• EP Download: The Altered Hours – Outskirts

    September 23, 2014 - By 

    Currently out of action for a few weeks due to injury, Cork psych-rock conjurers The Altered Hours have unveiled a three-track mini EP, Outskirts. Speaking of the release – recorded at different times in different places – the band’s frontman Cathal Mac Gabhann said, “We just wanted to share it as its a particular psychedelic feeling to all three that work well together.” And that they do: cushioned by the swelling ambience of ‘Joy’ and ‘Outskirts’, the two-chord swoon of ‘I’m On a High’ hits home, proving a super-stripped-back masterstroke evoking the likes of Galaxie 500, Yo La Tengo and…

  • 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…

  • Electric Picnic 2014: Seven Must-See Acts

    August 28, 2014 - By 

    Sold out for the second year in a row with good reason, there’s obviously a veritable plethora of talent at Electric Picnic. As a result, it’s never easy to sift through all the bands you may or may not want to catch, so here’s our two cents on some of the acts you should choose to give a few of your minutes to. Slowdive Having reunited in January to play Primavera earlier in the year, Slowdive’s Electric Picnic appearance marks one of a limited number of reunited dates on these isles from the shoegaze masters. They released three albums in their…

  • In Photos: Indiependence Music and Arts Festival

    August 5, 2014 - By 

    Cork’s Indiependence Music and Arts Festival saw in its grand fourteenth year in style at the weekend. Featuring the likes of Public Enemy, Tom Odell, Hozier, Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip, The Altered Hours and many more, check out Rory Coomey’s first-rate photo set from the the festival below.

  • Festival Mixtape: Indiependence 2014

    July 29, 2014 - By 

    Hands down one of Cork’s finest annual festivals, Indiependence returns to Mitcheltown’s Deer Park across the weekend of August 1-3, headlined by hip-hop overlords Public Enemy, London post-punk trio White Lies and Tom Odell. Better still, this year’s festival boasts some of the very finest acts, of every conceivable ilk and genre, that fall comfortably under the banner “homegrown”. Whether you look to the cosmically-inclined rapture of Cork’s The Altered Hours or Belfast-based indie-pop quartet Go Wolf, amongst several others, the veritable cream of Ireland’s musical crop will be nicely represented across the weekend. Check out the full line-up for the festival…

  • Dig Early: Six Months of Psych (Part I of II)

    June 6, 2014 - By 

    Having seen a real upsurge over the last while, 2013 was a particularly stellar year for psych rock (and all its many manifestations) the world over. With mind-expandingly exceptional albums from the likes of Hookworms, Goat, Destruction Unit and Unknown Mortal Orchestra sating the psych thirst of the more cosmically-inclined amongst us, it might yet pale in comparison to the sheer abundance of first-rate psychedelia that’s been released (and is set to be released) in 2014. Here’s my picks of the year so far. Blank Realm – Even The Score [from Grassed Inn] Two years on from the psych-tinged art-rock of their debut album, Go Easy, Brisbane sibling trio Blank Realm made…

  • Interview: The Altered Hours

    April 30, 2014 - By 

    Ahead of their highly-anticipated return to Belfast on Friday night (May 2, the Menagerie), Brian Coney talks to Cathal Mac Gabhann, frontman of Cork psych-rock trailblazers The Altered Hours about momentum, new material and pushing the boundaries of their sound. Photo by Izabela Szczutkowska. Hi Cathal. It’s been a great twelve months or so for you guys. You’re busier than you’ve ever been and a lot of new fans are getting behind you. How’s it been getting your music out to new ears? Hi Brian. I enjoy making and releasing music and doing shows. I like the whole process so it’s been fine. You recently set…