• Help Musicians Announce Phase Three of Their Coronavirus Financial Hardship Funding

    November 11, 2020 - By 

    Having went above and beyond in 2020 to successfully help those in the music industry most in need, Help Musicians has announced a third phase of funding, targeted at self-employed musicians who do not qualify for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and unemployed professional musicians unable to make ends meet throughout the UK. For those who are eligible, to the extent that funds allow, HMUK will offer grant payments from the moment their application is successful to March 2021 to top-up Universal Credit payments where relevant. Where an applicant does not qualify for Universal Credit but is still experiencing significant financial hardship, an assessment, and…

  • The Kino in Cork Set To Reopen With The Mary Wallopers, Junior Brother and More

    July 13, 2020 - By 

    The Kino is the latest Irish music venue set to re-open following lockdown. As well as reopening its café from 8pm Monday, July 20th, the Cork venue will host its first live event on Friday, July 24th. Ahead of further gig announcements in the coming weeks, the line-up for the July 24th show will feature The Tan Jackets‘ Rock and Roll Revue Show. Elsewhere, Junior Brother plays the venue on Saturday, July 25th, and Dundalk’s finest The Mary Wallopers will play a two-night stint on July 31st and August 1st. This show will be broadcast live via a multi-camera set-up.  And for the…

  • The Thin Air Lockdown Movie Lock-In: 100 Films of Solitude (Week 2)

    April 9, 2020 - By 

    Now trapped in the house, some of us have suddenly been granted that elusive free time that had previously prevented us from digging into that renowned auteur’s back catalogue, or watching that film that everyone you know was recommending you see, but you didn’t because of some stubborn, rebellious impulse. And yet, in spite of the fact that the mythical free time tree has now been proven real, we still find ourselves in the virtual equivalent of shuffling around Xtra-vision, browsing through the same half-dozen shelves of films, absolutely refusing to make a decision. Here’s your weekly nudge in the right…

  • A Problem Shared: How The Irish Music Community is Navigating Self-Isolation

    March 25, 2020 - By 

    A wise man once said, “The country’s cowped”. And you know what? He wasn’t wrong. But in strange, unprecedented times – in totally unchartered territory such as this – it doesn’t take long for the best of us to come together. Even now, as we’re all adapting to being cooped up in our own liminal little worlds, a sense of solidarity in numbers grows stronger by the day. For many of us self-isolating like it’s nobody’s business, the last week-and-a-bit has felt more than a little dream-like. And yet, loitering in the forefront of my mind, demanding to be heeded, is…

  • Stay at Home With the Mary Wallopers This St. Patrick’s Day

    March 13, 2020 - By 

    Yep, the shit has well and truly hit the fan. With gigs and get-togethers being cancelled or postponed left, right and centre, clinging on to any semblance of hope of some sort of real-world St. Patrick’s Day shindig on Tuesday is now out of the question for us all. But all hope is not lost. Yes, Dundalk’s finest forward-pushing folk formation The Mary Wallopers have it all under control. From 8pm on Tuesday evening, the trio will host Stay at Home with The Mary Wallopers, live on YouTube. Posting online, the lads said, “So get a few cans in or a few biscuits and prepare…

  • Alternating Current Festival Postponed

    March 11, 2020 - By 

    Alternating Current is the latest Irish festival to be postponed due to concerns relating to the global spread of coronavirus. Following on from news that Vantastival will now take place later in the year – and with the likes of SXSW, Coachella and national St. Patrick’s Day celebrations at home being postponed or cancelled – it’s been revealed that the inaugural three-day celebration of Ireland’s musical underground won’t go ahead at Dublin’s Sound House this weekend as planned. Posting on Twitter, Dublin Digital Radio (who along with Enthusiastic Eunuch are behind the event) said: “We’ve thought, debated and agonised over…

  • Vantastival Postponed Until September

    March 11, 2020 - By 

    Vantastival has been postponed until September. The annual Drogheda music festival, which was set to return across May 29-31, is the latest event to be postponed due to issues surrounding the global spread of Coronavirus. The festival will now take place across September 18th-20th and all tickets purchased are valid for the new dates. In a Facebook post, organisers said: “Due to multiple challenges arising from the spread of Coronavirus, we have reluctantly taken the decision to postpone the Vantastival festival, which will now take place 18th – 20th September 2020. All expert opinion indicates the situation is likely to deteriorate…