• Bob Vylan w/ Problem Patterns at The Deer’s Head, Belfast

    April 9, 2022 - By 

    Right in the middle of their “More Irish, More Blacks, More Dogs” tour of Ireland with Bob Vylan, Belfast represented a special date for Problem Patterns, a homecoming gig to show off their new strengths to a familiar audience. As mentioned during the set, the band just finished recording their debut and it showed. Opening straight away with their furious new single ‘Y.A.W (for Yes All Women)’, Problem Patterns left no doubt: they were on a warpath and they were well-prepared. Punk always relies on an unstable balance between unbridled rage and tight sound. You can excuse when one takes…

  • The Bobby Lees Announce Irish Shows

    April 4, 2022 - By 

    New York garage punk trailblazers The Bobby Lees are set for three Irish shows. Formed in Woodstock in 2018, the quartet will play Whelan’s Upstairs in Dublin on July 1st, Limerick’s Kasbah on July 2nd and the Ulster Sports Club in Belfast (with support from Problem Patterns) on July 3rd. Ticket info for Dublin and Limerick is TBA. Tickets for the Belfast show, which is promoted by the ever-reliable Strange Victory, cost £10 and are on sale now. Check out The Bobby Lees’ new single ‘Hollywood Junkyard’ below.

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – 18th March

    March 18, 2022 - By 

    Here’s the very best music released across the island this week, featuring Problem Patterns, Melts, Sprints, ZOiD, Mob Wife and more Problem Patterns – Y.A.W. Mob Wife – Cutting Teeth on Suburban Curbs Cutting Teeth on Suburban Curbs by Mob Wife Melts – Waltzer Sprints – Delia Smith Myles McCormack – Comfort Zone Daire Heffernan – Skeletons the ghost tapes – barely holding on Dee Fitz – Lucky Lover ​​ A Smyth – Long Night ZOiD – Looking In The Rain

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – June 4th

    June 4, 2021 - By 

    This week is one of extreme abundance across the board, with the first collaborative release from Joshua Burnside & Lemoncello’s Laura Quirke, SORBET’s debut album, Nerves, Skinner, Tuath, Hex Hue, Jake Wallace, Punching Peaches, Ciaran Lavery, Soda Blonde, VerseChorusVerse, Royal Yellow, and some cuts from a cover compilation to benefit No More Dysphoria including F.R.U.I.T.Y., Problem Patterns, Big Daisy and many more. Joshua Burnside & Laura Quirke – Taking The Wheel Laura Quirke & Joshua Burnside – Taking the Wheel by Joshua Burnside SORBET – This Was Paradise This Was Paradise by SORBET Nerves – Leigue Leigue by NERVES Tuath – That…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2020 (#100-51)

    December 16, 2020 - By 

    Ah, 2020 eh? Unless you were living off the grid in a self-made banana bread house whilst rocking yourself gently to various iterations of ‘Happy Birthday’ as you washed your hands, then you will know that despite collectively living through the pandemic there were plenty of Irish songs to get excited about. 100 to be precise. We’ve listened to them on repeat since we couldn’t attend gigs, raves, or house parties so we’re certain we’ve selected the finest this little locked down island has to offer. It’s safe to say this year epitomised the true meaning of community in this country…

  • Irish Tracks of the Week – December 4th

    December 4, 2020 - By 

    It’s the first Friday of the month, which can only mean one thing: it’s Bandcamp Friday. If you’re going to pick up some great new Irish music, best make it today. Here’s our round-up of the best of this week, including Loah x Bantum, Flowers at Night, Saint Sister x Lisa Hannigan, Bleeding Heart Pigeons, Swimmers Jackson, Problem Patterns among others. Loah & Bantum – NGLA /////// [seacht line] – Hawk On The Cliff hawk on the cliff EP by /////// Bleeding Heart Pigeons – Real Connection (Arvo Party Remix) Real Connection Remixes by Bleeding Heart Pigeons Saint Sister x Lisa…

  • Watch: Problem Patterns – Christmas Number One

    December 11, 2020 - By 

    Whether you’re thrilled or dreading the prospect of a quiet Christmas this year, Belfast’s finest feminist punks have a single we’re delighted to let you hear. Its doo wop-via-Breeders harmonies guaranteed to have you grinning from ear to ear, ‘Christmas Number One’ is a refreshingly positive take on coping with expectations of seasonal cheer. Now, don’t let our lazy rhyming couplets put you off – Problem Patterns’ latest single is as earworming as they’ve ever been. Normally, we’re not ones to copy & paste a press release, but as ever, they put it better than we could have: “Known for their feminist punk ethos, Problem have tackled such topics as…

  • Making Gigs Safer Spaces

    August 13, 2020 - By 

    Where there is power there is often a breach of it. The past few years have been paramount for the entertainment industry’s beginning to open conversations surrounding power imbalance within its sectors. It is difficult to pin down exactly when misconduct of a sexual nature became the central offence within this conversation. The tape containing Donald Trump’s now-infamous “grab her by the pussy” line was unearthed and put into circulation in 2016. Whilst widely criticised it was not incriminating enough to prevent him from becoming President-elect. The following October saw a dozen women come forward with testimonials regarding the sexual…

  • “While injustice persists, we won’t shut up.” The Fight Is Not Over – Here’s Why

    July 9, 2020 - By 

    Out today via Belfast imprint Third Bar, The Fight Is Not Over is a fist-clenched snapshot of a scene of artists that insist upon making their voices – and music – heard. Kristen Sinclair gets the full lowdown on the four-track live EP from Problem Patterns, Strange New Places, Sister Ghost and Gender Chores, and digs deep to trace the trajectory of a movement that has no intentions to slow down any time soon. EP artwork by Jacky Sheridan Buy The Fight Is Not Over on 12″ vinyl here. ‘The Fight Is Not Over’ reads the slogan emblazoned across the jackets…

  • A Litany of Failures: Volume III Announced

    July 3, 2020 - By 

    Two years on from its second volume, islandwide independent music compilation series A Litany of Failures has opened pre-orders and announced the tracklisting for Volume III in the series – out Friday, October 2nd. More eclectic, and more export-ready than ever, the compilation features brand new music from 22 acts across Ireland, including the first recorded output from Fifty Years of Hair (Postcard Versions/Girl Band’s Dara Kiely), The Golden Cleric (Shrug Life/Girlfriend/That Snaake) and Grave Goods (Girls Names, Pins, September Girls), as well as many of our favourites – Robocobra Quartet, Silverbacks, Rising Damp, Percolator, Extravision and many more. With cover art by Nathanaël Roman, it will be accompanied by…