• Arcade Fire @ 3Arena, Dublin

    April 10, 2018 - By 

    Having played a massive show at Malahide castle last year, Arcade Fire return with the Infinite Content tour, sardonically named to jibe at the social media age, just one of the many tactics deployed throughout the promotion around their current album, Everything Now. Tonight, in keeping with that off kilter theme they’ve created a show ‘in the round’ – complete with a boxing ring and Michael Buffer style announcements of their accolades as they appear from the far corner of the 3Arena, air-punching alongside flashing ironic graphics of infomercials and ‘tale of the tape’ biographies appear on the 360 degree…

  • The Altered Hours w/ Documenta @ Menagerie, Belfast

    April 6, 2018 - By 

    The Menagerie has really gone from strength to strength since reopening late last year. The galaxy print exterior may have been replaced by a more austere matt black emulsion and the management may even have decided to indulge patrons with something as frivolously bourgeois as a mirror in the gents but the soul of the bar and its reputation as Belfast’s consummate coven of alternative spirit remain wholly intact. Tonight’s appearance by Belfast’s sprawling drone pop ensemble Documenta and Cork based rockers Altered Hours gives the thunderous new PA system ample opportunity to shine, proving once again that the Menagerie…

  • Wild Beasts @ Olympia Theatre, Dublin

    February 18, 2018 - By 

    This is the end of the indie technocrats. Nearly a decade after the release of Limbo, Panto Wild Beasts graced the Olympia stage for the last time. While this signals a very real end for the Kendal four-piece, it also serves as a more abstract end for an era of indie as a whole. Everywhere you look, mid-noughties bands are calling it a day. The age of four blokes and a guitar is over. But then, Wild Beasts never subscribed to this image of the scene. Their music was meant as the antithesis of the cheap lager and a pack…

  • Jeff Tweedy @ Vicar Street, Dublin

    February 6, 2018 - By 

    ‘I need to feel uncomfortable’ explains Jeff Tweedy, when asked about his long hair. He hasn’t cut it since the 2016 election he says, and hates it. At the beginning of a year-long hiatus for Wilco, the very same reasoning could be applied to his decision to embark on this short solo acoustic tour across the UK and Ireland. Bookended by ‘Via Chicago’ and ‘Shot In The Arm’ from 1998’s sugar-coated bitter-suite Summerteeth, tonight’s setlist criss-crosses Tweedy’s back catalogue from Uncle Tupelo to recent Wilco release Schmilco, with some surprising omissions along the way. There’s nothing from 2014’s solo/family affair…

  • Mark Lanegan @ Mandela Hall, Belfast

    December 7, 2017 - By 

    Upon its release back in April, Mark Lanegan’s tenth studio album, Gargoyle, not only strongly reiterated his contemporary relevance but also further revealed the multiplicity of artist who – just like his good friend in Joshua Homme – has zero intention of roaming the trodden sonic path ad infinitum. His return to Belfast’s Mandela Hall after five years tonight only serves to confirm that fact tenfold. Following two strong sets from Joe Cardamone and long-standing blues rock co-conspirator Duke Garwood, Lanegan – visible limp notwithstanding – tails his three-piece band on to stage tonight with zero fanfare. Bursting into ‘Death’s Head…

  • Rocket From The Crypt @ Whelan’s, Dublin

    December 5, 2017 - By 

    When San Diego’s finest purveyors of rock’n’roll Rocket from the Crypt decided to down tools near the tail end of 2005, it came as quite a shock to their devoted fan base. Yes, there were several interlinked side projects the various members continued on with, but none drew you into the same extent. Luckily after a one-off get together six years later involving a kids T.V. show, John ‘Speedo’ Reis decided to reignite his charges on a fulltime basis circa 2013, and they’ve been tearing stages across the world a new one ever since. However, before the headliners arrived, their…

  • Wolf Alice w/ Sunflower Bean @ Olympia Theatre, Dublin

    November 30, 2017 - By 

    Part of the appeal of Wolf Alice is how cool they have made not fitting in look. They’re always goofing off on Instagram, referring to themselves as a group of weirdos more than a band. Even as a collective they feel very different. Ellie Rowsell looks like the cool girl at a party that you’ll never talk to; bassist Theo Ellis an east-end gangster fully kitted out in suit and chains; Joff Oddie the nerdy musician who may well be Chris Martin from another life and Joel Amey, the throwback 70s drummer equipped with Cuban heels and a sequenced kit.…

  • Royal Blood w/ At The Drive-In & Black Honey @ 3Arena, Dublin

    November 27, 2017 - By 

    The 3Arena plays host to a veritable smorgasbord of rock and roll tonight with a trio of acts. Riff rockers Royal Blood were joined by El Paso post-hardcore icons At the Drive-In and UK newcomers Black Honey. It caps off a busy weekend at Dublin’s arena venue, which saw Queens of the Stone Age and Queen take to the stage on the two nights previous, with many of tonight’s attendees adorned in tees from these shows. On a rainy Sinday night, this added to the feeling that tonight was somewhat of a hangover from what were undoubtedly better gigs. The…

  • Mac DeMarco w/ Montero @ Vicar Street, Dublin

    November 23, 2017 - By 

    As the doors to Dublin’s iconic Vicar Street open, a queue of eager teenagers file through in anticipation of seeing their idol take the stage. For many it would be their first gig and they embrace it with the uncontrollable excitement I remember having once upon a time; running to the barrier to get the best spot and buying as much merch as they can afford. Pints? Pfft, pints are for old people. Mac DeMarco’s allure has always enticed a younger crowd and even though his latest release, This Old Dog has seen him mellow out to a degree, he can’t…

  • The Killers @ 3Arena, Dublin

    November 20, 2017 - By 

    From the moment we set eyes on The Killers’ set at the 3Arena, we know it’s going to be a surreal experience. The stage set – a fine cross between the Vegas strip and a church altar – glitters to life as touring guitarist Ted Sablay strikes the opening chords of ‘Wonderful Wonderful’. Brandon Flowers struts on stage and dominates it. A single spotlight shines down on the pastor as he addresses 9,000 disciples. After two songs, The Killers grace us with a few lines of – admittedly cringe-worthy, scripted – banter to create that faux-rapport. It falls dead with…