• Pixies w/ SPRINTS at Custom House Square, Belfast

    August 31, 2024 - By 

    In June 2013, just a day after it was announced that Kim Deal had left Pixies, nine years into one of the unlikeliest of reunions (yes, maybe even more than you-know-who), The Breeders stopped off at the Limelight in Belfast. In my review, I noted that the latter alt-rock heroes—helmed, of course, by Deal and her sister Kelley—delivered a “momentous, altogether unforgettable trip into the recent past.” Fast forward to 2024—on the very day Pixies return to the city after five years, with their latest bassist, Emma Richardson, in tow—news of Deal’s long-awaited solo debut LP lands in my inbox.…

  • We’ve Only Just Begun at Whelan’s, Dublin

    August 13, 2024 - By 

    We’ve Only Just Begun is a tonic in music festival form, created to celebrate the wealth of musical talent possessed by women and non-binary artists of Ireland. Taking place in Whelan’s over a balmy mid-August weekend, showcased a mere fraction of feminine musical power on the island. Comprising both Whelan’s upstairs and main stages, the festival boasts alumni ranging from Soda Blonde and Sorcha Richardson to SPRINTS and Cathy Davey. This year’s line-up included Choice Music Prize nominee Ezra Williams, 2FM Rising Star Qbanna and radio presenter and musician Rachel Mae Hannon. A report published by research activist group Why…

  • Dispatches From A Field: All Together Now 2024 – Sunday

    August 8, 2024 - By 

    Mike Ryan delivers his verdict on the third and final day of this year’s All Together Now, featuring ØXN, Sprints, NewDad, Just Mustard, The Prodigy, Nealo, Trá Pháidín and more Photos by Ian Davies The Scratch There are many theories on how to best kick off day 3 of a music festival. Some All Together Now attendees opt for a breakfast bap from Phat Cow foodtruck, some like to ease into it with some yoga. There’s also saunas and hot tubs, if you were quick enough to nab the early morning slots when they were announced. For many people however,…

  • Dispatches From A Field: All Together Now 2024 – Saturday

    August 7, 2024 - By 

    Mike Ryan continues his three-parter reporting back from this year’s All Together Now, with Day Two highlights from The Mary Wallopers, Rachael Lavelle, Soda Blonde, Kojaque and more Photos by Ian Davies The sunny day two of All Together Now kicked off with Dublin-based music ensemble Glasshouse performing the music of the late, great Ryuchi Sakamoto. The Lovely Days stage, miraculously recovered from Confidence Man’s blistering set the night before, now resembled a park amphitheatre, with revellers sitting or lying, easing their way into the day. Next up was a Main Stage performance from Sing Along Social. Easing is over.…

  • Dispatches From A Field: All Together Now 2024 – Friday

    August 6, 2024 - By 

    In the first of a three-parter, Mike Ryan reports back from the Friday of this year’s All Together Now, featuring Confidence Man, Toshín, Cardinals, Niamh Regan and more Photos by Ian Davies Back for its fifth iteration, this year’s All Together Now brought its expected share of international heavy hitters to the idyllic Curraghmore Estate, Co. Waterford, but more impressively, this time around it was absolutely heaving with both the stalwarts and fresh faces of the Irish music scene. Cork indie debutants Cardinals kickstarted the Guinness Lovely Days stage, bringing noughties-inspired guitar licks and matching the crowd’s very evident Day…

  • Jane’s Addiction at Trinity College, Dublin

    July 3, 2024 - By 

    Full disclosure: I was obsessed with this band from the ages of 15-18. I was insufferable to those around me who didn’t get it – and to them all, I apologise – but growing up in rural south Derry, Jane’s Addiction felt like some portal to the unseen. Whether it was the LA seediness or their connection to a more sensual world, it mattered little. Everyone has that band, but going through the typical starter pack of Guns N’ Roses, Zeppelin, RHCP, and Nirvana, Jane’s were the first band that lit the passage to somewhere higher. They were the band that Anthony…

  • The Patti Smith Quartet at Vicar Street, Dublin

    June 29, 2024 - By 

    Excitement was running high in Vicar Street as folk at the sold-out gig on Thursday, June 27 waited for Patti Smith to come on stage. She did so to rapturous applause and a few shouts of “We love you, Patti”. Smiling and relaxed, she put her hand on her heart and said “And I love you, too”. Attired in her customary black jeans, white tee, waistcoat and black jacket, she told us that she’d had to swap her black boots for her white Keds trainers because the boots had been sticking to the carpeted stage. Joined by her son Jackson…

  • Sting and Blondie at Belsonic 2024

    June 21, 2024 - By 

    I decided last year that if any more vintage artists played Belsonic I was going. It’s a short walk from my house and when I hear Nile Rodgers or Lionel Richie, and the cheers of their excited fans, I think you never know the hour nor the minute, and determine to grab the bull by the horns in future and make sure I’m not left with a lifetime of regret at missing my chance to see someone big while I still can. So when Belsonic announced a double bill of late 70s/early 80s royalty in Blondie and Sting I thought…

  • Limp Bizkit w/ Tom Morello and Nova Twins at Belsonic 2024

    June 13, 2024 - By 

    “Is it 1999 yet?” With hi-vis jacket and a heroic glint in his eye, Fred Durst gazes out into an ocean of red hats and wobbly day-drinkers in Belfast’s Ormeau Park. A mere plastic glass throw of Tennent’s from the Woodstock Road—the closest any of us will get to the cursed promised land in question—Limp Bizkit are midway through ‘Hot Dog.’ It’s there, floating in song three of a fourteen-song set, where you’ll find me plundering my pea-sized brain for an answer to the question posed by our messianic nu-metal binman. As I try to catch a glimpse of him…

  • The Pet Shop Boys at SSE Arena, Belfast

    June 14, 2024 - By 

    I’m no stranger to finding myself in situations that make me question my life choices but sitting in the SSE Arena watching Dave Pearce play Dance Anthems and telling me to lift my arms in the air is a new one. I’ll admit I’d been surprised and sceptical on finding this was the support for the Pet Shop Boys’ Dreamland: The Greatest Hits Tour. I’m immediately proven wrong in my incredulity, however, by the middle-aged Kevin and Perry beside me, who are already joyously immersed in Faithless’s ‘Insomnia’ as I arrive, fisherman’s hats perched on their heads. Pet Shop Boys…