• Josie Nugent @ The Belfast Barge

    September 7, 2016 - By 

    Now in its eighth year, Feile An Droichead has worked its way quietly, and with little fanfare, to a point where this annual celebration of Irish music and language arguably ranks as one of the signature events in Northern Ireland’s burgeoning cultural calendar. Beyond the confines of its An Droichead home, the 2016 edition has seen the festival extend its reach into the wider community, with performances in the Ulster Museum, Black Box and the Belfast Barge creating, at the very least, the possibility of bringing traditional music to a more general audience. The honour of closing An Droichead 2016,…

  • Sam Beam & Jesca Hoop w/ Erika Wennerstrom @ Marine Court Hotel, Bangor

    August 31, 2016 - By 

    Erika Wennerstrom breaks down in tears several songs into her support slot. Open House Festival Director Kieran Gilmore proclaims that “Bangor is the new Cathedral Quarter.” Jesca Hoop suggests that she and Sam Beam could be married by the end of the evening. Some context: on hiatus from fronting garage-rockers Heartless Bastards, Wennerstrom (below) is road-testing some emotionally direct solo material in Bangor tonight and it shows in her early nervous delivery. This is an intense and at times uncomfortable opening set, but she makes it through thanks to a hugely supportive audience. This is the Open House Festival’s fourth…

  • Warpaint w/ Hilary Woods @ National Concert Hall, Dublin

    August 25, 2016 - By 

    There are dozens of details, both obvious and seemingly insignificant, that help to define a gig experience. The size and attitude of the audience, the choice of setlist and, of course, the individual performances of band members can elevate a run of the mill tour stop to something truly memorable. The importance of venue, though, can’t be understated. There’s a giddy thrill to be gained from catching a band in a sweaty bar, warm in the knowledge they’ll soon be arena headliners. Alternatively, poor sound or unhelpful staff can drain away any enthusiasm you might have had on the night,…

  • Godspeed You! Black Emperor @ Vicar Street, Dublin

    August 24, 2016 - By 

    It’s about sixteen months since instrumental Montreal collective Godspeed You! Black Emperor last played Ireland, and with the venue, stage backdrop, equipment, lighting, and setlists almost identical to the last, there’s a familiar sense of n different sort of ritual on this particular Sunday at Vicar Street. The ongoing sub-50Hz rumble of the venue gives way to the entry of the seemingly accidental wandering onstage of a percussionist, double bassist and violinist, kept just visible by warm amber light. As they ease into some droning, exploratory notes, more musicians appear onstage, before the mass organically transforms into the band’s now…

  • White Denim w/ Wyvern Lingo @ Whelan’s, Dublin

    August 18, 2016 - By 

    It’s no surprise that the main band room is beginning to feel rather like a sauna with every passing minute, due to the constant flow of punters that pass through this infamous venue’s doors. Following the release of their latest full length album Stiff, White Denim are returning to the capital, albeit for only the third time, to a near packed out and rather excitable bunch. There is a clear presence of heightened anticipation for the headliners amongst the audience, which has led to a majority of the floor space already taken up by the time support act Wyvern Lingo take…

  • Irish Tour: Battles

    August 18, 2016 - By 

    Roisin Dubh, Galway The last time Battles played in the Roisin Dubh was in 2007, just after the release of their first LP Mirrored and just preceding the colossal cult acclaim of tracks ‘Atlas’ and ‘Tonto’. In the years since then that cult following has expanded and expanded, giving the band a listenership that extends to younger Math-Rock devotees, fans of experimental contemporary composers like Steve Reich, blow-ins from the band member’s old groups (Don Caballero, Helmet, Lynx) and, well, people that just like the way they sound. On a Monday evening in August the curious universal appeal of such…

  • Overhead, The Albatross w/ New Pope @ Roisin Dubh, Galway

    August 15, 2016 - By 

    There’s been plenty said over the past couple of years about the over-reliance on particular tropes and techniques in Post-Rock, Math-Rock and, from other camps, in movie and TV soundtracks. There are always, of course, exceptions to this who manage to keep these realms of music interesting and exciting, from Battles to Adebisi Shank, from This Will Destroy You to Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein (the men behind the marvellous soundtrack for Netflix’s Stranger Things). The ways in which artists or composers avoid the traps and pitfalls of complacency and the rehashing of the same sounds and tricks over and…

  • The Beatyard 2016 (Day Two)

    August 4, 2016 - By 

    Day two of Beatyard 2016 ztarts off on a sour note as word filters through that the Daptone records’ soul maestro Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires have had to pull their main stage appearance, due to the man himself being unwell. Alas, these things happen so it is left to the organisers to switch a few things around. In relation to the same time yesterday the numbers are nowhere near as high, however Brazilian Sambo outfit Morro 16 appear on the main stage, to what is at the outset a pretty paltry number, in the hope of boosting spirits. As…

  • The Beatyard 2016 (Day One)

    August 2, 2016 - By 

    Following on from its successful debut last year, the Beatyard Festival makes a welcome return to Dún Laoghaire’s former Stena Line ferry terminal. There seems to have been a conscious decision made by the promoters, Bodytonic, to expand on the non-music related features from last year which includes: a wide variety of talks with accompanying Q&A’s, an expanded flea market, a designated gaming zone and a specific child friendly play area. The layout of the festival itself is well thought out which allows the crowd to find their way around rather effortlessly, without the fear of having to rush around…

  • 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…