• Nomeansno – Voodoo, Belfast

    May 30, 2013 - By 

    Just under three years since they delivered a whiplash-inducing, criminally under-attended show here back in 2010, Nomeansno return to Belfast still very much assured of their reputation as being one of the mind-bogglingly accomplished triptychs in the entire pantheon of punk rock. Pioneering, virtuoso and notoriously disinterested in playing by the rules, they have paved the way for innumerable acts of their ilk whilst effortlessly defying all kinds of kneejerk classification for almost thirty-five years. The question remains: will fans – and indeed the merely curious – attend in their roves, as they should, this time around? The answer, lest…

  • Transmit: Runaway GO, Amidships, Hologram

    May 31, 2013 - By 

    Transmit really does show the depth of the Northern Irish Music scene right now. The groups that play cover an enormous range of different styles yet compliment each other brilliantly each week, making Wednesday night at Limelight 2 a diverse evening of full-blooded entertainment. Tonight the Limelight 2 fills up pretty early, with the venue bustling. The crowd is restless for the first act, with an expectant atmosphere griping the room. Hologram sate the crowd’s appetite, introducing themselves to the room with an instrumental number laced with slow and resonating melancholia, before roaring into life to become insatiably intense. With…

  • Transmit: Wonder Villains, Before Machines, Audio Cavalry – Limelight 2, Belfast

    May 24, 2013 - By 

    Tonight will be a night of novelties. Having only heard snippets of each of tonight’s TRANSMIT acts, it is with a sense of curiosity that this reviewer travels to Limelight 2 for his inaugural gig at the venue. First up is County Down four-piece Audio Cavalry, taking to the stage to play to a small but interested crowd.  Their influences and style are apparent from the offset: contemporary indie-rock with intricate, sharp guitars and contrasting neat chord progressions over drawled out vocals; these traits help set Audio Cavalry apart from others in a highly congested genre. The performance is highly…

  • Adam Buxton, Best of Bug – Odyssey Cinema, Belfast

    May 10, 2013 - By 

    There’s a crucial moment during this evening’s multimedia shenanigans when an entire cinema auditorium chuckles in unison at the sight of a LEGO David Bowie explaining the inspiration behind his new persona “Cobbler Bob”. At this point the audience have fully plugged into BUG, Adam Buxton’s deliberately random selection box of music videos, skits and winding anecdotes about earache. And that’s part of the joy of BUG: the not knowing what glittery video or deranged cartoon is going to pop out of the indie rock super collider next. Essentially, what we have is an assortment of music promos glued together…

  • British Sea Power – Black Box, Belfast

    May 10, 2013 - By 

    The last time that British Sea Power visited Belfast, in February 2011, something felt different. The band, by this point a seasoned touring outfit with several joyously received Belfast gigs to their credit, were playing the Spring & Airbrake for the second time, but attendance was down, the atmosphere was flat and the setlist dragged, stuffed full of songs from the lacklustre album they were promoting at the time, Valhalla Dancehall. Just as their previous record, the Mercury-nominated Do You Like Rock Music?, seemed set to propel them skyward, Elbow-style, it looked like the Brighton band were already on a…

  • The Specials – Ulster Hall, Belfast

    May 9, 2013 - By 

    Two years on from their phenomenal performance at Belsonic 2011 – not to mention an astonishing thirty-four years since first performing Queens University way back in 1979 – ska/2-tone pioneers The Specials return to Belfast tonight very much assured of their legendary status. Despite lacking founding member Jerry Dammers since reforming in 2008 and now missing vocalist Neville Staples this year due to health reasons, there is a definite air of celebration and mild hysteria in the air, undoubtedly spurred on by the looming, gratefully-received safety net of a next day Bank Holiday. Diving straight into the hectic ska of…

  • Alana Henderson – Green Room, Black Box (CQAF)

    May 8, 2013 - By 

    One of the things that marks Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival out as a bit different is the inclusion of the Artist In Residence. Every year a locally based musician is chosen for this coveted title, a badge saying this person is a cut above the rest and a badge that is proudly displayed throughout the festival, the artist in question playing several showcases as well as supporting international acts playing during the festival. Joining previous success stories of Rachel Austin, Aaron Shanley and Glastonbury performer Isobel Anderson is this year’s choice, cellist-singer-songwriter Alana Henderson. It’s no surprise then that…

  • Chelsea Wolfe, Robyn G Shiels – Auntie Annie’s, Belfast

    May 7, 2013 - By 

    And so it goes. After many years playing host to thousands of bands from every corner of the earth and providing a hugely important platform for innumerable local bands and artists, Auntie Annie’s, one of Belfast’s most loved music venues, breathes its final breath tonight having announced its imminent closure. As is only to be expected, the scene is a strange contrast of sorts: downstairs in the main bar the atmosphere is one of ecstatic – if not naturally hesitant – celebration; upstairs, a significantly more mournful mood takes hold in advance of one final night of pining, transatlantic folk.…