• Rusangano Family @ The Sugar Club, Dublin

    April 11, 2016 - By 

    There’s been something special brewing in Ireland for the last year or so. If you’ve been lucky you’ve caught glimpses of it here and there, or heard the rumours; something big from the Mid-West. Something new. But after nearly a full year of hor d’ouvres in the shape of feverish shows and tantalising single track releases one of Ireland’s most exciting bands finally has a full album to offer. And while it’s justifiably whipping critics and fans into a frenzy, many know that for the full Rusangano Family hip hop experience you’ve got to see it live. So while the…

  • Two Door Cinema Club @ Roisin Dubh, Galway

    April 10, 2016 - By 

    The last time I saw Two Door Cinema Club was at Oxegen 2011, at the peak of their remarkably fast climb to being the most hyped indie-pop band of the time… their drummer flung a drumstick into the crowd at the end and it hit me square in the eye. Aside from that painful memory however I do remember it being one of the most uplifting and downright fun gigs of the weekend. Still on the back of their spritely debut Tourist History and wildly successful singles ‘Undercover Martin’ and ‘What You Know’, the group of lads from Bangor seemed…

  • Battles w/ Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith @ The Button Factory, Dublin

    March 24, 2016 - By 

    The Button Factory plays host to the first night of Battles’ European Spring tour tonight, in support of their latest album La Di Da Di. Having sold out not too long after it was announced last year, the desire for the trio’s return to Dublin is immense. Tonight’s sole support, Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith takes to the stage first with an impressive array of synths, sequencers, connective wires and blinking lights, evocative of a young Delia Derbyshire at the BBC radiophonic workshop. She begins with a series of robotic loops, which advances into Laurie Anderson territory as she distorts her vocals through…