Fresh off the back of his appearance at Body & Soul in Co. Westmeath at the weekend, it’s been announced that Jon Hopkins will return to Ireland for a show at Vicar Street on October 18. Tickets for the show are priced at €35 inclusive of booking fee and go on sale this Thursday (June 28) at 10am. Photo by Steve Gullick
Following the limited release of cross-Ireland Little L Records compilation, 2016’s A Litany of Failures – featuring Oh Boland, Shrug Life, That Snaake and Junk Drawer – an expanded second edition has been confirmed for release on July 13. Set to be released on 180g gatefold double vinyl, as well as through Bandcamp, Spotify and the usual outlets, it features 18 acts from Belfast, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Dublin, Galway & Limerick. The DIY, co-op endeavour aims to provide an opportunity to perform outside each of their hometowns, shortening the mental distances between bands, and encouraging a cross-pollination of musical communities. Splitting costs between artists and the organisers, a sense of…
A multi-instrumentalist with a remarkable knack for eking out sublime, burrowing melodies evocative of Irish traditional music, Belfast-based singer-songwriter DANI has returned with ‘Samson and Goliath’, a three-minute gem of pastoral alt-folk exploring the concept of “disconnection and being unable to recognise oneself.” Having spent last year facilitating music workshops and performing in Colombia and Indonesia, namely working in the field of conflict transformation, this is the sound of a musician who is renewed and ready to take her rightful place in being recognised as one of the island’s most singular alt-folk talents. Listen to the single – and check out its artwork – below.…
We last heard from Belfast singer-songwriter Peter J McCauley when he released his five-track EP Liminals back in 2016. Two years on, the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist — who previously released music under the moniker Rams Pocket Radio — is back with one of his most nuanced and carefully-crafted single efforts to date. Threaded with some subtle electronic ambience, it’s a wonderfully sparse piano-and-vocals paean to the eternal conundrum of not knowing where one is going, but taking solace in both perspective and faith in que será, será. Have a first listen to the single below.
Back in January, we had the pleasure of premiering Weird Weekends, the latest album from prolific Cork-based artist Laurie Shaw. Six months on, the 23-year-old Wirral musician is back with ‘That’s Life’, a lyrically exemplary effort striking a perfect midpoint between two of his main influences in Bill Ryder Jones and Jonathan Richman via early 1970s George Harrison at his most commanding. Having recorded up to 50 albums since the age of 14, the lead single from Shaw’s forthcoming album Year Zero. We said it back in January and we’ll say it along, this time a little more pronounced: if there’s any justice in…
Music charity Help Musicians UK’s Transmission Fund is approaching the first round deadline of June 29 for applications. Although the scheme is UK-wide, we’re both heavily encouraging Northern Irish artists to apply – in recent years they’ve supported the likes of Joshua Burnside & Rebekah Fitch. In the words of Help Musicians UK: “The Transmission Fund is designed to help you build your career by providing grants of £500 – £1500 to fund opportunities allowing you to focus on developing your artistic and professional development at a crucial point in your career. We can support opportunities such as short courses, workshops, training and time limited periods of…
Three months on from making a triumphant return with ‘Young Dad’ – a single we eagerly deemed “the band’s strongest single effort to date” – Dublin five-piece Spies are back with its follow-up ‘Uriah’. Propelled by Motorik groove, it’s a four-minute gem layered with balmy synth textures and the band’s evolved widescreen alt-pop. Mirroring themes of friendship and betrayal, vocalist Michael Broderick called the song, “A reflection on the story of Uriah and King David.” ‘Uriah’ is taken from Spies’ forthcoming debut album, Constancy, which is expected to drop later this year.
Fronted by Julian Casablanacas of the Strokes, The Voidz will play an exclusive Irish show at Dublin’s Vicar Street on October 26. The U.S. six-piece released their second studio album, Virtue, back in March. Tickets for the Dublin show are priced €36.50 and go on sale this Friday at 10am.
Perhaps best known for her 2017 gem ‘Pretty Girl’, Massachusetts lo-fi pop artist Claire Cottrill AKA Clairo will play Dublin’s The Academy 2 on September 16. The musician and singer recently dropped a six-track EP, which included a collaboration with Rejjie Snow. Tickets for the show are priced at €16.85 and go on sale tomorrow (Tuesday, June 19) at 4pm.
19-year-old Norwegian musician Pablo Muñoz AKA Boy Pablo has been making some waves as a bedroom indie-pop contender over the last few months. Having recently shared single ‘Losing You’, and with a new EP expected in the coming months, he will play Dublin’s Button Factory on October 28. Tickets for the show are priced at €27 and go on sale on Thursday at 9am.