• Hard Working Class Heroes 2015 – Thursday

    October 5, 2015 - By 

    This is no normal weekend in the city. Thanks to the hard work of those at First Music Contact and their team and associates Dublin has one to really be proud of. This is Hard Working Class Heroes 2015: when several venues across Town host a proliferation, a bevy, a frothing mass of musical talent. For some the draw of HWCH will be its robust dissemination of the industry; its talks with heavyweight performers, journalists and industry figures. Yet for many more it’s the music that does the talking. Luckily HWCH 2015 may just be the best line up yet.…

  • Girls Names (Album Launch) w/ Documenta @ Empire Music Hall, Belfast

    October 3, 2015 - By 

    Having amassed a veritable smorgasbord of critics singing their praises, it’s no surprise that the launch of Girls Names’ new album Arms Around a Vision tonight has been one of the most highly anticipated gigs of this year so far – a simple run through of the post-punk four-piece’s latest effort can attest to this with ease. It’s arguable too that by drip-feeding us snippets of the album for the past few months, Cathal Cully and company have ran a very lucrative and creative marketing campaign, so much so that by the time that Arms Around a Vision saw the…

  • Girl Band w/ Paddy Hanna @ Roisin Dubh, Galway

    October 3, 2015 - By 

    It’s been almost a year to the day since Girl Band played the Roisín Dubh. At that point the band had just released their seminal single ‘De Bom Bom’ and plans for an album were in a mere germination stage, the only thing that they knew for certain was that they would record it themselves and that it would be out in 2015. This being less than a week after the release of the massively anticipated LP Holding Hands With Jamie then, excitement levels are through the roof to see how the year has impacted the most innovative and exhilarating…

  • Fall Out Boy @ 3Arena, Dublin

    October 2, 2015 - By 

    All bands like to surprise people a little to some extent, Fall Out Boy for one have never shied away from it. That being said, when they announced that Professor Green was supporting them, there was a pretty overwhelming sense of confusion. As he arrives on stage he, more than anyone else tonight, has the job of convincing everyone he was a good choice. To be fair, he kind of did it. Still a very random choice but he puts on a decent show. Professor Green is joined by Dream McClean and Katie Holmes, the latter who impresses particularly with…

  • Girl Band @ Bar Sub, Belfast

    October 1, 2015 - By 

    Most of the recent reviews for their full length debut Holding Hands With Jamie have said the same thing: no other band sounds like Girl Band. And it’s true. Sure, there are echoes of noise-rock, post-punk, krautrock and techno but they’re mixed together in such a way that no label can accurately capture the enthralling racket this Dublin quartet makes, while frontman Dara Kiely sings, speaks, shouts and screams surreal non-sequiturs over the top, sounding like the Irish lovechild of Steve Albini and Mark E Smith. While Kiely’s lyrics, when audible, initially appear to be hilariously odd – packed full…

  • Blank Realm @ Workman’s Club, Dublin

    October 1, 2015 - By 

    It’s fair to say that Australian four piece Blank Realm may not be a name that rings a bell to most folk on this side of the world right now. The band began its life in the Brisbane suburb of Westlake in 2005 and is made up of siblings Daniel, Sarah and Luke Spencer, with Luke Walsh completing the line-up. In recent years the UK based independent label Fire Records has been distributing the band’s last few albums, including 2014’s well-received Grassed Inn and this year’s storming follow up Illegals in Heaven. Having started off as more of an experimental,…

  • A Band Called Wanda w/ New Pope & Liam Doherty @ Roisin Dubh, Galway

    September 29, 2015 - By 

    Thursday the 24th of September saw the first of a new monthly event being held in the upstairs venue of Galway’s Roisín Dubh. Run by local songwriter and musical institution Steven Sharpe, the first installment – “What’s Dubh Got To Do With It?” – aimed to create an atmosphere of cosiness, warmth, friendliness and ease and succeeded in doing so with what seemed like total ease. The room is warmed by warm candlelight and the seats are already nearly filled by the time the first act of the night, local songwriter Liam Doherty (below). Being this his first solo show,…

  • The Wood Burning Savages w/ Son of the Hound & Fabric @ Sandino’s Bar, Derry

    September 28, 2015 - By 

    These are exciting times for The Wood Burning Savages. Since forming four years ago, the Derry quartet have kicked up something of a storm in the local and even national music scene, with an appearance at Glastonbury 2014 and a glowing tribute from BBC 6 Music’s Tom Robinson among the highlights of their constantly evolving careers. Their latest journey home, in the middle of an Irish tour that has also seen them descend upon Belfast’s Oh Yeah! Centre for Culture Night 2015, is a rather entertaining affair where the talented foursome and their two support acts fully flex their musical…

  • Leon Bridges @ Olympia, Dublin

    September 29, 2015 - By 

    Texan soul man Leon Bridges trades in the sort of classic soul you might expect to hear over the hiss and crackle of an AM radio as well as the sweet blend of rhythm and blues with pop sensibilities that put Berry Gordy’s Motown Records on the map back in the early ‘60s. Despite the fact that he is still only 26, Bridges sounds like he’s been around for a long time. The show marks the second time that the singer-songwriter has performed on Irish shores this year following his performance at Longitude back in July. On that occasion, he…

  • Brand New w/ Basement @ Vicar Street, Dublin

    September 23, 2015 - By 

    Vicar Street is buzzing tonight. This evening’s show, Brand New, is rather comfortably sold out. The touts out front are making a killing and the attendees are decked out in a multitude of attires ranging from well worn tees to freshly pressed school uniforms. The anticipation is pabalate as this is the first time the New York punks have visited the Republic in many years. The group also haven’t had a major release since 2009’s Daisy and have only recently released any kind of output, the single ‘Mene’. Yet, as evidenced by the crowd, Brand New are able to inspire…