• 16 For ’16: Paddy Hanna

    February 5, 2016 - By 

    Fifteen hugely promising, genre-spanning Irish acts down, we conclude our annual Ones to Watch feature with Dublin’s Paddy Hanna. Words by Cathal McBride. Photo: Mark Earley. Following his 2014 debut album Leafy Stilleto on Popical Island and a pair of strong 2015 singles, Dublin’s Paddy Hanna is on an upward trajectory that shows no sign of faltering any time soon. A string of Irish support dates with Girl Band last year with his backing band, including No Monster Club’s Bobby Aherne, has only helped to raise his profile further. Swapping his old band Grand Pocket Orchestra’s lo-fi art pop for…

  • 16 For ’16: Exploding Eyes

    February 4, 2016 - By 

    The penultimate act in our latest installment annual Ones to Watch feature – 16 For ’16 – Brian Coney profiles Dublin heavy psych trio Exploding Eyes. Photo by Derek Kennedy. Having released their wonderfully urgent, blues-soaked new single ‘We Need Love’ just last month, Dublin heavy psych trio Exploding Eyes tip their decidedly fuzzed-put hat to a gamut of garage-rock luminaries ranging from Mountain and Blue Cheer to Andromeda and Thee Oh Sees. Throwing both back and very much forward, their latest effort evokes the likes of Jon Spencer and the Doors at their most resounding to give us a…

  • 16 For ’16: Strength

    February 3, 2016 - By 

    Having played our Independent Venue Week showcase at Belfast’s Oh Yeah Centre on Saturday night, Derry’s Strength are the latest Irish act we’ve handpicked as a “one to watch” throughout 2016 and beyond. Words by Brian Coney. Photos by James Cunningham. Arguably one of the bolder, more idiosyncratic propositions to emerge in the North over the last while, Derry’s Strength were formed from the smouldering embers of sadly-departed psychobilly art-rockers Red Organ Serpent Sound. With the release of the former’s bugged-out new single, ‘Northern Ireland Yes’ (their attempt to “embrace the cultural psyche of the North and send it back…

  • 16 For ’16: A Bad Cavalier

    February 1, 2016 - By 

    As we edge ever closer to the end of our 16 For ’16 feature, in which we’ve been eagerly profiling sixteen Irish acts we’re putting good money on doing great things in 2016, Brian Coney envisions big things for ASIWYFA guitarist Niall Kennedy’s A Bad Cavalier. Photo by Joe Laverty When he’s not trotting the globe with North Coast post-rock maestros And So I Watch You From Afar, ex-Panama Kings main man Niall Kennedy is honing his wares at the helm of A Bad Cavalier. Whilst certainly echoing the varying triumphant stupor of the aforementioned outfits, the effortlessly tight alt-pop of…

  • 16 For ’16: Planet Parade

    February 1, 2016 - By 

    Our feature profiling sixteen Irish acts we’re very confident will do great in the months ahead, we continue 16 for ’16 today in the company of Kildare’s Planet Parade. Words by Brian Coney. Photo by Brian Mulligan. Striking a shrewd balance between the blither side of Tame Impala, Vampire Weekend and Mac Demarco, Maynooth duo Michael Hopkins and Andrew Lloyd AKA Planet Parade admittedly caught us napping back in August with the release of their impossibly earworming single ‘Blue Sky’. Something of a should-have-been late Summer classic, its chilled and billowing quasi-tropical indie groove laid bare the pair’s ever-assured command of pattern and texture,…

  • 16 For ’16: Margie Jean Lewis

    January 29, 2016 - By 

    In the latest installment of 16 For ’16 – our feature looking at sixteen Irish (or Ireland-based) artists we’re convinced will do great things in 2016 – Joe Madsen introduces Dublin-based, Australian born classically trained violinist and jazz vocalist Margie Jean Lewis. Photo by Aoife Herrity Riding a reputation as an infrequent but exhilarating performer, Margie Jean Lewis is set to drop her debut EP this year, marking a formal foray into the land of recorded artistry. The Australian-born musician – boasts a lovely voice with bewildering compositions to match – has developed quite the mystique in the Irish electronic circuit,…

  • 16 For ’16: exmagician

    January 26, 2016 - By 

    With their debut album teetering on the brink of release, Belfast’s exmagician are primed for a remarkable 2016. Cathal Mc Bride traces their formation, recent output and what lies ahead. Photo by Ruth Kelly Rising from the ashes of Cashier No.9, that band’s primary forces Danny Todd and James Smith have put their old project to bed and reinvented themselves as exmagician. The sunny sound of Cashier’s To The Death Of Fun has now been traded for something slightly darker, and although acoustic guitars are still a dominant force, it’s less folksy this time out, with a greater leaning on electronic…

  • 16 For ’16: Anna-Mieke

    January 25, 2016 - By 

    As we approach the half-way point in our 16 For ’16 feature – in which we handpick sixteen Irish acts we’re certain are set for great things in 2016 – Joe Madsen introduces Wicklow singer and multi-instrumentalist Anna-Mieke. Photo by Pedro Giaquinto Slowly emerging as a new-age rustic folkstress, Wicklow musician Anna-Mieke plays an enchanting set that’s delighted small crowds since her first shows in 2013. A flexible talent on vocals, guitar, and cello, Anna-Mieke blends styles to craft a product that’s all her own, supplying wistful finger-picking like Paul Simon and subdued jazzy pitch like Regina Spektor. She’s an artist…

  • 16 For ’16: i am niamh

    January 21, 2016 - By 

    We continue our 16 For ’16 feature – looking at 16 Irish acts we’ve the highest of hopes for in 2016 – with Dublin singer-songwriter Niamh Parkinson AKA i am niamh. Words by Mike McGrath Bryan. Photo by Isabel Thomas. Classically-trained vocalist Niamh Parkinson spent 2015 finishing and unveiling her debut full-length, Wonderland, a study in musical curiosity that sees her utilise her voice over loop-driven piano and ambitious cellos. Balancing her boundless musical ability with her own thematic explorations, the result is one of Ireland’s most promising young composers stepping into her own. ‘Hang On!’, released a few months back, marks…

  • 16 For 16: Joni

    January 14, 2016 - By 

    In the latest installment of 16 For 16 – in which we profile sixteen up-and-coming Irish acts we’re very excited about this year – Eoin Murray introduces Wicklow vocalist Joni. Photo by Brian Mulligan Genres like grime, garage and bass music in the broadest sense are rarely thought of as being the most flourishing in Ireland.  This however was seen to be a less than accurate view following Dublin’s very successful first Boiler Room event in May 2015 which showcased some of the best that Ireland had to offer in the underground scene. While Bray vocalist Joni was not involved…