• Interview: Dan Tombs

    Dan Tombs is a visual artist from Norwich, England and is currently working with some of the most exciting musicians and producers of late. Recent and on-going collaborations with the likes of Factory Floor, Jon Hopkins, East India Youth, Luke Abbott and Nathan Fake means a new light is being shed on the eclectic work of the artist whose mediums traverse video installations, live concert visuals, album covers, music videos. Benni Johnston caught up with Dan as he worked on live visuals for Jon Hopkins in the days running up to the producer’s sell out show in Brixton Academy and…

  • Interview & Guest Mix: I Am The Cosmos

    Two years on from the release of their extraordinary, critically-acclaimed debut album, Monochrome, Dublin-based duo Cian Murphy and Ross Turner AKA I Am The Cosmos are still very much one of the country’s most exciting propositions. Choosing to perform rare live appearances and currently focusing on recording and their ongoing colloborations with the likes of Jape, Lisa Hannigan and Solar Bears, the pair play their debut Belfast show at Chromatic at The Woodworkers this Saturday, May 23 (free entry). Ahead of that show, Cian Murphy chats to Mike McGrath Bryan, as well providing us with an exclusive mix featuring the…

  • Interview: The Cribs

    Ahead of Belfast and Dublin shows this week, English indie rock brother trio The Cribs are already working on their forthcoming seventh studio with none other than Steve Albini, having just released their sixth, For All My Sisters. In a revealing conversation with Will Murphy, Ryan Jarman from the band touches upon being “reluctantly co-opted” by the mainstream, the loyalty of their fans and the band’s “opinionated” nature. So, how is this tour going for you guys? It’s really short. We’re literally just here doing The Great Escape from Brighton and then we’re going out to do a couple of Irish dates. I…

  • Q+A: Tell No Foxx

    Wicklow soundscapers Tell No Foxx have been thrust into the public eyes and ears the past few weeks following the release of their well-received single ‘Dust’ last March. Living somewhere between kaleidoscopic and melancholic, their massive pop sound has earned them the applause of fans and critics alike. Liam Doyle caught up with the lads ahead of their supporting slot this Sunday with Indiana at the Workman’s Club in Dublin to get the low down on ‘Dust’ as well as their plans for the future. It looks like it’s been a busy year for Tell No Foxx, any personal highlights…

  • Q+A: Mylets

    At just 20 years of age, Henry Kohen AKA Mylets’ debut album has just been released via Sargent House. Having received exceptionally warm reviews from the likes of NPR and the New York Times, he’s just left California to tour Europe with And So I Watch You From Afar. Koken talks to Niamh Hegarty about some of his time at Sargent House to date and the evolution of his new album, Arizona. Your standard of musicianship is particularly high. When did you first pick up a guitar? I found my dad’s old 3/4 scale off-brand acoustic in a closet when I was…

  • 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…

  • Q+A: The Vincent(s)

    It’s a gorgeous, sunny afternoon in Cork City and I’m about to interview a band that describe themselves as death pop and bleak drag. In person, they are far from bleak but some of the most uplifting people you could ever meet. Cork’s The Vincent(s) had me in stitches laughing. Tell me a bit about your musical background. How did you all start getting into making music? Marc: My mother bought me a four track, when I was really young – it was like one of those Fisher-Price four tracks with drums and stuff, I started messing around with that. It…

  • Q+A: Ted Chippington and the Nightingales

    Formed in Birmingham in 1979, post-punk mavericks the Nightingales split up in 1986 after seven years, three albums, eight John Peel sessions and tours with everyone from Bo Diddley to Nico. They returned to the stage in 2004, and are playing their first ever Irish dates this month, including a slot at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. The band hit McHugh’s in Belfast on Thursday, May 8, with ‘anti-comedian’ Ted Chippington in tow, the man who Stewart Lee has often cited as the reason he started doing stand-up. Nightingales frontman Robert Lloyd and Chippington tell Andrew Johnston about life as outsiders. Words by Andrew Johnston…