• Deep Down South: A Changing of the Guard

    June 10, 2015 - By 

    Cork metal and hardcore has been a scene that this column has attempted to shine a light on in recent times, owing to a complete lack of exposure elsewhere that completely overlooks a rich vein of talent and substance. It is this community your writer came from, and identifies strongly with. And last Sunday saw a changing of the guard, as two influential bands called it a day in a packed, heaving, sweating Fred Zeppelin’s. [r]evolution of a sun, active for most of their thirteen-year span in one form or another, brought a heft to their negative hardcore, aided by…

  • Deep Down South: (Almost) A Half-Year Review (Of Sorts)

    June 1, 2015 - By 

    Because it’s a slow news week, and your writer is a laptop-dwelling beardo still in thrall to his most base of blogger-nerd urges, this week’s Bank Holiday installment of Deep Down South is every music pedant’s favourite – the half-year review. I’m well aware we’re only just into month six of 2015 (and this column) as of today, but it’s been a hella-busy few months, and a wee bit of stocktake is more than called for. We started the year with the promise of the Quarter Block Party, a DIY arts festival co-organised by the Makeshift Ensemble and promoters the…

  • Deep Down South: A Round-Up, More YESEquality Gigs and a Big Weekend

    May 18, 2015 - By 

    ANNOUNCEMENTS, REMINDERS AND SUCH: While concentrating on the various nooks and crannies of Cork City’s multifaceted scene, this column does sometimes miss the major announcements. Our reasoning is that DIY shows do need the support and a specific platform, and most of the big festivals and events are already sorted for national press. However, we’d be completely remiss if we didn’t serve as somewhat of a reminder of what’s going on around town, especially with tonnes of stuff on the way. Adding to our coverage of the Sounds from a Safe Harbour, 100/1 and other fests in recent weeks, here’s a…

  • Deep Down South: Terriers – Let’s Hear It For The Boys (Album Premiere)

    March 23, 2015 - By 

    In a special two-part edition of Deep Down South this week, we kick off by exclusively premiering the brand-new record from Cork post-hardcore hunks Terriers, ahead of its release on April 4th at the Cork Community Print Shop, with Hope is Noise and Chameleon Fields in support. Since coming together in 2011, the four-piece have slowly become one of the fixtures of Cork’s gigging picture, marrying post-hardcore heaviosity and classic-rock accessibility with bro-dude humour and a sunny, indie-friendly disposition. Debut EP Girl, I’m Gon’ Do Right By You, released in 2012, showcases this blend at its infancy, boasting mathy instrumental…

  • Deep Down South: Few Gigs There, Lads

    January 26, 2015 - By 

    Irish metal has been having a few years of exponential growth, with the rise of all-dayers like The Siege of Limerick and bands like Primordial, Murdock and Coldwar representing the island’s riff community on the world stage, and quality stuff materialising from the woodwork everywhere, from Ilenkus and Kawtiks to veterans like For Ruin and Mael Mordha. But at the forefront of all this has been Limerick prog-metal monoliths Shardborne, coming to the Cork Community Print Shop this Saturday care of PYRE Promotions, with Ealadha and Mannequin Republic in tow. Launching upcoming LP ‘Living Bridges’, the instrumental quartet’s combination of…

  • Deep Down South: More Block Party, Doin’ Pana, and a Bail of Riffs

    January 19, 2015 - By 

    Quarter and the Makeshift Ensemble‘s Block Party last week announced the newest additions to their Block Party festival, happening across North and South Main Streets on February 6 to 8. Added to the multidisciplinary arts weekend’s lineup are psych heavyweights The Altered Hours, shoegaze outfit Elastic Sleep (pictured), as well as Tandem Felix and Fierce Mild. Irish Times journo Jim Carroll brings his Banter series to The Vision Centre @ St. Peter’s on the Saturday. The first session – Inside the Miracle of Sound – will see Jim speaking to Cork musician Gavin Dunne about getting his start in the business,…

  • Deep Down South: New Years and Noisy Block Parties

    January 11, 2015 - By 

    To say that 2015 sees a massive year ahead of Cork City’s music scene is an understatement. An ever-changing, ever-adapting beast that has taken several setbacks in stride over the past few years and seen bands and venues lost, found and regrouped, built to the point where the real capital is in many respects set to become the intriguing prospect it is. This year alone sees new records from post-hardcore hunks Terriers (below), alt-rock cornerstones Hope is Noise, death-pop merchants The Vincent(s), and the debut album from much-loved psych-rock outfit The Altered Hours (pictured), adding to their already-varied and exciting discography.…