• Belfast Forward: Guerrilla Shout

    January 19, 2016 - By 

    In the latest installment of Belfast Forward – a regular Thin Air feature look at the city’s emerging creative talent – Brian Coney chats to the team at Guerrilla Shout, a multi-discipline creative visual ideas company set to make their mark in 2016. Photos by Sara Marsden. Hey guys, first off: the name. How did you come to settle on Guerrilla Shout and does it hold any significance?  The name was a natural progression from our sister brand, techno label DSNT, which is based around the concept of dissent, an attitude found in early punk labels. We’re a small, agile…

  • 16 For 16: Naoise Roo

    January 18, 2016 - By 

    In the latest installment of 16 For 16 – in which we profile sixteen Irish acts we’re convinced are going to do great things this year – Stevie Lennox lauds Dublin chanteuse Naoise Roo. Photo by Pedro Giaquinto Dublin’s Naoise Roo is a rare talent who arrived seemingly fully-formed, arriving last year with her debut release in the form of the full band LP, Lilith, resulting in slots at Electric Picnic, Vantastival and Valentia Island. She’s fortunate enough to possess one of the most evocative and texturally-rich voices on the island, and skilled enough to match it with a knack…

  • Interview: Rabid Bitch of the North

    January 15, 2016 - By 

    Ahead of the launch their ‘Green Eyes’ 7″ single at Belfast’s Voodoo on Saturday night (January 16), Belfast metallers Rabid Bitch of the North chat to Liam Doyle about the progression of their sound, releasing music on tape and what it means to support local music. Can you tell us how Rabid Bitch of the North got started? It’s pretty much the same old story of a garage band that started in our school years. Gerry Mulholland (our guitarist) and me (Joe McDonnell) started what would become Rabid Bitch Of The North while still at school. Gerry got a guitar…

  • Rave New World (15/01)

    January 15, 2016 - By 

    New year, new rave. Antoin Lindsay and Aidan Hanratty return for their latest look at the best electronic gigs, tracks, mixes and releases of the week. GIGS Twitch Present: Shanti Celeste at The Bunatee, Belfast Saturday 16 January One of the best new names in house is making her first trip to Belfast. Shanti Celeste (pictured) has been making waves the last 18 months or so with her impeccable label BRSTL and releases on the likes of personal favourite of mine Future Times and Bristol record store label Idle Hands. Expect a wonderfully varied set from the Bristol resident. AL Truss…

  • 16 For 16: Joni

    January 14, 2016 - By 

    In the latest installment of 16 For 16 – in which we profile sixteen up-and-coming Irish acts we’re very excited about this year – Eoin Murray introduces Wicklow vocalist Joni. Photo by Brian Mulligan Genres like grime, garage and bass music in the broadest sense are rarely thought of as being the most flourishing in Ireland.  This however was seen to be a less than accurate view following Dublin’s very successful first Boiler Room event in May 2015 which showcased some of the best that Ireland had to offer in the underground scene. While Bray vocalist Joni was not involved…

  • 16 For 16: Apartments

    January 12, 2016 - By 

    In the latest installment of 16 For ’16 – a feature in which we preview sixteen of our favourite Irish acts that we’re certain will do great things in 2016 – Stevie Lennox introduces Belfast duo Apartments. Photo by Liam Kielt Fast-becoming the strongest single noun pluralisation-monikered emotional hardcore band on the island, Apartments released their 6-track official debut EP, Rush, in October, following a promising 2014 demo. Their sound is rooted in the kind of math-rock-tinged American Midwestern sound that’s been gestating in Ireland for the last couple of years, channelling, loosely, American Football, Cap’n Jazz and a ferocious sense of…

  • Speed of Life: David Bowie

    January 11, 2016 - By 

    For a long time, it looked entirely likely that David Bowie’s final musical statement would be a number entitled ‘Funny Little Fat Man’, performed in an episode of Ricky Gervais’ comedy series exploring the underbelly of celebrity, Extras. Gervais was a massive Bowie fan (as was his character, Andy Millman), and in the scene, he struggles to hide his obvious delight that his idol is in on the joke, acerbically skewering Andy Millman (and by extension, Gervais) as an unfunny, unloveable loser, with the entire world joining in on the chorus. Bowie, in total contrast to Gervais, is imperial, every…

  • Playlist: David Bowie (1947-2016)

    January 11, 2016 - By 

    David Bowie died on Monday, 11 January 2016, two days after his sixty-ninth birthday, after an eighteen month battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Iman, and two children, Duncan Jones and Alexandria Zahra Jones. He leaves behind what is undoubtedly one of most prolific, exciting and genuinely inspiring legacies in musical history. How do you write about David Bowie? In the end what is to be said that hasn’t already been said in the past five and half decades. Do you talk about his string of albums between 1970 and 1981 that is, and…

  • 16 For 16: Owensie

    January 7, 2016 - By 

    In the very first installment of 16 For ’16 – a feature in which we preview sixteen of our favourite Irish acts that we’re absolutely convinced will do spectacular things in 2016 – Brian Coney lauds Dublin lo-fi folk singer-songwriter Michael Owens AKA Owensie. Photo by Tara Thomas With his sublime third album, Dramamine, having very deservedly ranked at number two in our Top 50 Irish Releases of 2015, Dublin songsmith Michael Owens AKA Owensie taps into a introspective realm betraying the hallmarks of a master in the making. Released via Out on a Limb records in November, his latest release is – as we said in…

  • Interview: Sea Pinks

    January 7, 2016 - By 

    Ahead of the launch of their stellar fifth (and second studio) album, Soft Days, at Belfast’s Lavery’s tomorrow night, Cathal McBride chats to Neil Brogan of Belfast guitar-pop trio Sea Pinks about progression, variation and recording their most emphatic record to date. Soft Days sounds like the most varied Sea Pinks album so far, was that a conscious choice when you were writing and recording it? I think the songs just came out that way, but I did want it to sound more varied. I’ve been doing this band for five years so you have to try and keep it interesting…