Sometimes, just one cover star won’t do; that’s why this issue of Hot Press is saying flip it. While the musical maestro that is Beck features on one side, the other is graced by the newly crowned ALCATEL ONETOUCH Big Break winner, Ciaran Lavery.
From the mountain of entries received for the annual competition, flame-haired singer-songwriter Ciaran Lavery emerged as the victor; the Antrim man tells Craig Fitzpatrick about his musical influences, the joys of solitude, and the quest to keep people guessing.
Flip the magazine, and you’ll find a man who enjoyed his big break more than two decades ago; we talk to Beck ahead of his visit to Royal Hospital Kilmainham. Indeed, this issue has a special focus on matters in RHK; we chat with homegrown heroes Kodaline and Little Hours, check in with the visiting veterans Counting Crows, and get all worked up about Manu Chao, Jonny Greenwood and Hudson Taylor ahead of the excitement coming at the end of this month.
That’s not all for big names, either. Stuart Clark wags chins with Blur’s Alex James, Colm O’Regan pins down Carl Barât, Paul Nolan ventures to Iceland to meet Of Monsters And Men, and Olaf Tyaransen supplies the definitive lowdown on U2’s triumphant tour bow in Vancouver.
There’s a pretty significant Cork flavour too; Simon Coveney opens up in the Hot Press interview, and some of RedFM’s most familiar names lend a hand as we take a special look Leeside ahead of a jam-packed summer down south. We also give you a few tips on how to tick a few items off your bucket list this summer.
Elsewhere, the legendary Jeffrey Deaver talks slicing and dicing, we sum up the reactions to the momentous Marriage Equality vote, and the stars of Mad Max talk feminism. We run the rule over Villagers’ live show, new albums from Florence + The Machine and Jamie xx, and bring all the usual news, reviews and previews you’ve come to expect.
We’ve barely even scraped the tip of a particularly big iceberg, so make sure to pick up a copy of the new issue of Hot Press in stores today!