• Watch: Conchúr White – Lungs (Townes Van Zandt cover)

    April 17, 2020 - By 

    Off the heels of releasing his debut solo EP Bikini Crops last month, Northern Irish artist Conchúr White has returned with a sublime cover. White, who previously fronted the well-received Silences, is clearly at the peak of his powers at the moment. It’s something that’s written all over his take on ‘Lungs’ by legendary Texan singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. “I’ve been trying to write a little more over the last few weeks as I don’t want my future self being too hard on my present’s lack of activity,” he tells us. “It’s been difficult, however, as everything has felt a little forced. Over…

  • Stream: Squarehead – Radiation Vibe (Fountains of Wayne cover)

    April 2, 2020 - By 

    Among the many tributes pouring in for Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger, who has tragically passed aged 52 from coronavirus, Roy Duffy of Dublin indie-rock threesome par excellence Squarehead has offered up something special. Recorded in memory of Schlesinger, Duffy’s rendition of Fountain of Wayne’s debut single, ‘Radiation Vibe,’ feels like the sonic equivalent of a perfectly drawn-out embrace with someone you thought you’d never see again. “I came late to the realisation that I was a big fan of Adam Schlesinger’s work,’ Duffy said. “Maybe about 10 years ago when I began writing my own “song songs” in earnest I delved into anything that…

  • Stream: Naoise Roo – Crying (Roy Orbison Cover – A Cappella)

    March 9, 2017 - By 

    Sometimes, stripping songs back to their pure, elemental basis reveals something uniquely special. A point in case can be found with Dublin chanteuse par excellence Naoise Roo’s a cappella cover of Roy Orbison’s timeless ‘Crying’. Recorded at a #strikeforrepeal fundraiser last weekend, the rendition – which sees Roo’s exquisite vocal poise command gleam into sharp focus under three minutes – is simultaneously stoic and strong; meditative and utterly defiant. Released yesterday as part of yesterday’s Strike For Repeal takeover, stream the track – recorded by Gav Hennessy -below.

  • Free Download: Dott – Heroes for RSD 2016

    April 15, 2016 - By 

    Our favourite twee-pop band Dott have recorded their version of Heroes by David Bowie and to celebrate Record Store Day 2016 they are offering a free download of the track. Dott moved from Galway, Ireland to Toronto, Canada this year and have evolved into a two-piece band comprising of Anna and Evan. They have been experimenting with drum loops and home-recordings which will very soon culminate in the release of new material. In the meantime, they will perform at the Bowie Tribute Night in The Cracker Factory, New York on April 29

  • Stream: VerseChorusVerse – Lake of Fire

    April 1, 2015 - By 

    With new material very much on the horizon, it’s no surprise that North Coast singer-songwriter Tony Wright AKA VerseChorusVerse is a bit of a lifelong Nirvana fanatic. With his music-making nom de plume deriving from the legendary trio’s non-album track of the same name, Wright has gone one further and released a striking, decidedly lo-fi cover of a song that they too covered (and thereby made famous the world over): the Meat Puppets‘ prophetic ‘Lake of Fire’. With the aforementioned original studio material set for release in the coming months, Wright’s rendition is the lead track of a new collection of…

  • Watch: Little Rivers feat. Jess Brien – All I Want

    April 29, 2014 - By 

    Ahead of their official launch at Belfast’s Menagerie on Thursday, May 15, new Northern Irish label OLD FANG have unveiled their first live session, featuring a performance of Kodaline’s breakthrough single ‘All I Want’ by singer-songwriter Callum Cairns AKA Little Rivers and guest vocalist Jess Brien. The two-track session was filmed by Brian O’Kane of SixteenPixels and recorded/mixed by Mike Mormecha at Millbank Studios. Richard Elder mastered the recording. Read our interview with OLD FANG’s founder, Thomas Camblin, here. Watch the video for the pair’s cover below.  

  • Watch: Cave Ghosts – Come Into My World

    April 22, 2014 - By 

    Released as part of this year’s Record Store Day (and, indeed, Gay) Dublin alt-pop band Cave Ghosts‘ sublime rendering of Kylie Minogue’s ‘Come Into My World’ has more than a touch of Devotion-era Beach House about it. Helping raise funds for Dublin’s Outhouse LGBT Community Centre, the woozy cover was released in the name of Record Store Gay on Saturday. Speaking about the track, the band said, “We wanted to completely reimagine the original song and create a visual accompaniment in the form of a music video. We desired a more lush sound to our previous recordings and achieved this…

  • Stream: Documenta – TV (Girl On Fire)

    February 11, 2014 - By 

    Taken from the forthcoming three-track Valentines covers mini-EP, the ingenuously titled Latvian Batman, Belfast-based drone band Documenta have released a stream of their take on ‘TV (Girl On Fire)’ by London band The Perfect Disaster. Originally written by the latter band’s frontman Phil Parfitt and released in 1988 via Fire Records, it featured on the band’s second album, Asylum Road. Retaining the two-chorded infatuation of the original, Documenta’s masterfully understated cover features strings and a hypnotic, droning ambience reminiscent of their original material. Stream the track (released CF Records) via Soundcloud below.