• Inbound: Bear Worship

    February 9, 2016 - By 

    Bear Worship is the new project from Irish musician Karl Knuttel, who has previously performed as Pinkie and as Ivan St John.  Here, he talks about his love of synthesisers, making music out of necessity, and the benefits of being ‘ridiculously controlling’. Words by David Turpin. You’ve said that Bear Worship emerged out of a time of anxiety and depression, and yet the music is far more dreamlike than nightmarish, and far more expansive than claustrophobic.  What do you mean when you say it was made “out of necessity”? You know, anxiety is a harrowing experience. It’s not at all…

  • New Pope’s Guide to Galway

    February 9, 2016 - By 

    Having released one of our favourite Irish records of 2015 in Youth, Galway dream-folk artist David Boland AKA New Pope sings the varied praises of Galway and all it has to offer in 2016. Galway is great. Everybody loves it. You love it, I love it, she loves it, we all love it. Sometimes I feel weighed down by the love of it. I love it so much that it’s crushing my soul. I feel oppressed by the loveliness of it all. I think someday I’ll go mad with the love of it. The sick smothering love, the clawing breathless…

  • Interview: Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys

    February 8, 2016 - By 

    The non­-for­-profit­ run ​Open House Festival​ finished its round of sold out gigs across Northern Ireland at the weekend. The festival, which organises live performances in unique and intimate venues, treated guests to acts such as homegrown talent Stephen Maccartney; Jarrod Dickenson, an upcoming Texan-­born Folk and Roots­ Blues singer; and last but not least, Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys, a Bluegrass band from Michigan. During the festival, Claire McKeever caught up with Mark and Josh, one half of Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys, at their penultimate gig at The Arcadia in Portrush. How was Lindsay Lou & the Flatbellys…

  • Classic Album: Motörhead – Another Perfect Day (1983)

    February 5, 2016 - By 

    1983 was an interesting year to be in Motörhead. After conquering the UK charts with the one-two punch of Ace of Spades and No Sleep ‘til Hammersmith, they’d established themselves right at the forefront of the rock world, a band that could go toe-to-toe with the best of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands, or appealing to the still thriving punk rock scene, whilst simultaneously being perfectly at home amidst more mainstream fare, gooning for the cameras on Top of the Pops. Iron Fist (1982), however, hadn’t been particularly well received. Co-produced by guitarist ‘Fast’ Eddie Clarke, the…

  • Bookmark: Shawna Scott (Sex Siopa)

    February 5, 2016 - By 

    In the latest installment of Bookmark, Seattle-born Shawna Scott of Dublin’s Sex Siopa selects and talks about her some of her all-time favourite books. Photos by Melanie Mullan. Girl Trouble by Carol Dyhouse This is the book I’m reading at the moment. I picked it up in the Wellcome Museum bookshop when I was in London last month. It’s brilliant! It’s a brief history of moral panics over the past 150 or so years. Not surprising, when there’s a moral panic, it’s almost always about women. From the suffragettes’ involvement in the “white slavery” panic to the post-war rise of…

  • 16 For ’16: Paddy Hanna

    February 5, 2016 - By 

    Fifteen hugely promising, genre-spanning Irish acts down, we conclude our annual Ones to Watch feature with Dublin’s Paddy Hanna. Words by Cathal McBride. Photo: Mark Earley. Following his 2014 debut album Leafy Stilleto on Popical Island and a pair of strong 2015 singles, Dublin’s Paddy Hanna is on an upward trajectory that shows no sign of faltering any time soon. A string of Irish support dates with Girl Band last year with his backing band, including No Monster Club’s Bobby Aherne, has only helped to raise his profile further. Swapping his old band Grand Pocket Orchestra’s lo-fi art pop for…

  • Rave New World (05/02)

    February 5, 2016 - By 

    With Antoin wirelessless, Aidan Hanratty returns for his latest look at the best electronic gigs, tracks, mixes and releases of the week. Gigs Galcher Lustwerk & Dj Deece at Opium Rooms, Dublin Friday 5 February There’s a crazy amount of good gigs this weekend. First off, DJ Deece, long-standing Hidden Agenda resident, is behind a new series of gigs, and having opened with an all-nighter a few weeks back, this time he’s got the don Galcher Lustwerk (pictured) in town. If you’re not familiar with 100% Galcher already, well where have you been for the past three years? He’s closed that…

  • Interview: Noise, Lust and Depression with Autumns

    February 4, 2016 - By 

    Ahead of three Belfast shows in the coming months, Derry’s Christian Donaghey AKA Autumns is a man on a mission. Having recently recorded his debut LP in two days at Smalltown America Studios, Donaghey chats to us about the art of improvisation, the literary impact on his work and his plans for the year. Hi Christan, you’ve recently finished recording your debut album.Who did you record with and how did it go? I recorded the album with a great engineer and long-time friend of mine called Caolán Austin, who I’ve known since I was around thirteen. We recorded it in my…

  • Irish Tour: Soulfly

    February 4, 2016 - By 

    Fresh from the release of their tenth studio album, Archangel, Max Cavalera’s Soulfly rolled into Ireland this week for shows at Dublin’s Academy and Belfast’s Limelight 2. Limelight 2, Belfast Photos by Liam Kielt Wednesday, February 3 saw many people disregard the fact that it was a school night to venture out and witness a legend in action in the form of metal icon Max Cavalera. Belfast’s Limelight 2 hosted what turned out to be quite the family affair, with several of Cavalera’s offspring also performing. In first support slot was Lody Kong featuring sons Zyon on drums and Igor Jnr…

  • 16 For ’16: Exploding Eyes

    February 4, 2016 - By 

    The penultimate act in our latest installment annual Ones to Watch feature – 16 For ’16 – Brian Coney profiles Dublin heavy psych trio Exploding Eyes. Photo by Derek Kennedy. Having released their wonderfully urgent, blues-soaked new single ‘We Need Love’ just last month, Dublin heavy psych trio Exploding Eyes tip their decidedly fuzzed-put hat to a gamut of garage-rock luminaries ranging from Mountain and Blue Cheer to Andromeda and Thee Oh Sees. Throwing both back and very much forward, their latest effort evokes the likes of Jon Spencer and the Doors at their most resounding to give us a…