• Friday Mixtape: Ken Griffin (August Wells)

    January 29, 2016 - By 

    In a one-off diversion from its usual Monday slot, Ken Griffin from August Wells chooses and selects some of his favourite tracks for this special Friday Mixtape (see what we did there?) August Wells playing the following Irish shows this weekend: Friday, January 29: Thirsty Scholar, Waterford Saturday, January 30: Levis’ Corner House, Ballydehob Sunday, January 31: DeBarras, Clonakilty Nina Simone – Suzanne I first heard this sitting in a bar. I immediately asked the barman to play it again. It was my first time ever hearing Nina Simone. I had no idea what was happening. Was it a man? A woman?…

  • 16 For ’16: Margie Jean Lewis

    January 29, 2016 - By 

    In the latest installment of 16 For ’16 – our feature looking at sixteen Irish (or Ireland-based) artists we’re convinced will do great things in 2016 – Joe Madsen introduces Dublin-based, Australian born classically trained violinist and jazz vocalist Margie Jean Lewis. Photo by Aoife Herrity Riding a reputation as an infrequent but exhilarating performer, Margie Jean Lewis is set to drop her debut EP this year, marking a formal foray into the land of recorded artistry. The Australian-born musician – boasts a lovely voice with bewildering compositions to match – has developed quite the mystique in the Irish electronic circuit,…

  • Rave New World (29/01)

    January 29, 2016 - By 

    After a brief January lull, Antoin Lindsay and Aidan Hanratty return for their latest look at the best electronic gigs, tracks, mixes and releases of the week. GIGS Out To Lunch presents Call Super at Bar Tengu, Dublin Friday 29 January Call Super comes to Dublin for only the second time, following a late 2014 gig at Gary’s Gang with this four-hour set for Out To Lunch. He’s featured in this column and on this site before, so it’s no surprise that we’re excited about this gig. Never one to reach for the obvious choice, his sets are a constant delight. AH Jika Jika! with…

  • Album premiere: We/Or/Me – Everything Behind Us is a Dream

    January 27, 2016 - By 

    Bahhaj Taherzadeh is the man behind the moniker We/Or/Me. Based in Chicago, the Persian-Irish musician has steadily yielded a string of self-produced releases that have drawn admiration from the likes of NPR, Vashti Bunyan, Glen Hansard, and producers Brian Deck (Nathaniel Rateliff, Iron and Wine, Modest Mouse) and Adam Selzer, producer his exceptional new album, Everything Behind Us is a Dream. Evoking the likes of Nick Drake and Hansard, his timeless, wonderfully restrained indie folk summons muted twilight wandering; each softly resonant track proving a meditation on ardor and spirit. Everything Behind Us is a Dream is released on Friday (January 29). Have an exclusive first…

  • Bookmark: Colin White

    January 27, 2016 - By 

    In this installment of Bookmark, we pop in to visit Dublin author and photographer Colin White, as he selects the books that inspire him the most. Colin has recently released two books, one on Dalymount Park and the other on Native Irish Dogs. Photos by Melanie Mullan. Strumpet City by James Plunkett Far and away my favourite Irish novel, Strumpet City paints Dublin in exactly the light necessary to accurately portray the lives of the city’s dwellers on all sides of the political sphere around the time of the 1913 Lock-out. The misery endured in the city’s tenements is evident throughout, as too is the resolute…

  • Solar Bears’ Top Five Sci-Fi Films

    January 27, 2016 - By 

    Heavily informed by their nigh on savant-like love of film and film soundtracks, it’s no surprise the oeuvre of Dublin electronic duo Solar Bears to date has betrayed a decidedly filmic scope and air. With their stellar forthcoming third album, Advancement, very much continuing in said vivid vein, John Kowalski from the duo selects his top five Sci-Fi films, focusing on both the visual and musical. Photo by Dorje De Burgh. Je T’Aime, Je T’Aime (Alain Resnais, 1968) A tale of splintered timelines and despair full of haunting choral music by Penderecki. Echoes running side by side before diverting on tangents. From…

  • 16 For ’16: exmagician

    January 26, 2016 - By 

    With their debut album teetering on the brink of release, Belfast’s exmagician are primed for a remarkable 2016. Cathal Mc Bride traces their formation, recent output and what lies ahead. Photo by Ruth Kelly Rising from the ashes of Cashier No.9, that band’s primary forces Danny Todd and James Smith have put their old project to bed and reinvented themselves as exmagician. The sunny sound of Cashier’s To The Death Of Fun has now been traded for something slightly darker, and although acoustic guitars are still a dominant force, it’s less folksy this time out, with a greater leaning on electronic…

  • Preview: Cirque Berserk

    January 26, 2016 - By 

    A large-scale international troupe comprised of jugglers, acrobats, aerialists, dancers, musicians and stuntmen, Cirque Berserk has beyond established its reputation for bringing contemporary cirque-style artistry and daredevilry to the theatre. Ahead of two shows at Belfast’s Grand Opera House on Friday and Saturday (January 29/30) our photographer Sara Marsden gets exclusive access to their current show, shooting and reporting back from Glasgow’s iconic King’s Theatre. See below for VIP competition. Two weeks ago I had a mere hope of being allowed in to photograph the performers of Cirque Berserk on their stopover in Belfast, but here I find myself standing outside…

  • Interview: Steven Agnew – Punk Principles & Policies (Part 1)

    January 26, 2016 - By 

    This two part interview gets into the bones of how and why someone who grew up in a predominantly working class Protestant background, who associated and lived primarily around those of an anarchist persuasion with a grassroots ethos, came around to getting involved with the slimiest business around: Big NI politics. We’ll follow through, in The Thick of It fashion, to the absurd complexity inherent within any political structure, and how it’s navigated by someone who actively tries to get things done outside of tribal politics – the extent of which is felt far beyond simply Green vs. Orange. Where…

  • 16 For ’16: Anna-Mieke

    January 25, 2016 - By 

    As we approach the half-way point in our 16 For ’16 feature – in which we handpick sixteen Irish acts we’re certain are set for great things in 2016 – Joe Madsen introduces Wicklow singer and multi-instrumentalist Anna-Mieke. Photo by Pedro Giaquinto Slowly emerging as a new-age rustic folkstress, Wicklow musician Anna-Mieke plays an enchanting set that’s delighted small crowds since her first shows in 2013. A flexible talent on vocals, guitar, and cello, Anna-Mieke blends styles to craft a product that’s all her own, supplying wistful finger-picking like Paul Simon and subdued jazzy pitch like Regina Spektor. She’s an artist…