• Irish Tour: Future Islands and Sacred Paws

    July 10, 2017 - By 

    Future Islands with support from Sacred Paws live in Dublin, Galway and Cork. Words by Kelly Doherty and Paula Murphy, photos by Sean McCormack and Alan Maguire. Cork Opera House It’s been a long time since Future Islands first played to an Irish crowd of 14 people and it wouldn’t be a far jump to say that in the intervening years they’ve become somewhat indie darlings on this island and the sold out Cork crowd is more than happy to spend Independence Day with their favourite American exports. Before they take the stage, we’re treated to a blinder of a…

  • Irish Tour: Green Day & Rancid

    July 3, 2017 - By 

     “Belfast you get it – not many people understand, but Belfast does.” To be very honest, it’s very easy to be apprehensive about a Green Day gig in 2017. After the messy 2012 Uno… Dos… Tres! trilogy of albums, expectations weren’t too high for their 12th studio album, Revolution Radio, released last October. But the album was a pleasant – though somewhat basic – effort from the iconic punk trio, revealing a sense of maturity, if not some dubious album artwork. It’s easy to be apprehensive to see artists ‘after’ their moment in the sun (or the burning ball in…

  • Irish Tour: Clutch

    June 16, 2017 - By 

    Maryland hard rock masters Clutch, live at Belfast’s Limelight 1 and Dublin’s Academy. Photos by Liam Kielt and Pedro Giaquinto. Limelight 1, Belfast Photos by Liam Kielt The Academy, Dublin Photos by Pedro Giaquinto

  • Irish Tour: Arcade Fire

    June 16, 2017 - By 

    Canadian indie trailblazers Arcade Fire live at Belfast’s Belsonic and Dublin’s Malahide Castle. Words by Jonny Currie and Robert Higgins; photos by Colm Laverty and Aaron Corr. Belsonic, Belfast Photos by Colm Laverty After previous failed attempts to attract Arcade Fire to Belfast, the Montreal nine-piece kick-off this year’s Belsonic line-up ahead of the release of fifth album Everything Now. The long-overdue visit is acknowledged by frontman Win Butler, revealing that they have chosen to spend the last three days in Northern Ireland. Landfill indie trailblazers The Kooks resurface this evening in support, gurning and yelping through an hour of turgid…

  • Irish Tour: Mitski

    June 12, 2017 - By 

    The mighty Mitski live at Belfast’s Empire Music Hall and Dublin’s Whelan’s. Words by Aoife O’Donoghue, photos by Sara Marsden and Pedro Giaquinto. Empire Music Hall, Belfast Photos by Sara Marsden Whelan’s, Dublin Photos by Pedro Giaquinto Fresh from her show in the Workman’s club last September, Mitski made a welcome return to Ireland this week, playing not one, but three locations; Cyprus Avenue in Cork, The Empire in Belfast, and finishing up in Whelans in Dublin. The New York-based artist has quickly grown to prominence and praise after four albums, her latest being Puberty 2, released last June, and…

  • Irish Tour: Angel Olsen

    May 23, 2017 - By 

    The one and only Angel Olsen and her band, live at Dublin’s Vicar Street and Belfast’s Empire Music Hall. Words by Joey Edwards and Ross Thompson, photos by Aaron Corr and Colm Laverty. Vicar Street, Dublin With Vicar Street nearing capacity, Angel Olsen’s return to Dublin tonight shows just what a difference three years can make to a fan base. Doubling up as her first show on Irish shores since releasing her new LP My Woman, the stage is modestly dressed with falling silver streamers that lace the back wall. Olsen and her backing band – who casually pick up…

  • Irish Tour: Run The Jewels w/ Gaslamp Killer

    April 3, 2017 - By 

    The mighty Run The Jewels kicked off their current European tour with shows at Belfast’s Limelight 1 and Dublin’s Olympia Theatre. Photos by Colm Laverty and Mark Earley. Limelight 1, Belfast Few acts can get away with kickstarting a sold-out show by strutting on-stage to the equivalent of a homecoming welcome soundtracked by Queen’s self-congratulatory anthem par-excellence ‘We Are The Champions’. The mighty Run The Jewels are one of those acts. Doubling up as the first leg of their current European tour, to call their appearance at Belfast’s Limelight 1 tonight a masterclass would be a towering understatement. Backed by DJ Trackstar, the globetrotting, genre-defining…

  • Irish Tour: Frightened Rabbit

    February 15, 2017 - By 

    Frightened Rabbit live at Belfast’s Limelight 1, Kilkenny’s Set Theatre and Galway’s Roisin Dubh. Photos by Colm Laverty, Ian McDonnell and Sean McCormark. Limelight 1, Belfast As strange as it may sound, Frightened Rabbit are at their best when they are on the verge of falling apart. Watching the band rip through selections from their back catalogue this evening, it is striking just how often they are precariously balanced on the edge of chaos. It is this very quality that makes their music so beguiling. The remarkable tension in any given Frightened Rabbit song stems from a finely wrought balance…

  • Pre-Tour Preamble: Vasa & Body Hound

    February 7, 2017 - By 

    Given our island’s reputation, in what now seems to be acknowledged as ‘the days of yore’, for independently successful rock bands of math and post-prefixed inclinations, it makes sense that mainland acts would flex their considerable muscles on our shores. Our so-called ‘island tax’ often extends to a limitation on shows from any less than stadium-ready musical artists and their ilk, but there’s a growing number of thoughtful and decent promoters out there working in synchronicity – many of whom we hope to feature in coming months – with the likes of Belfast’s Solid Choice Industries, Galway’s FEAST, Dublin’s Venture Presents joining forces, uniting the corners of…