• Stream: Ryan Vail – Grow

    Derry electronic duo Ryan Vail (Vail and his other half in Katie Cosgrove) have long been one of our favourite acts for summoning a very particular sense of nocturnalism in their music. With a string of quietly brooding tracks under their belt, their latest offering, ‘Grow’, delves even further into the night. The lead track for the forthcoming EP of the same – set for release via the excellent Champion Sound in early May – the track is imbued with Vail’s ever-impressive analog renderings of self-doubt and enlightenment; a dual subject that he and Cosgrove have been revealing over the…

  • Stream: PØRTS – Ancient Wave

    In a rather unexpected nominal curveball, fast-rising Derry quartet Little Bear have changed their name to PØRTS (monosyllabism, capitalisation and obscurism is in, after all) as well as releasing a new track,  ‘Ancient Wave’. Bearing a distinctly more fleshed-out sound than previously heard, the song retain the band’s building, anthemic shtick whilst hinting at treading new ground in terms of ambience and soundscaping in new material. Stream the track via YouTube below.

  • EP Stream: ABandcalledboy – Abandcalledboy

    The follow-up to last year’s promising Dead Academics EP, Northern Irish schizo-punk trio Abandcalledboy have released their seven-track self-titled EP. Including the release’s lead single ‘Cliff Richard‘, the EP features the brims with the Ryan Burrowes-fronted trio’s now fully-formed grasp of fusing earworming melodies with pummeling weight. Over the course of seven tracks, and most impressively on ‘Serotonin’ and ‘Mirrorlover’, drop-tuned riffs meld with deceptively contagious vocal hooks and an unrelentingly impassioned delivery that confirms the arrival of one of the country’s most promising alt-rock bands of a generation. Abandcalledboy kickstart a string of UK dates in Glasgow this evening…

  • Jack White Announces Dublin Show

    Another big name show has been announced this afternoon, with Jack White being confirmed for a slot at the Royal Kilmainham Hospital. The former White Stripes frontman – also of the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather – will be playing on the June 26, and will be releasing his second solo album, Lazaretto, on June 10. Tickets for the show are priced at €44.50, and go on sale this Friday April 11 at 9am.

  • Kanye West Announces Marlay Park Show

    Yet another act announced for the ever-growing series of gigs at Marlay Park, with self-proclaiming messiah of hip-hop Kanye West and man of the moment Pharrell Williams coming to these shores on July 2 this year. The show will be West’s first appearance in Ireland since he played Dublin’s 02 with Jay-Z back in June, 2012. Tickets for the gig are priced at €59.50 and go on sale this Friday April 11 at 9am.  

  • Watch: The Altered Hours – Dig Early

    Ahead a string of Irish dates starting at the end of April, Cork psych-rock maestros The Altered Hours have unveiled their debut video, for the single ‘Dig Early’. Created by Mary Kelleher, Izabella Szczutkowska and Elaine Howley, the video is an entrancing collage of warped black-and-white footage of the band performing in Cork’s Triskel Arts Centre majestically intercut with a hyper-speed, decidedly dream-like coastal trawl in Co. Clare. The track itself – brilliantly bearing the hallmarks of the band’s intent-drenched live shows – was recorded and produced in Cork with Chris Somers and will be released as a 7″ on Art for…

  • Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival Line-up Announced

    Set to take place from May 1 to May 11, the programme for this year’s Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival has been announced. As with every other installment of the annual Belfast festival, variety and eclecticism is at the heart of this year’s line-up. From Wilko Johnson and the Mercy Lounge, De La Soul, Channel 4 news anchor Jon Snow, The Handsome Family, Simon Amstell, Shonen Knife and everything in between, there is a hugely impressive roster running the gamut from music and comedy to spoken word, theatre, visual art and more. We’re also getting involved in this year’s programme, hosting a…

  • Watch: Bouts – Novelty

    Ahead of a string of Spring live dates, Dublin indie-rock band Bouts have unveiled the video for their latest single, ‘Novelty’. The first track from the quartet’s debut album, the superb Nothing Good Gets Away, this song is an accurate distillation of Bouts’ sublimely starry-eyed craft. The video for the song features the band, ever zealous (as you would be), writing and recording the album. Check out the poster for those Spring dates (including supporting none other than Yuck at this year’s Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival) and the video for ‘Novelty’ below.

  • Kasabian Announce Irish Tour

    Here’s a bit of a surprise for you folks; English rockers Kasabian are heading off the beaten track with an Irish tour. The news only came out of the Kasabian camp through their website and facebook page, and the band have Cork, Limerick, Galway and Derry in their sights. There are no details of any shows in the more established cities of Belfast and Dublin it sure is refreshing to see a high-profile band playing at some smaller venues around the country. Tickets went on sale at 12, and the ticket details can be found on the band’s website: http://kasabianlive.com/2014/04/four-irish-dates-announced-presale-live-12pm-today/…

  • Video exclusive: Sullivan & Gold – Glory

    A week on from premiering the video for their exquisite cover of ‘Nobody Loves You’ by Reuben, we’re very happy to present an exclusive of ‘Glory’, the newest single by Derry singer-songwriter duo Sullivan & Gold. Shot in the charming, coffee-scented surroundings of Lost & Found Bar and Cafe on Queen Street, Coleraine, the video was shot by PIGMINTFILM. A song about “the little things in life, that seems to grow in stature every time the boys perform it live”, it is the second single to be taken from Sullivan & Gold’s debut album, For Foes. Sullivan & Gold will…