• Goodbye Mandela @ Mandela Hall, Belfast

    So, the last gig at Mandella Hall. Probably a pretty great venue when you sit and list off all the great gigs you saw there. But nostalgia is for later. WASPS are a pleasantly rambunctious start to the evening, playing in Bar Sub they strike excitable silhouettes adrift in a haze of dry ice and some slick, stark lighting. They find their groove somewhere between desert surf and mathy punk and mine it to death, littering it with nice interplay and clever fills, throwing in some swampy rock riffs every now and then, too. They give an energetic and warm…

  • A Litany Of Failures Vol. II Announced

    Following the limited release of cross-Ireland Little L Records compilation, 2016’s A Litany of Failures – featuring Oh Boland, Shrug Life, That Snaake and Junk Drawer – an expanded second edition has been confirmed for release on July 13. Set to be released on 180g gatefold double vinyl, as well as through Bandcamp, Spotify and the usual outlets, it features 18 acts from Belfast, Cork, Derry, Donegal, Dublin, Galway & Limerick. The DIY, co-op endeavour aims to provide an opportunity to perform outside each of their hometowns, shortening the mental distances between bands, and encouraging a cross-pollination of musical communities. Splitting costs between artists and the organisers, a sense of…

  • Final Mandela Hall Show Announced

    You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t forged a key memory in Mandela Hall since its 1986 naming, so the announcement of its closure – due to the development of the Student’s Union – came as a blow to many. Fortunately, the good people of the SU have invited And So I Watch You From Afar to headline and curate its final ever bill – a genre-spanning tapestry of some of the finest and fast-rising artists from here – taking place on Friday, July 27. On the bill are Mojo Fury, playing their first show in years, Robocobra Quartet – who’ve just put out one of the albums of…

  • Line-Up Announced For Inaugural Coaster

    Hosted by Ewen Friers’ CATALAN!, New Pagans (pictured), fast-rising experimental alt-folk artist Joshua Burnside and Belfast dream-pop trio Beauty Sleep are amongst the names set to play the inaugural Coaster in Portrush on July 20. A self-proclaimed “summer gathering on the North Coast celebrating local music” the event will take place at the Atlantic Bar and Babuska. See below for the current line-up (including  The Thin Air DJs) below and go here to buy tickets, which are priced at a very reasonable £11.00 including booking fee.

  • Track Record: Hannah Richardson (Cherym)

    In this installment of Track Record we hang out with Hannah Richardson of Derry based punk/noise pop band Cherym, while she discusses some of her favourite records from Sleater Kinney to Fugazi. Photos by Mickey Rooney Shop Assistants – Safety Net Everything about this is so real and I love how catchy Safety Net is, although somehow listening to it online doesn’t even come close to how good it sounds on vinyl! The idea of punk bands with female vocalists really appeal to me as someone in a similar industry. Sleater Kinney – One Beat This album was given to me…

  • Curfew Festival Announced For Twelfth of July

    Making its return for the first time in many years, Belfast’s alternative, inclusive Twelfth of July proceeding Curfew, takes place across two of Belfast’s finest small venues – The Black Box & Voodoo. The whole day is kindly run by original runner Pete Jez’ Solid Choice Industries. In direct opposition of ‘the other one’, we don’t have to pretend to enjoy the rad tunes. The only cultural division to be seen is in the cross-genre venue booking -Voodoo is set to host the riff-centric acts, headed by Dublin’s synth-driven space-metal trio No Spill Blood, sludgy heavy rock trio Slomatics, Dublin hardcore act Destriers, space punks Wild Rocket, sludge-doom act Nomadic…

  • Stream: Cherym – Take It Back

    If you’re not already familiar with Derry threesome Cherym, you will be soon. Hannah Richardson, Nyree Porter and Lauren Kelly – who we featured as one of our 18 for ’18 acts at the start of the year – will release their debut EP, Mouth Breathers, in April. Doubling up as their debut single, the release’s lead single ‘Take It Back’ is a catchy-as-all-hell burst of punked-out noise-pop that demands an instant second listen. Take it Back by Cherym

  • 18 for ’18: Cherym

    We conclude 18 for ’18, our feature showcasing eighteen Irish acts we’re convinced are going places in 2018. Throughout January we’ve previewed each of those acts, accompanied by words from our writers and an original photograph from one of our photographers. Last up, Cherym. Photo by Mickey Rooney Though Derry-Londonderry has never experienced any dearth of first-rate punk, recent times has seen something of a renaissance on the banks of the Foyle. Set to emerge as its crowning achievement in 2018 is Cherym, a noise-pop/punk band consisting of guitarist/vocalist Hannah Richardson, bassist/vocalist Nyree Porter and drummer/vocalist, Lauren Kelly. Formed in college back in late 2016 through…