IMLÉ – Fún Orm
Rap as gaeilge by MC Muipéad.
Filmed by Fergal Moloney in a ‘secret Dublin city centre location’.
IMLÉ release their debut album on Gael Linn Records later this year.
(Thanks Cian McCarthy)
Category Archives: Music
White Boys – Stylin’
Here’s what you may need to know.
01. Cork-based lads Gary Keane and Eoin Walsh comprise the synth/funk/R&B duo White Boys, who are getting ready to release their Stylin’ single on April 15th, ahead of an EP release later this year. You can stream it in the widget above.
02. You may remember these boys from the height of the marriage equality referendum: their fantastic arrangement of Michael O’Leary’s derailed attempt at a homophobic rant was one of the campaign’s highlights.
03. They followed this up with a synth-funk version of Hozier‘s Take Me to Church that got them noticed by the wider Irish musical sphere, including headlining the after-party for disco legends Chic alongside Cork hip-hop veteran Stevie G.
04. Formed after meeting on the set of the Late Late Show, the duo aren’t just blogosphere darlings, having shared recording sessions with Earth, Wind, and Fire, as well as having worked with producer G1 and Death Row Records engineer Tommy D. Daugherty. Bootsy Collins, The Rubberbandits and Panti Bliss are also fans.
Verdict: The boys clearly love what they do, which is half the joy of seeing them in action. They can back the antics up with some serious skills, though, both live and as producers. Get adding ’em to your party playlists.
Rhett LeCompte performs the 1985 USA For Africa charity hit We Are The World using the Face Swap Live app to impersonate all the singers.
Megacone – Absolute Magnitude
Here’s what you may need to know…
01. Megacone are a Dublin-based five-piece trading in a math-inflected strain of post-rock. Equally atmospheric and technically intricate, their output so far has been very impressive.
02. Absolute magnitude is “the measure of the intrinsic brightness of a celestial object”. It’s also Megacone’s new song, recorded by Rian Trench (of Solar Bears) and Robert Scanlon.
03. This seven-minute opus is Megacone’s step into a much bigger, spacier sound, and the video, directed by Bailey & Blake Productions, plays off this with an elaborate video that contrasts cinematography and production values with drone-shot performance footage.
04. They’re playing the Venture Takeover stage of the BD Festival on Good Friday in the Wicklow Mountains, amid a quality helping of Irish math-rock, post-rock and other awkward/technically-accomplished shenanigans.
Verdict: Accomplished stuff from lads as young as this five-piece. Keep a close eye on them: it’s not for no reason they’re this ambitious this early in the game.
Photo credit: AK Photography.
God Creative & Crimes Against – Godzillah
A YMLT premiere. Here’s what you may need to know…
01. God Creative is Darren Dwyer, a rapper, lyricist and artist from Darndale in Dubland. He met his creative partner after landing on the couch of his studio while out on on a ‘session’.
02. Crimes Against is electronic producer Dan Doherty, formerly of bands Ghost Estates and Sickboy. He also currently runs said studio, Darklands Audio, where the duo’s upcoming release was written and recorded.
03. This is the lead-off to their upcoming album ‘Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost’, released on the duo’s own imprint, Slap in the Face. It releases March 4.
04. As part of the single’s launch, the lads are playing Dublin’s Chocolate Factory on March 26th
Verdict: God’s Dublin-accented holler and Crimes’ skittish noise are good bedfellows, with the lads taking their cues from noise-hop staples like Death Grips and Run the Jewels. It sets a good tone for their upcoming album.
F_ Festival
Dublin City, March 12th, 2016
All-dayer at various venues around Dublin City, aimed at increasing visibility and presence for women in the arts in Ireland. All events are FREE.
Bands like Kevyn, Spines and Twin-Headed Wolf play The Grand Social from 5-11pm, while the North’s Sister Ghost headline the stage at Sweeney’s. The ground floor of the Grand Social also plays host to spoken-word sets from Ailish J Kerr, Victoria Curtis & Alicia Byrne Keane. Joanne McNally of Republic of Telly headlines comedy at Wigwam, while cinema and photography goes down at Hangar, Filmbase, and Gallery of Photography. More to be announced in the full programme.
B.A.R.E. In The Woods Festival Launch
Good Friday March 25th, Roll ‘n’ Bowl, Portlaoise
Not so much a fest in and of itself as a Good Friday hooley in an non-licensed space, this one marks the launch of Laois’ “other” major contributor to the Irish festival scene. The price of admission gets you a tenner off the festival, free entertainments all over the complex, and live appearances from Sounds of System Breakdown, Laurie Shaw and Suan. Roller disco thrown in for good measure.
BD Festival
Good Friday March 25th, Glendalough House, Annamoe, Co. Wicklow
A BYOB barn-dance in the Wicklow Mountains, BD Festival leads with a strong topline of electronic acts, Dimitri from Paris, Mylo and Dense and Pika, with Irish indie veteran RSAG, young post-rockers Megacone, and math-rock upstarts Punch Face Champions among the undercard. FIGHT Session!
Scrobarnach Good Friday Society
Friday-Saturday March 25th-26th, undisclosed location
Galway’s Scrobarnach Music Society head to a mystery location in County Cork for some whooping and a-hollering away from the drinks ban on Good Friday. Rather than sell tickets, the lads are selling memberships via Eventbrite. Highlights of the line-up include John Heckle, Bastardo Electrico, Same D4ence and Cuttin’ Heads Collective.
Community Skratch Games X
Saturday March 26th and Sunday March 27th, Bierhaus, Galway
The tenth anniversary of Ireland’s showcase skratch and boom-bap excursion stretches across the weekend, and lists a who’s who of Irish hip-hop on the line-out. Wat Tyler’s Soundcard (that is, Jimmy Penguin, Hatetank and DJ Chile), mynameisjOhn & Naive Ted in a collaborative DJ set, Danny Deepo, T-Woc, JusMe and the wonderfully-monikered Fidel Cutstro are among the massive line-up.
Siege of Limerick Earrach,
Sunday March 27th, Dolan’s Warehouse, Limerick
The centre of Ireland’s metal community, the biannual Siege of Limerick all-dayer comes forth for its annual spring excursion, with the Bad Rep boys rolling out another quality line-up for absolutely zero door-tax. UK doom-metal legends Esoteric headline, with Irish metal vets Cruachán and Stormzone also at the top of the bill. The undercard is lined with the cream of Ireland’s metal scene, with Shardborne, Okus, dark_matter, Zombified, zhOra and Bailer among those on the bill.
Extra Fox – Lunar Float
Here’s what you may need to know…
01. Extra Fox is the nom-de-plume of Dubliner Neil Adams, formerly of many outfits, most notably the at-one-time much-fancied The Cast of Cheers.
02. Last week saw the release via Soundcloud of new single Lunar Float (streaming above), a beatsy track that plays with acoustic strings, handclaps, and an array of synths in looping, building fashion.
03. The project had its live debut last year, with support slots for fellow Cast of Cheers spinoff All Tvvins and Dublin outfit Sleep Thieves occurring after a string of singles going up on his Soundcloud.
04. It’s a tad more restrained than previous single Palm of Gold, mastered by Mati Schwarz (All Tvvins among others), an upbeat piece that marries a definite pop sensibility with biting vintage synth sounds.
Verdict: There’s much here to love for fans of electronica and Adams’ previous projects, but also taps into a rich vein of pop sensibility, providing further intrigue for math-rock nerds and casual listeners alike.
The Vincent(s) – Aleister
Here’s what you may need to know…
01. Cork-based “death-pop” ensemble The Vincent(s) this week unveiled the video for new single Aleister, from upcoming full-length Death to the Vincent(s).
02. It’s a more immediate and raw sound than we’ve heard from the band, off the back of previous singles Opium Den Song and Song for the Sea.
03. The latter of those two was given a ridiculously fuzzy, doomy remix by Courtney Taylor-Taylor of the Dandy Warhols, who’s said to have remarked that the band “the sickest and most totally believable heavy rock motherfuckers ever” after a set at Sea Sessions a few years back. As you do.
04. They play Tricky McGarrigle’s in Sligo tonight, Cyprus Avenue in Cork tomorrow night, and the Roisín Dubh in Galway on Thursday night in support of the new video and upcoming new material.
Verdict: These lads have been slogging away for the past few years, and it’s starting to work out, with last year seeing high-profile support slots emerging from hard touring. Expect to hear more from this crowd this year.
My Tribe Your Tribe – Garden Song
What you may need to know…
01. Kildare alt-rockers My Tribe Your Tribe have just released new single Garden Song this past week, ahead of an upcoming 4-track EP this May.
02. The trio had a busy 2015, with festival appearances all over the country, including Other Voices, Electric Picnic’s Body & Soul stage, Hard Working Class Heroes, and others.
03. Garden Song is a move into more indie/alt-inflected territory, following a 2015 of synth-informed singles. It’s also a tad bit more of a mover than big, sweeping pop tunes like Ghost With You.
04. They’re playing the Sin É in Dubland tomorrow night in a free show, ahead of a run of single-launch shows around the country: Thursday March 3 at Monroe’s in Galway; Saturday March 12 at the Village Pump in Rathangan, Co. Kildare; and Sunday, March 13 at the Crane Lane Theatre in Cork.
Verdict: Slowly demonstrating an ever-increasing range of influences and reference points, My Tribe Your Tribe are ones to watch for fans of the greater indie-&-alternative oeuvre.
Power Ballad
at
Immanuel Julian writes:
This is election song by [Dublin based guitarist and songwriter] Patrick Freeman is the best thing I’ve seen in the whole month of GE