• Merchy Christmas at the Grand Social, Dublin

    December 7, 2021 - By 

    Returning for its second consecutive year, Merchy Christmas will take over Dublin’s Grand Social later this month to throw Irish artists a lifeline in the face of the huge challenges presented by COVID-19. Running from 10am-4pm on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th December, countless TTA favourites including Lankum, Myles Manley, Junior Brother, Pillow Queens, Silverbacks, Nealo and Loah will set up stall for a real-life merch market. “The Christmas merch sale last year was one of the highlights of the year for me,” said Nealo. “It was heartwarming to meet people face to face and to hang out and chat…

  • ‘It’s a Shame About Kilrea’ with Robyn G Shiels at Flax Art Studios, Belfast

    September 30, 2021 - By 

    Earlier this month, Kilrea-raised, Belfast-based doom folk master Robyn G Shiels made his return to the stage with a show alongside Hatchet Field and An Auld Lad at the Sunflower. Taking place as part of this year’s Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival, it delivered exactly what we have come to expect from a RG show: carefully-crafted and perfectly understated tales of darkness and deliverance. With a head full of steam, Shiels has been quietly pushing forward into some new territory. Taking place at Flax Art Studios – located in the former UTV studios building in Belfast, Havelock House – he will play a…

  • The Model, Sligo’s Art For Blind Curatorial Residency Kicks Off With Arthur Itis and Tuath Show This Saturday

    September 8, 2021 - By 

    Sligo contemporary arts centre The Model is set to host a season of music and events curated by one of the finest imprints on the island, Sligo-based music and art collective, Art For Blind. The series – which will include music, film and printmaking – is part of the collective’s residency at The Model over 2021-2022. The first event is set to take place this Saturday, 11th September with two of the most forward-thinking acts in Ireland’s experimental underground. Making their debut in front of Sligo audiences are Cork-based, shapeshifting artist Arthur Itis, and Donegal-based establishment-bothering outfit Tuath, both of whom eschew easy genre classification. The experimental solo project of Arthur Pawsey, Arthur…

  • First Acts Announced For Another Love Story 2022

    July 16, 2021 - By 

    Consistently one of Ireland’s most well-curated festivals, Another Love Story has announced the first selection of artists set to play next year’s edition. The 2022 edition is set to return to the rolling meadows and cosy corners of Killyon Manor, Co. Meath, on August 19th-21st, and the first names seem a positive indicator for the kind of tastefully-selected eclecticism typically on display at the festival. Set to play are legendary Manchester selector, event creator & personality Luke Una, emerging Irish composer & singer-songwriter Rachael Lavelle, Berghain regular Barker, Choice Prize nominee Niamh Regan, live electronics from Leipzig’s Map.Ache, and Cork psych outfit The Altered Hours. Tickets are on sale now and available here, priced…

  • MusicTown 2021

    April 13, 2021 - By 

    Of the myriad annual events, series and festivals that tap into what makes Dublin a truly world-beating creative city, MusicTown feels special. Suffice to say,  shining a light on the city – and the Irish music and arc community at large – has never felt more important, which is why the series’ return across April 15th-25th is one we’re marking down as unmissable. Setting out, as ever, to celebrate the rich music heritage and contemporary artistic lifeblood of the city, the series boasts yet another masterfully mottled schedule across ten days and nights. Kicking off with Cathy Davey, live at the Pepper Canister…

  • the arts column: December 2020

    December 17, 2020 - By 

    With 2020 drawing to close (thankfully) we round-up arts-related events on both sides of Christmas in the last edition of the arts column. If you have got an event, talk, exhibition, etc. taking place in the New Year please do get in touch via aidan[at]thethinair[dot]net. And as always: Stay safe, support the arts and look after yourself x Online Exhibition | Pallas Projects + Studios This year marks the 10th iteration of Pallas Project + Studios annual Periodical Review, which while on first glance looks like a traditional group exhibition is instead a cross-section of trends, topics, movements and discussions taking…

  • Katie Kim & Radie Peat Set For Nollaig na mBan Collaboration

    December 21, 2020 - By 

    On January 6th, Katie Kim and Radie Peat of Lankum will come together for a special one-off event. An audio-visual collaboration to mark Nollaig Na Mban – otherwise known as Women’s Christmas or Little Christmas – the stream will also feature three TTA favourites: drummer/singer of Percolator, Eleanor Myler, Lankum producer John Spud Murphy and multi-disciplinary artist Vicky Langan. Comprising new arrangements of original material, folk songs and reimagined contemporary songs, it’s set to be an unmissable event from two of the island’s most distinctive artists. It kicks off at 8pm and tickets are on sale now.

  • the arts column: November 2020

    November 22, 2020 - By 

    This week sees the return of the arts column, our round-up off Irish arts events and related news. We’ll be moving this from a weekly to a monthly column and expand our listings to cover as much as we can. In this edition, we’ve got details on Dublin Art Book Fair which launches this week with a number of talks and workshops, info on PhotoIreland’s HALFTONE and Tsundoku, an online art fair from West Cork Arts Centre, as well as details of online exhibitions and projects, podcasts, residencies and virtual tour. If you have got an event, talk, exhibition, etc., please…

  • Robocobra Quartet to Stream Performance for London Jazz Festival

    November 19, 2020 - By 

    As part of the 2020 EFG London Jazz Festival, one of Ireland’s finest live acts, and long-time TTA favourites Robocobra Quartet are set to broadcast a 30 minute set of their boundary-pushing jazz-infused post-punk this Sunday, November 22nd at 6pm. Expect established tracks and unreleased music from their next album, with the video recorded and filmed in studio quality. They told us: “This is the only live-streamed performance we’re doing this year and so we decided to take our time to do it right and make something special. Instead of just filming from an audience perspective to replicate a gig, our set is shot from…

  • IMC Presents: Piece by Piece – Season 2

    November 17, 2020 - By 

    Six months on from its inaugural outing, Improvised Music Company have announced the second installment of their online concert series Piece By Piece. A unique musical ‘chain letter’ of online improvisation, with eight forward-pishing artists from Ireland creating new work in sequence, the new series will kick off on November 27 with guitarist and electronic music artist Aengus Hackett AKA Penji. “With a fresh impetus for this second season of Piece by Piece, the principle of interconnectedness will continue, with each artist’s performance influencing or inspiring the next,” organisers said, “Piece by piece, artists will create new improvised work, based on…