• Preview: Heliopause on The Passion of Joan of Arc Film Live Score @ The MAC

    May 12, 2017 - By 

    Ahead of teaming up with This Ship Argo to live score Carl Theodor Dreyer’s classic 1928 silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc at Belfast’s the MAC on Thursday, May 18, Belfast musician Richard Davis AKA Heliopause talks to Brian Coney about the process, impetus and collaborative drive underlying the project. Go here to buy tickets Hi Richard, first off – how did the project come about? What drew you guys to The Passion of Joan of Arc? I first watched the film a few years ago when working at The Duke of Yorks cinema in Brighton with my friend & co-worker Sophie,…

  • Far At Sea: An Interview with Ailbhe Reddy and Maria Kelly

    May 5, 2017 - By 

    Two of the country’s brightest indie-folk talents, Ailbhe Reddy and Maria Kelly are on the road as part of their Far At Sea Tour, which will take them across the country over the next while. Ahead of stopping off at Belfast’s the MAC on Friday, May 12, we chat to the pair about collaboration, inspiration and why Ireland is a fertile land for folk music. Hi guys. First off, your show at the MAC in Belfast is part of your forthcoming Far At Sea tour. How did that first come about? Ailbhe: Well, Maria and I were working on getting venues…

  • Atomic Dogfather: George Clinton On His Legacy, Rejuvenation and Continued Relevance

    May 1, 2017 - By 

    Since pulling psychedelic rock and pounding soul together and giving birth to funk in the late 60s, George Clinton has had arguably one of the biggest single influences on 20th century American music. In his 70s heyday he lead a revolving roster of fifty musicians (including the legends Bootsy Collins, Edie Hazel and Bernie Warrell), recording floor-filling pop as Parliament and Hendrix-esque guitar jams as Funkadelic, while creating outrageous stage shows that put other 70s arena-rock behemoths to shame. Prince and the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Clinton produced their sophomore album) carried on his work through the 80s, while early…

  • Home Truths: An Interview With Lisa O’Neill

    April 27, 2017 - By 

    Ahead of her highly-anticipated appearance at Seamus Heaney HomePlace in Bellaghy next Friday, May 5, Cavan folk raconteuse Lisa O’Neill talks to Brian Coney about the imprint of literature on her work, her admiration for Heaney and plans for album number four. Go here to buy tickets. Photos by Joe Laverty Hi Lisa. First off: what compels you to play HomePlace and what are your own experiences with the writing of Seamus Heaney? I’ve heard great things about HomePlace and feel honored to be invited to perform there. From what I’ve read and listened to of Seamus Heaney, I’m left…

  • History Repeating Itself: An Interview With William Basinski

    April 26, 2017 - By 

    William Basinski has just gotten back from running an errand. Sitting on the sunlit porch outside his home in Los Angeles, the setting, along with his demeanour, could not betray anything further from the melancholic, introspective shades of the music he has been composing for over 30 years. In fact, far from being the naval gazing artiste that one may naively expect a composer of such poignantly abstract music to be, Basinski radiates nothing but disarming warmth and good humour. Utterly forthcoming, he jokes about the dread of needing to move home within the year for fear of the effort:…

  • Whose Subconscious Is This Anyway? – An Interview with Bob Gallagher

    April 21, 2017 - By 

    As you may well be aware from his directorial work on some of the best music videos to come out of Ireland in the past couple of years, Bob Gallagher is not a man to shy away from the unusual or unexpected. Perhaps best known for his Radar award winning video from 2016 for Girl Band’s ‘Paul’ (as well as ‘Pears For Lunch’, ‘Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage’ and ‘In Plastic’), Gallagher has also worked with artists such as SPIES, Floor Staff, James Vincent McMorrow, Naoise Roo, Participant, Saint Sister and Myles Manley, creating visual accompaniments that veer from the…

  • Primer: Clea van der Grijn

    April 25, 2017 - By 

    Cléa van der Grijn – Reconstructing Memory (Image Courtesy of Heike Thiele) Ahead of the opening of Clea van der Grijn’s Reconstructing Memory in Limerick City Gallery of Arts on April 27th, Rebecca Kennedy speaks with artist on voyeurism, love letters, self-censorship and the intersection between life as an artist and motherhood. Who is your favorite artist and what facet of their practice do you find fascinating? Sophie Calle. I think she’s a very interesting person. It’s like her life is recorded in snippets of film. I think I live vicariously through her work. I love that she spies so un-intrusively…

  • Two’s Company: Meet Cork’s Alliance Promotions

    April 19, 2017 - By 

    A pair doing stellar work on the live gig front Leeside, Gordon O’Keeffe and Arlene Murray of Cork based Alliance Promotions sit down with Eimear Hurley to talk about their work in the Cork music scene First off: how did you guys get into music promotion? Gordon: I’ve been doing this for nine or ten years altogether. I started off in the punk scene. More and more people started coming until there wasn’t enough room in Fred Zeppelin’s anymore.  So we looked for bigger venues and it progressed from there. Alliance as it is now started about five years ago,…

  • Up and At Them: An Interview With Thor Harris

    April 20, 2017 - By 

    Thor Harris is a percussionist extraordinaire best known for being the pulsing, rhythmic heart of avant rock legends Swans. Yet he is also a carpenter who crafts his own instruments, an artist and a staunch opponent of the political right. The latter of which got him in a bit of trouble when his tongue-in-cheek video dubbed ‘How to Punch a Nazi’ saw him suspended from Twitter. Though the incident may have been a shock to the Austin based musician it highlighted his particular brand of philosophical, social commentary and political outrage. On April 28 he’s bringing his group Thor &…

  • Keeping a Certain Distance: An Interview With Neil Hannon

    April 13, 2017 - By 

    With the release of their eleventh record Foreverland last year, Neil Hannon’s The Divine Comedy continue to deliver witty, literate pop that still dents the album charts twenty years after their commercial peak. Jonny Currie catches up with Neil Hannon ahead of his show at Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter next month to discuss touring routines, growing old with your audience, and the importance of pop stars keeping their distance from fans. The Divine Comedy play Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival on May 3. Go here to buy tickets. You’re playing at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival next month. When was the last…