Music January 7, 2018

Future Stars? 2018’s Most Likely in Irish Music

As we edge into another year, we can’t help but look ahead to 2018 in Irish music, casting a glance the way of the country’s great hopes. There’s plenty to be excited about, from a rising hip-hop scene to plenty of impressive and lairy rockers, but we’ve narrowed it down to just seven rising stars. Here are our picks for Ireland’s most likely breakthrough artists for the next twelve months…

Jafaris

Ireland’s hip-hop scene seems to get better by the day, and while Rusangano Family are the much-acclaimed kings, Jafaris – who played Ngig in Sing Street – is coming up fast on the outside. With a quick quip constantly to the ready and a live show that seems to wow everyone before him, the Diffusion Labs rapper is working on a 2018 album as a follow up to the sensational Velvet Cake EP. Add the man to your ‘must see’ list before he starts playing anywhere bigger: when a vocalist delivers this kind of cuttingly intense honesty together with the boisterous on-stage persona that Jafaris has made his own, the result is certain to fly. [website]

Bitch Falcon

After a patchy 2017 that saw the three-piece undergo a personnel change, this grungy Dublin outfit are all set to fly once again. They seemed to be everywhere for a little while, with their pounding, intense live show backed up with an early single nodding to obscure parts of the body (TMJ) amongst a sprinkling of lairy, crafted riff-laden tracks. They have a cult-like following on the Irish guitar scene, and November’s new single ‘Of Heart’ created some buzz in the UK music press, too. And who wouldn’t want band merch with that particular band named emblazoned all over it. In a word, ferocious. Brilliantly so. [website]

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Music August 15, 2015

Music Alliance Pact: August 2015

music alliance pact

This month, I took the chance to accompany the recent released GoldenPlec Magazine with the cover artists (who, perhaps inevitably, I really love), Bitch Falcon. I’d actually asked to use this grungy three-piece for MAP over a year ago, back before the actually had a track sorted for me to use. They’ve kindly granted permission now as our new cover stories, offering new single TMJ, which is a melodic banger of a rock track. There’s a whole lot more to check out below, of course. Dig in…

Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 17-track compilation through Dropbox here.

IRELAND: Hendicott Writing
Bitch Falcon – TMJ
TMJ is the third single from highly-rated, grungy Dublin trio Bitch Falcon, who are taking the Irish capital’s sticky-floored corners by storm. Named after the temporomandibular joint (which joins the jaw to the rest of the skull), it’s poppy and melodic by this particular act’s standards, but nevertheless appropriately face-melting. One to pump up the bass on and let their rhythms pummel the base of your soles. Bitch Falcon are one of the most promising rock acts that Ireland has produced this decade.

ARGENTINA: Zonaindie
Julieta y Los Espíritus – El Látigo (Modex remix)
This is a song from the new project of Julieta Brotsky (aka July Sky). It’s not the original version from the album, but a great remix released a couple of weeks ago by post-punk band Modex. Julieta’s beautiful voice can also be heard on several tracks by indie-pop band Entre Ríos, and in Varias Artistas, the female ensemble put together by singer-songwriter Lucas Marti.

AUSTRALIA: Who The Bloody Hell Are They?
These Guy – Coming Around
Brisbane trio These Guy was originally the solo project of singer and multi-instrumentalist Joe Saxby. Latest track Coming Around combines the lofty vocals and downer lyrics of Saxby’s earlier work. Along with buoyant pop production, the result is a track that’s interesting at every turn. The absence of any kind of rhythm guitar leaves Saxby’s vocals and synth-fiddling to carry the melodic weight of the track. Coming Around is a testament to Saxby’s ear for off-kilter production and hopefully points to a more experimental/avant-pop future for These Guy.

BRAZIL: Meio Desligado
Pequeno Céu – Quatro
Post-rock six-piece Pequeno Céu started as a solo project some years ago before releasing their first album as a band in 2014. Pequeno Céu differs from other math/post-rock ensembles because of the Brazilian influences and simplicity of their short instrumental songs, such as Quatro. For fans of BADBADNOTGOOD, Hurtmold and Tortoise.

CANADA: Ride The Tempo
Mauno – Reeling
Experimental shapeshifters Mauno (pronounced mao-no) reel you in with their off-kilter pop tunes. The Halifax group is unafraid to test you with their strange sounds.

Music August 10, 2015

GoldenPlec Magazine Issue 3

GoldenPlec Magazine 3 GoldenPlec Magazine issue 3 is now with us! You can find spots around Ireland to grab a copy here (we’ll be adding a London location shortly), and if you’re outside of our immediate area, we have a few copies left on eBay, here.

While we’re proud of everything we’ve put out so far, I think it’s fair to say issue three feels like something of a coming of age. It defines everything I hoped this magazine would turn out to be – we look at the macro story of Irish music (through the development of BIMM, for example, and through an analysis of the value of music photography, and an incredible chat with musician turned filmmaker Myles O’Reilly).

We also take the chance to hype some acts we really care about. Bitch Falcon might seem an unlikely cover choice, given they’ve only released three singles, but that’s kind of the point: we think they’re potential world beaters, and running a magazine like this is a chance to throw a serious hat-tip to someone when you think they warrant it. Bitch Falcon warrant it (go and listen to them, or better still, see them live, where they really excel). Having done the cover interview myself, I can also tell you they have a lot to say about who they are and what’s going on around them. This was an interview that was chopped to probably 10-15% of what we actually talked about, and it was an effort to condense as a lot of it was truly fascinating.

We also chatted to Lisa Hannigan about her move into voice acting in ‘Songs of the Sea’, and Wolf Alice, who are proving one of 2015’s great rising stars. We covered the Marlay Park action for Longitude Festival, as well as the usual selection of Irish album reviews.

There’s a lot of work that goes into this stuff by a lot of people: Stephen Byrne, my co-editor, is one of those people who just gets things done, and done well. If you’re not impressed by David Dooley’s design, well, I don’t know what to say, because I think it’s fantastic (he’s available for freelance work, head over here). Ros Madigan and Sean Smyth were both their usual powerhouse selves.

But you can’t judge a magazine by its online blurb, so you’ll have to pound the pavements (or eBay) and tell us what we did right/ wrong this time round.

I’ll throw up an online link when all the physical copies are gone (and they’re flying, so grab one quick!). For now, it’s paper only, folks!