• Myles Manley and Aoife Wolf at McHughs, Belfast

    January 3, 2023 - By 

    Two years on from releasing one of the best Irish albums in recent memory, Cometh the Softies, we’re delighted to host Irish experimental popstar par excellence Myles Manley’s long-awaited return to Belfast at McHugh’s on Friday, 13th January. Taking place as part of his Wet January mini-tour of Ireland, and nine years on from his first show in the city (The Pavilion in 2013 – remember everyone?) the Sligo-raised, Dublin-based will perform a full-band show of new and some less-new material. Support on the night comes from fast-rising Co. Offaly psych-folk artist Aoife Wolf, songs from whose recent EP The Wetlands will get a special…

  • Merchy Christmas Set for The Grand Social

    December 15, 2022 - By 

    The third annual Merchy Christmas takes over the Grand Social this weekend. Organised by One Stop Band Shop, it’s set to be another unmissable two days at the Dublin venue, with over 60 Irish acts coming together to sell their merch for a great cause. Taking place from 11am to 5pm on Saturday, 17th December and Sunday 18th, the get-together will feature pop-up stalls Aoife Nessa Frances, Gilla Band, Lankum, Junior Brother, Loah, Acid Granny, Gemma Dunleavy and many more. Check out the full list of artists below. At the heart of the annual event is a fundraising drive to combat…

  • Preview: Spilt Milk Festival 2022

    November 15, 2022 - By 

    On these shores, few creative initiatives pair careful curation with an independent spirit as focused and informed as Spilt Milk. A year on from hosting the likes of School Tour, Syn and the sadly-missed Shammen Delly, the annual festival of music, art and film returns to Sligo town across 18th-20th November for its fourth outing, and arguably its strongest line-up to date. The programme from this year’s festival comprises four events, taking place at one of the island’s finest art centres, The Model – and it’s primed to be another wonderfully palette-spanning affair featuring several TTA favourites. From 7pm on Friday, the venue will…

  • The Thin Air Xmas ’22 Party: The Killing Spree, Blue Whale & Black Triptychs

    November 11, 2022 - By 

    We’re delighted to announce that Belfast hardcore heroes The Killing Spree will play their first show in seventeen (17!) at The Thin Air’s ’22 Xmas party at The Deer’s Head on Thursday, December 22nd. One of the North’s all-time great trios will be supported by long-time TTA favourites, experimental rock four-piece Blue Whale, as well as acoustic electronic ambient duo Black Triptychs. The Killing Spree played shows regularly between 2002 and 2005, embedding themselves in the Irish DIY scene that grew around the Warzone Centre (Giros) in Belfast. Acclaimed for their frenetic and engaging live shows, the band played in…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 4th November

    November 4, 2022 - By 

    On this, the penultimate Bandcamp Friday of 2022, delve into the very best Irish releases of the week from Pretty Happy, Jape, Ex Isles, Le Boom, Thumper, Akrobat, HousePlants & more Pretty Happy – Boots Echo Boy by Pretty Happy Ex Isles – Deaf Republic Deaf Republic / The Smallest Plot Of Land by Ex-Isles Jape – Secret Area Akrobat – Eskimo THUMPER – Summer Assault Beauty Pageant – Born to Stay Le Boom w/ Andy – Next Time Cursed Murphy Versus the Resistance – Republic of the Weird Republic of the Weird by Cursed Murphy Versus the Resistance HousePlants…

  • Where Pathways Meet

    November 1, 2022 - By 

    Named after the 1978 Sun Ra classic, Where Pathways Meet is an unmissable two-day conference and showcase, hosted by the Jazz Promotion Network in association with Moving on Music and Improvised Music Company. Taking over Belfast’s venues, The MAC and Black Box across 3rd-4th November, it will unite a stellar cross-section of UK and Irish jazz artists, movers and shakers, to explore the most important issues and topics in contemporary jazz. Featuring a range of speakers from across the jazz sector, the conference range of topics, with panels featuring musicians, educators, promoters, agents and managers from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, England, Scotland and…

  • Monday Mixtape: Waldorf & Cannon

    October 1, 2022 - By 

    Off the back of their new single ‘Cut Loose’, Derry/Donegal alternative duo Waldorf & Cannon wax lyrical about some of their favourite tracks, featuring Osees, Pixies, Ty Segall, Link Wray, Devo and more Osees – Perm Act Been listening to this album flat out since it came out last month, they’ve really fuzz punked it up this time, the whole thing only lasts 22mins. Went to see them in the Button Factory recently, was the best gig I’ve been to since the last time I saw them. Probably the best band about now if you’re into that sort of thing…

  • Art For Blind & The Model Present Out Of Step Weekender

    May 26, 2022 - By 

    Over this weekend of 27th-29th May, Out of Step – a festival curated by Art for Blind for their residency at The Model, Sligo – will unfold through film, music performance, conversation and workshops. Underground tastemakers par excellence, Art for Blind continue to explore Ireland’s rich multidisciplinary cultural fabric. The aim of their residency at Sligo venue – also home to the Niland Collection – has been to explore the programming of artists and musicians from diverse social, economic and geographical backgrounds. This weekender, its title inspired by the iconic Minor Threat song, expands the residency into the realm of film offering a view from the…

  • Ghouls On Film: A Page of Madness

    May 25, 2022 - By 

    Since October last year, Belfast has been blessed by Ghouls on Film, a genuinely refreshing and carefully-curated monthly film club screening films challenging the representation of women in horror. Ran by Belfast-based artist Isabella Koban, it has already screened a series of stone-cold classics, indie releases, and lesser-known gems that explore how women can find agency in the world of horror. On Sunday, 29th May, the club returns to its primary home at the Black Box with one of its most unmissable events to date: a special, one-off screening of Teinosuke Kinugasa’s 1926 silent avant-garde masterpiece A Page of Madness. As well…

  • Ten Past Seven & Shifting at Bello Bar

    March 4, 2022 - By 

    On Saturday, 5th March, Dublin’s Bello Bar hosts one truly righteous double-bill: Kerry instrumental trio Ten Past Seven with Dublin noise-rock levellers Shifting. After myriad months of being unable to do so, both bands will largely perform music from two of the best released on these shores in 2020: Long Live The Bogwalrus and It Was Good respectively. Limited numbers of vinyl will also be on sale on the night. Tickets are €10 on the door and available here. Newcomer? Not to worry. Check out two new live videos of both bands performing – live in Rory from TP7’s shed no less – below.…