• Stream: Vogelbat – Ovl (feat. Sad Mermaid)

    September 13, 2016 - By 

    Berlin-based Kilkenny producer David Sheenan AKA Vogelbat last caught our ear back in February with ‘Banx’, a track Eoin Murray called “a jittering slice of melodic trip-hop reminiscent of Bonobo or FKA Twigs, or the less jarring parts of Oneothrix Point Never’s catalogue”. Seven months on and Sheenan’s latest track ‘Ovl’ – featuring vocals from Berlin’s Katharina Burchin AKA Sad Mermaid – also slots very nicely into that particular description. Sheehan said, “It’s influenced by the likes of Portishead and Massive Attack. I’ve been working on it for quite a while, struggling with the mix, aiming for a lush sound without…

  • Stream: New Pagans – Lilly Yeats/I Could Die

    September 12, 2016 - By 

    There’s few things more satisfying than the sonic shock-and-awe of a band cropping up out of nowhere with a sucker punch of a debut single. Comprised of Claire Miskimmin of Girls Names/Cruising, Cahir O’Doherty of Fighting With Wire/GOONS, Lyndsey McDougall and Balkan Alien Sound’s Conor McAuley, New Pagans fall very comfortably under that bracket – and go one with further with the release of two singles, ‘Lilly Yeats’ and ‘I Could Die’. Bearing the hallmarks of a band that have spent some time fleshing out their sound over the last few months, both tracks are keenly balanced between the burrowingly melodic and downright vehement, each strident passage and…

  • Stream: No Monster Club – Hippocampus Circus Maximus

    September 12, 2016 - By 

    A typically buoyant effort clinging – rather impressively – to the last fleeting vestiges of summer vibrations, ‘Hippocampus Circus Maximus’ is the closing track from Dublin’s No Monster Club’s forthcoming debut 7″, Where Did You Get That Milkshake. Despite having released a dozen albums to date at home, the release will also mark Bobby Aherne’s abundant indie-pop project’s debut US release. Irish folk, have a pre-order here. Want a song to hum for the rest of the day, week – month? Stream below.

  • Premiere: Arborist – I Heard Him Leaving

    September 12, 2016 - By 

    With a sound in which subtlety holds sway where a scream would fall short, Mark McCambridge AKA Arborist is a craftsman of nuance. With his debut full-length album, Home Burial, set for release on November 11 via Kirkinrola Records, the Belfast-based singer-songwriter’s recent single ‘A Man of My Age’ garnered comparisons to such venerated figures as Leonard Cohen, Bill Callahan and Jason Molina with very good reason. In knowing there’s no need to clothe a skeleton, McCambridge’s knowingly stark, wonderfully composed songs put the cutting phrase and heavy allusion centre-stage, each lyric lit by softly lilting Americana folk betraying both longing and hope…

  • Primal Scream Set For Dublin and Belfast

    September 12, 2016 - By 

    Returning for their first shows here in three years, Primal Scream have announced they will play Dublin’s Olympia Theatre on Wednesday, November 30 and Belfast’s Limelight on Thursday, December 1. Kicking off in Edinburgh and concluding at London’s Brixton Academy, the UK and Irish tour comes off the back of the release of their eleventh album, Chaosmosis, back in March. With support from Japanese noise-rock band Bo Ningen on all dates, check out the full dates below. Tickets are on sale this Friday, priced €35 for Olympia and £27.50 for Belfast.

  • Other Voices Live Set For Austin

    September 12, 2016 - By 

    With a line-up set to forge a combination of Irish and international acts, the country’s leading live music series Other Voices have announced they will head across the Atlantic for the inaugural Other Voices Austin from October 7-9. With the line-up for the showcase set to be announced at the start of October, Other Voices founder Philip King said, “To head to Austin, Texas has been a life long dream. Other Voices has a great affinity with that spirit…. one that is intact in Austin and that lives in the iconic Arlyn Studios, which will be our home this October. It’s a real…

  • Low Announce Irish Christmas Shows

    September 12, 2016 - By 

    A band synonymous for Christmas for many (not least thanks to their 1999 album of the same name) Duluth indie rock trio Low will three Irish dates in December. Closing their A Christmas Performance tour, Alan Sparhawk and co. will play Belfast’s Empire Music Hall on Monday, December 12, Dublin’s Christchurch on Tuesday, December 13 and Kilkenny’s Set Theatre on Wednesday, December 14. The band last played Belfast in 2013, Dublin in 2012 and Kilkenny back in 2009. Tickets are on sale at 9am on Friday, September 16.

  • Lisa Hannigan Set For Irish Tour

    September 9, 2016 - By 

    Having just released her stellar new album, At Swim, Lisa Hannigan has announced a new string of Irish dates in December. Also set for a UK and European tour in October and November, Hannigan will play the following 12 dates at home on the lead-up to Christmas. December 1: Galway, Seapoint Ballroom December 2: Wexford, O’Reilly Theatre, National Opera House December 8: Derry, The Glassworks December 10: Dublin, Vicar Street December 12: Cork, Cork Opera House December 16: Limerick, Limetree Theatre December 17: Drogheda, Beaulieu House and Gardens December 18: Dublin, Unitarian Church (All ages show, 2.30pm) December 19: Belfast, Empire…

  • David Holmes Announces Late Night Tales Album Launch

    September 8, 2016 - By 

    With support from several acts that feature on the release, David Holmes has announced details for the launch of his forthcoming Late Night Tales curated compilation. As well as a set from the Belfast DJ and producer, Barry Woolnough, Alain Maclean, the legend that is BP Fallon and Belfast drone pop masters Documenta will also perform at the launch at Belfast’s Maple Leaf Club on Saturday, October 15. To seal the deal, Stephen Hackett will be providing films/visuals on a 360 degree film projector and Joe Lindsay will compere the night. There will also be a limited edition free CD from Holmes…

  • Watch: Windings – You’re Dead

    September 7, 2016 - By 

    Limerick’s well-loved and broadly respected outfit Windings returned yesterday with ‘You’re Dead’, the first track to be unveiled from their forthcoming fourth album Be Honest and Fear Not. Four years since the release of their quietly triumphant I Am Not the Crow, the five-piece has never been the type to operate on anyone else’s timeline or rush releases, instead always opting to operate at their own pace. After showcasing two new tracks, ‘Stray Dogs’ and ‘Helicopters’, some time ago, ‘You’re Dead’ is paired with a delicate video by Stephen Boland featuring psychedelic colouring over monochrome backdrops, floating along perfectly with the songs flow. Like a strong…