• Steve Mason @ Black Box, Belfast

    May 4, 2016 - By 

    It’s a Saturday night in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter and Steve Mason is in good form. Recent interviews in support of his new album reveal a musician re-invigorated by the simple creativity of human interaction. Inside a buzzing, sold-out Black Box he is throwing catalogue shapes for photographers and sardonically re-naming songs. ‘A lot of Love’ is introduced as a love song from Chris Martin to Gwyneth (it’s too good for that), and the soulful tambourine-driven ‘Seen It All Before’ is re-christened “Slide On Fat Jesus.” He looks sweltered on stage in a full anorak but tries to…

  • Ciúnas: An Evening Of Quiet Songs @ Connolly’s of Leap, Cork

    May 4, 2016 - By 

    We arrived in early to Ambiguous Fiddle’s curated Ciúnas: An Evening of Quiet Songs’ at Connolly’s of Leap, catching a spin over with the night’s opener Chris McDonald. There’s a saying: the easy ease. Where everything comes together, eased into place. It’s when you nod and smile because you feel the vibe you’re after is right there, coming together, heading for the sweet spot. We arrived in and there it, the sweet spot, was: the artists – McDonald, Pine The Pilcrow, I Have A Tribe and Sam Clague – soundchecked, the Connolly’s crew set up; the candle-lit seating, the meet and greet and the room temperature.…

  • Bizet: Carmen @ Waterfront Hall, Belfast

    May 4, 2016 - By 

    Lust, jealousy, betrayal and murder have always made for potent story-lines and there’s undoubtedly something of the Greek tragedy about George Bizet’s much loved opera, Carmen. Yet despite all the ingredients of a modern-day soap melodrama played out to a stirring musical score – and all condensed into a couple of roller-coaster hours – the National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Moldova’s performance of Carmen comes across as conservative and a little stiff. There’s no doubting the success of award-winning director Ellen Kent, whose colorful staging of the world’s great operas and ballets has been packing them in across the…

  • Richmond Fontaine @ Voodoo, Belfast

    May 4, 2016 - By 

    There’s no room for sentiment during Richmond Fontaine’s last ever Belfast show. The band from Portland, Oregon have been regular visitors to the city since the release of the critically-acclaimed Post To Wire in 2004, and tonight their final album You Can’t Go Back If There’s Nothing To Go Back To gets some serious attention from the setlist. You Can’t Go Back is a summary of all that’s great about this much-loved Americana band so it’s fitting that most of the record is showcased this evening. ‘I Got Off The Bus’ – a song about the worst homecoming ever, alternates…

  • Shonen Knife w/ Leggy @ Black Box, Belfast

    May 2, 2016 - By 

    Japan’s Shonen Knife are currently celebrating their 35th anniversary with an extensive tour, which took in Belfast’s Black Box as part of the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. After a number of Japan-only releases in the early 80s, the Osaka group’s brand of infectious pop-punk eventually won western admirers including Sonic Youth, John Peel and Nirvana, and the band’s 90s peak saw them serve as an opening act for the UK leg of the Seattle band’s Nevermind Tour, as well winning gaining regular MTV airtime and slots on the Lollapalooza tour. Now on album number 20 and buoyed by the return…

  • Andrew Bird w/ Beating Heart Pigeons @ Vicar Street, Dublin

    May 2, 2016 - By 

    It’s been far too long since Andrew Bird last graced our shores with his violin-led quirky take on indie folk but after a triumphant night in Vicar Street, it feels like he never left at all. Before Bird takes to the stage, procedures are kicked off by Limerick natives, Bleeding Heart Pigeons. The four-piece aren’t an obvious match for the whimsical sounds of the headliner and their raw indie rock is mostly lost on the small crowd who’ve wandered in early. Despite sound issues, they reel out a good enough set filled with cuts from their recent debut album, Is.…

  • We Are Scientists – Helter Seltzer

    April 28, 2016 - By 

    Helter Seltzer, the fifth and by far the flashiest studio album from alt-pop duo We Are Scientists proves that Chris Cain and Keith Murray are back with a punch. Despite being prone to slip under the radar from time to time, the NYC-based duo manage to return with something bigger and better each time they resurface, staying true to their original and unique style, yet managing to reinvent certain aspects of their recognisable sound. The now veteran pair have been making music for over 14 years and despite sporting a little more grey hair and a lot more moustache action, they’ve aged…

  • The King Khan & BBQ Show w/ September Girls @ The Workman’s Club, Dublin

    April 26, 2016 - By 

    One of the main attributes that is often associated with King Khan and his partner in crime Mark Sultan – AKA The BBQ – when they perform is that the crowd are never left wanting. As a band they are an incredibly tight combo, who not only take huge pleasure in emphasising their die-hard passion for old school rock ‘n’ roll, doo-wop and punk, but are driven to put on a show that will reside in their audience’s memory for some time after they leave the stage. As a result it’s no surprise to learn that their appearance in the Workmans Club…

  • Ought w/ Autumns @ Voodoo, Belfast

    April 25, 2016 - By 

    Ought are somewhat of an anomaly on Constellation Records, a label known more for post-rock bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, but then they’re also an anomaly in that they’re a Canadian band without any Canadian members, their personnel having moved to Montreal from various US states and, in one case, Australia. Still on the touring trail for last year’s sublime second LP Sun Coming Down, their second European trek since its release sees them make a much anticipated return to Ireland and a Belfast debut. Derry’s Autumns kick things off, fast becoming Belfast’s support-band-in-residence, which is no bad thing.…

  • Wire – Nocturnal Koreans

    April 24, 2016 - By 

    The term seminal might get thrown around too much these days, but when used to describe post-punk legends Wire, it almost seems too humble. In many ways, the group are an anomaly amongst their peers. For starters, over their majority of their thirty-year career they’ve managed to retain the same line-up, avoiding the unfortunate stigma of being a glorified vanity project for singer Colin Newman with a revolving door of musicians, desperately vying for some kind of relevance. In fact, the group has gone the exact opposite route, shrugging off any requests to do retrospective tours of their first three,…