• 19 for ’19: Tebi Rex

    January 31, 2019 - By 

    We continue 19 for ‘19 – our feature looking at nineteen Irish acts that we’re convinced are going places in 2019 – with Maynooth alternative hip-hop duo Tebi Rex. Photo by Zoe Holman Maynooth’s hip-hop scene may not be bulging, but on the evidence of Tebi Rex’s offerings, we believe it truly homes one of Ireland’s most exciting prospects for 2019. The duo, comprised of Matt O’Baoill and Max Zanga, has swiftly attracted attention following the success of ‘Black Enough’ in 2016, with Word Up signing them to their newly launched collective. Although the collective nurtures hip-hop talent whose music…

  • 19 For ‘19: Lighght

    January 17, 2019 - By 

    We continue 19 for ’19 – our month-long series profiling nineteen Irish acts that we’re certain will do great things in 2019 – with Cork producer Lightght. Photo by Silvio Severino. We first became aware of Cork experimental producer Lighght back in 2016 when he shared the bracing and multi-dimensional single, ‘What U Need’. Since, we’ve been keeping a close eye on his prolific output, which has included numerous collaborations, solo cuts and remixes of acts ranging from Jamelia to Lankum. 2018 saw the producer feature on Sesh FM’s charity compilation for Palestine as well releasing two EPs: the hectic trance inflected…

  • 18 for ’18: Molly Sterling

    January 18, 2018 - By 

    We continue 18 for ’18, our feature of showcasing eighteen Irish acts we’re convinced are going places in 2018. Throughout January we’re going to be previewing each of those acts, accompanied by words from our writers and an original photograph from one of our photographers. Next up is Tipperary’s Molly Sterling. Photo by Ciara Brennan Try as one might, it’s usually nigh on impossible to clearly pinpoint what demarcates a great artist from a good one. Often, the real difference can only be traced in the smallest moments – music that has a way with itself, the space between the…

  • 18 for ’18: EHCO

    January 16, 2018 - By 

    We continue 18 for ’18, our feature of showcasing eighteen Irish acts we’re convinced are going places in 2018. Throughout January we’re going to be previewing each of those acts, accompanied by words from our writers and an original photograph from one of our photographers. Next up is Wicklow’s EHCO. Photo by Niall O’Kelly  Eoin Whitfield has ditched his indie-rock roots and swapped them for another genre; slick electronica. The Wicklow-based artist, formerly of Enemies, recently dropped his first cut under the moniker EHCO. And the track, titled ‘Raise It Up’, serves as an ideal glimpse into what we can…

  • 17 For ’17: DIE HEXEN

    February 3, 2017 - By 

    Extending from the north of Ireland to the east of Asia, the scope of DIE HEXEN – spatially, temporally, and ideologically – is vast and fascinating, executed in a fashion that marks this enigma of performance art apart from any other musician in the country. DIE HEXEN defies definition or categorisation, an identity and an idea constantly in flux. It’s a marriage of western and eastern concepts; of the unique post-World War II Japanese art theatre, Butoh, the dance of darkness; of myriad twentieth century cinematic, musical and pop-cultural influences; of personal experience and wilful passion. We’ve had glimpses of…

  • 17 for ’17: Maija Sofia

    January 31, 2017 - By 

    Maija Sofia was reared in remote Connemara, lived in London and now resides in Dublin. Places with their own unique idiosyncrasies and experiences awaiting the inhabitants of such diverse environments. Experiences that inform the decisions we make and the things we create. Maija Sofia’s songs – soft, melancholic compositions guided by the harp and guitar –   encapsulate the creative output born from a wonderment spurred by isolation, something that is omnipresent. She has been compared to Kate Bush, Pj Harvey and Elliott Smith and there are traces of those great artists in her sound but Maija Sofia is a true…

  • 17 For ’17: Gaze is Ghost

    January 30, 2017 - By 

    What is the distinction between a songwriter and a composer? Where is the line drawn and indeed, what does it mean? Just one listen to Strabane-born, Cambridge-based Gaze is Ghost will tell you that sometimes one of these descriptions alone is not enough. Since announcing herself onto the world with the outstanding mini-album Plume back in 2013, a sepia-toned ode to her temporary Parisian home, her reputation has been quietly on the ascendancy. Racking up support slots for Mancunian anti-punks Crywank amongst others, Laura McGarrigle’s ever growing fan base is no mean feat for an artist undoubtedly out of love…

  • 17 for ’17: Alien She

    January 26, 2017 - By 

    While 2016 has proved a political and problematic wreck in many regards, Dublin trio Alien She have made the most of it, using the ups and (mostly) downs of the past twelve months to fuel their experimental and progressive sound. While the group has been floating around the Dublin music scene for the last number of years, 2016 proved to be a particularly productive year. Besides their active gigging schedule, the latter half of last year brought the release of the track ‘Cold Brain’ from their debut album Feeler, soon to be released. The group comprises of artists and activists…

  • 17 for ’17: Bad Sea

    January 25, 2017 - By 

    There’s nothing rough about the waves that Bad Sea have been making in the Irish gig scene. Their dreamy folk-country combo has seen them playing everything from Castlepalooza to Other Voices to the recent Therapy Sessions at the Workman’s Club (as part of the First Fortnight Festival). The duo, Ciara Thompson and Alan Pharrell, met on Tinder, and managed to form a powerhouse of a musical relationship out of a dating site. All that’s available for listening online at the moment is the band’s poignant debut single, Solid Air, which offers the perfect juxtaposition between Thompson’s unique and gentle swaying…

  • 17 for ’17: Super Silly

    January 24, 2017 - By 

    There’s a need for the kind of music Super Silly are currently making. Sonically rooted in the anthemic theatricality of gospel, the warmth of R’n’B, and with a proclivity for the cutting-edge end of the urban music spectrum, theirs is a prospect that slices through the doom and gloom and offers acute relief. Take debut single ‘No Pressure’ as an example. A slickly produced showcase for the vocal dexterity of the collective of Precious, Solbas, Grooves, and Shek, the track extends to the listener the positive, familial, and inclusive attitude of Super Silly – not entirely surprising given their background…