• Best Coast w/ Talos @ The Academy, Dublin

    November 2, 2015 - By 

    If there’s anything eerie about this year’s Halloween it’s that conditions are strangely perfect. It’s a full blooded weekend night for one, and there’s barely a chill in the air; meaning that all the naughty princesses, sexy bunnies, near naked pandas and skimpy pirates can saunter to their respective engagements without the usual fear of hypothermia. Maybe that’s why The Academy is looking a bit neglected come eight o’clock when Talos take the stage. There’s a few scattered ambassadors for the night that’s in it; a convincing Juno, a noteworthy War Boy and a swaggering Dorian Gray but there’s a…

  • Irish Tour: Father John Misty

    October 27, 2015 - By 

    Father John Misty’s sold out show in Galway’s Roisín Dubh on Thursday the 22nd of October fell during the same week as the city’s Comedy Festival. This proved interesting for two reasons; the first of which being that none of the venue’s bigger, alternative buildings were available for the show, resulting in a perhaps uncharacteristically intimate gig for Josh Tillman’s self-defining moniker. Secondly, it made for a curious observation as to what people really get out of watching a performance of any kind. When watching a comedy show people obviously are out to laugh until their cheeks hurt, to be…

  • Yo La Tengo @ NCH, Dublin

    October 21, 2015 - By 

    The last time I saw New Jersey’s Yo La Tengo live was in Dublin’s Tripod nearly six year ago. It was a night when all those in attendance bore witness to a barrage of unadulterated noise accompanied by a raw and energetic performance. What occurs tonight from Hoboken’s favourite anti-heroes couldn’t have been further from that night if it tried. The quartet of Ira Kaplan, Dave Schramm, Georgia Hubley and James McNew casually enter the fray a few minutes after their scheduled start time, zigzag their way between various pieces of standing artwork and settle into position. Tonight’s set up…

  • Speedy Ortiz w/ Oh Boland & Trust Fund @ Whelan’s, Dublin

    October 20, 2015 - By 

    It is a mild enough night for October and the already-sweltering Whelan’s is slow to fill as garage-maestros Oh Boland take the stage but this doesn’t stop the three Tuam lads from throwing everything at the gathered few. This is never clearer than in the sweat dripping from the floppy hair of bassist Eanna MacDonnacha or the spit clinging to the mic from Niall Murphy’s rapid-fire vocals. Oh Boland own the stage with their diminutive frontman clattering about the stage as though he is about to collapse but always keeps it together – nearly a metaphor for their entire set.…

  • Sharon Shannon @ Empire Music Hall, Belfast

    October 19, 2015 - By 

    It’s a full house in Belfast’s The Empire Music Hall for button accordionist Sharon Shannon – one of the standout concerts of this year’s Ulster Bank Belfast International Arts Festival. Only the week before in Chicago the Clare musician received the iBAM! (Irish Books Arts & Music) award for her outstanding contribution to music – a merited accolade for a musician who has carved out a highly successful international career on an instrument whose usual habitat is the pub session. Shannon follows a long line of notable Irish accordionists from Joe Burke and Joe Cooley to Tony MacMahon and Seamus…

  • Editors w/ Victories at Sea @ Olympia Theatre, Dublin

    October 14, 2015 - By 

    Since 2002, Editors have gained two platinum selling albums, five consecutive Top 10 albums, have toured the world and headlined festivals year after year. Tonight’s show has the dichotomy of on the one hand showing exactly why and how they have gained this success, but also leaves a little bit to be desired when it comes to a live show. Technically, the show is close to flawless – personality however, is close to absent. Before Editors take to the stage, fellow Englishmen Victories At Sea open the night with their guitar driven rock. With only one EP under their belts…

  • Girl Band w/ Paddy Hanna @ Roisin Dubh, Galway

    October 3, 2015 - By 

    It’s been almost a year to the day since Girl Band played the Roisín Dubh. At that point the band had just released their seminal single ‘De Bom Bom’ and plans for an album were in a mere germination stage, the only thing that they knew for certain was that they would record it themselves and that it would be out in 2015. This being less than a week after the release of the massively anticipated LP Holding Hands With Jamie then, excitement levels are through the roof to see how the year has impacted the most innovative and exhilarating…

  • Fall Out Boy @ 3Arena, Dublin

    October 2, 2015 - By 

    All bands like to surprise people a little to some extent, Fall Out Boy for one have never shied away from it. That being said, when they announced that Professor Green was supporting them, there was a pretty overwhelming sense of confusion. As he arrives on stage he, more than anyone else tonight, has the job of convincing everyone he was a good choice. To be fair, he kind of did it. Still a very random choice but he puts on a decent show. Professor Green is joined by Dream McClean and Katie Holmes, the latter who impresses particularly with…

  • Girl Band @ Bar Sub, Belfast

    October 1, 2015 - By 

    Most of the recent reviews for their full length debut Holding Hands With Jamie have said the same thing: no other band sounds like Girl Band. And it’s true. Sure, there are echoes of noise-rock, post-punk, krautrock and techno but they’re mixed together in such a way that no label can accurately capture the enthralling racket this Dublin quartet makes, while frontman Dara Kiely sings, speaks, shouts and screams surreal non-sequiturs over the top, sounding like the Irish lovechild of Steve Albini and Mark E Smith. While Kiely’s lyrics, when audible, initially appear to be hilariously odd – packed full…

  • Blank Realm @ Workman’s Club, Dublin

    October 1, 2015 - By 

    It’s fair to say that Australian four piece Blank Realm may not be a name that rings a bell to most folk on this side of the world right now. The band began its life in the Brisbane suburb of Westlake in 2005 and is made up of siblings Daniel, Sarah and Luke Spencer, with Luke Walsh completing the line-up. In recent years the UK based independent label Fire Records has been distributing the band’s last few albums, including 2014’s well-received Grassed Inn and this year’s storming follow up Illegals in Heaven. Having started off as more of an experimental,…