• Dream Baby Dream at Lighthouse Cinema

    No longer just simply one of the greatest tracks by one of the greatest acts of all time, Dream Baby Dream is one of the most downright unmissable marriages of sound and vision that you’re likely to encounter on these shores. Co-curated by Letterkenny’s Regional Cultural Centre and promoter, broadcaster and all-round champion of forward-pushing sounds Leagues O’Toole (Foggy Notions), it’s an event of new short film and live music that will take over Dublin’s Lighthouse Cinema on Thursday, 11th May. Kicking off at 7pm in Screen One, the showcase features three world-beating Irish filmmakers – Bob Gallagher, Laura Quirke and…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – May 6th

    On this, the fifth Bandcamp no-fee Friday of the year, here are the very best Irish tracks and releases of the week, featuring Katie Kim, Aoife Wolf, The Department of Energy, J Cowhie & Bonnie Prince Billy, Arvo Party and more Katie Kim – Mona   Hour Of The Ox by Katie Kim J Cowhie & Bonnie Prince Billy – New Life New Life by Goodtime John & Bonnie Prince Billy Aoife Wolf – The Woman Who Shot Andy Warhol Screaming Waltz (Instrumental) by Aoife Wolf The Department of Energy – May Day (Landscape Mixtape) May Day (Landscape Mixtape) by…

  • Revisit Katie Kim & Radie Peat’s NTS Show

    Back in January, Katie Kim and Lankum’s Radie Peat teamed up with Percolator’s Eleanor Myler, Lankum producer John Spud Murphy and multi-disciplinary artist Vicky Langan for a truly breathtaking performance as part of this year’s Nollaig na mBan (if you missed that, you could do much worse than checking out Cathal McBride’s live report). Three months on, the pair ventured out together once more as co-presenters of a wonderfully genre-spanning special on NTS on Sunday evening past. Taking in Enya, Beak>, Robert Wyatt, Sonic Youth, ‘In Heaven’ from Eraserhead and more, it made for a suitably spectral hour of escapism. Thanks to the powers that be,…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – April 9

    It’s been another stellar week for new releases in every corner of the island. Delve into the best of the lot, featuring Katie Kim & Sean Mac Erlaine, D. McCabe, Beoga, Maria Kelly, TAYNE, Sinéad O’Brien, Elkin, James Bruce and more Katie Kim & Sean Mac Erlaine – Empire One Empire One by Katie Kim & Seán Mac Erlaine D. McCabe – The One They Couldn’t Fix The One They Couldn’t Fix by D. McCabe Maria Kelly – Martha Martha by Maria Kelly Sinéad O’Brien – Kid Stuff Beoga – Breathe EP James Bruce – Elephant Elephant by James Bruce…

  • Live Report: Nollaig na mBan with Katie Kim & Radie Peat ft. Ellie Myler & Spud Murphy

    With gigs having gone out the window from last March until god knows when, livestreams have been a godsend in giving us some hint of what we’re otherwise missing out on. While some have been lo-fi DIY affairs, streamed from phones or dodgy webcams in artists’ bedrooms, others have had huge amounts of thought and effort put into them to create an experience that lasts beyond merely scratching the live performance itch for a few months. Here in Ireland, The Mary Wallopers’ streams from their self-built home bar have built an impressive sense of community among their ever higher viewing…

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

    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)

    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…

  • Katie Kim & Radie Peat Set For Nollaig na mBan Collaboration

    On January 6th, Katie Kim and Radie Peat of Lankum will come together for a special one-off event. An audio-visual collaboration to mark Nollaig Na Mban – otherwise known as Women’s Christmas or Little Christmas – the stream will also feature three TTA favourites: drummer/singer of Percolator, Eleanor Myler, Lankum producer John Spud Murphy and multi-disciplinary artist Vicky Langan. Comprising new arrangements of original material, folk songs and reimagined contemporary songs, it’s set to be an unmissable event from two of the island’s most distinctive artists. It kicks off at 8pm and tickets are on sale now.