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Belfast's 听will take over the second hour of tonight's ATL Dance Show with an hour long听retrospective mix of classic wax ahead of their 5th Birthday next weekend.
The independent club night run by Paddy Towe, Phil Lucas and Matt Burns will celebrate their birthday with Joy Orbison听making听his Irish debut alongside Sandwell Districts' Function on Saturday 8th October at Queens.
Listen to the ATL Dance Show live on 主播大秀 Radio Ulster from midnight tonight.
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The Long-Island based hypnotic pop quintet are to perform at the Limelight in Belfast on Friday 11th November.
Formed just three years ago, the band was voted number three in 鈥楤est hope for 2011鈥 by Pitchfork readers.
Twin Sister鈥檚 debut album is available now.
Local music photographer is to showcase her latest portfolio of work in a new solo exhibition, 鈥楾ake A Picture, It鈥檒l Last Longer鈥.
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Carrie's has spent the past ten years photographing a wide听range of Northern Irish musicians from Duke Special to General Fiasco and her work has featured in magazines such as Kerrang! and Hotpress.
The exhibition is presented in collaboration with MTV Belfast Music Week and will run between 27th October 鈥 25th November at the Ulster Hall, Belfast.
Belfast Music Week is to celebrate Northern Ireland鈥檚 vibrant music scene听through听130 events across the city.
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It runs between 30th October 鈥 5th November as Belfast prepares to host the star-studded MTV European Music Awards.听
Events already confirmed are Belfast Rocks with Therapy? and The Answer at the Ulster Hall on November 4th,听 an Alzheimer's Society Benefit with The Divine Comedy and Ash and a special Hoedown with Foy Vance and friends at the Ulster Hall on November 1st.
Across The Line will also be broadcasting the Volume Control gig at the Ulster Hall live on Halloween night.听 The gig is an over fourteen and will feature Colly Strings, Silhouette, Rainy Boy Sleep and Axis Of.听 You will also be able to hear highlights of this gig on 主播大秀 Radio1's听Introducing with Rory McConnell.听
The full Belfast Music Week schedule will be announced next week.
Grant Marshall a.k.a. Daddy G from trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack is to听make a DJ appearance听at the Meat Market in Belfast鈥檚 Black Box on Saturday 8th October.
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Daddy G is one of the original members of the famous Bristol dance ensemble, whose 1991 classic hit 鈥楿nfinished Sympathy鈥 is often cited as Britain鈥檚 favourite dance track.听听 Their last album 鈥楬eligoland鈥, which was released last year, featured Damon Albarn, Guy Garvey and Horace Andy.听
Tickets are on sale now.
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Duke Special will be performing a concert of songs at the Belfast Waterfront Hall on the 31st October, based on the work of the Stieglitz, Streichen and Strand.
The Duke spent a year researching the twentieth century photographers and their subjects and co-wrote the project with Boo Hewerdine and Padraig O Tuama.听听
The 鈥楿nder The Dark Cloth鈥 concert was first performed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York听in March and will be released as a collaboration with the RTE Orchestra on CD and download later this year.
Tickets for the concert are on sale now.
Auntie Annies, Belfast
Friday 23rd September 2011
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have been a staple component of the Northern Irish music scene for several years, under several different monikers.听 While always boasting an incendiary live show, their sophisticated stadium-sized rock had always remained slightly overlooked.听听 That is until now.
Having gained an overwhelming amount of momentum in the past year, they have become one of the biggest draws in Belfast.听 You only have to look around you at the amount of fans who have packed themselves into every possible space available in Animal Disco, and the ruckus they create as the band take to the stage.
The opening gambit is led by debut single 鈥楢lligator鈥, with the rhythm section offering up a supercharged beat, before vocalists Jackson and O鈥橩ane pour on those heart breaking melodies.听 From then on, all eyes are on the stage.听 With every sonic peak and startling break, the audience is hooked on every twist turn the band makes.
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Hello, welcome to this instalment of 鈥楾hat New Band Smell鈥, the weekly blog incarnation of our three sonic beauties showcased on this weeks Across The Line radio show. Here are our offerings this week.
Former Monarchs 鈥 Repeat After Me
Angular math rock from the deep dark depths of Cork.
That DJ 鈥 Nice and Easy
Mellow club beats, sexually suggestive lyrics and a questionable moniker.
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Snow Patrol have added a third Belfast date to their tour next year.
The band will now play Wednesday 25th January at the Odyssey Arena, as well as Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th.
Tickets for the new date go on sale this Friday.
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Our GOTW this time around - yet another exquisite triple bill at The Cellar Bar, aka Glasgowbury HQ. As if ATL playlist mainstays More than Conquerors and wasn't enough quality for one night (and frankly, it is), the G Sessions crew also have the band of the moment playing this weekend - .
They blew us away on last Monday's show with an incredible session (so good, it made ) and had a packed Auntie Annies in the palm of their hands, Friday past.
Dave from the band is well up for the trip -
"We are very excited about playing draperstown this weekend with the brilliant More than Conquerors, we played there once before but Fee (singer Fiona Jackson) didn't have a voice so hopefully we can show those folks both vocals! After our successful single launch on Friday, we hope to put on an even better more energetic show."
We'd like to see that鈥.
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Therapy? and The Answer will both play 'Belfast Rocks!' at the Ulster Hall, Belfast听on Friday the 4th of November.听
The gig is part of the Belfast Music Week which will host a number of gigs throughout听the city from the 30th of October to the 5th of November.
The Answer will release their album Revival on the 3rd of October, while Therapy? are due to release their thirteenth studio album A Brief Crack Of Light early next year.
Tickets for the 'Belfast Rocks' showcase go on sale this Wednesday.
Pat McManus Band, Sweet Savage, Million Dollar Reload, Stevie K Band
24th September, 2011
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Axis Of, More Than Conquerors, Bee Mick See, Event Horses, The Black Dunes
Ma Kelly鈥檚, Ballymoney
24th September 2011
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It鈥檚 always a good sign when you walk into a venue and the mosh-pit is already going. And so it was as The Black Dunes are already going in this evening鈥檚 multi-band extravaganza. They鈥檙e not big on audience interaction, instead focusing on their instrumental rock. It鈥檚 in the vein of Sunn O))), drifting towards sludge, heavy and heady stoner rock vibes. Unfortunately the lack of conversation or chatter means we can鈥檛 ascertain anything about them other than their name on the posters.
In contrast, Event Horses do their best to blow the mics, operating on the principle that if in doubt, speed it up and scream it up. They鈥檝e recently acquired a new bassist, but it seems like business as usual for their sneering rock. For a local comparison, think LaFaro or Rupture Dogs 鈥 pretty heavy with a catchy riff and a screaming vocal. 鈥楧ance With The Devil鈥 proves that Old Nick has still got the best tunes, while 鈥楧esperate Times鈥 is reminiscent of Gallows, bringing militaristic drums and rumbling bass, with the constant of being capable of inducing head-banging.
Bee Mick See takes to the stage, or rather, the floor into audience for his first set of the evening. Accompanied by two other MCs, his beats have an electro edge to them in the Daft Punk/Ed Banger electro-disco-funk vein accompanied by examinations of social prejudice (鈥榃on鈥檛 Let Me Be鈥) and self-deprecation (鈥楤ee Mick See Can鈥檛 Rap鈥), but it鈥檚 all to the happy bemusement of the audience.
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Ciaran Gribbin has been announced as the new lead singer of Australian rock band INXS. The Mid Ulster man, also known for his work under the guise Joe Echo, takes the place of J.D Fortune, who recently parted company with the band after six years together.
Ciaran Gribbin will be on the Alan Simpson show today between 3 鈥 5pm to talk about this exciting new opportunity. Listen live to 主播大秀 Radio Ulster.
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With the bizarre听rumours that Rihanna is spending a little time in Bangor this week (apparently shooting a music video), we got to thinking about times when we've spotted popstars and musicians in strange places. Ever spotted a superstar doing something very mundane? Maybe you've caught someone in a local band do something very un-rock n' roll - we want to know!
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Mark Morris at a Wedding
Rigsy - ATL Presenter
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Example, who will play a sold out show at the Ulster Hall next month, has already announced a return date for Belfast next year. This time the English rapper will play听the even bigger venue of the听Odyssey Arena, Belfast on Thursday the 3rd of May 2012.
His third album, Playing In Shadows was released on the 4th of September through Ministry of Sound
Tickets go on sale this Friday.
Arthurs Day at The Ulster Hall
feat. Ash, Kelis, DJ Fresh, Cashier No. 9, The Enemy, Horslips
It feels a little odd to be walking into the Ulster Hall in broad daylight, but tonight's schedule demands it. The flagship event of the Belfast Arthur's Day "celebrations" aimed to provide a little something for everyone, with all of the big names playing at the venue (as opposed to just one headliner at each of the gigs scattered around the city).
With such a short set, Ash treat us to the classics, 鈥楯ack Names the Planets鈥 and 鈥楪irl From Mars鈥 knocking our socks off. It's a fairly polished performance from the band, with no real surprises but no clangers either. Despite the early time slot 鈥楽hining Light鈥 delivers, one of the finest pop songs to be played on the Ulster Hall stage in this humble reviewer's opinion.
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Guitarist Tony Wright has announced he's left And So I Watch You From Afar. A founding member of the instrumental four piece, Wright stated that, "the time has come for one reason and many others for me to take a different, less trodden road".
Niall Kennedy (ex-Panama Kings) will replace Tony for the bands听current tour commitments.
The Band:
It been an honor and a privilege to share the road, studio, stage and world with Tony for the last five years. He's been part of the ASIWYFA family from the start, and he always will be.
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Hello fellow aficionados of local music. This week we have an alternative rock band听that play with more strings than a family of cats at a twine factory, a solo project of dark pop from Dublin and a band Terri Hooley has his eye on.
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There has been a lot of hype around this gig and Kasper Rosa don't want to disappoint. It is clear that tonight is all about one thing - the evolution of the band. Tonight isn't just a single launch either, it is exactly two years to the day of the launch of their first EP at the Spring & Airbrake, so the pressure is on.
The band stroll on-stage, and immediately catch everyone off guard with 'Khora'. So far, it feels like a standard Kasper Rosa affair with the hard and heavy off-beat rhythm, the type of music that feels like it's heralding the end of the world. Within minutes people are really getting into it, and it's beginning to look like tonight will be a good night for the four piece from Belfast, commanding the attention of the crowd and wasting no time launching immediately into the next song. Sometimes the loud background noise of Animal Disco doesn't lend itself well to the few short periods of silence in 'Coronal Mass Ejection', with some uncertain clapping from the audience as if the song has finished, but this doesn't really detract from the apocalyptic ambience achieved so far.
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Belfast electronic collective Ecker have decided to call it a day after four years of genre-bending听nights around various clubs in Belfast. The night run by De-Twist, T-Polar, Paul Shiels and Terry Keeley have played host to guests such as Tim Wright, Brackles, Gemmy, Warlock, Submerse, Terror Danjah, NoyeahNo over the years.
The last Ecker club night will be on Friday October 7th at Love & Death, Belfast听with special guests Nez, Brian Green and S>>D.
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Snow Patrol have added extra Belfast and Dublin shows for early next year. The extra dates are The O2, Dublin on Friday 20th January and The Odyssey Arena, Belfast on Tuesday 24th January, 2012.
Belfast and Dublin Dates:
The O2, Dublin
Saturday 21st January 2012
Friday 20th January 2012 ***new date***
The Odyssey Arena, Belfast
Monday 23 January 2012
Tuesday 24th January 2012 ***new date***
Everything Everything will support Snow Patrol for these dates. Tickets on sale now.
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Volume Control are putting on a special all ages gig (+14) at the Ulster Hall with Rainy Boy Sleep, Silhouette, Axis Of and on Halloween Night (Monday the 31st of October). 主播大秀 ATL will be broadcasting the gig听live on radio and online, as well as highlights on 主播大秀 Introducing on Radio 1 with Rory McConnell the following Sunday.
The event is part of Belfast Music Week which takes place next month in the run up to the MTV EMAs on November 6th. More than 130 events will take place at venues across the city from October 30th - 5th November.
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It was very easy to listen to nothing else but REM for six months, as I did back in 1995 - they're just that type of band. I justified reading stupidly long books about Michael Stipes' art and politics - they're just that type of band. I was learning guitar and found that playing only REM songs offered everything I needed to pick up the basics - they're just that type of band. I'd play certain REM tracks to my dad, to my mum, to that weirdo art student who only seemed to listen to random noises and howls - they'd all dig what they heard. They're just that type of band. I'd lose my mind leading up to their gig at Slane Castle. They're just鈥.well, you get the idea.
Granted, it's been a while since REM gave us a stone cold classic (album or single) and, for a lot of people, they essentially finished up the moment , responsible for some of the their finest moments, left the band in 1997. But no act, other than The Beatles, has a finer, more varied back catalogue.
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Massive Attack will play L'Derry on Thursday the 21st of June 2012 as part of听the Peace One Day concert at Ebrington Parade Grounds.听
The gig is part of a larger 12-week series of events across the UK and also part of the London 2012 Festival.
Peace One Day was founded by Jeremy Gilley in 1999 and actor Jude Law is the current ambassador. The charity promotes the idea of one day a year free of conflict or听'global truce' for one day. Acts to take part in听past Peace One Day Concerts include Annie Lennox, Yusuf Islam, Lenny Kravitz, Kasabian, Patti Smith and many more.
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Even before we caught on it's going to be free entry, this was an absolute belter of a scorcher of a total winner of a GOTW.
Four bands we love and playlist all the time, sharing a bill in a , all nicely MC'd by ATL chum and Radio Ulster presenter Colin Murray
- what's not to like?!
First up and fresh from Glasgowbury and Vital - RAM's Pocket Radio
'Any Derry and mid-Ulster shows we've done so far have had a special atmosphere' explained RAM's Pocket Radio's Pete McAuley.
'It's quite a different feel up there. My drummer is flying back from Cologne just in time for the show (very rock and roll!!) so it'll be special for us anyway.'
Then you've , a band as awesome as they are hairy. Paddy from the band had this to say:
'We are really excited about playing in Londonderry this thursday, we dont get the chance to play in derry very often but when we do its always off the hook. Looking forward to meeting our brother Colin too!'
Add to that and the man who stole the show at Glasgowbury (that'll be Rainy Boy Sleep) and you've the most spicy of meatballs.
Oh, and did we say it was free in? We did aye....
RAM's Pocket Radio, Kowalski, Intermission and Rainy Boy Sleep play The Nerve Centre, Derry, this Thursday.
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Belfast singer-songwriter John D'Arcy will also feature on the bill. Speaking at a press conference at the Oh Yeah centre to launch the show, Neil Hannon said "It's important not to be frightened of Alzheimers. It's important with these shows to bring awareness of it."
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Frank Turner, Ciaran Lenehan
The Stiff Kitten, Belfast听
17th September 2011
After a change of venue from the Mandela Hall, The Stiff Kitten proves to be a great choice for tonight鈥檚 gig, large enough to accommodate the extra crowds, while still retaining an air of intimacy. Singer songwriter Ciaran Lenehan eases us nicely into the evening with a short set of acoustic folk. Things are a bit slow to start with, but by his second song, and with the venue evidently filling up, he gets the crowd into the swing of the night, playing out his heartfelt acoustic tunes, getting heads moving and the crowd ready for the main attraction of the night.
His lack of preciousness about his songs is refreshing, endearing him to the audience even further, oddly named numbers such as "One Journey Left" (about a multi-trip bus ticket that was given to him with one journey left on it) making him and his music very interesting.
But the night ultimately belongs to Frank Turner and his band The Sleeping Souls.听
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Villagers are offering a track, 'Cecilia and Her Self-hood' as download for free. Until now the track had remained a live favourite, but officially unrecorded.
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The video for the song is also available to stream. Conor and his live band play Limerick on 21st September, but are currently working on the follow up to the Mercury Music Prize nominated 'Becoming a Jackal' LP.
You can check out Villagers performing live on ATL here.
Since its freshers week, we cast our minds back (a very long way in some cases..) to our student and school days and the ritual of the band poster. You cant just throw any old crap up on your bedroom or dorm wall, you need to make sure its going to make you feel happy, and more importantly, makes a shorthand statement on how cool you are and therefore attractive to potential love interests. This week we want to know what adorns (or used to adorn) your living quarters: Hit us on facebook or twitter and you can text in live to the radio show from 8pm tonight. Heres a couple to get your ponderings kickstarted..
Rigsy (ATL Presenter)
Kula Shaker
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Being a teenager during Britpop meant my bedroom wall was plastered with posters of some astonishingly ugly young men. At least Blur and Oasis both looked like a band while Prodigy just looked awesome. But then you had the likes of Cast, Northern Uproar and (worst of all) Kula Shaker - a selection of bands which made it feel like I was falling asleep surrounded by images of geography teachers and trendy accountants....
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Paul McClean (ATL Producer)
The Doors
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When I was at school I developed an unhealthy obsession with the Doors, even though they'd broke up over 20 years earlier. My massive 'Alive She Cried' poster stayed up on the wall for about 6 years in pride of place. Jim Morrison was the shaman, all snake hips and leather. 'The End' was the ultimate nihilistic hymn to the original acid generation and the 'Morrison Hotel' album still holds up as a wonderful freakshow. Heck I even dug the 'American Prayer' album, carrying the vinyl around school in the hope that it might give the spotty teenage goon a semblance of the intense brooding cool of the lizard king. Fail.
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Ram's Pocket Radio, Kowalski, and Rainy Boy Sleep will all play a free gig at the Nerve Centre, L'Derry on Thursday the 22nd of September. The 'BT Infinity Presents' gig will be hosted by Colin Murray.
Doors at 7:30pm and a limited number of tickets will be available on the door.
We're all about the second albums at the moment. It's not long until Lafaro launch 'Easy Meat' with a show in Belfast and we've already had notable sophomore efforts this year from ASIWYFA and The Japanese Popstars. In 2012 we can look forward to second records from Two Door Cinema Club and General Fiasco - the former debuting new songs at Vital, the later blowing us away with a new track last month.
It feels like the 'tricky second album' is something us Nordies actually do very well. As you can see from this list, Rigsy's top five second albums from Northern Irish bands (catchy, eh?)...
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Snow Patrol will play the Odyssey, Belfast on Monday the 23rd of January and the O2, Dublin on Saturday the 21st of January.
The听band recently released a digital听EP, Called Out In The Dark, in September and their sixth studio album Fallen Empires is due out in November.
Tickets go on sale this Friday.
In related news, some additional free tickets will be available on the door at the Ulster Hall, Belfast听this evening for the Good Vibrations movie filming, where Gary and Nathan from Snow Patrol will also play an acoustic set. Doors at 6:30pm.
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This week's GOTW is another belter at the increasingly reliable Animal Disco in Auntie Annies, with taking to the stage at midnight.
When the lads waltzed into studio 8B a couple of Monday's ago to play their new single, we thought we knew what to expect. We didn't.
J Ryan. Mc Cormick explains:
"I think this particular track is, for us anyway, a step in a different direction from our last release. Its loud, its groovy, and its lush... we hope. More than anything though, its a rock song.. more so than any other Kasper Rosa song before it. Accessible... while maintaining its progressive complexity and loveliness."
WAY better than our clumsy description! The track in question, 'First Breath, First Blood' will be officially launched on Friday night.
'It's been exactly one year since Kasper Rosa performed at Animal Disco... and we've missed few since then. It's a fantastic club night with a great vibe, and a friendly cliental. We're really happy to be offered the slot for this release and we'd be fools to say no! September 16th also marks 2 years since our first EP was released at the Spring & Airbrake. So this is as much of a celebration for us as it is a launch show.'
He gives good quote, doesn't he?
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Kasper Rosa play Auntie Annies tomorrow night.
If you were mad enough to听miss the exclusive play of the听studio version of 'First Breath, First Blood' on ATL a few week's back, you听can listen on听听now!
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General Fiasco have announced that the Wonder Villains and Yes Cadets will join them for an all Northern Irish bill on their UK & Irish tour in October.
Sat 22nd Oct - The Academy 2, Dublin (14 +)
Sun 23rd oct - Thekla, Bristol (14 +)
Tues 25th oct - King Tuts, Glasgow (14 +)
Wed 26th oct - Rainbow, Birmingham (14 +)
Thurs 27th oct - Islington Academy, London (14 +)
Sat 29th oct - Deaf Institute, Manchester (14 +)
Sun 30th Oct - Speakeasy, Belfast (14 +)
Felix Da Housecat will play a 3 hour set to mark the听Stiff Kitten's sixth birthday on Saturday the 8th of October. Support on the night will come from Screendeath and Chris McIlhagga.
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The 2 Bears, consisting of Joe Goddard from Hot Chip and Raf Rundell, 听will play the Stiff Kitten on Saturday the 15th of October. Chris McCormick and Shay Healey & Gerard O'Briend (Bekuz) will support on the night.
Former Minutemen/Stooges bassist听 Mike Watt will bring听his band听the Missing Men to Aunt Annies, Belfast on Sunday the 16th of October.
Dublin troubadour Damien Dempsey will play the Empire Music Hall, Belfast听on Wednesday the 30th of听November.
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And So I Watch You from Afar have announced a small Irish tour in December, including a New Year's Eve gig in Galway. The band are on tour across much of Europe throughout October and November.
Tour Dates:
December 29th 2011 - Crane Lane Theatre, Cork
December 30th 2011 - Electric Avenue,Waterford
December 31st 2011 - Roisin Dubh, Galway
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Space Dimension Controller, aka Belfast producer Jack hamill, has announced his new EP called听The Pathway To Tiraquon6, will be released on R&S Records on October the 10th.
According to 听the release is a full 46 minutes and will preempt SDC's听full length听due for release next year called Welcome to Mikrosector-50.
R&S Records previoulsy released Space Dimension Controller's 2010 EP, Temporary Thrillz.
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LaFaro have announced the details of听an听Irish tour next month, in support of their sophomore album Easy Meat. The album will be launched at the Limelight, Belfast on the 13th of October followed by five dates across Ireland:
20 Oct 鈥 Galway - 听Kellys
21 Oct 鈥 Limerick - Dolans
22 Oct 鈥 Waterford - Murphys
23 Oct 鈥 Cork - Crane Lane w/Lite & Maybeshewill
28 Oct 鈥 Castlebar - Finbar Hoban w/Adebisi Shank & Cast Of Cheers
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Kelis and the Horselips have both been added to Belfast's Arthur's Day Celebrations at the Ulster Hall on Thursday the 22nd of September. They will join the previously announced line-up of The Enemy,听 Ash, DJ Fresh and听Cashier No. 9.
Other acts playing on the day around Belfast include:
Errigle Inn -Furlo and The Shoos
Botantic -The Antics and The Lowly Knights
Empire -Furlo and The Beat Poets
Cloth Ear -The Beat Poets and The Shoos
Lavery's -The Lowly Knights and The Antics
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Ash will听play a special show at the Academy, Dublin on the 18th of October. The gig will see the Downpatrick natives joined once more by Charlotte Hatherley to perform their 2011听album, Free All Angels. As part of the tour they will also play Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Manchester and London. Closer to home, Ash will play a normal show as part of Arthur's Day celebrations at the Ulster Hall, Belfast听on the 22nd of September.
Loaded, the Seattle four piece fronted by Guns 'n Roses/Velvet Revolver鈥檚 Duff McKagan, will play听the Spring & Airbrake on Wednesday the 2nd of November. The band released their third studio album, The Taking, earlier this year. Support to be confirmed.
The Blackout return to Belfast for a 14+ show at the Mandela Hall on Sunday the 18th of December. The Welsh rockers third studio album, Hope was released in April.
G Sessions present More Than Conquerors, Runaway Go and LoUiSe at the Cellar Bar, Draperstown on the 1st of October.
Morning Claws will play Animal Disco at Aunt Annies, Belfast on Friday 14th of October.
Interrogate, Dead Til Friday, Comply or Die and Bakken will play Aunt Annies, Belfast on October the 12th.
Small Town America will host a listening party for their 'Public Service Broadcast 10' compilation including tracks from Ram's Pocket Radio, Event Horses, General Fiasco, Our Krypton Son and more.听 The event will take place at the Oh Yeah Centre, Belfast on Culture Night (23rd of September) with live听unplugged sets from General Fiasco and Our Krypton Son.
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Frank Turner's gig in Belfast this Saturday has been moved from the Mandela Hall to the Stiff Kitten. According to the promoter's the change in venue is due to, "unforeseen operational difficulties".
All tickets purchased remain valid.
Doors听open at 8pm, with Frank Turner on stage at 9pm.
Turner released his fourth studio album, England Keep My Bones in June.
Comply Or Die, Slomatics, The Burnt Reynolds
Menagerie, Belfast听
8th September 2011
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鈥楩REE IN鈥 - Is there possibly a more life-affirming succession of words in the English language? Well, probably, but when it comes to the eagerly-anticipated launch of Comply of Die's second album, Depths, featuring wrath-fuelled support from The Burnt Reynolds and sludge-doom matadors, Slomatics, there can be very few excuses to stay away. The question remains: does 鈥楩REE IN鈥 necessarily equate to 鈥渨orth the time and effort of trudging across the Holylands to find the Menagerie鈥?
Emerging before tonight鈥檚 packed house around 10pm, Larne-based punk rockers The Burnt Reynolds waste no time in trawling through a set of fervent, head-turning laments. 鈥楢gitator鈥 and 鈥楳urdercide鈥 expertly evoke the irate majesty of Troublegum-era Therapy? whilst, exposing even darker whims, 鈥楬ard Boiled鈥 calls to the mind riff-laden scourge of Helmet, whilst closer 鈥楤ig 69鈥 opts for the chugging, visceral ferocity of Big Black covering Fugazi circa 13 Songs. Gutsy and scrupulously unrelenting, The Burnt Reynolds鈥 densely melodic, fully-abrasive songwriting slant continues to warrant the hopes placed in them for the future.
Warpaint, Sea Pinks
Spring & Airbrake, Belfast
Wednesday 24th of August
It's good to see the Spring & Airbrake filling up soon after doors open for Californian four-piece Warpaint's gig this evening. Their critically acclaimed 2010 album The Fool has had a significant impact on these shores, and with this being the band's debut Belfast show, in an intimate venue compared to the huge festivals they've been playing throughout the summer, it's no wonder fans are turning up early to get down to the front.
A pleasing musical aperitif is provided in the form of Belfast's very own Sea Pinks, who offer up jangling lo-fi pop pleasantness for an already half-full venue. The rotating three-piece (who also make up Girls Names) seem to embrace the attention. Stand-out tracks include last year's EP tracks 'Peripheral Vision', and up-beat surfy song 'Youth Is Wasted', as well as the newer, more brooding track 'Fountain Tesserae' from their recent second album Dead Seas. Their west-coast sound sets up an ideal atmosphere for Warpaint's eagerly anticipated entrance.
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Mariachi El Bronx will play the Stiff Kitten, Belfast听on Saturday the 19th of 听November. The band is the alter ego of American hardcore punk group The Bronx, and have released two mariachi style albums. The latest album simply titled, Mariachi El Bronx was released in August.
Tim Kasher from American rockers听Cursive will support on the night.
Nightbox, Yes Cadets, EatenByBears
Stiff Kitten, Belfast
Wednesday 31st September
The Stiff Kitten feels a little empty tonight - perhaps that's the curse of a Wednesday night - but there's a decent crowd huddled round the front of the stage for one of Belfast's rising stars in Eatenbybears. On the basis of tonight's performance we're feeling a little underwhelmed but we can see the promise that provides the reason why so many are raving about the math-punk collective.
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Violinist Aidan Kelly manages to nail the surprisingly tricky skill of dancing while playing, his pizzicato violin adding another percussive element into the mix while providing searing melodies when needed. As you would expect from the genre there's offbeat rhythms and a dark, deep intensity underlying their music: we're treated to drones and distorted guitars with the occasional hook thrown in for good measure. The singles 'Spite Houses' and 'Vanderhoof' sound almost as impressive as they do on record, but problems crop up throughout the set. Timings are a little off, especially when the drums pull out for the odd guitar solo, and the harmonies aren't as tight as they should be, but we're intrigued. We'll chalk this up as an off night for the band (especially considering their victory in the Pick for the Picnic competition) and reserve our judgment for the next time we hear them.
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Cashier No. 9 have announced that Bangor lads, Kowalski, will support them听on their UK Tour this November.
Novemeber UK Tour:
Nov 8th - Mojo Bar, Liverpool
Nov 9th - The Deaf Institute, Manchester
Nov 10th - The Arches, Glasgow
Nov 12th - Library, Lancaster
Nov 13th - The Musician, Leicester
Nov 15th - O2 Academy 3, Birmingham
Nov 16th - Nation of Shopkeepers, Leeds
Nov 17th - JJ's Hemel Hempstead
Nov 19th - The Jerico Tavern, Oxford
Nov 20th - The Bodega, Nottingham
Nov 21st - The Cooler, Bristol
Nov 22nd - The Green Door Stage, Brighton
Nov 24th - XOYO, London
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Tonight's ATL Dance Show turns it's focus on this year's which took place in Stradbally, Co. Laois last weekend.
On the show there will be live sets from , and recorded at the festival.
Listen from midnight听to 主播大秀 Radio Ulster live online.
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Scroobius Pip听has confirmed a date at听the Stiff Kitten on November 17th. The wordsmith is touring in support of his current album,听'Distraction Pieces'. Tickets on sale Friday.
Kasabian听will play听the Odyssey, Belfast听on November 25th. The English rock band are due to release their forth album Velociraptor on the 16th of September. The band will also play The O2, Dublin on Saturday 26th November.
Jeffrey Lewis and the Junkyard will play Aunt Annies, Belfast on Wednesday the 5th of October. Support on the night will come from Crayonsmith, aka听Dublin Ciaran Smith
Levity Breaks will launch their EP at Radar at the Speakeasy, Belfast on Friday the 23rd of September. Support听will come from 听The Wonder Villains.
The Rupture Dogs will play Animal Disco in Aunt Annies, Belfast on Friday the 1st of October.
For full listings visit the ATL Gig Guide.
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NouveauNoise have decided to give their whole back catalogue away , asking punters to 'name your price'听on , including the electronic duo's latest release, Sequence Consequence which came out on Monday.
The new EP was recorded between Dublin, Berlin and Madrid听and is the follow up to the much acclaimed 2010 album Paraphrase Accolade.
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The Ambience Affair have announced that their debut album, 'Burials' 听will be released on Bluestack records on the 14th of October. The Dublin based three piece have also announced a tour听starting in Aunt Annies, Belfast on Thursday the 20th of October.
The art work for the听album (picture on the left) was photgraphed and drawn by the band's bass player Yvonne Ryan.
As a two piece, the听Meath/Dublin band released听two EP's called 'Fragile Things' in 2009 and 'Patterns' in early 2010.
Tour Dates:
Oct 20th - Aunt Annies, Belfast
Oct 21st - The Spirit Store, Dundalk
Oct 22nd - Cypress Avenue, Cork
Oct 27th - Kelly's, Galway
Oct 28th - The Workman's Club, Dublin听
Amidships,Bomb City 7, Bright Falls, Morning Claws, runaway GO, Seven Summits, Southern
Katy Dalys and The Limelight, Belfast
Wednesday the 7th of September 2011
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With the festival season over for another year, September makes no haste in preparing us for another wet autumn. Luckily, the IMRO Showcase is back just in time to ease the post-summer blues. Kicking off its nationwide expos茅 in Belfast, this evening boasts seven uniquely talented bands, a healthy mix of the established and the eager.
Starting things in the Limelight are runaway GO, a peculiar choice of opening band given the band鈥檚 perpetual growth in popularity. Nevertheless, opening with the heart stopping 鈥楢lligator鈥 has the audience shaking its collective head in disbelief at the 5-piece鈥檚 consummate delivery. For thirty solid minutes, the crowd is theirs.
Given the unfortunate overlapping of bands, ATL have to peel ourselves away to catch Morning Claws in Katy Daly鈥檚. While demonstrating real pop awareness, a trio of synthesizers seem to be clambering over each other for dominance. It creates a piercing cacophony that鈥檚 hard to withstand, while the guitar is rendered inaudible. Perhaps switching to the Limelight stage would have allowed their sound to flourish rather than these more confining surroundings.
The Worldonfire, Colly Strings, Like Statues
Auntie Annie鈥檚, Belfast
6th September 2011
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Whether bullied in by gale-force winds or the simple promise of live music, Auntie Annie鈥檚 proves an ideal refuge from the arrival of autumn tonight. Touring the UK in promotion of their spirited new album, Music To Leadership, London-based four-piece Theworldonfire head a bill featuring two of this country鈥檚 more worthy 鈥榩ost-hardcore鈥 counterparts in Colly Strings and Like Statues. However, the question remains: will the occasion prove more worthwhile than sitting all tucked up at home, robotically berating the weather?
Tonight鈥檚 initially mediocre turn-out aside, self-described progressive alt. rockers Like Statues get things underway courtesy of the intricately-formed, fully raucous 鈥楨ye Level鈥, a track dedicated to the Northern Ireland football team鈥檚 performance this evening. And just like the latter鈥檚 4-1 pounding on the pitch, it鈥檚 a real pummelling effort, immediately setting the bar for the rest of their set, five finely-tuned tracks of start/stop riffdom and robustly heartfelt choruses evoking early Reuben and Biffy Clyro circa Blackened Sky. While instrumental 鈥楿no Mas鈥 recalls the chugging density of Russian Circles, set highlight 鈥楤y The Skin Of Our Teeth鈥 proves a tenacious conclusion from a Lisburn band growing in leaps and bounds.
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The Good Vibrations film are looking for extra's for the听finale gig scene which they're shooting at the Ulster Hall, Belfast on Friday the 16th of September.听
Gary and Nathan from Snow Patrol are both associate听producers of the movie,听which will tell the story of Belfast's punk scene in the 70's. As a bonus they will perform a 30 minute acoustic set, with a mix of old and new Snow Patrol songs on the day.
The event is free but听to be part of the crowd you must .
Doors are at 6:30pm and there's no guarantee of admission after 7pm. Applicants must be over 16 and I.D. will be required.
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LaFaro have announced that their sophomore album, 'Easy Meat' will be launched at the Limelight, Belfast on Thursday the 13th of October.
Entry to the gig is to own a copy of the new eighteen track album, released by 听or pay on the door.
You can listen to thw whole album now via .
Main Stage, Sunday 4th September, 10.30pm
Describe in a Tweet: F.E.E.L.I.N.G. C.A.L.L.E.D. P.R.E.T.T.Y G.O.O.D.
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What happened: What better way to finish a festival than feature a band with debauchery, partying and disco at its core? It feels as if king of the hipsters Jarvis Cocker is presenting one of his radio shows, talking to the crowd at length between tracks and showing his experience as a festival veteran as he plays on the substantial crowd that's turned out tonight. If Roxy Music met ecstasy in the 1990s, this would be the result: we hit the heights of the back catalogue pretty quickly with Do You Remember The First Time and Disco 2000 warming us up a little bit. It's when we hit the halfway stage that the more average tracks come out. Underwear is instantly forgettable and when Pulp slow things down the audience seem somewhat less enamoured with the group. It's a professional performance and for a band advancing in age there's still a tremendous amount of energy on stage, with Cocker pulling off dance moves that would be impressive on a man half his age. Common People is a glorious finale, a song that has stood the test of time without a shadow of a doubt. Is this the last hurrah of the Pulp reunion? We're not quite sure. But all good parties must come to an end, and this was a damn good one.
Electric Arena, Sunday 4th September, 7.35pm
Describe in a Tweet: Famous in the Eighties, grew up in the Sixties, inspired by the Fifties, playing in the Teenies.
What happened: Electric Picnic has a habit of picking acts from yesteryear to appear and Big Audio Dynamite certainly fall into that category: with a few successful hits in their repository this could have been one of those memorable festival moments. The crowd in the Electric Arena isn't a substantial one considering the high billing the band have received but there's a few pockets of fairly hardcore fans singing every word at the front. Most of the tracks are pushing four minutes or more and while they aren't the punchiest numbers we'll hear this year at Stradbally there's a level of inventiveness that piques our attention: the punk drumming is supplemented by early hip hop drum machines and guitars that skirt a fine line between good and the dreaded "dad rock". The Bottom Line recalls Frankie Goes To Hollywood and new track Rob Peter To Pay Paul snatches victory from the jaws of defeat. Lyrically it's a bit of a disappointment (if we had a penny for every mediocre track written about the global financial turmoil we'd have enough to bail out the banks and have a few quid left over) but the classic hooks integrated in the song show that even to this day the band know how to write a decent bit of pop. Fans will have enjoyed this and bystanders will be amused but it's not exactly a thrilling experience.
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Electric Picnic closed this year's music festival season with headliners Pulp signing off the Main Stage on Sunday night. Team ATL were down for the weekend writing reviews and taking pics of over 30 acts.
Read our Electric Picnic reviews
Listen to Highlights: Live tracks from Arcade Fire, The Undertones, Family Stone, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, White Lies, The Lost Brothers, O Emperor, Underworld, Republic of Loose, Interpol, Sin茅ad O'Connor and Beirut.
Watch highlights of ATL's two live streams from the festival:
Saturday Highlights: Featuring EatenByBears, Le Galaxie, Niamh from Ham Sandwich and more.
Sunday Highlights:听Featuring Gemma Hayes, And So I Watch you From Afar, The Rubberbandits...
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English grunge revivalists, Yuck, will play the Speakeasy, Belfast on Sunday the 27th of November. Recenlty tipped in the 主播大秀's Sound Of 2011 list, the band includes two ex-members of the Cajun Dance Party who left to form Yuck.
The band's self-titled debut album was released through Fat Possum on the 21st of February this year.
Tickets go on sale this Wednesday.
Cosby Stage, Sunday 4th September, 6.15pm
Describe in a Tweet: Broken bones can't even stop these guys.
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What happened: And So I Watch You From Afar could have been given a bye ball for a poor performance this time round, given the fact that one of their members was beaten up less than 24 hours before this performance. Tony Wright is confined to a chair and appears to be in some pain before the post-rock band begin their set but when things begin it's barely noticeable. Bassist Johnny Adger revels in his position in the middle of the stage but the entire band are full of their trademark energy. A setlist mixing the best of their two studio albums (and two tracks from their EP) means there's never a dull moment. The drumming is fiendishly tight and for the most part the duelling guitars are excellent, creating an intense atmosphere that the crowd adore. The mark of a great festival band is how those who aren't familiar with the band react and without doubt the general view was very, very positive: from kids to teenagers to the middle-aged couple having the time of their lives in front of this reviewer they've made one hell of an impression. 7 Billion People All Alive At Once provides a sing along while D Is For Django features a brief foray into soft jazz. Seriously. There's barely a moment to pause and there's the occasional reworking of a track we're used to but on the whole it feels like a ridiculously special experience.
Crawdaddy Stage, Sunday 4th September, 2.00pm
Describe in a Tweet: Very enjoyable, even if they don't reinvent the wheel.
What happened: We're pleasantly surprised. There's a sizeable crowd this early on in the day - clearly revellers are committed enough to wake from their slumber after the demands of the previous night to see the Waterford band. You can see the attraction: dreamy delayed guitar lines and plenty of hooks to keep us intrigued, with a sound that borrows from Wilco and Bends-era Radiohead. For the most part it sounds excellent and the tracks are well sculpted, providing plenty of guitar noodling for this set. There's just the right amount of polish on each track and it's a shining example to other Irish acts as to how professional they can really sound if they put their minds to it. This reviewer may not be as familiar as they would like to be with O Emperor's debut album but on the basis of this performance it deserves to be heard.
Electric Arena, Sunday 4th September
Describe in a Tweet: Bonkers lyrics, perfect pop.
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What happened: Stop the presses - Everything Everything are bringing boiler suits back in fashion. Clothing aside, the Mercury Music Prize nominated band deliver a strong performance that leaves the hits until the end but keeps us focused during the new material. Hip hop beats, falsetto vocals and menacing guitars are the backbone of this band and the crowd for the most part lap it up. The rough and ready rhythm guitars of Suffragette Suffragette and the bouncing synthesisers of Photoshop Handsome are marvellous but the focus always seems to be on Jonathan Higgs as he flutters between his ordinary register and his shrill falsetto that impresses some and just causes headaches for those in the tent suffering from hangovers.
Crawdaddy Stage, Sunday 4th September
Describe in a tweet: It's a score draw between the musicians and the machines.
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What happened: The Crawdaddy tent is absolutely rammed for McMorrow's set. Team ATL have never seen as many middle aged women in one place. The main attraction here of course is the songwriter's utterly stunning voice: he could probably sing the phone book and it would break our hearts.The more upbeat numbers keep the crowd focused for the most part but when things get a little quieter the usual crowd murmurs threaten to drown out the entire band. It doesn't help that the band's "new toys" provide technical problems: there's feedback cropping up in several songs and in a performance as intricate as this it hampers this set significantly. The most telling example is "Red Dust": the organ refuses to work, so McMorrow strips things down to just a solo piano performance of the track. On record it's superb, but with all the problems and the layers taken away it doesn't have the same magic.
Cosby Stage, Saturday 3rd September, 10.15pm
Describe in a Tweet: Anything could happen!
What happened: The 70s No Wave legend has well and truly returned to performing, but there's a distinct Brian Wilson-esque appearance as he sits behind his Korg organ and makes little eye contact with the crowd. But once he gets up, Chance shows that despite the many intervening years, he can still scream, shout, go crazy on that saxophone and move! His strange shuffle/spasm/moonwalk/swimming moves are captivating, though they force him to repeatedly tug at his belt to keep his 'slacks' up. The music is still aggressive, the band perform the mix of no wave, punk and free form jazz flawlessly, but everybody's eyes are on the main man with his eccentric and unhinged performance. There's a distinct change in the crowd as many of the confused casual punters are replaced by enthralled fans dancing to the likes of Contort Yourself, King Heroin and doing, as Chance called it, "a brand new dance" to the Splurge. Chaotic performance, that perhaps is a little less easy for Chance these days, but he still gives it his all.
Electric Arena, Saturday 3rd September, 11.00pm
Describe in a Tweet:听 Brought the noise, hype was disregarded and we all struggled for power together.
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What happened: Usually with bands who've been performing on and off for the good part of a quarter century, there's an expectation that, hmmm, they might just phone it in, collect their big cheque and ride off into the sunset. Or even worse, subject a festival crowd to new, experimental and usually questionable unheard material. Luckily Public Enemy are neither of these bands. 
What they are, is incredibly proud of their hip-hop legacy. With roots in the civil rights movement, and sampling everyone from Buffalo Springfield to James Brown on the way, Chuck D, Flava Flav and Terminator X proceeded to give County Laois a history lesson and a showcase of some of the finest music to come out of Black America over the past 25 years.
Chuck D found kinsman-ship with the Irish crowd, dedicating Fight The Power to the 'endless Irish struggle', and drawing comparisons from the English riots. "Don't trust your government", he announced before kicking off the AC/DC mashup Black Is Back.
Flava Flav, at the age of 52, still rocking the novelty clock, proved to be the gunpowder at the end of Chuck D's slow burning touch paper. He was everywhere; riling the crowd, playing a bass solo, climbing the rig, playing a drum solo and finally, after the Dons of hip-hop had rattled through their back catalogue (Can't Truss It, Fight The Power, 911 Is A Joke, Terrordome, Bring The Noise, Don't Believe The Hype), he was talking racism and peace with the crowd.
Public Enemy might have their best years behind them, but if they're able to recreate in the same memorable way their performance at EP, they'll still be a relevant force in hip-hop for years to come.
The fun from EP continues tonight as Across the Line's live stream returns to the internetz from 7.30 to 8.00pm. Rigsy will be presenting music from Gemma Hayes and The Danger Is, attempting to have a proper conversation with The Rubberbandits, having a proper conversation with ASIWYFA and Axis Of and we'll have a whole host of other treats besides.
THIS ATL LIVE STREAM HAS NOW ENDED
But don't worry, because you can catch up with all our Electric Picnic reviews right here on the blog, and have a gander at the great shots snapped by the wonderful in . And when we get back home, we'll chuck up the best of our video coverage for you to watch on the site. Cheers, and adios until Monday night's radio show.
Cosby Stage, Sunday 4th September, 2.50pm
Describe in a Tweet:听They may take our equipment, but they'll never take our spirit!
What happened:听The night before, Public Enemy taught Electric Picnic to Fight the Power, but it was Cast Of Cheers who taught the crowd how to take it back, with their powerful performance on the Cosby Stage. With equipment thefts hopefully a distant memory, the Dublin guitar fiddlers produced a pretty impressive performance in front of a supportive Irish crowd. New material was tested, it went down a treat, and what would be considered old classics like I Am Lion, Tigerfox and Derp were delivered in the usual battering-ram fashion. Duelling guitars, bleepy synths and get wrenching drums, what more could you want?
Main Stage, Saturday 3rd September, 10.00pm
Describe in a Tweet: The stuff of legends.
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What happened: Arcade Fire have a special relationship with Electric Picnic and their performance in 2005 will probably go down as one of the best ever to take place in Stradbally. So how exactly do you follow that? It may not have been flawless, but the Montreal collective gave it their all. With a setlist drawing upon material from their three studio albums there's barely a filler track tonight and the crowd seem to know the back catalogue surprisingly well: Month Of May is the only track where the audience are a little muted.
Opening with Wake Up, Laika and Ready To Start, we're treated to what could only be described as an epic set. It's energetic and musically flawless: the distorted guitars ring out as the sound of the violins resonates in the night air. It's not just Win Butler leading the show: R茅gine Chassagne shines in the spotlight, her ode to her homeland Haiti sparkling and finding real favour in the crowd, engaging with the band and providing our first reprise of the night. It's an hour and a half of sheer brilliance and you just know they could kept it going. A textbook performance from one of the greatest acts in the world.
Main Stage, Saturday 3rd September, 8.15pm
Describe in a Tweet: A performance that never really hits the heights that it promised.
What happened: Lykke Li's graduation to the major slots of festivals might be a little premature on the basis of this performance. It's admittedly brave to play the major singles so early on and at times there's a significant aural intensity with thunderous drumming, but the crowd never feel energised. Lykke's vocals on I Follow Rivers are as good as you would expect and the beginning of the set features several singles: it just never really kicks off. With an entire entourage dressed in dark black and some bizarre onstage antics (seemingly dancing or fighting with a huge piece of cloth attached to the ceiling) we're scratching our heads at times as to quite what's going on in front of us but on the whole we're a little disappointed. Wounded Rhymes is a great album on record but it just doesn't seem to retain that magic live.
Main Stage, Saturday 3rd September, 12.30am
Describe in a tweet: The Brothers Gonna (Re) Work it Out
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What happened: While for many it never grew tired, The Chemical Brothers have been touring a very similar show for many years, with familiar re-workings of songs and deja-vu visuals. For an Irish audience then, tonight feels like the launch of a brand new show. It starts with the gentle wah-wah strains of Another World and a curtain of green lights circling above Tom and Ed, before Do It Again and Get Yourself High set the stall out. Some (simple) visuals are revealed for the brutal Horse Power, while Chemical Beats (from their debut) and Swoon (from their latest) prove this will be a career spanning set. Hey Boy, Hey Girl, Out Of Control and Believe are all rebranded and even mashed into each other, some tracks barely getting a look in as others are allowed to breathe. It toughens up before Galvanize and Block Rockin' Beats bring us home. So yeah, all the hits, a load of the tech-ier sounding new stuff and brave takes on familiar moments. Sounds good? It would have been, if someone reached over and turned it up.
Oh, and the new visuals are hardly a massive improvement - while it's good to (cautiously) welcome back that terrifying clown, they overdo a few motifs - the colourful silhouettes, for a start. But I guess one must welcome change...
Body and Soul, Saturday 3rd September, 1pm
Describe in a Tweet: Sore heads soothed by beautiful melancholy.
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What Happened: Halves arrive in the serene surroundings of Body & Soul's natural amphitheater, with sensitive heads easing themselves into day two of the festival. "We'll scare the rain away", they declare as they begin their set of soothing melancholy. Violins, driving guitars, bells, delicate piano and percussion all layer on top of the atmosphere drenched backing track, making a sound unlike anybody else at this festival. Band members chop and change instruments, showing just how proficient musicians they are, while Brian Cash's tender melodies are delivered with perfection.
Body and Soul, Saturday 3rd September, 7.15pm
Describe in a Tweet: Synthtastic brothers get us grooving.
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What Happened: This isn't the first festival appearance for the Kitt brothers as festival veterans will remember a young Rob singing a duet with his older brother David at Witnness Festival in 2000. Over ten years have passed: the grey hairs are showing on David but he's still on the top of his game. Spilly Walker are dominated by analog synths and punchy drum machines in an effort to recreate early 1990s dance music, recalling past greats such as Orbital and recent acts such as The Depreciation Guild.
This performance was somewhat of a slow burner, but when it kicks off it hits the higher gears seamlessly. A guest appearance from Katie Kim sparks the touch paper, providing another voice in the mix and bringing the first relatively upbeat track to our attention, but it's You'll Never Meet A Guy Like Me Again that really gets things going. Simple refrains endlessly repeated, glitchy synths and basslines that aren't overwhelming but certainly noticeable have the previously ambivalent crowd dancing at the front. From then on we're hooked: finale Rock Your Body lasts for more than seven glorious minutes as we dance our way into the early evening. With an album allegedly coming out in late 2011 they're ones to watch: a perfect mixture of vintage ideas and new thinking.
Crawdaddy, Saturday 3rd September, 5.15pm
Describe in a Tweet: Blonde Redhead performed a trick, they made an entire tent of people sway in time.
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What Happened: I'm sure Blonde Redhead are sick of reviewers using hackneyed old terms like "the music just washes over you" and听 "here, these are some pretty, floaty beats, I need to lie myself on this soft grass and take stock of my life, my love, hopes, dreams and my fears".
This break, or more specifically, this refuge from the non-stop pace of Electric Picnic was welcomed, and soundtracked by some of the most beautiful music ATL has heard live in a long time. 23, Spring and Summer Fall, Messenger, Falling Man and SW were all delivered to the growing crowd with love.
And although there was basically no punter-interaction from Kazu Makino and the twins Simone and Amedeo Pace, everyone in front of them was so involved in the performance, we doubt it would have come to much.
Cosby Stage, Saturday 3rd September, 3.15pm
Describe in a Tweet: Bleep blop bloop, thrash thrash thrash, dance dance dance. Applause.
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What Happened: Put quite simply - electric. What more do you want from an exciting Irish outfit like Adebisi. The Cosby swelled with an expectant crowd, and everything kicked off at full throttle with International Dreambeat. The high pitched, shredding guitars of Masa followed, with the band hurling themselves across the stage. The stall had been set out early, and most importantly Adebisi Shank maintained their blistering pace throughout the set. There hasn't been a stronger Irish contingent at EP in a long time, and with most of the fans heading across to watch The Rubberbandits fill the biggest tent on offer, the chaps did their home country proud.
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Electric Arena, Saturday 3rd September, 5.15pm
Describe in a Tweet: The new album intrigues but it's the classics that bring the house down.
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What happened: You'd need to be a little bit dead inside not to find Richie Egan endearing. Switching from egg shaker to keyboard to guitar the frontman tries his best to engage with the crowd and for the most part he succeeds, bringing some energy to a crowd that looked a little lethargic. So what about the actual performance? Opening with I Was A Man Jape quickly set out their stall, providing some delightful pop with electronica and disco overtones in the process. Egan clearly has confidence in his newest material, providing for a significant part of the setlist, and in reality it's more of what we've come to expect: keyboard infused upbeat pop with simple refrains and back to basics drumming. Hands On Fire, the upcoming single, is a perfect example of this. We're treated to a Redneck Manifesto track as our finale, rounding off things nicely. This crowd wanted to dance and they left satisfied, albeit with a little bit more guitar pop than they might have expected.
Electric Arena, Saturday 3rd September, 4.00pm
Describe in a Tweet: Shock humour, mini raves and love songs.
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What happened: A countdown and a somewhat tedious audio intro do not prepare us for the Rubberbandits onslaught. With tracks celebrating the advantages of chastity, describing a former Irish president's drug habits and solvent abuse it's clear that the plastic bag adorned musicians are going for shock humour: to be honest, they pull it off pretty well. Mary Whitehouse would be concerned at听 the number of kids in the tent that know the words to the songs but there's a great atmosphere in the Electric Arena. Once we get past the swearing and the crude humour we begin to see that the Rubberbandits are pretty skilled songwriters: the hooks are there and the melodies are infectious even if the drum machine can get a little repetitive. I Wanna Fight Your Father is a prime example of this, a true sing along that might not be all that tongue in cheek, supported by hurley-swinging dancers. The climax, inevitably, was going to be Horse Outside. The entire tent screaming and singing along, balloons in the air and a great end to one of the most bizarre performances we'll see at this festival. It's an entire experience: the dancers, the psychedelic visuals (Danny Dyer's severed head spinning round at 120 rpm) and the unrepeatable onstage banter makes these Limerick boys unmissable.
Cosby Stage, Friday 2nd September, 11.00pm
Describe in a Tweet: An utterly magnetic performance.
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What happened: Alex Ebert bounds on stage looking a bit like he just woke up in a cardboard box and suddenly the whole stage is brimming with musicians wielding tambourines, clapping and frolicking in a particularly joyous manner. Alex spends the first song in the crowd leaving the rest of the band a bit forgotten on stage behind him but the joyful atmosphere is contagious and soon everybody's singing along. There's a certain hippy vibe at Electric Picnic and this band perfectly fit that bill.
Main Stage, Saturday 3rd September, 12.30pm
Describe in a Tweet: The perfect Saturday wake up call.
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What Happened: Violins and Moogs, cellos and guitars, choirs and drum kits. It might not seem like the most natural combination but Trinity Orchestra are an annoyingly talented bunch of students, treating us to renditions of songs from one of the most famous acts currently performing today. Roll over, Beethoven. It's a fairly breathless start as we're treated to reinventions of One More Time and Harder Better Faster Stronger that obviously owe a lot to their electronic counterparts but they aren't simple carbon copies. Crescendos and diminuendos are snuck in here and there and the live brass adds a real punchy nature to the songs, while the strings can add a beautiful layer to a track or simply accompany the up-tempo tunes without distracting the masses from the melodies. There's a decent crowd at this main stage performance and that may have contributed to the orchestra's nerves: once or twice things seem to go off track and the vocals for the most part are poor in comparison to the sterling performances from the rest of the musicians. Special praise, however, must be reserved for the lead guitarist as he effortlessly reeled off the signature mazy guitar solo from Aerodynamic that received rapturous applause. It's something refreshingly different and in a sense sums up this festival quite well, taking the odd risk to create something crowd pleasing and enjoyable.
Main Stage, Friday 2nd September, 10.30pm
Describe in a Tweet: Great for fans, hit and miss for others.
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What happened: Interpol are a band caught in limbo. As live performers they know they can rely upon their first two albums to please a crowd but their newer releases are somewhat of a damp squib in comparison. With that in mind (and the loss of bassist Carlos Dengler) the setlist can be as important as the actual musical performance and in that respect they deliver: we're treated to the classic anthems of C'mere and Evil sounding as dark and intense as ever but there's a severe lack of enthusiasm for songs from their self titled fourth release that are liberally sprinkled throughout this set. The stage presence is a little muted - Paul Banks will not be described as an energetic performer any time soon - but the music itself is as special as ever. Those offbeat basslines interlace with the powerful drumming of Sam Fogarino and create something a little bit magical, helped out somewhat by the simple yet effective light show. For a headliner at the main stage the crowd is somewhat sparse and there's a feeling that DJ Shadow is just too much of a draw for the revellers tonight, but for the Interpol fans they will be pleased with this slot at Stradbally.
Cosby Stage, Saturday 3rd September, 12.15pm
Describe in a Tweet: The boys are back, and you can call at least one of them Al.
What Happened: "The good thing is that when mixed with their infectious indie pop, you can forgive them. But it's something they'll have to tackle before progressing anywhere near to the standard of their influences." The words ATL used back at Oxegen '09 to explain why Nightbox's weak vocals were the only hurdle the Wicklow 5-piece needed to overcome - at the time though, it was a deal breaker.
Well, two years later and the boys seemed to have taken our learned advice. The act was fresh, tight and more importantly came with a big, impressive vocal performance from frontman 'Jake Bitove'. He crooned and screamed like he'd been born to. They've expanded their repetoire as well, bringing in some really catchy 3 minute pop tunes. What a great way to kick off day 2 of EP.
From this performance, it's evident the boys have also benefited from their association with ultra-hip label Kitsun茅, who've recently been doing wonderful, wonderful things with Two Door Cinema Club.
Electric Arena, Friday 2nd September, 10.45pm
Describe in a Tweet: Big balls, bigger hits. Not just a shadow of his former self.
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What happened: Fans of DJ Shadow may be a little cautious, recalling a slightly dull, forgettable show at EP a few years ago. Casual fans may have stumbled into the arena as nothing else stood out from the line up at that particular time. But, regardless of expectations, DJ Shadow's show was guaranteed to floor us within moments. Such a gloriously simple idea - he鈥檚 performing inside what looks like a giant golf ball, which cleverly gives the impression of spinning around, before turning into the Death Star, being chain-sawed in half, hit for a home run and grabbed by a giant hand. Does that sound weird? Well, you had to be there. Just an incredible spectacle, with Shadow himself first appearing as a silhouette inside, then showing up on little screens, then finally revealing himself and his technical set up as the sphere opens. As for the music, that's nailed as well. The finest moments from his three albums to date are taken apart and rebuilt, mashed up and processed, sometimes even improved. The new stuff has glimpses of dubstep, electro-pop, and straight up hip hop. And there鈥檚 one gorgeous standout to rival the finer moments of Entroducing. Awesome, awesome stuff.
Cosby Stage, Friday 2nd September, 8.30pm
Describe in a Tweet: Sickly sweet twee pop warms our cold hearts.
What happened: As Warpaint are clashing with these noise pop merchants, the crowd at the Cosby Stage are somewhat lacklustre in number. After an extensive soundcheck The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart unleash a high tempo set that has the hardcore fans bopping away at the front and the rest of the crowd listening with smiles on their faces. Their style of music may not be to everyone's taste but if you like carefree love songs you will have enjoyed this performance. Come Saturday still stands out as a glorious, distortion ridden piece of pop, with frontman Kip Berman seemingly having a limitless supply of energy, while Everything With You deserves a place in the mixtape hall of fame. Good, clean, unadulterated fun.
Electric Arena, Friday 2nd September, 7.15pm
Describe in a Tweet: How deep is our love for the Rapture? Pretty deep, apparently.
What happened: There's a surprisingly large (and good natured) crowd here at the Electric Arena for this performance from the Rapture, and the atmosphere is one akin to a carnival even before The Rapture take to the stage. These days so called "party bands" rarely stick together for more than an EP but with the band on the cusp of releasing their third studio album (albeit with some minor detours on the way) there's something just a little bit special about this DFA marquee band. With a sound that bears all the hallmarks of the New York dance-punk scene they've the crowd in the palm of their hands for the most part. A live and energetic rhythm section, a frontman that revels in the glory and some genuinely great tracks with simple refrains fuel this performance and the Rapture deserve acclaim for this set: there's never really a lull in the set (bravely playing their biggest two hits halfway through) and a medley towards the end works well. It's the latest single How Deep Is Your Love that steals the show, surprisingly. The same four to the floor house beat provides the basis for this track but it's a well layered piece that lends as much to house music as it does to electronica, the crowd erupting as we finally reach the refrain. Fans will have been in heaven, and the Rapture have undoubtedly picked up a few new ones along the way due to this performance.
Main Stage, Friday 2nd September, 8.45pm
Describe in a Tweet: Big black monsoon, take me with you.
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What happened: This was simply magnificent. Clad from head to toe in black, looking like she had stepped out of a Tim Burton movie, PJ Harvey strode on stage, strapped on the autoharp and launched into the title track of her latest album, Let England Shake. Within minutes, the main stage audience multiplied to the sort of levels this wonderful specimen truly deserves. No wonder, as the sound was so magnificent it couldn't fail to draw you in. Sparse yet thunderous, subtle and fragile yet at the same time hugely powerful. It only got better as the guitar came out and we were treated to an inspired choice from a songbook with few peers. Down By The Water beckoned the heavens to open, adding to the swirling, menacing atmosphere. Let It Burn and The Pocket Knife were captivating, but the farewell salvo of Big Exit and Meet Ze Monster really underlined what a total legend PJ Harvey is. Seriously, could she be ANY cooler? Is that even possible? The answer is no. The woman is a treasure.
Cosby Stage, Friday 2nd September, 7.30pm
Describe in a Tweet: Sweet indie pop troupe create Foster-mania...
What happened: This is ridiculous, but not totally surprising, as the Cosby Tent is crammed tight with punters keen to catch the hyped LA based band's first Irish appearance. Front man Mark Foster commands the stage with such charm and energy, that rarely do your eyes rove to the rest of the band. The typical, "my grandmother was Irish" chat is crowd pleasing as always, but it's endearing how genuinely excited the band seem to receive such a warm welcome in Ireland. The radio friendly hits are greeted with cheer after cheer, as punters are very willing to get wrapped up in the moment. 'Call It What You Want' melds elements of Scissor Sisters with Local Natives, as Mark dance's about the stage infectiously.
Cosby Stage, Friday 2nd September, 6.30pm
Describe in a Tweet: Warpaint practiced the art of seduction on the Cosby massive.
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What happened: A highlight of the festival so far, the LA chill-rock quartet finally brought the grunge. We'd asked politely for grunge earlier in the day, and suddenly here it was. The tent was packed, and the girls were in fine fettle - working their way through their last album The Fool. A new song was announced, that this reviewer didn't quite catch - mostly down to the over-riding fuzzy, playful sound we've come to know and love. There's a certain pace to a band like Warpaint, and once you get into their rhythm, there's nothing better.
Main Stage, Friday 2nd September, 5.30pm
Describe in a Tweet: Sinead O鈥機onnor temporarily drops her public pursuit of a new man to play some music.
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What happened: Artists like O鈥機onnor always add an element of the unexpected to proceedings. A volatile performer on the best of days, ATL were of the opinion that literally ANYTHING could happen. Sure she had most of the lyrics printed out in front of her, and of course she banned the photographers from any "up close" shots, not to mention she spent the first two songs shooting daggers at the sound man for who knows what - but for the most part, Sinead delivered a very solid, if slightly stale, set. Even finding time to dedicate I Am Stretched On Your Grave to the late Amy Winehouse.
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Electric Arena, Friday 2nd September, 4.45pm
Describe in a Tweet: One of the most exciting bands in Ireland at the moment.
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What happened: Little Green Cars have taken off in the past few months. With airplay on Radio 1 and significant backing from the Irish blogosphere there's a real sense of momentum right now for the band and we would argue it's justified. In The John Wayne, Little Green Cars have one of the strongest singles we've heard this year, a track that's simple at first glance but just effortlessly layered to create something magical. Four part harmonies, big choruses and more hooks than a hardware shop provide the backbone for a confident performance that is quite simply flabbergasting at times. The frontman isn't afraid to reach the higher notes in his register and for the most part he's faultless, adding a real beauty to proceedings. Faye O'Rourke on the other hand provides rich, soulful harmonies reminiscent of Stevie Nicks but can come to the forefront if needed as demonstrated in My Love Came Down To The River To Silence Me. Strong on record but unmissable live.
Electric Arena, Friday 2nd September, 3.45pm
Describe in a Tweet: Flashes of promise drowned out by overwhelming basslines.
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What happened: The Electric Arena feels a little empty as Funeral Suits begin their performance, but the band attempt to fill the massive tent with their murky, intense music. Armed with keyboards, drum machines and guitars Funeral Suits clearly have a sound in mind but it doesn't seem to transfer into reality: the synth bass completely and utterly drowns out the vocals, the guitars and pretty much everything else within ten feet of the marquee. Our disappointment in this performance is elevated because we know they've got the songs in them. Colour Fade is as impressive live as it is on record, and there's a strong sense of melody ingrained in the band's work: we can just barely hear the vulnerable vocals and the lead keyboard.
Cosby Stage, Friday 2nd September, 3.00pm
Describe in a Tweet: A pleasant way to kick off an exciting weekend.
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What happened: Team ATL turned up expecting a middle of the road beginning to Electric Picnic and, to sum up our experience of The Little Smoke, we were genuinely surprised. The band clearly had an enthusiastic posse of fans with them but in all honesty they had an intrigued and interested crowd at their disposal: with a sound that crossed lighter elements of Arctic Monkeys with a smattering of Paul Simon they didn't reinvent the wheel but it was hard to find fault with the Laois act. Opener Walk Away provided the band's musical manifesto early on in their set with the eye catching drumming of Enda Fitzpatrick setting the tone and enthralling the audience, providing fairly simple rhythms but delivering them in a lilting and unusual way. While the quality of the songwriting varied drastically throughout (a song could sound like mediocre indie rock at one point and then end brilliantly) it's a lot of fun to experience. It's a tricky thing to be the first band at a festival, but The Little Smoke can give themselves a pat on the back.
Main Stage, Friday 2nd September, 4.20pm
Describe in a Tweet: The Lone Mason casually waltz back into our lives...
What Happened: Willy Mason hasn't been in our lives for a while, releasing his last album four years ago, so we approach the stage expecting a good chunk of new material to test the crowd. Instead, tune after bluesy tune pleased the laid back afternoon crowd, who are totally forgiving of the stripped back solo performance on the rather big main stage. His relaxed nature on stage, and his tiny amp, make it feel like we are eavesdropping on somebody's living room jam, but it brings a respect rarely seen at major festivals. Songs like 'Save Myself', 'Gotta Keep Moving' and 'Hard Hand To Hold' see Mason trade on his old songs, and only when he dedicates a song for his father do we hear something new. But it's no bad thing - Mason's performance draws you in with his melodies that seem much older than him or anybody else in this field, displaying an original twists on those instinctual folky blues song forms.
Cosby Stage, Friday 2nd September, 3.50pm
Describe in a tweet: That's Mr Hozier to you, may I seduce you with my sexy little numbers?
What happened: At some point, someone in Ireland must have asked: "Why don't we have any knee-wobbling artists like Paulo Nutini?". Well folks, Hozier must think he's the answer to that probably-never-asked question. Attempting to fill the void The Thrills left when they wandered off into the Kerry Mountains never to return, Hozier mixes dreamy, swoon-pop, with a bit of sultry blues.
Crawdaddy Stage, Friday 2nd September, 3.30pm
Describe in a tweet: EatenByBears may have won a competition to play EP, but the boys delivered a great opening set to the Stradbally early birds.
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What happened: The relatively new Belfast outfit were launched onto the festival scene after striking lucky in the "Pick for the Picnic" competition. A small, steady crowd started to gather for what was one of the first performances on the EP roster. After a questionable start, the boys got into their stride with Let's Build A Spaceship, which sees this freshman band appear to play music beyond their years. Though still not the finished article, you can see influences ranging from the stop-start drumming of Battles, to the intricate violin finger picking of Andrew Bird. Surprisingly, when these contrasting styles come together, it seems to work. Though one thing's for sure, it's near impossible to nod along to math rock without looking a bit silly.
Main Stage, Friday 2nd September, 3.30pm
Describe in a Tweet: We're eased in nice and gently.
What happened: Luscious harmonies, stripped down sweetness and good time vibes courtesy of two 'brothers' (one from Navan, one from Omagh) and their very talented pals. We've Mark & Oisin singing and strumming as one, double bass, a little pedal steel and mandolin. It's a very welcoming start to the festival.
Round up of gigs announced in the last few days:
The Communion gig night returns to the Stuff Kitten, belfast on the 30th of September with Ram's Pocket Radio the headline act. Lowly Knights, Jamie Neish and Babysweet will support on the night.
American singer/songwriter John Vanderslice will play a free gig at Katy Daly's, Belfast on Wednesday the 28th of September as part of an Irish tour supporting his latest album White Wilderness. Robyn G Shiels will support.
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Sea Pinks will launch their album, Dead Seas at the Menagerie, Belfast on Friday the 9th of September.
Empty Lungs and Assailants will have a joint launch party for their repestcive releases on Tuesday the 20th of September. The gig will also feature 1000 Drunken Nights and Prolapse and take place at Aunt Annies, Belfast.
Gillian Welch will play the Waterfront, Belfast 听on November 18th and the Grand Canal Theatre, Dublin听on the 17th of November.
Noah and the Whale have moved from the Mandela Hall to the bigger venue of the听Ulster Hall for their gig on Sunday the 9th of October.
Professor Green has announced a live date at the Mandela Hall, Belfast in Friday the 28th of October. The show is a 14+ gig and doors at 7pm.
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It's almost Electric Picnic time! Team ATL are collectively excited and arguing over who the best acts of the weekend are. But as it unsurprisingly transpires, EP has something for everybody and each and every one of us will end up creating our own bespoke festival, picking and choosing听from the vast array of acts and areas on offer.
But Rigsy's EP experience will be something like the below, as he makes his picks on who to catch, who to avoid and who you should pretend you saw....
***THE MUST SEES***
Arcade Fire
Main stage, Saturday, 10pm
Do I even need to try and explain why? For your own good, I will not - we'd be here all night.
Pulp
Main stage, Sunday, 10.30pm
PERFECT way to end any festival, let alone the best one on the planet. A reunion even the most cynical of us welcomed, safe in the knowledge Jarvis is a proper legend who rounded up the troops for all the right reasons. Hopefully we're in for a proper mix of early indie gems, some mid-period anthems and a handful of reflective moments from those glorious final two albums. It could be THE moment of the summer.
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***THE OLD RELIABLES***
The Charlatans
Crawdaddy Stage, Friday, 11pm
If you forget pretty much everything they've done in the last ten years, The Charlatans are one of the most fun and consistent indie bands ever. Close your eyes and pretend it's 1997 (then hope that they do the same).
The Chemical Brothers
Main stage, Saturday, 12.30pm
Ach look. Twenty plus times I've seen them. Twenty plus times I've been blown away. Those visuals. Heavy hit after heavy hit. Those lights. The vibes. It will NEVER get tired. I don't care if Ed and Thom are playing Tomb Rader up there, The Chemical Brothers are still the greatest live act in the world.
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