Tag Archives: Ireland

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HARE SQUEAD – debut major-label single If I Ask, upcoming festival shows

What you may need to know…

01. More Irish hip-hop, this time from Dublin-based trio HARE SQUEAD.

02. Having racked up the laundry-list of Irish independent music milestones, including appearances all over the festival circuit and the gamut of TV and radio appearances, the lads signed to major label Columbia (an imprint of Sony) in January, joining a small but growing list of independent Irish acts to have been courted by the bigs (see also: Le Galaxie, All Tvvins).

03. Streaming above is the video for debut major-label single If I Ask, available now across all digital platforms, and currently on rotation on MTV, of all channels.

04. Catch ’em next at Castlepalooza on June 2, and Longitude on June 15.

Verdict: One of Irish music’s real success stories of the past few years, HARE SQUEAD have it all ahead of them.

HARE SQUEAD

 


Keep your fancy beers and luxurious chocolates.

Ireland were comprehensively beaten by Belgium this afternoon in Bordeuax.

We need divine intervention a result against the already qualified Italians now.

Final score: Ireland 0 Belgium 3 (three)

UEFA Euro 2016

Ken Early: Reality check for Ireland as Red Devils run riot (Irish Times) 

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What you may need to know

01. Decent Irish hip-hop with an avant-garde tinge from young, Cork-based producer SCOUNDRELL.

02. One of a multitude of projects emerging from one of an innovative and prolific group of young musicians/meme-peddlers in Cork City, SCOUNDRELL takes grime and hip-hop and puts them through some very odd filters.

03. Streaming above in its entirety is Black Box Renaissance, a collection of demos and other bits assembled from quick-and-dirty productions from the past few weeks.

04. Also available is the Lithic EP, a rather more concise exercise in darker electronics.

Verdict: A mad confab of low-key beats and experimentation, well worth the trip for anyone so inclined.

SCOUNDRELL

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Taoiseach Enda Kenny at the opening of a new €150million data centre at Google’s offices in Dublin yesterday

Dara Doyle and Stephanie Bodoni, of Bloomberg, report:

Near the top of the agenda [in Brussels] for investors continues to be the European Commission’s probe into Apple Inc.’s tax arrangements in Ireland, with both the company and the Irish authorities bracing for a decision that the Irish provided the iPhone maker with illegal state aid through a sweetheart deal.

In the first clues to a firm timeline for a decision on a probe which opened in 2014, Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan told Bloomberg on Thursday in Luxembourg that the commission may publish a decision sometime in July, though “we don’t know that with certainty.”

…There’s a range of estimates out there. In a worst-case scenario, Apple may face a $19 billion bill if the government ultimately loses and is forced to recoup tax from the company, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst Rod Hall. Matt Larson of Bloomberg Intelligence puts the figure at more than $8 billion.

…Who gets the cash? Notionally, Ireland, even though the government says it doesn’t want it.

Why doesn’t Ireland want the cash, which after all could be equivalent to about all of the nation’s corporate tax last year? There’s a bigger picture, here, according to briefing notes provided to the incoming finance minister last month; a negative decision would hurt the country’s reputation and create uncertainty around it’s tax offering, which has been a key factor in drawing companies like Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. to Dublin.

Ireland and Apple Brace for the Worst as Tax Endgame Nears (Bloomberg)

Rollingnews

Photo 1 by Iza Szczutkowska 2014

Sky, Horse and Death – debut album released last week

What you may need to know…

01. Sky, Horse and Death is an outfit for Altered Hours guitarist Kevin Terry and collaborators’ sonic investigations into the paranormal.

02. Debut album Music for Karla Turner is a tribute to the late academic, author and (alleged) abductee.

03. Streaming above is the album in its entirety, available now online via KantCope records.

04. Cassettes also available, as with all KantCope releases, from their Bandcamp and instore at PLUGD Records.

Verdict: Intense stuff to say the least, but another reason to pay attention to Cork music’s fertile and wildly imaginative outer reaches at present.

Sky, Horse and Death

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Bitch Falcon – new single Clutch, appearing at Body & Soul

What you may need to know…

01. Alt-rock trio Bitch Falcon emerge from writing & recording-induced hibernation.

02. Forming in January 2014, and turning initial heads for their fusion of grunge’s dirtier take on pop with their own stellar musicianship, their string of singles early last year helped put them front and centre in Irish independent music in short order.

03. Streaming above: brand new single Clutch, which premiered on Nialler9 yesterday.

04. Get an earful tomorrow night at Body & Soul festival if you’re about – they’ll be playing the Midnight Circus stage at seven bells. Failing that, they’ll also be at Sea Sessions and Indiependence.

Verdict: Clutch tackles tough subject matter with a purpose and aplomb that’s fast outgrowing the whole “grunge/pop” label. Glorious.

Bitch Falcon

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Low Sea – touring Ireland in support of new album

What you may need to know…

01. Ireland-resident duo Low Sea draw on ’80s synth-pop influences and their own experiences/internal narratives.

02. Second album Remote Viewing is now available online and physically thru Dell’Orso Records.

03. Streaming above is the video for leadoff track When I’m Feeling Down.

04. Playing next at the Crane Lane Theatre in Cork on July 21 and Brewery Corner in Kilkenny on the 23rd.

Verdict: Noirish pop with a synth-laden sheen and emphasis on “noir”.

Low Sea

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FIXITY – Cork percussionist leads sonic explorations

What you may need to know…

01. More improv from Leeside courtesy of drummer extraordinaire Dan Walsh and an assortment of collaborators.

02. He of The Great Balloon Race, Cork Improvised Music Club, jazz night Blue Note, and formerly of a million other bands and outfits, both as composer and session performer, of course.

03. Streaming above in its entirety is his new album Fixity, released on tape label KantCope.

04. Appearing last night as part of the label’s triple album launch at St. Luke’s in Cork, Fixity “represents the beginning of a project that will manifest itself in many ways”, according to Walsh himself.

Verdict: One of the country’s most prodigiously talented percussionists continues to explore his and his collaborators’ horizons.

Fixity


Ireland’s under 20s have beaten New Zealand 33-24 this afternoon in Manchester at the World Rugby U20s Championship.

They join the senior women’s team in having the honour of beating the All Blacks at test level.

Laces out Johnny.

Update:

Meanwhile, in South Africa.


Final score: South Africa 20 Ireland 26

Pic: Irish Rugby

World Rugby U20 Championship