• Watch The Vox Set Episode 1: Joshua Burnside & Joel Harkin Live at Lost & Found

    February 5, 2021 - By 

    Featuring wonderful individual and collaborative performances from two of our finest alt. folk singer-songwriting talents, the first episode of The Vox Set is out now. Set in the intimate setting of one of Northern Ireland’s finest cups of coffee, Lost & Found, the increasingly world-beating Joshua Burnside – who recently released his second album Into The Depths of Hell – is joined by Donegal’s Joel Harkin – whose debut album Never Happy was shortlisted for the 2020 NI Music Prize. The series is supported by Help Musicians NI and Arts Council NI, with their team comprising Stuart Reid, Sam Kwan and Hannah McPhillimy. Their M.O. is as follows: “The Vox Set is a recorded, live…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – February 5th

    February 5, 2021 - By 

    It’s the day we’ve all been waiting for: the first Bandcamp Friday of 2021. If you’re going to pick up some great new Irish music, best make it today. Here’s our round-up of the best new tracks, LPs & comps from Woven Skull, The Department of Energy, Bangers ‘n’ Breakups, Arvo Party, Joshua Burnside x Sorbet, Slomatics, Any Joy, Tolü Makay & more. Woven Skull – Space City: Live In Glasgow Woven Skull – Space City – Live In Glasgow by Woven Skull The Department of Energy – Lee Lines (Landscape Mixtape) Lee Lines (Landscape Mixtape) by The Department of…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – January 22nd

    January 22, 2021 - By 

    After a relatively fallow couple of weeks there, here’s the very best Irish tracks released this week, featuring Myles Manley, Sal Dulu, Uladh + Joshua Burnside, A Smyth, Tolu Makay, This Ship Argo, Rory Nellis, The Gauze, Lauren Bird and more Sal Dulu – Girl Sal Dulu · Girl Myles Manley – Shiteshow This Ship Argo – Hiding Like a Coward In The Smoke Always the Bees: Never the Honey by This Ship Argo New Pagans – Christian Boys Kieran O’Brien – Arms Open Without End by Kieran O’Brien Joshua Burnside – The Only Thing I Fear (Uladh remix) The…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 50 Irish Releases of 2020

    December 20, 2020 - By 

    In years to come, when someone asks me what The Thin Air was and represented, I’ll likely direct them to features like the one you have just opened. Much like other publications of our ilk – Nialler9, The Last Mixed Tape, Goldenplec and others – we spend 52 weeks of the year relentlessly championing what truly makes Irish music special and, very occasionally, genuinely world-beating. We all do it in different ways, and to slightly different audiences, but the impetus and desire to shine a light on what we have is one and the very same. Although they’re almost never…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2020 (#100-51)

    December 16, 2020 - By 

    Ah, 2020 eh? Unless you were living off the grid in a self-made banana bread house whilst rocking yourself gently to various iterations of ‘Happy Birthday’ as you washed your hands, then you will know that despite collectively living through the pandemic there were plenty of Irish songs to get excited about. 100 to be precise. We’ve listened to them on repeat since we couldn’t attend gigs, raves, or house parties so we’re certain we’ve selected the finest this little locked down island has to offer. It’s safe to say this year epitomised the true meaning of community in this country…

  • Q+A: Nathan O’Regan of Songbook

    December 1, 2020 - By 

    We catch up with Belfast-based musician and promoter Nathan O’Regan about the origins, success and upcoming – downright unmissable – festive installment of monthly invitational session Songbook on Tuesday, December 8th. Hi Nathan. First of all, for those not familiar with Songbook, briefly tell us about your original motivations for starting the night back in the summer of 2017. Songbook began with the intention of filling what I saw to be a massive hole in the Belfast music scene. Having started gigging here in 2013, I was lucky to have fallen in with an incredible group of players but was…

  • Ciaran Lavery and Joshua Burnside Announce Double A-Side

    November 30, 2020 - By 

    Two of the north’s most acclaimed singer-songwriters, Ciaran Lavery and Joshua Burnside have teamed up for a double A-Side. Raising funds for homelessness charity Welcome Organisation, the Northern Ireland Music Prize winners and friends have come together to re-invent a pair of tracks by Blaze Foley and David Lynch, ‘True Love’s Flame’ and ‘If I Could Only Fly’. In a statement, Ciaran Lavery said, “With the pandemic being a primary focus worldwide, I felt this was an appropriate time to remind people about the plight of homelessness that continues to exist, and the fantastic and selfless work that charities like the…

  • Irish Releases of the Week – November 6th

    November 6, 2020 - By 

    On another hallowed Bandcamp Friday, we’ve got an extra-long list of new releases this week, from JaJa Studios’ fundraising compilation, debut albums from Bitch Falcon and Silverbacks’ Kilian O’Kelly, and more from Arthuritis, 7.5 Tonnes of Beard, Ghost Office, Joshua Burnside, Zizou, Wyvern Lingo and more. Various Artists – The Lost Sound Vol. 1 The Lost Sound by JaJa Studios Joshua Burnside – Under The Concrete Bitch Falcon – Staring At Clocks Staring at Clocks by Bitch Falcon Skelocrats – City of London Boy Bitten by a Lizard by Skelocrats Kilian O’Kelly – Luzhny’s Layer Luzhny’s Layer by Kilian O’Kelly…

  • Irish Tracks Of The Week – August 7th

    August 7, 2020 - By 

    It’s been yet another phenomenal week for new releases in every corner of the island, boosted by today being the monthly Bandcamp Friday, which sees the platform waive all its own cuts – take that, Spotify. Delve into the best of the lot, featuring Postcard Versions, Joshua Burnside, Just Mustard, Wyvern Lingo, Natalia Beylis, and many more. Postcard Versions – Do You Consider? Just Mustard – Seven (Live on KXLU) Live Session by Just Mustard Joshua Burnside – War on Everything Kynsy – Cold Blue Light lastminuteman – Walking Into Water At Night %%%%%% by lastminuteman Natalia Beylis – Ursa Minor Old…

  • Video Premiere: Joshua Burnside – Whiskey Whiskey

    May 12, 2020 - By 

    The continued evolution of Joshua Burnside is nothing short of a joy to behold. Over the last few years, the Northern Irish artist has expanded upon his singular folk sound with a healthy dose of forward-pushing sonic exploration. New single ‘Whiskey Whiskey’ retains much of what is familiar about Burnside’s sound, all while pushing into new territory. A masterfully stripped-back effort, the song – and accompanying video – stares down the grip of all-consuming fears via disarmingly confessional songwriting. “I wrote the lyrics for Whiskey, Whiskey whilst on a flight to London,” Burnside said. “I hate flying and l would…