• Swans w/ Okkyung Lee @ Mandela Hall, Belfast

    May 25, 2015 - By 

    Writing about Swans is a curious, almost impossible thing. With their three-decade long pursuit of summoning fleeting encounters with ecstasy, induced by masterfully orchestrated swathes of crushing noise, incantation and repetition, they are the living, breathing definition of a band whose seismic might and majesty can only truly be heeded live. A year to the month on from the release of their critically-devoured thirteenth studio opus, To Be Kind, Michael Gira and co. roll into Belfast tonight a towering and potent force to be reckoned with. Expectations simply couldn’t be higher. Immediately silencing the room with a flicker of the…

  • Tandem Felix w/ Jawbone @ The Workman’s Club, Dublin

    May 18, 2015 - By 

    Does life imitate art or the other way round? A fundamental question for aesthetes answered simply enough when, prompted by the seated musicians on stage, the audience follow cue and inhabit the dark, seated parameters of the Workman’s Club. Despite the resulting floor space having the inhospitable air of a school disco (circa 1999, god knows what they’re like now) the atmosphere’s closer to a dim lit jazz club. Fitting, perhaps, for the clever work of Jawbone; a folk/blues collective who stray into honky-tonk, swing and delta for good measure. More a showcase than a straight set, the members pay…

  • little xs for eyes w/ Paddy Hanna @ Whelan’s, Dublin

    May 6, 2015 - By 

    Kicking things off nicely is Paddy Hanna with his introspective, delicate folk. His greatest, and most striking strength is his voice, reminiscent of BBC’s Jack Steadman, Alt-J’s Joe Newman and even our own Conor O’Brien. His mellow, gossamer guitar playing may be lost on the early crowd who are yet to break from their tight circles and shadowy corners. But in Paddy, though no stage master, there’s clearly something to like for lovers of the genre. The crowd begins to grow. Mid week gigs are all the thing it seems. But then again, who wouldn’t want to get out of…

  • Irish Tour: Calexico

    May 6, 2015 - By 

    You may be aware of Calexico from Tucson, Arizona. Their many, many records may be in your peripheral vision, or you may have heard the band of uber-talented multi-instrumentalists lend atmosphere to the soundtracks of Dead Man’s Shoes, Collateral and The Guard. However, you will not have truly experienced Calexico until you have seen them play a concert, where their music bristles and blares and is full of infectious vibrancy. Not content to take the easy route of playing the latest album song by song, exactly as they sound on said album, or trotting out a set-list of greatest hits,…

  • Irish Tour: The Charlatans

    May 5, 2015 - By 

    Opening with an extended version of ‘Forever’ and followed by the undeniable Madchester groove of ‘Weirdo’, The Charlatans get their CQAF headline gig off to an expectedly strong start, following a reportedly equally triumphant show in Dublin the night before. New album tracks like ‘Talking In Tones’ and ‘So Oh’ sound more like 1995 than 2015 and are welcomed like old favourites. However, the starry-roofed tent inhabitants explode with collective excitement as the fan favourites of ‘North Country Boy’, ‘One To Another’ – a song that’s been given a new generation of fans through soundtracking the E4 sitcom My Mad Fat…

  • The Twilight Sad @ Voodoo, Belfast

    May 6, 2015 - By 

    It’s the final show of a ten-week trek across Europe and North America for The Twilight Sad. Front man James Graham tells the Belfast crowd his “liver is fucked.” The relief in his voice sets the tone for a breathless set taking in highlights from their back catalogue alongside half of the tracks from their fantastic fourth album Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave. The Twilight Sad’s gloomy intensity is utterly compelling from start to finish. They begin working through the gears with ‘There’s A Girl In The Corner’ and ‘Last January’ from the new album,…

  • San Fermin @ Whelan’s, Dublin

    May 1, 2015 - By 

    Fresh off the release of sophomore album Jackrabbit, Brooklyn-based San Fermin returns to Dublin exactly one year after their debut performance in Ireland. Largely the brainchild of composer and lyricist Ellis Ludwig-Leone, a composition major from Yale University, San Fermin’s style plays to a variety of influence ranging folk, jazz, and pop, with an element of high refinement in each musical mannerism. The eight-piece ensemble, including two men on brass and an electric violinist, excites in a way that is hard to categorize. Ellis’ lyrics mystify the abstract while painting a visceral picture of emotion, yet the robust vocals of…

  • Flying Lotus @ Vicar Street, Dublin

    May 1, 2015 - By 

    With the doors to Vicar Street, Dublin, opening at 7.30pm, our approach was somewhat cautious.  Surely there won’t be anybody here? We’re a bit early, right? WRONG. As we turned the corner, tickets in hand and anticipation set to almost uncomfortable levels, we were psyched to see a few hundred people milling about outside the entrance, all as giddy and as anxious to get inside as us, for a night featuring none other than the inimitable, the glorious, the Captain himself, Flying Lotus. It’s a strange, but welcome experience too, entering the cavernous venue so early and seeing it so…

  • Ben Howard @ 3Arena, Dublin

    April 15, 2015 - By 

    Returning to Dublin after four months on from two-night run at the Olympia, Ben Howard’s sold-out performance at 3Arena would normally indicate momentous progress for a second-album tour. October 2014’s I Forget Where We Were marked a piquant shift toward the sultrier side of Howard’s folk bearings and has captured coveted spots on charts the world over, including number 1 in the singer’s own UK. And yet, as a set list for an arena tour, Howard’s new material simply falls short. The packed crowds of Dublin’s stunning 3Arena broke into wild applause as the house dimmed to welcome Howard’s humble…

  • AAA: The Mighty Stef Album Launch

    April 12, 2015 - By 

    Redemption is a story told intimately well by the tattered glory of rock ‘n’ roll.  At the peak of an atypically hot week in Dublin, hometown hero Stefan Murphy embodied that redemption through a genuine baptism by fire in the sweat-box that is Whelan’s music hall.  Heralding the launch of his new album Year of the Horse, The Mighty Stef, as he’s known to fans, led his band mates through a raucous set, featuring friends old and new, and making a remarkable fresh start in the local legend’s career.  For an hour and a half of warm-up acts, as cult followers…