• Process of Becoming: An Interview With New Pagans

    February 28, 2023 - By 

    Ahead of playing Belfast alongside Extravision later this week, Lyndsey McDougall, lead vocalist of fast-rising Belfast five-piece New Pagans chats to Ciara Byrne about process, parenthood and pushing forward at the helm of one of the island’s most dynamic rock bands New Pagans and Extravision play Belfast’s Ulster Sports Club on Thursday, 2nd March. Go here to buy tickets Your wonderful new album Making Circles of Our Own brings to life the inner experiences of being a parent, and the juxtaposition of being a mother in particular while being in a band. What brought you to explore these themes through music? When we wrote…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 20th January

    January 20, 2023 - By 

    It’s a real red letter day for Irish music, with new music from some Ireland’s finest acts. Check out our pick of them, featuring Lisa O’Neill, Arborist, New Pagans, Frog of Earth, David Kitt, CMAT, Danny Carroll, Ailbhe Reddy, Hands Up Who Wants To Die, No Spill Blood and more. Lisa O’Neill – Silver Seed Arborist – Dreaming In Another Language CMAT – Mayday Robbie Stickland – Time To Say Goodbye To My Old Self Time To Say Goodbye To My Old Self by Robbie Stickland Hands Up Who Wants To Die – L’inconnue New Pagans – There We Are John No Spill Blood –…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 21st October

    October 21, 2022 - By 

    Featuring two of our albums of the year, here’s the best Irish music released this week, from Clara Tracey, Crispy Jason aka Rian Trench, Meljoann, Joshua Burnside, Aoife Wolf and more. Clara Tracey – Black Forest Black Forest by Clara Tracey Crispy Jason – Laminated Jason Laminated Jason by Crispy Jason Joshua Burnside – Rough Edges Aoife Wolf – The Wetlands Invaderband – Octopus Part 10 OCTOPUS part 10 by Adam Leonard Paddy Hanna – Imagine I’m Hoping Imagine I’m Hoping by Paddy Hanna Comrade Hat – I Love To Take The Train I Love To Take The Train by…

  • Irish tracks of the week – October 22nd

    October 22, 2021 - By 

    If you can believe it, it’s Friday again, and there’s a fresh round-up of the very best in brand new Irish music to dig into, featuring MuRli, Gemma Dunleavy x2, Junior Brother, windings, The Altered Hours, Melts, New Pagans and more MuRli w/ Gemma Dunleavy – Odyssey windings – Apocryphal Apocryphal by windings Junior Brother – Life’s New Haircut Life’s New Haircut by Junior Brother Group Zero – Everyone’s Already Come Apart Everyone’s Already Come Apart by Group Zero The Altered Hours – Thistle Convertible by The Altered Hours New Pagans – Find Fault With Me MELTS – Maelstrom Leveland…

  • Best Album & Single Shortlists for NI Music Prize Revealed

    September 30, 2021 - By 

    The Best Album and Best Single shortlists for this year’s Northern Ireland Music Prize have been revealed. Supported by PPL, the Best Album shortlist includes the likes of This Ship Argo’s Always The Bees: Never The Honey, Fir Wave by Hannah Peel (pictured), Arvo Party’s Inheritiance, Isles by Bicep and Into The Depths of Hell by Joshua Burnside. See the full list below. Andrew McGibbon – Northern Gothic Arvo Party – Inheritance Bicep – Isles CATALAN! – Veritas Dani Larkin – Notes for a Maiden Warrior Hannah Peel – Fir Wave Jealous of the Birds – Peninsula Joshua Burnside –…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – March 19th

    March 19, 2021 - By 

    Here’s the very best Irish tracks of the week, featuring M(h)aol, VerseChorusVerse, New Pagans, Local Boy, Zizou, The Disco Participation Matrix, Anna’s Anchor, Twin Diver and Loner Deluxe. M(h)aol – Asking For It Asking For It by M(h)aol VerseChorusVerse – Be Proud New Pagans – Harbour Local Boy – Al Bundy Zizou – After It’s Done zizou band · After It’s Done Final The Disco Participation Matrix – High Rise (Kevin Blake Remix) Rave Gravely Stem Remixes by Kevin Blake, Molotov Ape, Spectac (Front-End Synthetics), The Person Anna’s Anchor – Shannon Bridge Twin Diver – Television Loner Deluxe – Tin…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – March 12th

    March 12, 2021 - By 

    It’s been another stellar week for new releases in every corner of the island. Delve into the best of the lot, featuring Maria Somerville, Sorbet x Maija Sofia, Invaderband, New Pagans, Amerik x Little Rivers, A Ritual Sea and more. Maria Somerville – Seabird SORBET – I Heard His Scythe feat. Maija Sofia Invaderband – I Won’t Remember You I Won’t Remember You by Invaderband New Pagans – Harbour A Ritual Sea – Desire Lines Neptune M. – AA AA by Neptune M. Sprints – Swimming Amerik x Little Rivers – Apricot Captain A & Ciara Ní É Queen Bonobo…

  • Motherhood in the Music Industry: An Interview with New Pagans

    September 21, 2020 - By 

    Belfast’s New Pagans make evocative music, using the tried-and-tested soft-loud dynamic to marry massive riffs with socially-conscious, challenging lyrics with a view to starting important conversations. Catching up with vocalist Lyndsey McDougall over Skype offers just such an opportunity. Forming in 2016; Lyndsey’s recollection of the band’s formation makes it sound like it was an inevitability. “I met Cahir (O’Doherty, guitar and vocals) years ago. We eventually got married but I had been a massive fan of his music (Jetplane Landing and Fighting With Wire). He knew that I had written or had always dabbled in music but I went…

  • And So I Watch You From Afar Announce OK? Festival

    March 2, 2020 - By 

    North Coast instrumental rock trailblazers And So I Watch You From Afar have announced details of a new music and arts festival in support of mental awareness and suicide prevention. Created to “celebrate community and to encourage asking the question… are you ok?” OK? will unite some of the country’s best acts at Belfast’s Telegraph Building on Saturday, March 28th. Raising money for Aware NI, PIPS and Help Musicians, the show will feature sets from ASIWYFA, SOAK, General Fiasco, David Holmes, Phil Kieran, Joshua Burnside, New Pagans, Catalan!, Pillow Queens, Junk Drawer, Jordan Adetunji, Careerist, Cherym, Problem Patterns and Gnarkats.…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Tracks of 2019 (#75-51)

    December 17, 2019 - By 

    In the second of a four-part series, we continue our island-spanning, genre-leaping countdown of the best Irish tracks released in 2019, from Belfast alt-pop trailblazer Rebekah Fitch to a truly stellar track courtesy of Ordnance Survey. Miss out on 100-76? Go here to catch up. 75. Rebekah Fitch – Poison 74. New Pagans – Charlie Has the Face of a Saint 73. Casavettes – Imposter Syndrome Imposter Syndrome by Casavettes 72. Not I – Please, No Kindness, Please 71. Sorbet – Born Purple (feat. mickeykiiatein) Born Purple by SORBET 70. Autre Monde – On The Record 69. His Father’s Voice – In…