• Shellac Set For Irish Shows

    The always reliably excellent Shellac are returning to Ireland. Having last played the Dublin in 2017, the Steve Albini-fronted trio will stop off at Dolan’s Warehouse in Limerick on April 26th and Dublin’s Button Factory on April 27th and 29th 2022. Tickets for the shows, which are promoted by Seoda Shows, Foggy Notions and U:Mack are on sale here and here. Revisit At Action Park below.

  • Shellac Announce Irish Shows

    Chicago post-hardcore masters Shellac will return to Dublin to play a show at Tivoli Theatre on Saturday, September 30. Supported by special guests Il Sogno Marinaio (featuring the almighty Mike Watt), the trio of Steve Albini, Bob Weston and Todd Trainer last played the city back in 2013. Tickets for Tivoli go on sale this Friday here. Update: the band will also play Galway’s Roisin Dubh on Friday, September 29 and Belfast’s Black Box on October 1. Tickets €25/23 and £18.

  • Primavera 2017

    After 16 years, there’s no doubt that Primavera is Europe’s premier festival, for everyone from the capped-up indie kids to right-on middle-agers seeking some escapism, from the techno heads on through to High Fidelity type nerf herders and vinyl hoarders. So: how does Europe’s best music festival follow up on a last year’s best-ever edition – a mammoth lineup topped by Radiohead. Well, partially through sticking with what works – every sub-genre well catered for and then some, and not just on the three main days at Parc del Forum, but in venues across the city in the preceding weeks.…

  • Shellac – Dude Incredible

    Shellac don’t operate like a normal band. Releasing albums every seven years in between Steve Albini and Bob Weston’s day jobs as recording engineers; no fanfare, no previews or singles; no accompanying tour. One thing they can be relied on for, however, is their consistency. You could essentially arrange Shellac’s discography into any order and it would be difficult for a newcomer to work out the correct sequence. This is no bad thing – no one wants to hear a Shellac album that doesn’t sound like Shellac – it’s a testament to how consistently strong they’ve been over the last…

  • Gig of the week: Shellac @ Limelight 2, Belfast

    Our gig of the week this week is a slight departure from our normal rule of thumb of featuring local artists. Fronted by  incomparably influential musician and legendary producer Steve Albini, Chicago, Illnois noise rock trio Shellac stop off at Belfast’s Limelight 2 on Thursday, November 21 ahead of the release of their forthcoming fifth studio album. The band will also play Dublin’s Whelan’s on Wednesday, November 20. Los Angeles-based cellist Alison Chesley AKA Helen Money will provide support on both dates. Tickets for the Belfast are £18.50 and are available to buy here. Go to the show’s Facebook event page…

  • Optimus Primavera – Day Two

    The sun continues to bless Optimus Primavera Sound on the festival’s second day. Arriving on site in the late afternoon there’s ample time to have a cocktail from one of the stalls dotted around the Parque da Cicade before the day’s schedule begins, and with a nice strong caipirinha costing a mere €4 it would be rude not to. People-watching whilst sipping on a drink and strolling around is an oddly compelling pastime, but it’s best to conserve energy for the moment as today sees a further two stage areas opened up to the public – the ATP Stage and the…