• Electric Picnic 2014 @ Stradbally Estate, Co. Laois

    September 2, 2014 - By 

    With a sickeningly diverse lineup of local and international acts, both old and new, spanning more or less every genre under the glistening sun, Electric Picnic 2014 is the hottest ticket of the Irish summer, and upon exploration of the festival site (it would be unjust to ignore Electric Picnic’s attention to detail) there’s the essential Body & Soul zone, functioning as the hippie commune area of the site – the music and arts festival is, after all, the bedrock of the hippie dream – and the Trailer Park, which offers corn dogs, some cover bands and an assortment of…

  • Final Electric Picnic Acts announced

    August 18, 2014 - By 

    Less than two weeks now to the start of Ireland’s premier music festival, and the festival has revealed the final seventeen acts that will grace the stage at Stradbelly. Several top Irish bands lead the way with Sleep Thieves (above), Tvvins, We Cut Corners and Raglans all set to perform. The other artists that will be playing at the festival are Jenny Lewis,  Krystal Klear,  PHOX,  The Minutes, Vann Music, Booka Brass Band  Spies, The Academic, Orla Gartland, Buffalo Sunn, Daniel James,  Acrobat and Wyvern Lingo. Electric Picnic takes place at Stradbelly Estate, Laois from August 29 to 31. Tickets are sold out.

  • Gigs Of The Week: Rock Against Racism, Leaders Of Men, Sleep Thieves

    June 16, 2014 - By 

    Summertime is well and truly upon us now, and with the start of festival season it can be very easy to miss some of the many outstanding indoor shows that continue to take place, oftentimes going unnoticed. Here are just a handful of shows that are worth checking out in Belfast and Dublin. Rock Against Racism: And So I Watch You From Afar, The Answer and more – Limelight 1, Belfast; Friday, June 20 Some of Northern Ireland’s finest musical talent will assemble at Belfast’s Limelight 1 on Friday night for a special Rock Against Racism fundraiser. Headlined by North…

  • Stream: Sleep Thieves – You Want The Night

    May 14, 2014 - By 

    Taken from the band’s highly-anticipated second studio album, You Want The Night, Dublin electro-pop three-piece Sleep Thieves have really delivered on the release’s title track. With Sorcha Brennan’s entrancing vocals taking centre-stage, Keith Byrne and Wayne Fahy weave a spectral, nocturnal web around the song’s forward-moving rhythms. Sitting side-to-side with the band’s previous single, ‘City of Hearts’, it makes for extremely encouraging stuff. You Want The Night will be released via Minty Fresh records on June 17. Stream the title track from the album below.

  • Stream: Sleep Thieves – City Of Hearts

    February 20, 2014 - By 

    Having reached no. 40 in out Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2013 with the stunning slice of indie/electro-pop that was ‘Sparks’, Dublin trio Sleep Thieves have released a stream of their latest single, ‘City of Hearts’. Propelled by a strutting, synth-lined beat, the track blossoms into a subtly kaleidoscopic chorus, its Solar Bears-esque twists and turns governed by Sorcha Brennan’s wonderfully lulling vocals. Taken from the band’s forthcoming new album, You Want The Night, the single – recorded by Keith Byrne and mixed by Rian Trench – is the trio’s first release since recently signing to Chicago-based record label Minty Fresh Records. Stream ‘City of…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2013 (50-35)

    December 24, 2013 - By 

    With 2014 fast approaching, we’re very itchy underfoot to wrap up our countdown of our top 100 Irish songs of 2013. A veritable wealth of great music of practically every shade of genre featured in the first and second installments of the list and we very much continue on that trend on from tracks #50 to #35. Check back next week for tracks #34 to #1 and have a very merry festive period from us in the meantime! 50. Linebacker Dirge – Words Are Missing Fronted by Jason Gibson, Belfast-based alt-rock quartet Linebacker Dirge are comprised of members of bands including…