organisers behind the event – featuring speakers including Rob Booth of Fabric/Houndstooth, Gary Curran of Japanese Popstars and Paul Hamill AKA Psycatron – stated, “Whether you’re a DJ looking for tips on your live set, or a bedroom producer wanting to build your network, this is your opportunity to find out from the experts how it’s done.” Sound like something you might be interested in checking out?…

  • Gig(s) of the week: Desert Hearts, Record Store Day & More

    April 15, 2014 - By 

    A year into our existence – hey, it’s been fun – we’ve decided that it’s both wise and opportune that we started expanding out horizons when it comes to our regular “gig of the week”. Ireland is a relatively big-ass country (the technical description for you, there), after all; one single show, exceptional as it might be, is simply not worth singling out at the expense of similarly awesome prospects in different areas across the city. And it is upon which note that we arrive, rather comfortably, at this week’s gig(s) of the week. The return of Desert Hearts Standing just…

  • Gig of the week: Farriers, Anthony Toner & more @ Empire Music Hall

    April 7, 2014 - By 

    Headlined by alt-rock band The Farriers, our Gig of the Week for this is a special fundraising show for disaster relief in Syria at Belfast’s Empire Music Hall on Friday, April 11. Not merely totally laudable for the great cause – aiding the afflicted caught up on the Syrian crisis – the line-up has all the makings of one of those all-too-rare “I was there” shows, with Anthony Toner, Master & Dog and Seven Summits (pictured) also amongst the acts set to perform. Tickets are £5 and it’s £6 at the door. Go here for the show’s Facebook event page.

  • Gig of the week: Documenta – The Happening

    April 2, 2014 - By 

    A stand-out highlight of this year’s Belfast Film Festival, our gig of the week for the first week of April is The Happening, a very special, one-off performance by Belfast drone pop outfit Documenta. Taking place on Friday, March 4 at Belfast’s Black Box, the performance will see the Joe Greene-fronted band perform two specially-composed, never-played-before forty-five minute sets accompanied by a multi-screening of Andy Warhol’s Empire, Blowjob and Kiss. Rounding off the event in typically fine fashion will be a Factory-esque DJ set by Joe Lindsay and Ryan Fitzsimmons. Doors are at 8pm, admission is £6. Alternatively, buy a ticket…

  • Causeway @ Ulster Hall

    March 24, 2014 - By 

    On Wednesday, March 26, Belfast’s historical Ulster Hall will play host to the premiere of Causeway, a special orchestra-electronic tribute to the Northern Irish coastline. The third commission undertaken by Ulster Orchestra and Associate Composer Ian Wilson, the production is “firmly rooted in the mythos and history of Northern Ireland, in this instance taking its inspiration from the formation of the Giant’s Causeway.” Speaking of the event, the Ulster Orchestra said, “In order to depict the three geological processes which helped form the Causeway – shifting tectonic plates, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes – Ian, for the first time in his work, has combined…

  • Gig of the week: Joshua Burnside, Affleck & Carriages @ White’s Tavern

    March 25, 2014 - By 

    Our gig of the week will see Northern Irish alt-folk troubadour Joshua Burnside release his new single, ‘Desert Wine/Platonia’, at White’s Tavern on Thursday, March 27. Supported by electro-pop trio Affleck and Dublin electro-folk duo Carriages, it will mark Burnside’s return to the venue, where he launched his exquisite EP, If You’re Going That Way, last June. ‘Desert Wine/Platonia’ is Burnside’s first release via Broken Melody Records. Check out our interview with them here. Entry is £4, doors are at 8pm. Go here for the show’s Facebook event page and stream ‘Desert Wine’ and ‘Platonia’ via Bandcamp below.

  • Gig of the week: Solar Bears, Ryan Vail, Blue Whale @ Voodoo

    March 18, 2014 - By 

    We hope we’re not accused of too much bias with this one but… our gig of the week for March 17-24 is our next showcase at Belfast’s Voodoo Bar on Saturday, March 22. Supported by Belfast jazz-punk masters Blue Whale and fast-rising Derry electronic duo Ryan Vail, Dublin electronic pair Solar Bears – currently in the process of writing their third studio album – will make their long-awaited return to Belfast with a headlining DJ set. Doors are at 8.30pm, door tax is £8 (pay at the door) and the first 10 people through the door get a poster from the…

  • Gig of the Week: Axis Of, TVVINS, Affleck @ Oh Yeah Centre

    March 11, 2014 - By 

    Headlined by North Coast alt-punk three-piece Axis Of, the eighth installment of Distillation at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre on Friday, March 14 is our gig of the week. Belfast-based electronic three-piece Affleck (who feature in our latest live session) and Conor Adams and Lar Kaye AKA Dublin synth-pop duo TVVINS will make up the support bill on the night. Check out our Inbound interview with TVVINS here. Go here for the show’s Facebook event page and check out the poster for the show below!