• Irish Tour: Calexico

    May 6, 2015 - By 

    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,…

  • Irish Tour: The Charlatans

    May 5, 2015 - By 

    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…

  • Sharon Van Etten @ Vicar Street, Dublin

    April 24, 2015 - By 

    It was inevitable given the locale and the name of tonight’s performer that the words of Georgie fucking Burgess – indelibly etched into the minds of every Irish person of a certain generation – would be proffered in the direction of the stage. “That was A1, Sharon” – not just hollow, borrowed words in this instance, but a snappy summation of a fine performance bathed in the warm glow of the Vicar Street stage. Sharon Van Etten coos a “hello” to the chattering crowd, quietening them for a time as the five-piece band begins ‘Afraid Of Nothing’. Dark shades and…

  • A Place to Bury Strangers: Irish Tour

    April 2, 2015 - By 

    A Place to Bury Strangers kicked off their Irish tour in the Workman’s club in Dublin with support from September Girls, then made their way up to Voodoo in Belfast with support from Travis is a Tourist. Photos by Isabel Thomas and Sara Marsden.   The Workman’s Club in Dublin by Isabel Thomas. Voodoo in Belfast by Sara Marsden.