Tag Archives: mike mcgrath bryan

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Ealadha – Hurricanes

What you may need to know…

1. Cork post-metal/post-rock trio Ealadha have quietly set about impressing a lot of fans of the genre in the past year…

2. Not the least of whom are 2FM/2XM’s Dan Hegarty, who’s been somewhat of a champion for the band, giving their past two singles regular airtime.

3. Sticking their heads above the live parapet, the band gigged consistently throughout 2015, including a featured slot of IndieCork festival’s new music programme, and making the trip to Dublin for the Mother Fuzzer’s Ball.

4. Hurricanes is taken from upcoming debut EP Limit of Our Sight, the artwork for which was revealed yesterday on the band’s Facebook. More details impending.

Verdict: Atmospheric, soaring stuff that doesn’t spare their own tendencies toward heavyweight tones and riffs in pursuit of beauty.

Ealadha

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Here’s what you may need to know…

1. Limerick producer Graeme S. and vocalist Senita Appiakorang (also of neo-soul outfit Shookrah) are electronic/afrobeat duo Lakerama.

2. Coming together last year as a collaborative musical project, the band has stepped into the live sphere, including appearances at Dublin’s Bernard Shaw and Cork’s Quarter Block Party.

3. Debut EP One is streaming in its entirety in the widget above, including much-fancied lead off tune Take.

4. Catch them this Friday evening, supporting the mighty Rusangano Family, with whom Graeme has previously collaborated, at the Kino in Cork.

Verdict: A potent combination of ambient, house and Afrobeat influences, Lakerama’s standout quality is their command of dynamic, with Senita’s massive voice adding presence to Graeme S’ diversely informed electronica.

Lakerama

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The Bonk – Ancestor

What you may need to know…

1. Emerging from jam sessions in Cork’s Big Skin studios, The Bonk derive their moniker from a colloquialism for complete mental and physical collapse.

2. The band is headed up by Waterford man and O Emperor guitarist Phil Christie, and features several of that band’s members. They made their debut appearance under the name earlier this year, at the Quarter Block Party festival.

3. Last week saw the release of debut single Ancestor as a free download from the band’s Bandcamp page, streaming above.

4. The band’s next live excursion is April 16 as part of Cork record shop/community centre/institution PLUGD Records‘ celebration of five years at their current home at the Triskel Arts Centre’s TDC venue.

5. Also appearing are the impossibly promising Barchester Chronicles, prolific troubadour Laurie Shaw, singer-songwriter Roslyn Steer, with Cork hip-hop icon Stevie G spinning discs in the shop (upstairs, 12-6) beforehand and in GULPD Cafe (downstairs) all night.

Verdict: A bit early at this stage for hyperbole, but what’s here reminds your writer of Captain Beefheart’s more focused moments – swaggering, confident grooving that doesn’t necessarily skimp on the psychedelia.

The Bonk

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The Sunshine Factory – Cruelest Animal

What you may need to know.

1. Beginning to garner praise, Leeside young neo-psychedelic four-piece The Sunshine Factory arrived in February when they packed out the Cork Community Print Shop, launching an eponymously-titled tape EP in the process.

2. From said cassette comes Cruelest Animal, streaming above. The band’s Soundcloud is also full of rough demos, painting a picture of a band that’s been slowly putting the pieces together over the course of the past year.

3. Next gig is on April 16, supporting Dublin shoegazers September Girls (launching album Age of Indignation) in Cyprus Avenue, Cork, presented by Leeside rock raconteurs Alliance Promotions.

4. The band have the biggest break of their young run so far next month, touring in support of English psych-rock legends The Telescopes. Thursday 12 at Brewery Corner in Kilkenny, Friday 13 (!) at The Thirsty Scholar in Waterford, Saturday 14 at the Crane Lane Theatre in Cork, and Sunday 15 at Dublin’s Workman’s Club.

Verdict: With inflections of post-punk and psychedelia amid the band’s noise, The Sunshine Factory will appeal to genre enthusiasts, as well as anyone of lo-fi/possible C86 sensibilities.

The Sunshine Factory

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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.

Megacone

Photo credit: AK Photography.

5FB

Music writer Mike McGrath-Bryan (above).

Not just a buffed-up, mid-career Elvis Costello lookalike.

He’s claimed a coveted beanbag desk in Karl’s den. the Broadsheet office.

Mike writes:

I’m the new music writer for Broadsheet, handling the site’s daily ‘You May Like This’ column, talking about festivals, and generally keeping an eye on developments in independent Irish music.

When not scribbling about tunes [ for The Thin Air and others] and being one of those “mature” students, I’m involved in the Cork music community as a DIY promoter, disc-jock and occasional jamming/improv musician, as well as presenting and producing shows for community online radio station Room101.

“I also help run a newly-established night in the Friary in Cork called STRICT. Indie, electronic, hip-hop, ska/reggae, funk, and whatever else, old and new. Free in, plus the venue’s usual selection of craft beers, boardgames and other cool stuff.”

Yes, I’ve seen your comments. Yes, I am working on toning the writing style down.

Indie lovely?

Fight!

All music related items marked ‘Mike‘ to broadsheet@broadsheet.ie