• Sounds From A Safe Harbour

    May 25, 2015 - By 

    Another brand-new festival has been added to Cork’s ever-expanding portfolio of annual events with the announcement of Sounds from a Safe Harbour, ‘a festival of music, art and conversation’ running September 17th until the 20th around the city. Curated by The National guitarist Bryce Dessner, it’s sure to be another strong Cork move, following the good buzz and recent pick-up in events and crowds that’s happened this year. The blurb: Sounds from a Safe Harbour is a brand new festival of music, art and conversation, curated by Bryce Dessner of The National. Two years since its inception by Bryce and Cork Opera…

  • BREED @ The National

    November 5, 2014 - By 

    Last night our photographer Sara Marsden popped down to Belfast’s The National to capture one-off street art exhibition, BREED. Showcasing work by Banksy, Faile, Antony Micallef, Paul Insect, Ian Francis, Herakut and more, the exhibition was curated by music video and fashion film director Neil Kerr (below).

  • Gigs of the Week: The National, Longitude, Arborist, Phosphorescent, Cat Power

    July 14, 2014 - By 

    With the World Cup having concluded after four glorious (and already sadly-missed) weeks last night, it’s safe to say many of us are significantly more inclined to leave the house more often to indulge in some first-rate shows and summer festivals. From indie rock globetrotters to local songwriting masters, here’s our rundown of the some of the most must-see gigs happening across the country over the next few days. The National – Iveagh Gardens, Dublin; Friday, July 18 Ohio indie kings The National return to Ireland this week with a string of dates in Cork, Galway and Dublin. The group have been making outstanding dark, melancholic…

  • The National @ The Odyssey, Belfast

    November 15, 2013 - By 

    Restraint. A hard quality to achieve in one’s day to day life. Musically, however, it’s very difficult indeed. Amplified by speaker stacks and placed in the glare of spotlights, many bands affect emotion by stomping on a distortion pedal or guldering angst-ridden couplets. In stark contrast, the austere members of The National continually reign in such fits of childish pique. Take, for example, ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’, with its spiralling drum patterns, mournful horns and droning guitar. It’s a perfect storm albeit one that never breaks but pulses and throbs towards a climax which never quite arrives. It creates a thrilling tension,…

  • The National @ The 02, Dublin

    November 12, 2013 - By 

    Dublin-based photographer Mark Earley was in attendance to shoot (not with a gun – it’s ok) U.S. indie rock band The National at Dublin’s 02 on Sunday, November 10. Check out his suitably stunning photo set below.

  • The National – Trouble Will Find Me

    May 27, 2013 - By 

    There’s a famous Edward Hopper painting, simply entitled ‘Gas’, in which a solitary, dapper figure stands in the centre of the canvas, almost obscured by a cherry red petrol pump. On first glance its meaning is immediately apparent: it’s either a character study or an elegy to those charming locations found off the beaten track. However, this simplicity is deceptive – as simplicity often is. Look to the right of the frame, where a particularly vicious darkness is bleeding from an obscured road into the forest. One wonders where this path leads and what is to be found there. The…