• Popicalia 22: Squarehead, Land Lovers & Ginnels @ Bello Bar, Dublin

    August 2, 2016 - By 

    At one stage, Popical Island’s regular Popicalia nights were such a staple of Dublin’s indie scene that Retarded Cop even wrote a song about it (found on the Popical Island #2 compilation), so its return with a stellar lineup – and an invitingly colourful poster courtesy of Ruan Van Vliet – after a 2 and a half year hiatus was always going to attract a hefty crowd to its new home in the cosy surroundings of Bello Bar. Ginnels (below) opening set sees Mark Chester add a new violinist to the lineup, adding an extra layer to the infectious indie pop…

  • Popicalia 22

    July 25, 2016 - By 

    Having declared back in January that they were “alive and well and making plans for 2016” Dublin’s self-proclaimed Bockety POP collective Popical Island will host their grand twenty-second Popicalia at Bello Bar on Saturday, July 30. Headlined by indie-rock trio Squarehead, the show – which also features fellow islanders Land Lovers and Ginnels – is an inestimable opportunity to (re-)acquaint oneself with said bocket. Admission is just €8 (or £300 according to the show’s Facebook event page. Man, Brexit has hit hard).

  • Album stream: Land Lovers – The Rooks Have Returned

    May 13, 2016 - By 

    There’s something uncannily accurate about Dublin’s Land Lovers calling themselves “Undulating Pop”. With a craft that equally weaves and lulls with gaze-y, wave-like motion, their new album The Rooks Have Returned is a full-length earworm sweetly balanced between throwback jangle and dream-pop. Tipping its lyrical hat to everything from 1916, mortal restlessness and nostalgic reminiscence, it wears the band’s key influences of Elvis Costello, New Order and David Bowie on its proverbial sleeve, bursting forth with a level of hook-heavy songwriting that we’ve come to expect from the Irish five-piece. The Rooks Have Returned is out via the mighty Popical Island on Monday…

  • Track Record: Shane Murphy (Land Lovers/No Monster Club/Switzerland)

    March 10, 2016 - By 

    In this installment of Track Record we hang out with Shane Murphy to chat about his record collection, while he’s not too busy playing in three of Popical Island’s finest bands: Land Lovers, No Monster Club and Switzerland. Photos by Aidan Kelly Murphy. Elvis Costello – This Year’s Model I discovered Elvis Costello pretty late in life, and when I say discovered, I mean after Land Lovers were compared to him, Padraig of the band quickly gave me some homework to do. At his best with The Attractions, this was the first pairing of the two. It’s a frantic and…