• Popicalia 22: Squarehead, Land Lovers & Ginnels @ Bello Bar, Dublin

    August 2, 2016 - By 

    At one stage, Popical Island’s regular Popicalia nights were such a staple of Dublin’s indie scene that Retarded Cop even wrote a song about it (found on the Popical Island #2 compilation), so its return with a stellar lineup – and an invitingly colourful poster courtesy of Ruan Van Vliet – after a 2 and a half year hiatus was always going to attract a hefty crowd to its new home in the cosy surroundings of Bello Bar. Ginnels (below) opening set sees Mark Chester add a new violinist to the lineup, adding an extra layer to the infectious indie pop…

  • Popicalia 22

    July 25, 2016 - By 

    Having declared back in January that they were “alive and well and making plans for 2016” Dublin’s self-proclaimed Bockety POP collective Popical Island will host their grand twenty-second Popicalia at Bello Bar on Saturday, July 30. Headlined by indie-rock trio Squarehead, the show – which also features fellow islanders Land Lovers and Ginnels – is an inestimable opportunity to (re-)acquaint oneself with said bocket. Admission is just €8 (or £300 according to the show’s Facebook event page. Man, Brexit has hit hard).

  • Track Record: Ian McFarlane (Squarehead / Kid Karate)

    May 4, 2016 - By 

    In this installment of Track Record we hang out with Ian McFarlane, bassist extraordinaire with Squarehead and Kid Karate. Here he selects the albums that have left a huge impression on him, from Parliament to Prince. Photos by Aidan Kelly Murphy. Parliament – The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein As far as I am concerned Parliament are the greatest funk band of all time. George Clinton masterminded a situation where the best musicians he could find were free to experiment and collaborate thus producing some of the most incredible music you could image. At the core of Parliament were the James Brown…

  • Track Record: Roy Duffy (Squarehead)

    June 2, 2015 - By 

    In this installment of Track Record, Roy Duffy from Squarehead takes us through some of his most influential and inspiring records in his collection from The Wipers to Vivian Girls.  Photos by Aaron Corr. Disclaimer: Nowhere in this article will I refer to “tones” “riffs” “licks” or to any aspects of technical proficiency. Radioactivity – Radioactivity I just recently moved into my current abode and my house mate was playing this relentlessly in the next room for the first few weeks. When he stopped I had to find out what it was and go buy it so I could do the…

  • Block T Christmas Party: Squarehead, Bantum, Bad Santa Screening, Live Visuals & more

    December 5, 2014 - By 

    The Sugar Club hosts the Block T Christmas Party on December 13 which looks to be an attack on the senses. On the night, they combine visuals and audio, with a screening of Billy Bob Thornton black comedy Bad Santa, performances from Dublin lo-fi garage pop Squarehead, Irish DJ/producer Ruairi Lynch aka Bantum – accompanied by a live visual mapping show from Slipdraft –  some Block T DJ’s and a night-closing DJ set from Donal Dineen of 2fm. The plethora of activities doesn’t stop there though, folks, as video intervals come from Darklight, there’s a Print Your Own Christmas T-shirt workshop by Damn Fine Pint. Tickets are available from the Sugar Club for €12, or €10…

  • AAA: September Girls @ Bello Bar, Dublin

    December 2, 2014 - By 

    In this installment of AAA (Access All Areas) we spent Friday evening with September Girls for the launch of their new EP Veneer at the Bello Bar in Dublin, a particular favourite venue of the band. Support on the night came from Squarehead and Sissy. Check out the gallery before for more great photos by Joe Laverty.

  • Watch: Squarehead – 2025

    November 16, 2014 - By 

    Equal parts wistful and wonderful, Dublin indie-rock trio Squarehead have unveiled the video for their latest single ‘2025’. Created by Domhnall and Brian Gleeson, the video very nicely captures perhaps the biggest of all the big questions: “Where does the time go?” It confronts it and turns it something of rare beauty – the faint sense of melancholy pales into a return to the “good old days”, and a very fun reminder of Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr’s age-old adage of “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”. It also kind of reminded us of this. ‘2025’ is taken from Squarehead’s exceptional Respect, released last…

  • Gigs of the week: Slint, Blue Whale, The Charlatans, DJ Food, Squarehead, Deafheaven

    August 12, 2014 - By 

    It’s somewhat of a dow-time for gigs these days, with Electric Picnic looming in just a few weeks, it seems that the smaller shows have dried up just a little bit. That’s not to say that there are not numerous shows taking place right across around the country this week, and we’ve picked out a few that are most definitely worth checking out. Slint, Girl Band – Limelight 2, Belfast; Monday, August 18 Louisville post-rock pioneers Slint make their Belfast debut on Monday, August 18 at Limelight 2. Hands down one of the most influential bands of all time, they will…

  • The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2013 (35-1)

    December 30, 2013 - By 

    Sixty-five increasingly exceptional songs in, we’re pleased to round up our first ever countdown of the Top 100 Irish Tracks of the year. Truth be told, this list could have been much, much longesear – such was the extent and quality of the output from our homegrown musical talent over the last twelve months. From unassuming bedroom artists treading the often very thin line between absolute anonymity and mass recognition to genre-defining, decades-spanning bands that fall comfortably under “legendary” status, we’ve been very happily bombarded with some truly extraordinary Irish music over the last year. Until next time… listen, enjoy…

  • Album stream: Squarehead – RESPECT

    September 22, 2013 - By 

    The follow-up to their 2011 debut album Yeah Nothing, Dublin trio Squarehead have unveiled their second studio album, RESPECT, as a pay-what-you-like release. A shimmering and occasionally raucous eleven-track blast of the band’s ever-distinctive brand of indie pop, the album was produced by Les Keye at Arad Studios at the end of Summer 2013 and produced by Liam Grant. Truth be told: it’s already shaping up to be one of our favourite releases from an Irish act this year. Stream or download (for free, if you like) the album below.