Featuring members of Wolfbait, Woven Skull, Wild Rocket and other local noiseniks, Worst have just released their debut EP, MMXVII. The five piece are a cauldron into which pours the intuitive esoterica of krautrock, psychedelia, noise and punk. The EP was recorded in the North Strand Centre in late 2016 and mixed by Scan. Limited numbers of cassettes are available from English DIY indie label Riot Season and Swap Meat Records. MMXVII by Worst
Comprising former & current members of Belfast-based punk & alt. rock bands Gascan Ruckus, Empty Lungs and Two Glass Eyes, brand new indie punk trio Life Goals have just put out their debut two-track release, Wreck Less Nature / / Between The Lines. US contemporaries like Menzingers, PUP & Modern Baseball are clearly a shared influence amongst the band, from their gritty, modern emo-tinged guitar lines to frontman Decky McBride’s heartfelt, hook-laden vocals. Having spent most of the year writing and rehearsing, their release was recorded in March at Start Together Studios with Niall Doran. Life Goals played their first show in Belfast’s new, intimate The Barracks, last Saturday. They play…
Gravity Records started out just like any other cult indie label – see: SST, Dischord – of the ‘80s-early ‘90s, when a pragmatic lead member (drummer Matt Anderson) of the most relevant band (Heroin) in a scene (1991 San Diego) wanted to release just one single. They would, as tradition goes, ultimately earn more notoriety and credibility than money, but it provided a rich catalogue of scattered splits and short long-players over which punk nerds and indie swots of the future can pore over and explore a periodic cul de sac. Fewer labels inbred more effectively and better developed a…
When talk first began of a sequel to ‘Troublegum’, the 1994 punk-metal opus that made legends of Co. Antrim trio Therapy?, your writer couldn’t help but feel pangs of uncertainty. From a band that over the course of 25 years plowed a fiercely independent furrow, and did so while thinking about ten steps ahead of the musical sentiment of the time, a move for nostalgia would be surely a massive anti-climax after producing two career-defining albums in ‘Crooked Timber’ and ‘A Brief Crack of Light’. Is it? Well… the jury is still out after a fortnight’s constant listening, which, for…
North coast erstwhile punk trio Axis Of have unveiled the video for ‘Wetsuit’ – the first single off their second album, The Mid Brae Inn – which sees them take off in a decidedly more indie, pop-rock direction, a huge departure from the band’s early brand of frantic hardcore; although, in saying that, they’ve been known to have an ear for a hook since the sludge-pop of ‘Lifehammer‘ from their debut LP, 2012’s Finding St. Kilda. The Mid Brae Inn gets its launch through Smalltown America on New Year’s Eve at Belfast’s Empire Music Hall, with ‘Wetsuit’ available from November 26 from Independent Music, with the b-side being…
Punk Rock – a play written by Simon Stephens and directed by Selina Cartmell – comes to Belfast’s Lyric Theatre for a stint, from August 10 until September 6. Set amongst a clique of sixth formers during exam time in a library as they prepare for mock A levels, Punk Rock sees the typically dysfunctional group discuss their pre-university problems and struggles with personal identity. Writer Simon Stevens has been heralded as the most prolific British playwright of his generation, and the likes of The Independent and The Guardian have given the play positive reviews. You can check out the Lyric’s…
A brand new song has been unveiled by Toronto dance-punks Death From Above 1979, following their reunion in 2011. The song, ‘Trainwreck 1979,’ is the first taste of new music from the duo since their 2004 album You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine, and if this track is anything to go by, their comeback record The Physical World will surely appease any anxious fans. That bone-rattling bass dirge of previous releases is present and accounted for, certainly, along with a seriously memorable hook. The band themselves have described their forthcoming album as “Springsteen meets Sonic Youth.” A bold claim, sure; an exciting…
Belfast has a new – if indeed any already exist – folk, punk, indie, rock & blues club in the form of Revival Belfast, taking place at McHugh’s Bar at Queen’s Square, starting from Friday, August 1. High-tops and sailor ink is not just permitted, it’s expected; so get down and party at their inaugural night. Admission is £3 and doors open at 10pm.
PREVIOUSLY: Having almost burned themselves out after six years of constant activity, drummer Fyfe Ewing leaves Therapy? in January 1996, almost halting touring for the rest of the Infernal Love album-cycle (eugh). Moving quickly, the band auditions for a new sticksman, and decides on Graham Hopkins, formerly of My Little Funhouse. Filling out the line-up is new addition and longtime collaborator Martin McCarrick, on cellos and guitars. After jaunts to the U.S. in 1996, including supports for Ozzy Osbourne, things get quiet, as the second line-up gets used to a new dynamic while demoing and writing. Pursuing a broad new…