Tag Archives: Galway

Cn1T2AxUsAACtJ7

Dott – Galwegian pop duo release new E.P.

What you may need to know…

01. Robust cheering and rejoicing could be heard for miles from the usually austere Karl’s den Broadsheet offices yesterday, with the release of new material from Galwegians Anna and Tebs, a.k.a. Dott.

02. Beginning life as an four-piece plying a ramshackle, yet impossibly, heart-warmingly, happy pop, the band came to attention with 2012’s Button E.P., featuring one of your writer’s favourite Irish pop cuts ever, in Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love).

03. Streaming above is the band’s new E.P., Beverly Baldwin, releasing digitally and on cassette on New York’s Mirror Universe Tapes label.

04. Having bust down to a two-piece after getting married and moving to Toronto, the EP marks a turn for more focused, dreamy/gazey material with the aid of loops and effects.

Verdict: Older, wiser, better-travelled and more experienced, yet no less starry-eyed and hopeful. Fantastic.

DOTT

it

Oh my God. They’ve Kilkenny’d.

Padraig O’Ceallaigh writes:

Galway’s Kilkenny Castle!?

And ireland’s European City Of Culture 2020 is…Galway (Irish Times)

Meanwhile…

904248809042487790424873

This afternoon.

The National Concert Hall, Dublin.

Galwegians celebrate Galway becoming European Capital of Culture 201020.

Sure isn’t it the capital every year?

*Plays spoons barefoot outside pub*

Leah Farrell/Rollingnews

Earlier: Too Soon?

11796350_536613613157729_741220326920660298_n

Jimmy Penguin – New album Rust

What you may need to know…

01. Galway-based skratchologist and manipulator of sounds Jimmy Penguin unleashes Rust, his fifth (!) long-player this year.

02. He’s been throwing them out on the DL, and moving in a more techno/minimal direction all the while, including collab albums with fellow Galwegian Acidfeen and DJ Chile. Find his discography here, much of it free/donations.

03. Streaming above is Rust, a platter of wonky, alien breaks and beats released a week or two back.

04. When not constantly moving his own game forward, he also runs Alkalinear Recordings, an online label dedicated to left-of-centre electronics. He’s also a co-founder of Galway’s annual Community Skratch Games.

Verdict: Forward-thinking, fearless and p-p-prolific as of recent, JImmy Penguin shows ’em how it’s done.

Jimmy Penguin

10382314_622113571190504_5850483530262972822_o

Harvester – new EP Harmonic Ruptures and launch gigs

What you may need to know…

01. Galway sludge/doom metallers Harvester are back from an extended period of (dis)quiet with their second EP.

02. First EP The Blind Summit Recordings kind of flew under a lot of radars when released in late 2012, but is a solid slab of Sabbathesque rock ‘n’ roll, the release of which led to support for Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats a year later in Dublin.

03. Streaming above in its entirety is Harmonic Ruptures. Recorded by James Eager at The Hive Studios in Kilcoole, it was mastered by go-to heft technician James Plotkin.

04. The band are doing the rounds to back the EP’s digital release, playing the Roisin Dubh tomorrow night with Okus and Ten Ton Slug, again with Okus in The Hut in Phibsborough on Friday night and in Cleere’s in Kilkenny with The Kilo 1977 on Saturday. They’ll also be at the next Siege of Limerick in October.

Verdict: A big, dirty bag of riffs that’ll keep doom worshippers and stoner-rock aficionados engaged.

Harvester

CmRpeSPWIAAZX59

Gerry Foley tweetz:

This roll of paper will be turned into a BOAT by German artist, Frank Bolter, in Kinvara, Co Galway.

Man to sail across Galway Bay in paper boat in Galway 2020’s contribution to Seafest (Galway Advertiser)

UPDATE:

Via Gerry Foley

72012

Ilenkus – playing Knockanstockan fest

What you may need to know…

01. Galway hardcore/post-metal outfit Ilenkus have blazed a trail around Ireland’s metal scene over the past few years.

02. Second album The Crossing, released in September 2014, came in for adoration from national and international genre press, with no less than Terrorizer mag describing the five-piece’s live show as “truly captivating”.

03. Streaming above is the video for Over the Fire, Under the Smoke, which eagle-eyed observers will remember briefly went viral. Filmed all in one shot, it sees vocalist Chris Brennan shred his vocal chords on the streets of the band’s hometown.

04. The band emerges from hibernation with an appearance at Knockanstockan fest, July 22nd-24th. Here’s hoping it’s an airing of new material.

Verdict: An innovative and focused force in Irish metal, if not in the overall Irish independent music sphere, and a must-see live proposition.

Ilenkus

13268210_990294197744648_6488737286301279973_o

Oh Boland – new split tape and gigs this week

What you may need to know…

01. Oh Boland are a three-piece indie/pop band from Galway. Jangles and riffs in equal measure.

02. They’re on the road all this week in support of A Litany of Failures, their new split cassette via Little L Records. Also appearing on tour (and on the tape) are Belfast lads Junk Drawer, Broadsheet faves Shrug Life, and That Snaake.

03. Streaming above is the video for most recent single, Where’s the Beach?

04. Tomorrow night sees all the bands involved with the aforementioned release play McHugh’s in Belfast, they’ll be at Sweeney’s in Dublin on Thursday, and wrapping up with a show in Galway at the Roisin Dubh on Saturday night.

Verdict: Straight-ahead, no-nonsense but likeable tunes.

Oh Boland

13124818_898741616903527_2741921828647785571_n

1. HAWK is the brainchild of London-based Galwegian Julie Hawk and Matt Harris, with a full live band emerging in 2013 from initial excursions as a duo.

2. They’ve been getting adoring glances for their noirish alt-rock on either side of the pond, with airplay from BBC Radio 6 and XFM in the UK, and garnering a fancy among Irish muso media, including Nialler9 and Paul McLoone, whose show aired their upcoming self-titled EP in its entirety.

3. Streaming above is single Once Told, released this past January. It’s a rail against Ireland’s attitudes towards women’s rights and reproductive health, in a similar vein to last year’s pro-marriage equality piece Glass.

4. On tour throughout June, taking in London, the usual Irish city stops, and the Carlow Arts Festival. Full rundown of dates here.

Verdict: A Venn diagram of sounds, influences, references, and themes taking in indie, alt-rock, and post-rock.

HAWK

12141673_1148170358572495_2933491922412738613_n

Daithí ft. Sinéad White – Love’s On Top

What you may need to know…

1. Fiddle player and producer Daithí branches out more firmly with new EP Tribes, released this past February, in pursuit of sounds “not just inspired by traditional music, but by the culture, the scenery and atmosphere of the west of Ireland“.

2. Mentored by Young Wonder man Ian Ring, and cutting his teeth by fusing electronica with traditional music, he notched up supports for The XX, Santigold, and DJ Shadow before unveiling 2013 debut album In Flight.

3. Streaming above is Galway city-inspired leadoff track Love’s On Top, a prime example of the artist’s new direction, featuring Dublin singer-songwriter Sinéad White.

4. The next appearance of Daithí’s live improv show is at Whelan’s in Dublin, on Thursday May 12th. A late show, kickoff at 11.30, tickets €10.

Verdict: A further departure away from lingering influences and into a wider frame of reference, all the while exploring themes and sounds of his native West.

Daithí