• Video Exclusive: Abandcalledboy – Cliff Richard

    January 28, 2014 - By 

    Having watched it at least five times revelling in its unmitigated majesty, we’re happy to give you an exclusive first look of the wonderfully retro and decidedly rad video for ‘Cliff Richard’ by Northern Irish alt-rock three-piece Abandcalledboy. “We made it ourselves,” said the band’s drummer and vocalist, Ryan Burrowes. “We basically watched a load of Cliff Richard videos and attempted to re-create our own twisted version with a grand budget of £0.” “We made the costumes ourselves, came up with loads of ideas and then with our friend Odhrain, went and shot it all on what felt like the coldest day ever. It’s…

  • Stream: Replete – Hold Me

    January 28, 2014 - By 

    One of our Acts to Watch in 2014, Kilkenny electronic producer Pete Lawlor AKA Replete is streaming ‘Hold Me’, the first track to be taken from his forthcoming EP of the same name. An unwinding, near six-minute slab of throwback techno house, the track is Lawlor’s first release via Belfast’s Champion Sound Music, who will put out the aforementioned EP on March 4. Stream ‘Hold Me’ via Soundcloud below.

  • Arctic Monkeys Announce Marlay Park Show

    January 27, 2014 - By 

    Still cruising on the wave of success that heralded the release of their latest album AM, Arctic Monkeys have announced that they will be coming to Ireland for an outdoor show at Marlay Park Dublin on July 12. Joining the Sheffield rockers will be Jake Bugg, Miles Kane and Royal Blood. Tickets for the show will be €61.50 and go on-sale this Friday at 9am from Ticketmaster. Check out the official poster for the show below.

  • Robyn G Shiels Album Artwork Revealed

    January 27, 2014 - By 

    Set for a late Spring release via No Dancing, Belfast-based singer-songwriter Robyn G Shiels has given us an exclusive first-look at the artwork for his second studio album, The Blood of the Innocents. Created by Edinburgh-based designer Ciara Dunne, the artwork (above) echoes the dark and malevolent visual accompaniment to Shiels’ recent video for the exceptional ‘Underneath The Night of Stars’, the lead track from the EP of the same name, released in May last year. Watch the video to that here or stream the single below. Robyn G Shiels is amongst a whole list of Irish acts play the Derry music…

  • Stream: TVVINS – You Better

    January 27, 2014 - By 

    “This feels like a long term project, who knows where it will end up”. So said Lar Kaye of Adebisi Shank – and one half of Dublin synth-pop act TVVINS – in our interview with the latter last year. Two months later and the pair, also comprised of Conor Adams from The Cast of Cheers, have released their second single, the propulsive electro-pop of ‘You Better’. Comprised of vocoder vocals, forward-moving rhythms, arpeggiated synth lines and slick guitar chords, the track is a notably more earworming and forward-moving counterpart to the equable cool of the pair’s debut single, ‘Two Worlds’. TVVINS play…

  • Several More Acts Confirmed For Longitude 2014

    January 24, 2014 - By 

    Now in its second year, several more acts have been announced to be play this year’s Longitude Festival at Dublin’s Marlay Park from Friday, July 18 to Sunday, July 20. Irish acts James Vincent McMorrow (pictured), Hozier and Le Galaxie were confirmed alongside Roosevelt, Bondax, Cyril Hahn, Julio Bashmore, John Talabot, Bonobo, Sam Smith, Chvrches, Haim, Bastille, Haim and Bastille. Several more acts will be announced on Thursday, February 6 ahead of tickets on sale the following day at 9am. See below for the official list of confirmed acts.

  • Watch: VerseChorusVerse – No More Years

    January 24, 2014 - By 

    Having been busy planning the release of his eagerly anticipated solo album, Belfast-based singer-songwriter Tony Wright AKA VerseChorusVerse has unveiled the video to his new single, ‘No More Years’. The second track on the forthcoming release, Wright said “The video is a blatant metaphor and also a slight poke/twist at all those singer-songwriter videos that appear to be shot in the woods. I, myself, have been guilty of this too. A fine tradition started by Bryan Adams with that Robin Hood tune, with sci-fi references in there to satisfy my inner and outer nerd.” Wright’s debut album will be released…

  • Stream: The Wood Burning Savages – Flu Season

    January 23, 2014 - By 

    Having just announced that they’ve been selected to play at the Derry Music Trail as part of Other Voices in February, Derry four-piece The Wood Burning Savages have released a wonderfully understated new track titled ‘Flu Season’. Written only two days ago, the song – propelled by fingerpicked guitar shapes, frontman Paul Connolly’s increasingly earnest delivery and impressively unravelling vocal harmonies – was recorded in the band’s wood shed just yesterday. Stream/download the track (for free) via Soundcloud below.

  • Watch: September Girls – Green Eyed

    January 23, 2014 - By 

    One of the highlights from their recently-recently debut album, Cursing The Sea, Dublin noise-pop band September Girls have unveiled the video for their new single, ‘Green Eyed’. The track – inspired by the call-and-response vocal style of Look In My Diary by Reparata and the dreams – the song is about being in a relationship with someone who is untrustworthy, and feeling trapped. Win tickets to see September Girls in Belfast’s Menagerie Bar on Saturday, September 1 here. Watch the video – directed by the band’s guitarist, Jessie Ward, and shot in an evening in September Girls’ basement rehearsal space…

  • Watch: Future Islands – Seasons (Waiting On You)

    January 22, 2014 - By 

    Baltimore synthpop outfit Future Islands have released a video for ‘Seasons (Waiting On You)’, a cut from their forthcoming album Singles. Directed by longtime collaborator Jay Buim, the video features lots of typical cowboy imagery – as well as actual cowboys – and certainly taps into singer Sam Herring’s admission that the song is “…about love, letting go, learning from your mistakes and always feeling that pull….as time goes by and seasons change.” Elsewhere, the band’s trademark waves of pensive electronic sounds shine through, whilst time seems to have softened Herring’s signature rasping vocals – but that seems somehow fitting…