One of the most surreal festival moments in recent years was Grace Jones getting a horsey-back off a bouncer at Electric Picnic along the front row last year — slapping his arse for effect. And after […]
Author: Conor McCaffrey
Irish gigs round-up: September 16-22
SURGEON & LADY STARLIGHT, District 8, Dublin. One of the most unlikely tag teams of recent years — this partnership was forged when Lady Gaga collaborator Lady Starlight gave a shout-out to techno pioneer Surgeon […]
Richie Egan interview: ‘People really invest in the Redneck Manifesto’
At one point in our chat, Richie Egan just says “fuck thinking”. Taken out of context it’d be some nihilistic outburst or end-of-your-tether cry for help, but it’s really a positive statement. Egan is chatting […]
Head cases: Brujeria go after Trump the only way they know how
I don’t need to go into all the reasons US Presidential candidate Donald Trump has pissed off Mexicans all through his maniacal campaign, but the rapists/drug dealers thing wasn’t a good start. So far the protests […]
Irish gigs round-up: September 9-15
PLAID, Whelan’s, Dublin, Tomorrow Electronic duo Plaid are the one act on revered label Warp Records who have never strayed off the melodic path, while keeping their experimental edge. Over 11 albums since 1991, Ed Handley […]
Geburt Einer Nation: How Laibach turned Queen’s One Vision into a totalitarian anthem (1987)
Laibach are probably Europe’s most grossly-misunderstood band, but they don’t make it easy for themselves. In an age of offence-ometers permanently in the red, there aren’t enough trigger warnings for the veteran industrialists. Laibach emerged […]
Irish gigs round-up: August 26-September 1
Pygmalion Weekender ft Prosumer + Legowelt & more, Dublin, Tonight & tomorrow. Pygmalion is going an extra few yards with bookings recently, gaining on more established techno haunts like District 8 and Opium Rooms. The […]
From the sublime to the grotesque: Scott Walker in 10 songs
Our music icons always get a few extra gravitas points for evolving with the times — but Scott Walker’s 50-year journey from romantic crooner to avant-garde pioneer is one of the most jarring story arcs […]
Gonjasufi – Callus: ‘America needs to hear this fucking record’
While 90 per cent of the internet lost their shit over the weekend to the new Frank Ocean things, another release was also howling from a different corner in black & white. Gonjasufi has just […]
Irish gigs of the week: August 19-25
LEVELZ, The Wiley Fox, Dublin, tomorrow, €16 Factmag once called Levelz Wu-Tang meets the Happy Mondays, and I’m nicking that right now. The Manchester-based crew are a loose collective of grime and hip-hop MCs, producers, musicians […]
The tables have turned: Interview with snooker star DJ Steve Davis
There’s a long tradition of sports stars dabbling in music but it generally lands on the novelty scale — from John Barnes’ rapping on World In Motion to Gazza’s tone deaf Casio pop hit Fog […]
Gigs of the week: August 12-18
OUT TO LUNCH WEEKENDER, Yamamori Tengu, Dublin, tonight-Sunday, €35 per day, €65 for weekend (€5-8 for opening party) Over the last two years or so, Out To Lunch have been Dublin’s most consistent promoter for booking […]
Gigs of the week: August 5-11
THUNDERCAT, The Sugar Club, Dublin, Monday, €22.50 Bass virtuoso Thundercat’s slapping and high fretwork is one of the aces up Flying Lotus’s sleeve on the psychedelic jazz odyssey You’re Dead!, and he got a mighty cheer […]
Beyond Stranger Things: SURVIVE – A.H.B.
Half the internet has been losing the plot in the last week or so to Stranger Things – the biggest TV binge epidemic of recent times. Stranger Things is a supernatural chiller set in 1983, […]
All at Sea: Get the lowdown on Beatyard weekender
The Beatyard crew took a gamble last year with their first weekender festival. For years the Beatyard festival was a ‘conference’ type umbrella event, spread over a week or two in various Dublin venues, with […]
Moo Kid 