• Rusangano Family @ The Sugar Club, Dublin

    There’s been something special brewing in Ireland for the last year or so. If you’ve been lucky you’ve caught glimpses of it here and there, or heard the rumours; something big from the Mid-West. Something new. But after nearly a full year of hor d’ouvres in the shape of feverish shows and tantalising single track releases one of Ireland’s most exciting bands finally has a full album to offer. And while it’s justifiably whipping critics and fans into a frenzy, many know that for the full Rusangano Family hip hop experience you’ve got to see it live. So while the…

  • Forbidden Fruit Add More Acts

    With the likes of Underworld, Tame Impala and Jungle already announced, Forbidden Fruit have revealed Dizzee Rascal, Katy B, Young Fathers, Katy B and DJ Deece are amongst the acts to perform on the Friday of the June bank holiday festival. Elsewhere, MMOTHS, Beta Band’s Steve Mason, French deep house project Klingande and The Field have also been added to the bill for this year’s festival, which is set to return to Dublin’s Royal Hospital Kilmainham from June 3-5. Check out the current day-to-day line-up below. Tickets for the Friday of Forbidden Fruit go on sale at this Friday (April 8)…

  • Frightened Rabbit – Painting of a Panic Attack

    The concept of painting a panic attack seems in keeping with the narrative Frightened Rabbit have followed since their debut album Sing the Greys in 2007. Documenting and finding beauty in the grip of anxiety has been a running theme for the Scottish group. Initially a solo project from singer and guitarist Scott Hutchinson, Frightened Rabbit have grown into a band proper and Painting of a Panic Attack is their fifth album. The title itself hints at the themes found over twelve damaged, imperfect but redemptive tracks. Lyrically, all the characteristics of a panic attack are here, from the paranoia and sickness to the dizzying rush and…

  • TV Eye: Horace and Pete

    The tenth and final episode of Louis CK’s experimental online-self-distributed series, Horace and Pete, arrived in subscribers’ inboxes on Saturday to no fanfare or announcement of the series’ conclusion – simply an email from CK saying he had nothing clever to say about it. It was written, filmed and directed by Louie in the week prior to each release, evidenced by the highly topical barroom discussion, with even Hulk Hogan’s Gawker sex tape discussed. In its finest moments, Horace & Pete feels like zeitgeist-capturing cult television event, and for anyone into it, the personal email from Louis was the highlight…

  • Future of the Left – The Peace and Truce of Future of the Left

    It’s been almost three years since the last Future of the Left album, though we haven’t exactly been left wanting, with frontman Andrew Falkous delivering two solid albums under his new Christian Fitness moniker in the interim. Nevertheless, it’s undeniably exciting to have the full band back in action, as demonstrated by the PledgeMusic campaign for fifth album The Peace and Truce of Future of the Left reaching its goal in a mere three hours. Their second pledge-funded album, they’re evidently one of model’s success stories, partly due to loyal fans that have been following Falkous since his Mclusky days, but also because they’re a band that…

  • Primal Scream – Chaosmosis

    Primal Scream are the definition of British indie-rock royalty: former Jesus and Mary Chain drummer Bobby Gillespie’s genre hopping crew – which has welcomed contributors as diverse as Kevin Shields, the Stone Roses’ Mani, Robert Plant and Kate Moss – have constantly evolved their sound, from the jangle of early singles such C86 standout ‘Velocity Girl’ to the generation defining acid house crossover smash Screamadelica. After refusing to cash in on its success with following records, the band have embraced Stonesy boogie – Give Up But Don’t Give Out, Riot City Blues -, pulsating Krautrock – XTRMNTR -, B-movie soundtrack – Vanishing Point–  and everything in…

  • Sheer Mag – III

    Sheer Mag are essentially the Jackson Lo-Five; that’s not meant as a term of derision, rather one of the endearment. They’ve taken the best parts of the Jackson Five, which would be Michael’s vocal melodies, wrapped it up with early 1970s classic rock and punk music and filtered it through early 1990s lo-fi recording a la Pavement or Beat Happening. While there’s no denying that it is a great deal of fun, the group’s previous singles are a testament to that fact, with their most recent 7 Inch release, III, it’s becoming apparent that are signs of strain in their…

  • Premiere: Hazing – Nervous Signals (Soil Creep remix)

    Released back in February, Joy Void by Dutch/Irish artist Hazing is a debut EP that demands your our attention from the get go. Evoking the likes of Wild Nothing and Ariel Pink over its four tracks, there is a somnambulist glow woven throughout the release, conjuring late-night city traipses, head down, hands in pockets, driven forth by wayward thoughts of belonging and connection in a sleeping urban jungle.Two months after it dropped, Dublin producer Aidan Wall AKA Soil Creep has re-imagined lead single ‘Nervous Signals’ in superb fashion. Excavating beats and bleeps from the track’s placid fabric, it re-frames the track in such a…

  • Stream: Brame and Hamo – Kebab Dreams EP

    Brame and Hamo are a duo originally from Sligo who, over the course of the past year, following a relocation to Berlin have been going from strength to strength with their blend of house and hip-hop which is resolutely loyal to the genres’ links to Jazz and soul. With their seamless meshing of these styles the pair impressed labels such as Dirt Crew and Detroit Swindle’s Heist Recordings and have since put out EPs on both labels, garnering them plenty of play in label sharer’s DJ sets and an ever growing respect both in their new base and back home.…

  • More Acts Set for Sea Sessions

    Bundoran, Co. Donegal surf and music festival Sea Sessions have announced the second wave (ahem) of acts set to play its ninth outing from June 24-June 26. With the likes of Primal Scream, Bad Manners and Ciaran Lavery already revealed, Gavin James, Ham Sandwich, King Kong Company, Raglans, Daithi, Exmagician (pictured), Miles Graham, Picture This, T.P.M., Fang Club, New Valley Wolves, Crow Black Chicken, Karma Parking, Third Smoke and Wolves of Youth join the bill. Tickets for this year’s festival start at €99.90. Go here to buy yours. Check out the current Sea Sessions line-up below.