• Princess @ The Woodworkers, Belfast

    More a pub than a performance venue, The Woodworkers is certainly an interesting space, and upon entering, we were happy to see that the sizeable crowd were largely there for the same reason as us – to watch some glorious live music from Dublin’s Princess, rather than pint it up before heading onwards. Princess wouldn’t come on until 11.30pm though, so we were treated to an eclectic selection of tunes from Chris Jones in the meantime, whose penchant for house and some very funky electronica kept our heads bobbing quite happily until the main act were setting up. Then, at…

  • Q+A: Princess

    One of our featured 15 for ’15 acts, Dublin noise-pop duo Princess are truly riding the crest of a wave at the minute. Ahead of shows at Belfast’s Woodworkers on Saturday, April 11 (free), Galway’s Roisin Dubh on April 16 and Limerick’s Kasbah Social Club the following night, we chat to Liam Mesbur from the band about their increasingly enthralling sound and direction. Hi guys. I remember featuring ‘Tortured Wings’ in a BBC Ulster radio segment two years ago. Your sounds has really developed since then. What do you owe that to? When we did that tune it was myself writing everything and…

  • Watch: Princess – Black Window

    One of our main 15 For ’15 acts, Dublin dream-pop Princess have unveiled the video for their new single, ‘Black Window’, an accompaniment that more than tips its visual hat to the disembodied female mouth in Samuel Beckett’s ‘Not I‘. In our post of the track last month, we called it “one of their shining moments to date, covering more ground in their perpetually evolving blend of shoegaze, krautrock and noise, as heard on the pair of singles and EP they’ve so-far released.” Princess play the following Irish dates in March and April: March 20: Whelan’s, Dublin March 28: TDC/Triskel, Cork April 11:…

  • Stream: Princess – Black Window

    Following up on the sprawling ‘Molly’ – our Irish track of 2014 – one of our 15 picks for 2015, experimental indie rock act Princess – based around the creative pair of Aoife Frances & Liam Mesbur – have just unveiled their latest single, ‘Black Window’. Weighing in at little under three minutes , the song is significantly more concise than the duo previous work, recalling prime ’90s indie rock with hooks to match. It’s one of their shining moments to date, covering more ground in their perpetually evolving blend of shoegaze, krautrock & noise, as heard on the pair of singles…

  • 15 For ’15: Princess

    With their track ‘Molly’ (below) coming in at #1 in our Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2014, Dublin duo Princess are our next featured act in our 15 For ’15 feature. Their frankly irresistible brand of dream/noise-pop has had us hooked over the last couple of years, and we are absolutely convinced they’re going to concoct even bigger and better things in 2015 and far beyond. Words by Stevie Lennox. Photo by Isabel Thomas. The duo of Liam Mesbur and Aoife McCarthy – accompanied by various friends – are the core of Dublin experimental indie rock act Princess, who dropped their…

  • Download: Princess – Molly

    Another highlight from Hard Working Class Heroes festival at the weekend, Dublin noise-pop band Princess have released the bewitching ‘Molly’, the follow-up to their breakthrough single ‘Neverlook’, released back in June. A spectre-weaving, superbly slow-burning eight minutes of astrally-inclined rapture, the single evokes the likes of Bardo Pond, Galaxie 500, Beach House and fellow Irish sonicosmonauts The Altered Hours‘ more subtle efforts. Expect it to feature quite highly in our annual Best Irish Tracks End of Year list in December. Stream/download ‘Molly’ – produced by the band, engineered by Ian McNulty and mixed by Solar Bears’ Rian Trench – via Bandcamp below. Molly by Princess

  • Watch: Princess – Neverlook

    Released last week, we said ‘Neverlook’, the new single by Dublin noise-pop band Princess was “balanced very nicely between with glacial indie tangents and rampant noise pop, boasting a distinctive, compelling surge; splatterings of rhythm morphing with gaze-y guitar patterns and bobbing bass lines.” Sticking by that assessment, we’re happy to see a visual accompaniment to the track emerge, directed by Kevin Freeney and Dan Finnegan. Without giving too much away: clothes are swapped, legs are shaved and vintage cars are driven. Watch the video below.  

  • Stream: Princess – Neverlook

    A year on from enamouring us with their debut EP, Black Cat, Dublin three-piece Princess seem to have fully arrived with their new single, ‘Neverlook’. Balanced very nicely between with glacial indie tangents and rampant noise pop, the track boasts a distinctive, compelling surge; splatterings of rhythm morphing with gaze-y guitar patterns and bobbing bass lines. Stream the track via Soundcloud below and keep an eye out for our Inbound interview feature with the guys next week.