Category Archives: Music
Indiependence Festival
Deer Park, Mitchelstown, Co. Cork; July 29-31.
Here’s what you may need to know.
01. One of the success stories of the Irish festival circuit of the last decade, Indiependence has gone from a stage in Mitchelstown’s main square to one of the country’s biggest weekenders in the grounds of the Cork town’s Deer Farm.
02. This morning saw the first wave of line-up announcements, equally heavy on big names and independent Irish talent.
03. A hefty amount of weekend tix are gone already, with only Tier 3 passes left before this morning.
04. Previous Indiependence headliners Editors and Ash (back to redeem themselves after being unable to finish their set last year) are joined by Bell X1 and The Kooks at the top of the bill.
05. Scotland’s Idlewild, and Irish pop outfits The Blizzards, Hudson Taylor and The Strypes round out the crowd-pleaser portion of the announcement.
06. An intriguing selection of artists and bands lines out on the undercard, including garage-rockers Otherkin, Belfast’s Pleasure Beach, Dublin outfit Saint Sister, Cork soulman Brian Deady, and electronic lads King Kong Company.
Verdict: A solid start to what is traditionally one of the better line-ups of the Irish festival circuit, with an already-eclectic selection of acts under the bigger names. Deer Park is a beautiful location for a fest like this, and there’s little-to-none of the usual hassles that come with the bigger summer sojourns. Well worth the excursion.
The Great Balloon Race – Chocolate Beans
What you may need to know…
01. Hailing from Cork, where they’ve been active for the past few years with various line-ups, psychedelia/folk four-piece The Great Balloon Race head in a more blissed-out, jazzy direction with new single Chocolate Beans.
02. Following on from 2012’s Cardboard album and last year’s Daryl and John single, it’s available now, for free/pay-what-you-want download on Bandcamp, and free download from Soundcloud.
03. An accompanying video, above, was directed by Cork film-maker and photographer Blair Alexander Massie. This is their second collaboration, having worked on the live performance video for Daryl and John.
04. The band are launching Chocolate Beans at legendary venue Connolly’s of Leap this Sunday, with support from promising Cork noisy/synthy unit The Barchester Chronicles. Doors at 9pm, €10 in.
Verdict: Part of a small but vital clutch of bands that comprises Cork’s psych-rock (and related ephemera) scene, The Great Balloon Race have been one of the city’s best-kept secrets of the past few years. Here’s hoping it doesn’t stay that way much longer.
Slow Skies – Winter Night
What you may need to know…
01. A gentle piano ballad that brings the best out of the cool, breathy voice of Karen Sheridan, a.k.a. Slow Skies, Winter Night released last week on Dubland-based Paper Trail Records.
02. Working with producer Conal Herron, whom she met while studying music in London, the pair have struck up a working relationship on previous singles that continues here, contrasting a strong voice over delicate keys and strings.
03. Says herself: “Winter Night is about trying to capture a place in time or feeling you once had and wanting to hold on to it, not wanting to move on from it. It’s that feeling you have where you wish you could go back in time and just be in that moment or feeling again. It comes from a place of longing”
04. The single follows a busy 2015, including working closely with Cork audiovisual stable/label Feel Good Lost on live appearances in Ireland and Iceland.
Verdict: A spine-chilling piece of sparse, stark folk that’s an early contender for Irish end-of-year singles lists. Beautiful.
Adam ‘Mylo The Cat’ Schleichkorn has Barney and Friends perform ‘Get Money’ by Notorious B.I.G. and Junior M.A.F.I.A.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/153227017
Solar Bears – Wild Flowers
What you may need to know…
01. Released a week or two ago by Rob da Bank’s independent label Sunday Best, Wild Flowers marks the return after a three-year hiatus of Dublin/Wicklow electronica duo Solar Bears.
02. Comprised of Rian Trench and John Kowalski, the duo have previously been signed to the Planet Mu label, with publishing through legendary electronic label Warp. They’re currently preparing their third full-length, Advancement, due on Friday March 18.
03. The Wild Flowers vid was directed by Michael Robinson, who’s previously done promos for Bibio, The Go! Team, and Ronika.
04. To make up for their extended live absence, and to prepare for said upcoming LP, the lads have recorded a fantastic live set of nearly an hour’s worth of new material, for Boiler Room’s Upfront sessions. Stream and download it for free.
Verdict: Simply put: welcome back, Solar Bears. We’ve missed you. Now hurry on and get the new LP out.
The Audi-sponsored Dublin International Film Festival, launched last evening at the Savoy cinema in Dublin’s O’Connell Street with John Carney’s (that’s him in the grey suit) Sing Street, a class of modern day The Commitments.
After the screening, the cast performed songs from the film, which also stars this tree.
(Pix: Oisín)
Sounds Of A System Breakdown – Punishing Love
What you may need to know
01. London-resident Dublander Rob Costello, alongside collaborators Ed Costello and Richy Kelly, form the live electronic collective known as Sounds of System Breakdown. Rather than do the whole static laptop-and-beardstroking bit, the band exist in the physical space, swapping instruments and generally giving it socks.
02. They’re somewhat of a veteran outfit by now, together/active in some form since 2008. New EP Punishing Love (title track streaming above) is their first release since August 2014’s Giving Up single, also included on the EP. Vinyl pops and clicks pockmark a steady mover of a tune, strong beats underpinning a stark yet layered soundscape.
03. The video was directed by the good folk at FailSafe Films, and has a novel twist on the whole “dancer in video” trope – it was filmed at a Strictly Come Dancing night at St. Patrick’s GFC, in Lordship, Co. Louth. It follows Jade and Christopher’s quest to bring home first prize, a beautifully-realised look at small-town life, teamwork, and developing partnerships.
04. No announced live dates in support of the EP just yet, but, oh, look: it’s out on limited edition 12″ vinyl. Get that here. It’s also up on iTunes and Bandcamp for download, and on Spotify for those so inclined.
Verdict: Much to be loved here by fans of electronic, indie, ambient and post-rock. A multifaceted outfit showcases a multifaceted sound.
Slow Riot – post-punk from Limerick.
What you may need to know…
01. Emerging from Limrock‘s fertile musical underbelly, post-punk trio Slow Riot arrive with equal measures of atmosphere and songsmithery, wrapped up in sparse, yet tense production.
02. New single T R O P H Y W I F E is currently doing the radio rounds, but is as of yet unavailable for online consumption, so here’s their Cathedral EP from October of last year. T R O P H Y W I F E releases April 15th via Straight Lines Are Fine (and we’ll have it in this post as soon as it becomes available).
03. Both the EP and the upcoming single were produced by Kevin Vanbergen (The Pixies, The Maccabees, Dinosaur Pile-Up, The La’s, Biffy Clyro) at the helm. Some heavyweight company to keep, to say the least. On top of this, the EP was recorded in the Manic Street Preachers’ Faster studio in Cardiff.
04. Opening for Girls’ Names in Dolan’s on February 27th, they’ve had a good run in 2016 already, touring with synth-poppers I <3 The Monster Hero, and being named one of State Mag’s 16 for ’16.
Verdict: The new single’s a good ‘un, adding to what you hear above with a good dose of rhythmic, propulsive sensibilities. Keep an ear out for these lads. If they can maintain this momentum, there’s surely big things on the horizon.
The Sea Sessions, Bundoran, Co. Donegal.
What you may need to know.
01. Bundoran’s annual seaside hoedown goes from strength to strength with each passing year, and 2016 is the biggest line-up yet.
02. Crowd-pleasers on the bill this year include Brit icons Primal Scream, crossover hip-hop megastar Tinie Tempah and ska perennials Bad Manners.
03. Those with an eye for Irish bands will no doubt see the presence of August Wells (ex-Rollerskate Skinny) on the bill, Belfast’s Pleasure Beach as well as potential show-stealers in Dublin power-trio Bitch Falcon.
04. The festival’s usual helping of surf, skate and BMX goings-on will also be on hand. ‘Tis renowned for that type of thing.
Verdict: Well worth going off the beaten festival circuit to get to, with a healthy balance of Irish artists and big names.