• Mogwai w/ RM Hubbert @ Olympia Theatre, Dublin

    Not all bands survive long enough to have a twentieth anniversary tour, at least without reforming first. What’s remarkable about Mogwai is that they still feel like a current band, not yet reduced to being a mere heritage act, and so it’s difficult to conceive that they’ve been around that long (in the same way that it’s difficult to conceive that the mid 90s were quite that long ago, even for those of us young enough to have been in primary school at the time). As such it’s genuinely exciting to see what way tonight’s set will go, with such…

  • Animal Disco: We Are Knives @ McHughs, Belfast

    When asked to pen this review, I told myself I would strive to be objective and immediate, looking at the event solidly from the perspective of a mid-2015 evening, but as I sit down to put words to paper, I realise that this is virtually impossible. I mean, come on, it’s been over 7 years years since we last heard that finger tapping rhythm – it’s safe to say we’ve sorely missed it. So, where do we start? The obligatory history lesson, that;s where. Having risen some time in 2005 from the disbandment of classic Belfast acts Some Days Better…

  • SOAK, Rainy Boy Sleep + Rosseau @ Roisin Dubh, Galway

    It’s a bright Friday evening at the start of the summer and as the first act of the night, Derry two-piece Rosseau (below), quietly take to the stage there is an immediate sense that the crowd here tonight are feeling that atmosphere of warmth. The room is quietly fluttering with an eagerness to be enveloped by some of the best music the North Coast has to offer. Having formed roughly six months ago and only releasing their debut EP at the start of June, Rosseau’s tender guitar and drum combo is still very much in its germination phase with only…

  • SOAK w/ Rainy Boy Sleep + Rosseau @ Empire, Belfast

    With the news of a top 40 UK album under her belt, SOAK embarked on a tour to support the debut record, Before We Forgot How To Dream, starting off in Belfast’s very own Empire Music Hall before playing a sold out show in Dublin. Derry based band Rosseau and Rainy Boy Sleep open the show, with the former take to the stage just fifteen minutes after doors opened. Having just released their first EP the day before, Rosseau’s brief set is filled with some of the most melodic and twinkly guitar parts imaginable, and with the dynamic range of vocalist Colm on full show –…

  • Ash @ Limelight 1, Belfast

    “How many of you have never seen us play before?” Very few hands are raised. It’s probably fair to assume that the majority of this Belfast crowd have, in some shape or form, grown up with Ash. Having been upgraded, due to demand, to the larger room in The Limelight complex, it speaks for the enduring appeal of the home grown band who are currently touring to mark the release of Kablammo!; their seventh album. For a band sporting a back catalogue as well regarded as Ash, you would forgive the temptation to forge a set list of favourites. It…

  • Mr Scruff @ Black Box, Belfast

    You might already be aware of this but Mr. Scruff AKA Andy Carthy is a bonafide hero.  Why shouldn’t he be?  The man has one of the most eclectic musical palettes around and the production/DJing skills to back it up – and then some.  That’s the reason (and always has been) why Carthy is such a huge draw for music lovers of all styles.  His last appearance in Belfast back in January was immense, and this time around, our expectations were obviously high.  It’s a treat, too, that he’s come back to play The Black Box for this visit.  Not…

  • Slane 2015

    County Meath holds one of the most beautiful areas of land in all of Ireland, and the worldwide famous landmark of Slane Castle hosts one of the biggest rock bands in the world today. There seems to be no better fit. The Irish music fans seem to be some of the best, recognised worldwide, and the statement made by the overwhelming crowd, surpassing the 70,000 mark, who came to see the Foo Fighters despite a number of other events on the same day, including Forbidden Fruit Festival not too far down the road, was an incredible sight to see. And…

  • Swans w/ Okkyung Lee @ Button Factory, Dublin

    Despite being a Monday after the weekend before there’s a sense of excitement for those milling around waiting for the show to start. They’re all ages, a physical embodiment of the decades long span of Swans career and the age defying loyalty they inspire. But before that there’s something of a gatekeeper in the image of Okkyung Lee (below). Her face spookily serene, she weighs taste on her rapidly moving bow as she makes her cello gurgle, spit, shout and scream. In fact everything except sing. So is this deranged arthouse fun? There is something of the performance about it,…

  • The Cribs w/ September Girls @ Limelight 2, Belfast

    With their reverb-soaked garage-rock sound, September Girls (below) take to the stage at Belfast’s Limelight 2 tonight an hour after the doors open. The long wait for the opening act doesn’t make much difference as the capacity in dark room is barely touched, and with a mere thirty-odd people watching them on, the band start their set. With The Cribs gear arranged behind them, the Dublin band seem to make the stage appear even smaller than what it usually is. Swaying about for most of the set, they focus on a clean and crisp live sound, translating almost identically from their recorded material. As…

  • Swans w/ Okkyung Lee @ Mandela Hall, Belfast

    Writing about Swans is a curious, almost impossible thing. With their three-decade long pursuit of summoning fleeting encounters with ecstasy, induced by masterfully orchestrated swathes of crushing noise, incantation and repetition, they are the living, breathing definition of a band whose seismic might and majesty can only truly be heeded live. A year to the month on from the release of their critically-devoured thirteenth studio opus, To Be Kind, Michael Gira and co. roll into Belfast tonight a towering and potent force to be reckoned with. Expectations simply couldn’t be higher. Immediately silencing the room with a flicker of the…