• Mango & MathMan – Wheel Up

    December 13, 2017 - By 

    There’s a storm brewing on this island. For a nation of people who pride ourselves on our artists’ ability to twist and contort the English language masterfully, it’s surprising that our hip-hop scene has taken so long to come to fruition. Where in the past we would have had the likes of Messiah J and The Expert to represent us on the international stage, we’ve slowly but surely been building up a roster of top-tier artists. In recent years, Rejjie Snow, Kojaque, Hare Squead and Limerick’s Rusangano Family – to name but a handful –have proven without much doubt that we…

  • Glassjaw – Material Control

    December 11, 2017 - By 

    Oddly specific as this is, 2017 might be the year for semi-defunct post-hardcore bands from the early 2000s to release long-awaited followups. At The Drive-In dropped In•ter a•li•a in May after a 17-year gap. Before the news of Jesse Lacey’s alleged history of sexual exploitation saw the band being rightly cancelled, Brand New released Science Fiction. Even Quicksand released Interiors nearly two decades after their last broadcast. Now, almost out of the blue, Glassjaw who, aside from a few scattered EPs, have been silent since 2002’s Worship and Tribute have quietly released Material Control. Glassjaw were never as influential as ATD-I or inspired quite the level…

  • Penguin Cafe Orchestra – Union Cafe

    December 9, 2017 - By 

    Fact: penguins are not festive. Don’t be fooled every time you see one stuffed into a garish Christmas jumper on the front of your greeting cards, and join me and my national campaign in returning them to the sender with a ‘must do better’ message attached. Some species live in areas as tropical as the Galapagos Islands, whilst none, whatsoever, live in the northern hemisphere, supposedly the headquarters of Father Christmas’ operations. Every time we see the ludicrous line up of one fuzzy friend between the big man himself and a polar bear part of my zoological soul dies, and…

  • Song of Granite

    December 13, 2017 - By 

    A non-traditional perspective on a traditional Irish sean-nós singer, Song of Granite tells the story of Galway-born Joe Heaney through fragments and figments, snatches of song and poetry and time-jumping visions of Ireland and beyond. Pat Collins’ film is a carefully composed blend of dramatisation and documentary, light on biographical specifics but heavy on the sad, gentle rhythms of time and song. Cinematographer Richard Kendrick frames Joe’s childhood in the village of Carna, Connemara in glorious, pristine black and white, dramatisations of early 20th century rural Ireland rarely seen in cinema without the moral baggage of politics or poverty. There…

  • The Disaster Artist

    December 7, 2017 - By 

    Oh, hi reader. You are quite possibly sick of hearing about The Room, marketed to irony-devouring film freaks as the ‘best bad movie ever made’. Released in 2007 and recouping practically zero of its — frankly unbelievable — $6 million budget, Tommy Wiseau’s great auteur debacle found resurrection as a quotable ‘so bad it’s amazing’ treasure. The catchphrases, rabid cult buzz and midnight screenings have clued a generation of fans in on the joke, and with saturation there is a dulling of the film’s weirdness. One of the pleasures of The Disaster Artist, the James Franco-directed origin story of The Room, is being offered a seat at…

  • Mark Lanegan @ Mandela Hall, Belfast

    December 7, 2017 - By 

    Upon its release back in April, Mark Lanegan’s tenth studio album, Gargoyle, not only strongly reiterated his contemporary relevance but also further revealed the multiplicity of artist who – just like his good friend in Joshua Homme – has zero intention of roaming the trodden sonic path ad infinitum. His return to Belfast’s Mandela Hall after five years tonight only serves to confirm that fact tenfold. Following two strong sets from Joe Cardamone and long-standing blues rock co-conspirator Duke Garwood, Lanegan – visible limp notwithstanding – tails his three-piece band on to stage tonight with zero fanfare. Bursting into ‘Death’s Head…

  • Rocket From The Crypt @ Whelan’s, Dublin

    December 5, 2017 - By 

    When San Diego’s finest purveyors of rock’n’roll Rocket from the Crypt decided to down tools near the tail end of 2005, it came as quite a shock to their devoted fan base. Yes, there were several interlinked side projects the various members continued on with, but none drew you into the same extent. Luckily after a one-off get together six years later involving a kids T.V. show, John ‘Speedo’ Reis decided to reignite his charges on a fulltime basis circa 2013, and they’ve been tearing stages across the world a new one ever since. However, before the headliners arrived, their…

  • U2 – Songs of Experience

    December 5, 2017 - By 

    When was the last time you were really excited by anything U2 did? You could say The Joshua Tree tour, but really that was just multimillionaires hawking nostalgia at exorbitant prices. Musically, U2 haven’t crafted anything of real weight in over a decade. The last album that most people seem to unambiguously like is All That You Can’t Leave Behind, but all that should be cited as is the ultimate example of playing it safe. Consider their previous LP, Songs of Innocence. What do you remember? Odds are the only thing that comes to mind from that fustercluck of a…

  • Good Time

    November 30, 2017 - By 

    As titles go, it’s hard to think of one more misleading than Good Time since people went to see Eraserhead thinking it was about a teacher with a penchant for clean notebooks. No one is having a ‘good time’ in the Safdie brothers’ latest offering: not Robert Pattinson’s Connie; not his girlfriend Corey (Jennifer Jason Leigh); and certainly not the viewer. This is as intense a noir thriller as you’re likely to see. All the action takes place over a particularly manic 24 hours in New York. It starts with Connie and his mentally challenged brother Nick (Ben Safdie) attempting to…

  • Wolf Alice w/ Sunflower Bean @ Olympia Theatre, Dublin

    November 30, 2017 - By 

    Part of the appeal of Wolf Alice is how cool they have made not fitting in look. They’re always goofing off on Instagram, referring to themselves as a group of weirdos more than a band. Even as a collective they feel very different. Ellie Rowsell looks like the cool girl at a party that you’ll never talk to; bassist Theo Ellis an east-end gangster fully kitted out in suit and chains; Joff Oddie the nerdy musician who may well be Chris Martin from another life and Joel Amey, the throwback 70s drummer equipped with Cuban heels and a sequenced kit.…