• Monday Mixtape: Podge McNamee (HamsandwicH)

    April 29, 2016 - By 

    Podge McNamee from HamsandwicH shares the songs that have influenced his life and music. Photo by Tara Thomas. Rollerskate Skinny – Speed to my side  One of the most outrageously great Irish singles ever written, in my opinion. The best use of a Boss pitchshifter pedal too. It ticks all the boxes. Poetic, epic, blistering distorted guitars & a chorus that seems to just get better each time it kicks in. I always listened to this song with my friend Jason (who was obsessed with them) to get the blood rushing on long drives to festivals such as Witness, Oxegen and Electric…

  • Rave New World (29/04)

    April 29, 2016 - By 

    Aidan Hanratty and Antoin Lindsay return with the best electronic gigs, tracks and mixes of the week. Gigs Galway May Bank Holiday DUB Weekender Friday 29 April It’s a bit of a heavy lineup in Galway tonight, headed by Digital Mystikz man Mala. His second album, Mirrors, is due soon, inspired by his travels in Peru, and now is as good a time as any (well, save maybe 2005) to catch this legend play. Irish talent Don Rosco, Bob from Standard Crew, Jonezy and Welfare are on support. AH Discotekken & Membership present: Asquith, Ethyl & Flori at Bar Tengu, Dublin…

  • Where He’s Meant To Be: An interview with Arab Strap’s Aidan Moffat

    April 28, 2016 - By 

    As one half of the band Arab Strap with Malcolm Middleton between 1996 and 2006, Aidan Moffat quickly became one of the most influential voices in Scottish indie music. His unmistakable thick brogue and frank, confessional and often hilarious lyrics are reflected in so many newer Scottish bands while Moffat himself has guested with the likes of Mogwai and Frightened Rabbit over the years. Since Arab Strap’s amicable split, Moffat has undertaken all kinds of projects, from spoken word to his collaborations with Bill Wells to his electronic work as L. Pierre, to name a few. In 2014 he toured…

  • Classic Album: Ash – 1977 (1996)

    April 27, 2016 - By 

    For a moment, it seemed like anything could happen. Three teenagers from Downpatrick are staring blankly from the pages of Smash Hits magazine, fresh from appearing on Top of the Pops. And in 1996, this kind of thing just didn’t happen. Ash were breaking rules left right and centre, and it seemed like they could only go higher. As Oasis and Blur duelled it out with each other in the charts, the Little Band from Northern Ireland that Could seemed hell bent on one thing: destruction. I was 15 when 1977 came out, and it still seems as fresh now…

  • Killing Mockingbirds: An Interview with Jordan

    April 27, 2016 - By 

    As regular fixture and co-founder of Aether & Echo’s Nocturne and The Night Institute parties, Jordan has been at the centre of a lot of what’s been happening in Northern Irish dance music over the past few years. Killing Mockingbirds, the debut EP from the homegrown DJ-producer who cut his teeth in the electronic music world as a student in Leeds, is a five–track house music affair which drafts in Adesse Versions and Borrowed Identity to lend their sensibilities to the record in the form of two remixed tracks. Killing Mockingbirds (which was made available to the public last week)…

  • Track Record: A Tribute to Prince

    April 22, 2016 - By 

    In the wake of his death, we’ve searched through our archives for the Prince records that have left an indelible imprint on the music and life of the artists featured, from Wounded Healer to Cave Ghosts. Photos by Aaron Corr and Ian Pearce. Tim O’Donovan // Buffalo Woman- Purple Rain I never saw the movie the first time round. But the music was just too powerful to ignore. All the songs are so different and have such a personality of their own, but they still all sound like Prince. I love the fact that ‘When Doves Cry’ has no bass in it. I love the fact…

  • Sometimes It Snows In April: Remembering Prince.

    April 21, 2016 - By 

    There will never be another artist like Prince. And ‘artist’ is the only word that one can use to describe him. Whether it be in his visionary approach to recording music, his concept of himself as a multi-media master, conquering the stage and screen, or his almost perfect grasp of song craft, Prince approached every aspect of his life as if it were art. First garnering attention as a boy wonder, writing, producing and performing every instrument on his debut album, the first signs of Prince’s genius were exposed when he performed the incredible trick of unearthing the very magma…

  • Not Gospel: Don’t Fear The Reaper

    April 22, 2016 - By 

    Time, they say, is a great healer. Unfortunately, as has been so visibly proved this year, it can exact a heavy cost. The world of rock and roll has lost a handful of the greats, with Lemmy, Bowie, The Eagles’ Glen Frey, and Jefferson Airplane’s Paul Kantner all going to that great gig in the sky within a matter of weeks. But is there anything sinister about all this? After all, people day every day, and occasionally, some of them are rock stars. But with a certain section of the rock fraternity all approaching a certain age, we can be…

  • DIY Dublin: Tropical Popical

    April 20, 2016 - By 

    In this installment of DIY Dublin we pop into Tropical Popical, a vibrant nail salon on South William street in the city centre, positively oozing with colour and kitchiness. Aidan Kelly Murphy chats to Andrea Horan about setting up the salon with her sister Michelle and the rise of creative nail art. Photos by Abi Denniston. How did the idea of opening a nail salon in Dublin come about? These ideas always come from a selfish need or requirement I think, especially when it’s not just a ‘Get Rich Quick’ idea. Myself and my sister were bopping around the States…

  • Odessey & Oracle: An Interview with Colin Blunstone

    April 19, 2016 - By 

    Colin Blunstone is the lead singer of the legendary British band The Zombies, and has enjoyed a successful solo career since the band split in 1969. Eimear Hurley caught up with the singer fresh off of his solo tour in the UK and Holland, and ahead of a busy summer touring schedule with his solo band and the Zombies. Hi Colin. You have enjoyed a fantastic musical career so far, spanning five decades. Can you tell me about your experience of being an artist in the 21st century compared to when you first started? The business is almost unrecognisable from…