Villagers live at Leisureland in Galway with support from Owen Pallett. Photos by Ciaran O Maolain

Pillow Queens live at Vicar Street in Dublin with support from CABL. Photos by Seán Kelly

Confidence Man live at the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin. Photos by Gemma Bovenizer

Soda Blonde at Vicar Street in Dublin. Photos by David McEneaney

Since co-founding The Thin Air back in the sands of time (2013) I’ve encountered my fair share of “guitar bands.” You know the type: bands wielding, invariably, at least one guitar and two members. Usually, there are four people, though sometimes there’s three. Historically, it’s just easier to think of these bands as guitar bands because sequestering them into little “indie rock” or “post-punk” boxes benefits no one. Of course, the latter tag continues to prove fortuitous – fiscally, at least – for certain PR companies on the mainland (read: England). Not to mention the ongoing quasi-fetishisation of white Irish…

For a country as small as Ireland, for many years now there has been no shortage of quality independent record labels from each corner of the island that have punched well above their weight in terms of output. While some, like Sligo’s always excellent Art For Blind, have called it a day in recent years, one of the burgeoning newer labels picking up the mantle is Blowtorch Records, founded by Richard Burke in early 2019 and increasingly involved with some of the finest records coming out of these shores. Though based in Galway, their roster covers the length and breadth…

Gang of Four have announced their first Dublin show in 18 years. The Leeds post-punk greats last played the capital back in 2006, packing out Tripod to underscore their status as one of the UK’s all-time seminal bands. Now, the current iteration of the band – Jon King on vocals, original drummer Hugo Burnham, bassist Gail Greenwood, and current guitarist, David Pajo of Slint, and many other formations – will play the Button Factory on June 26th 2025, courtesy of Foggy Notions and U:MACK. Coming five years after the sad passing of founding guitarist Andy Gill, the show is a…

Pillow Queens live at Cyprus Avenue in Cork with support from I Dreamed I Dream. Photos by Erin Plaice

James Vincent McMorrow live at Vicar Street in Dublin with support from Leah Moran and the Black Box in Galway with support from Seba Safe. Photos by Seán Kelly and Mark Earley

As the year-end lists roll in, Belfast writer and musician Ben Behzadafshar cuts through the noise with a sharp, refreshingly unsentimental look at 2024 in music (see: the ‘Song Intro That Sounds Most Like In the End by Linkin Park’ Award, claimed by Fontaines D.C.) The 17th-century French composer Jean Baptiste Lully once got so swept up in one of his own compositions that he smashed a conducting staff used for keeping time through his foot. The foot became gangrenous, but he refused to have it taken off. Why? The man loved to dance. He died shortly after. Louis XIV…