• Castlepalooza line-up announced

    May 13, 2013 - By 

    Taking place at Charleville Castle, Tullamore from August 2-4, the line-up for this year’s Castlepalooza Music and Arts Festial has been announced. Boasting an impressive roster of international electronic acts such Kutmah, Luke Vibert and Ceephax Acid Crew, several Northern Irish acts including Girls Names, Ed Zealous and SOAK also feature in the line-up. With more announcements yet to be made, the following acts will play the festival: Al Patron, And So I Watch You From Afar, Arman Giorgio, Bolts, Carried By Waves, Ceephax Acid Crew, Clogagh Murphy, Clu, Cymbals, Daithi, DJ Baz, Dogs, Double Agent 7, Dunc4n, Ed Zealous,…

  • 4AD to release retrospective book

    May 10, 2013 - By 

    Thirty-four years after being founded by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, a new book entitled Facing The Other Way will document the colourful history of boundlessly influential record label, 4AD. Having released music from artists as diverse and pioneering the Pixies, Grimes to Cocteau Twin – to name but a few – the London-based independent label will sees its history penned by journalist Martin Aston and will feature several exclusive interviews. You can pre-order Facing The Other Way – set for release on September 19 – here. Watch a 4AD session from the Mark Lanegan Band below.  

  • VerseChorusVerse announces special full-band shows

    May 9, 2013 - By 

    To mark the release of his highly-anticipated debut album, VerseChorusVerse AKA Belfast-based singer-songwriter Tony Wright has announced a special, full-band show in association with The Thin Air. Featuring Jonny Black and Herb Magee from LaFaro and Stu Bell and Stephen Leacock (ex-General Fiasco, Desert Hearts), the Northern Irish supergroup of sorts (above) will bring to life what Wright calls “an edgy, full blooded, forward thinking, rootsy rock n roll album laced equally with hope and realism”. The free show will take place at Belfast’s Voodoo on Saturday, June 15. A Dublin show upstairs in Whelan’s will take place two nights…

  • Stream two new QOTSA songs

    May 8, 2013 - By 

    The tension, excitement and momentum continues to mount. Recorded as part of a Belgian radio session, two brand new tracks by Queens of The Stone Age have just surfaced online. Set to feature on their highly-anticipated new album …Like Clockwork., ‘I Sat By The Ocean’ and ‘If I Had A Tail’ are two extremely promising tracks, building upon the two songs we’ve already heard – ‘My God Is The Sun’ and ‘I Appear Missing’. Stream the two live songs via Soundcloud below.

  • Rams’ Pocket Radio announces album launch show

    May 7, 2013 - By 

    Lisburn singer-songwriter Rams’ Pocket Radio AKA Peter McCauley will perform a special show at Belfast Stiff Kitten on June 7 to mark the release of his new record, titled ‘Béton’. Supporting McCauley on the night will be Katharine Phillippa, Nathan Connolly of Snow Patrol, David C Clements, Gareth Dunlop, ASIWYFA and Owen Strathern from General Fiasco – all artists who have collaborated with the musician down the years. More acts are expected to be announced soon. Tickets for the show are on sale on Friday, May 10, priced £6 and are available from Shine and Ticketmaster. Stream ‘Cavities’ by Rams’ below.…

  • Radio 1’s Big Weekend line-up announced

    May 6, 2013 - By 

    The line-up for BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Derry/Londonderry has been announced. Set to take place over three days later this month – from May 24 to May 26 – Calvin Harris, Biffy Clyro (above) and Bruno Mars will headline the festival, set to take place in Ebrington Square. Two Door Cinema Club, Vampire Weekend, Kendrick Lamar, Everything Everything, Frightened Rabbit and alt-J are also amongst the extensive, six-stage line-up. Check out the full line-up below. Tickets for the festival have been allocated. Friday, May 24 Main Stage Calvin Harris Chase and Status Dizzee Rascal Rudimental Live Pete Tong…

  • The Thin Air launches

    May 3, 2013 - By 

    Hello! You are very welcome to The Thin Air – a brand new, Belfast-based music and culture website focusing on independent artists, releases and happenings across the country and much further afield. As you might expect, it’s still very early days – there is still quite a lot of categories and content to go up (we can’t wait to show you everything we have in store) – but in the meantime, we hope there’s enough to keep you occupied. In particular, there’s a whole range of features and album reviews to be devoured from our ever-growing, hugely passionate writers and…

  • And So I Watch You From Afar to play G Session

    May 3, 2013 - By 

    North Coast post rock quartet And So I Watch You From Afar will play their first G Session in four years on Friday, May 3 at Draperstown’s Cellar Bar. The intimate appearance comes only a few days after it was announced that the band would headline one day of the annual “small but massive” festival. Supporting the band on the night are Belfast-based noise rock three-piece PigsAsPeople and all-female post-punk band Vanilla Gloom. Check out ‘Big Things Do Remarkable’ by ASIWYFA below.  

  • Final acts announced for Glasgowbury 2013

    May 3, 2013 - By 

    The final acts confirmed to play this year’s Glasgowbury Festival have been announced. As revealed today in the Daily Mirror, funk and soul seven-piece The Dead Presidents, Derry electronic artist Ryan Vail and shimmering pop artist Silhouette will join an already impressive lineup in Draperstown. As exclusively revealed on BBC Radio Ulster programme Across The Line, the newly invigorated Jetplane Landing, rock quartet The Answer and globe-trotting post-rockers And So I Watch You From Afar will headline the event, now in its thirteenth year. Also amongst the first acts announced to play the annual “small but massive” festival are Axis Of,…

  • Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman dies aged 49

    May 3, 2013 - By 

    Jeff Hanneman, founding guitarist of American thrash metal legends Slayer has died, aged 49. As announced via the band’s official Facebook page last night, Hanneman died of liver failure in California on Thursday. The guitarist had been suffering from a flesh-eating disease since 2011 called necrotising fasciitis, believed to have been contracted from a spider bite. Slayer’s official statement said, “Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11am this morning near his Southern California home.” R.I.P. Jeff. Everyone else, get this into your lugs (so to speak).