And So I Watch You From Afar – or ASIWYFA for short – have set off on a huge tour in support of their new album Heirs. The lads landed in Paris with Mylets in tow, with a few dates in Russia and UK behind them and a huge EU tour ahead of them. Our photographer Tom McGeehan was there to capture the load-in, soundcheck and all the run up ahead of the gig and, of course, the show itself. Check out the gallery below for a comprehensive overview of the entire show.
Belfast’s Mandela Hall has consistently been something of a mecca for artists, bands and gig-goers in Northern Ireland, so it’s always a delight heading down those stairs into the darkness for a night of live music and good times. Life’s little pleasures, eh? And pleasurable it most certainly would be (sort of), with our eager ears anticipating Public Service Broadcasting and their brand of indie/electronica meets samplers/instrumental sonic space adventures. We arrive sharpish with a few dozen others, making our way down into the Mandela Hall and are pleasantly surprised by a promising turnout so early in the night. It’s…
We joined English folk-rock sisters The Staves on their Irish tour, taking in CQAF at Belfast with support from Ciaran Lavery and then to Dublin for their show in the Olympia theatre. Photos by Ruth Kelly and Tara Thomas. Belfast by Ruth Kelly Dublin by Tara Thomas
PigsAsPeople live at The Bar With No Name with support from Hot Cops and Dinosaurs as Pets. Photos by Liam Kielt.
It’s cold, wet, and your writer is standing outside a metal fence at Custom House Square. “Why,” you ask? Well, as Soup DuJour herself quoted “Outside it may be tragic, but in here we feel it’s magic!” It’s time for a very special Tease-O-Rama at Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. We enter the massive marquee; its black ceiling is strung with lights to emulate a night sky – setting the tone for a majestic show indeed. The night is kicked off with a jazz and swing set by J.B. & the Riviera Swing Band. Breaking out classics such as ‘The Lady Is a Tramp’, ‘Beyond the…
You may be aware of Calexico from Tucson, Arizona. Their many, many records may be in your peripheral vision, or you may have heard the band of uber-talented multi-instrumentalists lend atmosphere to the soundtracks of Dead Man’s Shoes, Collateral and The Guard. However, you will not have truly experienced Calexico until you have seen them play a concert, where their music bristles and blares and is full of infectious vibrancy. Not content to take the easy route of playing the latest album song by song, exactly as they sound on said album, or trotting out a set-list of greatest hits,…
Opening with an extended version of ‘Forever’ and followed by the undeniable Madchester groove of ‘Weirdo’, The Charlatans get their CQAF headline gig off to an expectedly strong start, following a reportedly equally triumphant show in Dublin the night before. New album tracks like ‘Talking In Tones’ and ‘So Oh’ sound more like 1995 than 2015 and are welcomed like old favourites. However, the starry-roofed tent inhabitants explode with collective excitement as the fan favourites of ‘North Country Boy’, ‘One To Another’ – a song that’s been given a new generation of fans through soundtracking the E4 sitcom My Mad Fat…
Le Galaxie embarked on a nationwide tour of the country in support of their new album Le Club. They kicked off the party in Dublin at The Academy, then west to the Roisin Dubh in Galway, South for Cyprus Avenue in Cork then North to Echo & Aether in Belfast. Check out the galleries below for a comprehensive overview of the tour. Aether & Echo, Belfast by Sara Marsden Cyrprus Avenue, Cork by Brid O’Donovan Roisin Dubh, Galway by Sean McCormack The Academy, Dublin by Isabel Thomas
In this installment of AAA we go behind the scenes with little xs for eyes as they launch their new album at Whelans in Dublin with plenty of backstage images and fun during the live show. Photos by Isabel Thomas.
It’s the final show of a ten-week trek across Europe and North America for The Twilight Sad. Front man James Graham tells the Belfast crowd his “liver is fucked.” The relief in his voice sets the tone for a breathless set taking in highlights from their back catalogue alongside half of the tracks from their fantastic fourth album Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave. The Twilight Sad’s gloomy intensity is utterly compelling from start to finish. They begin working through the gears with ‘There’s A Girl In The Corner’ and ‘Last January’ from the new album,…