• Julien Baker w/ Becca Mancari @ Vicar Street, Dublin

    September 30, 2018 - By 

    There’s a medium-sized crowd at Vicar Street to welcome Julien Baker and her support act Becca Mancari to Dublin. Opening the night on a lovely note, Mancari’s mostly acoustic songs are simple yet emotional and her passionate takes about performing on a tour of two queer women are both endearing and inspiring. She’s a perfect compliment for Baker’s style with just enough hope to balance out the sadness of the latter’s music. There’s something incredible about Julien Baker and her talents. Baker has a particularly special type of stage presence. The atmosphere she controls and creates is impenetrable – every…

  • Arctic Monkeys @ 3Arena, Dublin

    September 25, 2018 - By 

    The bitter nights may have crept in but a jam-packed Luas to The Point Depot keeps makes it a cosy spin. This is the first of two sold-out Arctic Monkeys shows in Dublin’s 3Arena. A lush stage setup resembling a hotel lounge illuminates at 9 o’clock as the house lights go down. The now packed venue explodes as the Sheffield heroes walk on stage dressed in tailor made suits and shiny leather shoes. Alex Turner, sporting a tight new haircut, has developed a hybrid aesthetic of a skin head and Nick Cave. They launch into ‘4 out of 5’, the lead single…

  • Mitski w/ EERA @ Tivoli Theatre, Dublin

    September 24, 2018 - By 

    As Mitski takes to the Tivoli stage, accompanied by her four-piece band, there are shrieks and howls from the sea of caps and thick-rimmed glasses before her. Support act EERA have clearly warmed up the crowd sufficiently with their blend of dream-pop and indie rock. Aside from that, it’s clear that the crowd are not just casual listeners: they are fanatics. As the abrasive and electric opening riff of ‘Remember My Name’ rears it’s ugly head, Mitski remains stationary, with her hands behind her back, looking slightly upward. She appears powerful in this stance, proving that one does not need flashy…

  • Wooden Shjips + Cian Nugent @ Empire Music Hall, Belfast

    September 19, 2018 - By 

    It takes a very special kind of band to, at least in the right setting, meddle with one’s most basic understanding of time. Wooden Shjips are one such band. Tonight at Belfast’s Empire Music Hall, the San Francisco psych rock alchemists’ reiterative, lysergic-dappled craft induces a trip that all but stretches the parameters of chronological perception. Laying the groundwork is one of the country’s most singular solo talents, Cian Nugent (below). Despite almost being consumed by the frankly shameful hubbub of tonight’s growing crowd, he casts a subtle, yet potent spell as tonight’s sole support. Stripped-back and drawn-out is the order of the day for a set…

  • Incubus @ Ulster Hall, Belfast

    September 13, 2018 - By 

    Unlike many of their MTV2-approved peers whose day in the sun came to end many years ago, Incubus, it would seem, have aged surprisingly well. Having weathered getting older via a string of latter-era albums that aren’t (entirely) unlistenable, live, Brandon Boyd, Mike Einziger and co. still possess that which helped set them apart at the turn of the millennium. Doubling up as their long-awaited Belfast debut, tonight’s show at the iconic Ulster Hall is full testament to that. 27 years and eight albums in, the Californian band have long known what their fans have come to expect and deliver accordingly.…

  • Frankie Cosmos w/ Squarehead @ Voodoo Belfast

    August 27, 2018 - By 

    Frankie Cosmos’s Greta Kline is an artist who oozes cool credibility. A startlingly talented songwriter with a steadfastly DIY ethos, the native New Yorker began garnering acclaim for her music when she was still just a teenager, using Bandcamp to release a veritable avalanche of bedroom pop gems in just a few short years. Now signed with Sub Pop records and touring off the back of Frankie Cosmos’ third full length album,  this evening’s show in Voodoo promises to showcase Kline’s wry poeticism and Lo-Fi yet sophisticated take on the indie pop genre. First sightings of Kline in Voodoo’s bar…

  • The Olllam w/ Síomha @ Black Box, Belfast

    August 8, 2018 - By 

    When the Black Box has a good night it tends to have a very good night and the general atmosphere upon arriving to the last night of The Olllam’s tour of the island seems to indicate that we’re in for a very good night. Warm word of mouth reviews from all corners and word that Joe Dart of Vulfpeck has joined them on bass throughout the tour brings a buzz of expectation to the room, and more than couple of curious Vulfpeck fans out of the woodwork, too. The room is a touch warmer than it really needs to be,…

  • The Top 10 Sets At All Together Now 2018

    August 7, 2018 - By 

    Starting for it’s first year ever All Together Now has brought together the best in Irish and international talent to a picturesque Waterford setting. For its first year, All Together Now is mostly superbly organised; it has one of the most stacked line-ups of the summer, excellent communication between the festival and its goers and a generally beautiful design. The organisers should be incredibly proud for establishing a new festival that should last for many years to come. Here’s the top 10 sets that we caught at this year’s inaugural outing. Words by Kelly Doherty. Photos by Patrizio Mancuso. Mura Masa…

  • The 8 Best Sets at KnockanStockan 2018

    July 31, 2018 - By 

    KnockanStockan has long established itself as one of of Ireland’s biggest small festivals and with a line up of amazing homegrown Irish talent from all genres and movements, it appears to have exceeded expectations. While the line-up is stellar and the festival is endlessly appealing in terms of appearance and size, Knockanstockan 2018 struggles with one major stumbling block: disorganisation. With many stages running towards hours late, a lack of security around ensuring safety in campsites and production room, problems with clear signage indicating who is playing where and when and issues around officially booked transport to and from the…

  • Ministry w/ Chelsea Wolfe @ Tivoli Theatre, Dublin

    July 26, 2018 - By 

    In case you had any doubt in your mind, witches are indeed real and they can cast powerful spells as Chelsea Wolfe proved on Tuesday evening. As the 34-year-old Californian takes to the Tivoli’s stage, she seems awkward, or even a little clumsy at first. As she walks to the front of the stage, with the lights still up, she gives a small wave and smile to the audience. She seems more shy than one might have imagined. Then, the lights go down and that shyness is devoured by the waves of noise that follow. As the pulsing terror that…