• Watch: Silences – L.A

    Set to play alongside Orchid Collective at Belfast’s Bar Sub tonight, Armagh five-piece Silences have unveiled their new single, ‘L.A’. A strong and typically earworming alt-indie effort from the Conchúr White, it shows the band moving into more full-bodied, electric territory, and is something of a departure from their more acoustic efforts of yore. Accompanied by their most pro visuals to date – courtesy of director Julian Moore Cooke – White said the track stemmed from a realisation Stateside: “I’m proud of the work that has been put in to get to this point and I like that a development can be heard in our catalogue. L.A…

  • 12 Irish Acts Set for SXSW ’17

    Ahh, South By Southwest. Fully indispensable festival and conference or overly hectic annual industry circus? The jury still seems to be out on that one but, as far we’re concerned at least, it’s firmly slotted in the former camp. Set to return to Austin from March 10-19, this year’s outing will see 12 of its 500 acts – including several TTA favourites – flying in from the Emerald Isle. With the likes of Enemies, Rusangano Family and Saint Sister featuring last year, SXSW ’17 will see Robocobra Quartet, Ryan Vail, LOAH (pictured), Silences, Birds of Olympus, Jealous of the Birds, A.S Fanning, The Academic, Picture…

  • Stream: Silences – There’s a Wolf

    “Quite a touching song in its sheer bare-boned simplicity and sound. Great track – potentially brilliant artist.” So your writer scribed three years ago this June in reference to an early version of ‘There’s a Wolf’ by Co. Armagh’s Conchúr White AKA Silences. Having came on many leaps and bounds since that tentative first foray in 2013, White and his band have released a reworking of the track, revealing deft harmonies, wonderfully subtle pockets of sound and fleshed-out, full-band instrumentation that more than justifies the revamp. Silences’ forthcoming EP Luna will be released on April 15 will be released on April 15.

  • TTA Session #009: Silences

    Set to play the likes of Hard Working Class Heroes and Electric Picnic this Summer, Armagh’s Silences have had a steady yet extremely strong rise over the last couple of years. Having first caught our attention back in 2013 with ‘Ghosts’, the Conchúr White-fronted five-piece have evolved from being low-key contenders to one of the country’s most promising acts of their kind (they call themselves an alt-indie outfit, and we’re not inclined to disagree). Filmed in Belfast City Centre, our latest Live Session session features the band – stripped back as a two-piece – performing two tracks (‘The Sea’ and ‘Santa Cruz’) and in conversation.…

  • The Thin Air Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2014 (100-75)

    Twelve months, a billion tracks (probably) and a ridiculously impressive crop of new, emerging musical talent the island of Ireland over: yes, 2014 was been very generous indeed on the ol’ new music front. In a year when (the altogether sonically disparate) Girl Band and SOAK signed with Rough Trade, Adebisi Shank broke hearts in parting ways and Hozier “did a Kodaline” by going positively stratospheric – more on that later – innumerable lesser-known acts have also been slogging away in the garage, creating some of the very best sounds here or anywhere else on the face on the planet. In the first of a two-part feature,…

  • EP Stream: Silences – Sister Snow

    Having experiencing a very encouraging 2014, Armagh indie-folk outfit Silences is the harmony-driven, effortlessly impressive brainchild of one Conchúr White. With a voice instantly conjuring two of the band’s biggest influences in Villagers and Death Cab For Cutie, there is an earthly, delicately pastoral allure to their craft; something that is in abundance on their second EP, Sister Snow. Over four wonderfully wistful tracks, the release never strays too far from its source – a distinctly provincial air of yearning, propelled by subtly hypnotic acoustic instrumentalism and White’s breathy meditations upon home, belonging and adulation. The fact that the band manage to set themselves apart…

  • Line-up announced for inaugural Output showcase

    With just over a fortnight to wait, the line-up for the inaugural Output have been announced. Northern Ireland’s largest ever one-day conference and showcasing event, taking place throughout Belfast’s city centre and Cathedral Quarter on Thursday, October 16, it will see a series of free talks, workshops and pop-up gigs, attending by around 350 artists, businesses and creative students. We’re very happy to be involved, too. Teaming up with tastemaker par excellence Niall Byrne AKA Nialler9, we will host a most awesome showcase in the Black Box main room with Cork psych rock five-piece Altered Hours (pictured), Dublin electronic duo Contour, Derry…

  • Watch: Silences – Sister Snow

    Fresh from their debut performance at Electric Picnic, Silences return to our laptop screens with their fantasy-esque video for their new track ‘Sister Snow’ from their forthcoming EP. Sublimely shot by Dublin’s Alec Moore, the video echoes the woodland innocence of Where The Wild Things Are and aptly suits the song, which we previewed in our most recent podcast. Formed in 2012 and fronted by Conchúr White, the band have found themselves in the company of Bell X1, Lisa O’Neill and Foy Vance amongst others on RTE’s Other Voices and have played many festivals including Stendhal Festival and Vantastival. Watch the video…