• Output Announces 2024 Return

    March 1, 2024 - By 

    The first details of Output Belfast’s 2024 return have been announced. Having teamed up with AVA for last year’s outing, Ireland’s biggest one-day music conference is back to its usual format for this year – all while celebrating Sound of Belfast’s 10th birthday. On the morning and afternoon of Thursday, November 12, music industry leaders from across the globe will descend upon the MAC and the Oh Yeah Music Centre to speak on an array of panels. As with previous years, it’s set to be an unmissable programme full of networking opportunities for the local music community to meet industry…

  • Air to Play Moon Safari in Dublin

    February 12, 2024 - By 

    Air are set to play Moon Safari in full in Dublin this summer. Due to demand, the French duo will play their seminal debut album in full at Trinity College on 30th June 2024. Taking place as part of this year’s Summer Series, it’s the latest date to be added to the duo’s European tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their iconic debut. Released in January 1998, Moon Safari features tracks including ‘La femme d’argent,’ and singles ‘Sexy Boy’, ‘Kelly Watch the Stars’ and ‘All I Need’ featuring Beth Hirsch. Tickets for the show go on sale at 9am this…

  • Les Savy Fav Set For Dublin Return

    February 7, 2024 - By 

    Les Savy Fav are coming back to Dublin. Marking their first headline show in the city since 2010, the New York indie rock greats will play Whelan’s Main Room on Friday, 24th May 2024. The news coincides with the band’s first new music in as many years (fourteen – 14 years). Check out the video for ‘Legendary Tippers’ below. Another first-rate co-pro from Foggy Notions and U:MACK, tickets for the show are €30.00 and go on sale at 10AM this Friday, 9th February. Photo by Nick Helderman

  • Bloc Party Announce 20th Anniversary Shows

    February 7, 2024 - By 

    Bloc Party have announced details of two Irish shows to mark their 20th anniversary in July. The Kele Okereke-fronted outfit will perform their seminal debut album Silent Alarm and their greatest hits at the Telegraph Building in Belfast on Thursday, 4th July and 3Arena in Dublin on Friday, 5th July. Tickets go on sale on Friday, 16th February at 10am. In a statement, Okereke said: “We’ve been having so much fun playing shows over the past year, so it makes sense to do something special for old and new fans, celebrating twenty years of Bloc Party.” “We heard from a…

  • Godspeed You! Black Emperor Announce Long-Awaited Dublin Return

    January 31, 2024 - By 

    Godspeed You! Black Emperor have announced their long-awaited return to Dublin. The Canadian post-rock collective will return to the city to play the National Stadium on 27th September. Presented by Foggy Notions and U:Mack, it marks the band’s first show here since they played Vicar Street back in 2016. Revisit our review of the show here. Tickets for the show go on sale this Friday, 2nd February at 10am.

  • Watch: PANIKATAX – Rejection

    January 25, 2024 - By 

    Dublin quartet PANIKTAX are back with their vital new single, ‘Rejection’. It’s a masterfully trouncing effort from the band, who comprise Rob Walsh, Rian Trench, Trevor Keogh, and Robert ‘Scan’ Watson. In sub-four minutes, the band excavate new, groove-heavy territory from the more searing and supremely fucked-off energy captured on 2020’s ‘White Water Rafting’ Largely developed during the lockdown of 2020-2021 when live music had subsided, it’s taken from the band’s highly-anticipated EP, A Sudden and Unpleasant Change, which they said “can be experienced as a compulsive response to an almost Jungian introversion.” Unmistakably at the peak of his powers…

  • AVA Festival Announce 10th Anniversary

    January 25, 2024 - By 

    Ireland’s leading annual electronic festival AVA have announced details of its massive tenth edition. Marking a decade at the top of the game, the world-beating Belfast festival returns to the Titanic Slipways across 31st May to 1st June with another finely-tuned mix of global and homegrown trailblazers. Among the highlights in the first line-up announcement are Nia Archives, Barry Can’t Swim, Kerri Chandler, Horsegirl, Helena Hauff and local legends Bicep, who once again return to the festival, this time to perform their Chroma AV DJ project. A host of local stalwarts make this year’s outing as essential as they come.…

  • Pillow Queens Announce Second Album, Release ‘Gone’

    January 24, 2024 - By 

    Pillow Queens have announced details of their third studio album, Name Your Sorrow. The Dublin indie-rock quartet – and The Thin Air cover stars – will release the follow-up to 2022’s Leave The Light On on 19th April via Royal Mountain Records. Produced by Collin Pastore (Lucy Dacus, boygenius) at Analogue Catalogue in Northern Ireland, the album is led with new single ‘Gone’. Watch its video below. Speaking about the album, guitarist Cathy McGuinness said: “”It is about stages of love, loss and grief and how they can all exist alongside one another–intertwined, messy, beautiful–how both love and loss can…

  • Open Ear Announce New Additions

    January 24, 2024 - By 

    Open Ear have announced its second wave of acts for 2024. Returning to Sherkin Island off Cork from 31st May to 2nd June, the country’s very best independent festival will host sets by the likes of Crispy Jason aka Wicklow sonic shapeshifter Rian Trench, ambient project Dublin, Galway DJ Lesko, cryptic duo Moundabout, Noisy Chilli, Dublin techno/electro producer Rustal and Vacant Heads, the dub-infused EBM project of Derry’s Autumns and Broken English Club/Oliver Ho. The second wave of acts join the already-announced Gnod R&D, Brian Not Brian and more. With more TBA in the coming weeks, check out the current…

  • Casavettes Announce Reunion

    January 18, 2024 - By 

    It’s been some time coming but Casavettes have announced their long-awaited reunion. The Limerick emo heroes, who we last heard from back in the halcyon days of 2019, announced their return via social media today. “We’re nervous and excited to tell you we’ll be playing some shows in February and March,” shared the band AKA vocalist and guitarist, Diarmuid O’Shea, bassist Michael Hennessy and drummer Stephen Ryan. “It’s been over four years since we last saw you. We’ve missed it.” As well as the promise of new music “soon,” the three-piece will play the following shows in February and March:…