• Deep Focus: Women In Film Festival @ Triskel Christchurch Cinema, Cork

    A stellar ten-title, three-day film festival boasting a robust line-up of films by female directors accompanied by a selection of shorts, the inaugural Deep Focus: Women In Festival will take place at Cork’s Triskel Christchurch Cinema from May 6-8. Set to open with The Violators, the new film by UK writer and director Helen Walsh, the programme for the festival strike at the heart of diversity. From looking at complex friendships in Life Partners and the myth and mastery of rock legend Janis Joplin (pictured) in Janis: Little Girl Blue to confronting the precarious nature of “normal” life in the…

  • Reverberation Psych Fest 2016

    With the psych scene in Ireland growing stronger by the day, the likes of Letterkenney’s Distorted Perspectives, Belfast’s Strange Victory and Sunglasses After Dark and Dublin’s Retro Revival Club play a sizeable role in putting up-and-coming homegrown talent and established acts from further afield a platform in every corner of the country. Presented by the latter, this year’s Reverberation Psych Fest will return to Dublin’s Grand Social across the weekend of April 8-10 with its strongest line-up to date. Featuring The Cosmic Dead, Twinkranes, The Cult of Dom Keller, The Black Tambourines, Woven Skull, Wild Rocket, Beach, I Heart Monster Hero, Sun Mashene and Fabric full details including…

  • Distorted Perspectives 2016

    Nothing pleases us more than seeing homegrown, independent festivals get it just right. With their altogether (inter)stellar celebration of modern experimental psych music, art and film slotting very comfortably under that bracket, Distorted Perspectives will return to Letterkenny’s Regional Culture Centre from Friday, April 29 to Monday, May 1. Following on from the likes of Ulrich Schnauss and Moon Duo at last year’s festival, this year’s outing will feature psych pop king BC Camplight, Jeffrey Lewis & LOS BOLTS and Captain A & The Commercial Monsters on Friday night, Leeds maestros Hookworms and Dublin’s Twinkranes, who will pair up on the Saturday night, as well as live experimental film scores…

  • Belfast Photo Festival Youth Edition

    Proudly calling itself Europe’s only photography festival for young people, Belfast Photo Festival’s Youth Edition will take place across the city from April 3 to May 30. With exhibitions focusing on the likes of skate and BMX culture, boxing and the physical and emotional experiences of elite gymnasts, tours and screenings looking at the likes of the Titanic and workshops focusing on gig photography, freestyle and how sports can promote social cohesion and acceptance, this year’s programme bounds with diversity from start to finish. Go here to check out the full programme and to buy tickets.

  • Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival 2016

    Set to return to Belfast for its grand 17th outing from April 28-May 8, this year’s Cathedral Quarter Art Festival is set to be yet another mouth-wateringly, curiousity-satingly sublime 11 days and nights of music and culture. Ranging from the likes of legendary reggae producer Lee “Scratch” Perry (pictured), The Zombies and Arab Strap’s Aidan Moffatt to David Holmes, John Cooper Clarke and Grandmaster Flash, this year’s line-up (in full below) is, for our money, the strongest CQAF outing to date. Go here to buy tickets.

  • KnockanStockan 2016

    Having expanding to three days due to demand, annual Wicklow independent music and arts festival KnockanStockan will return to Blessington Lakes across the weekend of July 22-24 for its tenth anniversary outing. Calling it a “celebration of the last 10 years of Irish music”, this year’s festival will also play host to special ‘Honorary Guests’ that won’t be identified until they take to stage. Bettine McMahon from the festival said, “We really want the element of a birthday surprise at this years festival, so our lineup is under lock and key right now, even most of the crew don’t know…

  • Women’s Work Festival

    A programme inspired by the likes of Kate Bush and Bjork, the seeds of forthcoming inaugural Women’s Work Festival at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre were sown amidst planning for the 2014 International Women’s Day event at the Belfast venue and music scene. Two years on, the festival – that will highlight, celebrate and showcase women in music, as well as facilitate discussion with industry and artists on the issues surrounding the debate – is a fully-fledged,  proposition, set to take place from its launch with legendary DJ Annie Nightingale on Friday, March 4 until Friday, March 11. Set to be a wonderfully eclectic and important festival…

  • F_Festival 2016

    A new, free multifaceted platform aimed at generating visibility and equality for women in the arts, the inaugural F_Festival will inhabit various iconic Dublin venues with an eclectic spectrum of female artists across March 12-13. With the main focus of the festival being art, film, spoken word, comedy and discussions, its main objective is to “highlight inequality within the arts community with a showcase from some of Ireland’s brightest female talent” in venues including Hangar, The Grand Social, Wigwam, Film Base, The Back Loft, Sweeney’s and The Gallery of Photos. Will full line-up information to be released, keep an eye on…

  • NI Science Festival 2016

    Is there anything more satisfying than flicking through a freshly-printed, beautifully designed festival programme bursting with every shade of varyingly mind-expanding and curiousity-sating event? Having recently had that very same experience checking out the programme for this year’s forthcoming NI Science Festival we swiftly discovered that the short (and long) answer to that is no. Set to return to various venues across the North of the country from February 18-28, the festival will be divided into many day and night events. During the day the festival will present a range of workshops, talks and interactive activities for young people, parents and schools. In the…

  • Brilliant Corners 2016

    One of the country’s most reliably consistent and forward-thinking jazz festivals, Brilliant Corners will return to various venues in Belfast from March 5 to March 12. As expected, the bill for this year’s festival – hosted by Moving on Music – is as delightfully idiosyncratic as expected; Vein Trio will bring Latin Rhythms to the Belfast Parge, recently-passed jazz legend Ornette Coleman will receive due tribute, the synth-soaked free jazz of OKO and Tim Berne will illuminate the Black Box, whilst Dinosaur and Alarmist will team up for what’s set to be a highlight of the festival. Elsewhere, artist-in-residence David Lyttle will co-ordinate…