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 […]
Sums it all up: MathMan & Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Where I’m From
Any time you’re on the lookout for some hazy summer hip-hop, your classic safe bets are the likes of De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, and maybe even Chance the Rapper in […]
Gigs round-up: July 22-28
KNOCKANSTOCKAN, Blessington Lakes, Co Wicklow, Today-Sunday, €115 (€50 Sunday only) After the big commercial blockbuster overload of Longitude, Knockanstockan will be a palette cleanser for some. The most independent of the established ‘boutique’ festivals, the annual Wicklow […]
‘It’s music from the blood of my life’: August Wells interview
August Wells singer and songwriter Ken Griffin often gets compared with greats like Leonard Cohen, Scott Walker, and even Frank Sinatra, which sounds slightly hysterical until you hear his impossibly rich baritone. The Dubliner moved […]
Lionel Richie: Hello, is it meme you’re looking for?
You know where you stand with Lionel Richie. His last tour was called ‘All the Hits’ — like you ever expected him to go rogue and do a Dylan. Lionel is one of the old-school […]
Gigs of the week: July 15-21
DAVE CLARKE, Opium Rooms, Dublin, tonight, €17.50-20 We nearly lost the Baron of Techno on Monday — he was in the back of a car that crashed and crumpled to bits in Serbia on the way […]
Mallorca feature: Stormzy takes over BCM
Magaluf has a reputation as the maddest party town in Europe — with the word ‘infamous’ popping up as soon as the Mallorca town is mentioned. For a few decades it’s been the ultimate lads/lasses […]
The Fourth Coming: Stone Roses and the nostalgia loop
One of the biggest music feeding frenzies of recent years was The Stone Roses’ release of their comeback single All For One — which let to equal parts of derision and relief, depending on who […]
Moo Kid 