• One Vision: An Interview with 20:20

    September 30, 2018 - By 

    Tucked away in a side-street of bustling Belfast City is Accidental Theatre, a relatively-fangled DIY space that plays hosts to a cavalcade of events, both illustrious and wonderfully unassuming. Sitting somewhere in between the two is 20:20, a monthly charity songwriter night that takes over the venue’s upstairs – and singularly cosy – book bar. Giving rise to a whole new kind of “intimate” gig experience, the night takes place on the second Wednesday of every month and – full testament to its stripped-back, yet carefully-curated M.O. – delivers something special, time and time again. Ahead of its next outing on October 10th…

  • Curfew Festival Announced For Twelfth of July

    May 11, 2018 - By 

    Making its return for the first time in many years, Belfast’s alternative, inclusive Twelfth of July proceeding Curfew, takes place across two of Belfast’s finest small venues – The Black Box & Voodoo. The whole day is kindly run by original runner Pete Jez’ Solid Choice Industries. In direct opposition of ‘the other one’, we don’t have to pretend to enjoy the rad tunes. The only cultural division to be seen is in the cross-genre venue booking -Voodoo is set to host the riff-centric acts, headed by Dublin’s synth-driven space-metal trio No Spill Blood, sludgy heavy rock trio Slomatics, Dublin hardcore act Destriers, space punks Wild Rocket, sludge-doom act Nomadic…

  • Watch: Rory Nellis – Wild

    November 6, 2017 - By 

    Unless you’ve been residing under a fairly sizable rock over the last few months, you’ll be aware that Belfast’s Rory Nellis has been releasing a series of singles from his forthcoming second album, There Are Enough Songs In The World. A brave move by anyone’s standards, but Nellis is far from your average songsmith. The final single and closing track from the album – which is launched at Belfast’s The MAC this Saturday, November 11 – ‘Wild’ feels like a fitting, deceptively ambitious crowning touch. Clocking in at just under seven minutes, it’s a masterfully unravelling tale that bursts into glorious, full-band swansonging…

  • Interview: Rory Nellis

    November 2, 2017 - By 

    Ahead of launching his stellar new album, There Are Enough Songs In The World, at Belfast’s The MAC on Saturday, November 11, we catch up with Belfast’s Rory Nellis to talk momentum, collaboration, the craft of carefully-considered songwriting and more. Go here to buy tickets to Rory Nellis at The MAC Hi, Rory. You release your new album There Are Enough Songs In The World in just under two weeks. How are you feeling ahead of getting it out there? The final mastered track just came through today so I’m extremely excited and unbelievably relieved that it’s all done. Tell us about the…

  • Rory Nellis – There Are Enough Songs In The World

    October 31, 2017 - By 

    One of the country’s finest songwriting voices, Rory Nellis, releases his second album, There Are Enough Songs In The World on November 11. The frontman of deeply-respected Belfast power-pop outfit Seven Summits, his 2015 debut LP Ready For You Now was followed by a string of numbered singles, drip-fed to us over the space of 18 months in a typically curated fashion, to make up There Are Enough Songs In The World. It’s an approach, as we’ve already said, has served to isolate each song in its own right, building up and developing a narrative that is clearly threaded throughout the release. A collection of parables, ruminations, and the many suspects of the…

  • Stream: Rory Nellis – Friend of a Friend

    September 11, 2017 - By 

    Over the last few months, Belfast singer-songwriter Rory Nellis has been releasing each track from his forthcoming second album – There Are Enough Songs In The World – as standalone singles. A bold move and no mistake, but the approach has served to isolate each song in its own right, building up and developing a narrative that is clearly threaded throughout the release. With previous singles largely drawing from quieter worlds and reflecting upon more intimate things, ‘Friend of a Friend’ is a straight-up burst of stellar indie rock, forging slick synth arpeggios with yet another steady slew of first-rate harmonic twists and…

  • Stream: Rory Nellis – Gas & Air

    August 14, 2017 - By 

    Two years on from the release of his well-received 2015 debut solo album, Ready For You Now, Belfast singer-songwriter Rory Nellis will release its follow-up, There Are Enough Songs In The World, at the MAC on November 11. Having already released a string of singles from the release, new track ‘Gas & Air’ is a resounding alt-pop effort reflecting on the private thoughts and moments that accompany big life changes. Bolstered by Nellis’ all-star band of Phil d’Alton on keys, Herb Magee on bass and Peter J. McCauley on drums, it’s a wonderfully-crafted single whose harmonic tangents and wholehearted lyrical turns…

  • Stream: Rory Nellis – All I Ever Wanted Was a Chance

    June 13, 2017 - By 

    Set to headline a free Thin Air show at Lavery’s in Belfast on Thursday night, Rory Nellis remains one of our favourite solo artists from these shores. The fifth consecutive single from his forthcoming album, There Are Enough Songs In The World, ‘All I Ever Wanted Was A Chance’ is a full-band alt-pop gem that tussles with disenchantment and apathy in masterful fashion, revealing a darker yet no less incandescent shade to Nellis’ expansive musical palette.

  • Stream: Rory Nellis – Crossed Out

    April 17, 2017 - By 

    The fourth single from his forthcoming second studio album, There Are Enough Songs In The World, ‘Crossed Out’ by Belfast’s Rory Nellis is – much like the three efforts that have preceded it – a masterstroke of subtle harmonic power and lyrical finesse. Betraying the songsmith’s acutely perceptive take on the everyday and the much bigger picture, there’s something impossibly timely about its earworming refrain: “Getting sentimental over things that never really happened. Sitting here and waiting for someone to hit the panic button.” Recorded and mixed by Phil D’Alton (with mastering courtesy of Stephen Quinn), the single features d’Alton…

  • Stream: Rory Nellis – Casual Discrimination

    February 6, 2017 - By 

    Taken from his forthcoming second album, There Are Enough Songs In The World, ‘Casual Discrimination’ by Belfast singer-songwriter Rory Nellis is a song that wields subtlety like a scythe. With its wonderfully-woven alt-folk brood summoning the likes of Department of Eagles and Grizzly Bear, it’s a very timely song that tackles racism and discrimination with a poise, lyrical finesse and extraordinary harmonic command that we’ve found sets Nellis apart from many of his tale-telling peers. Having already released two singles from There Are Enough Songs In The World (which is set for release on Saturday, November 11) ‘Casual Discrimination’ is the third and latest…