The technology which drives home entertainment is changing, and it's changing fast. Colm O'Hare takes a close-up look at what's happening in hi-fi, television, video and home cinema technology and discovers that the future has already arrived.
They have the tunes to back up their enigmatic image, and it looks like ¡Forward, Russia! will be storming the Winter Palace of indie rock before you can say “Lenin”.
Music is not an exact science. It’s a living, breathing thing and that’s why we remember great gigs probably more than great records. It’s also why Giveamanakick’s second album bucks the trend and gives you that much sought after visceral thrill.
After a year of extraordinary success, Republic Of Loose are looking forward to a Christmas homecoming show and putting the finishing touches to their forthcoming new album.
In the first instalment of a regular new column for Hot Press, former Irish international PAUL McGRATH remembers Italia 90 and looks forward to the season ahead
Devendra Banhart tells Colin Carberry that wearing a turban and having a beard can get you into all sorts of trouble these days. Lucky for us, he's still looking forward to the Electric Picnic.
The end of the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying campaign was deeply unimpressive, not so much for the poverty of the results as for the manner in which they were achieved. And just when everyone was breathing a collective sigh of relief at the whisker-fine nature of our qualification, worse was to follow with the news of Niall Quinn’s critical knee injury. So what is the best way forward for Jack Charlton’s embattled troops? Analysis: Niall Stokes
Dublin favourites Turn recently took to the highway for an Irish tour. Tanya Sweeney joined them for a trip to Limerick and an insight into what makes Ollie Cole and company tick.
Last year their Oh Yeah proved to be the star turn of the night, with Neil Hannon guesting on vocals. This year, they ve been nominated in three categories and are looking forward to Awards night with some anticipation. Tim Wheeler of Ash talks to STUART CLARK about that once-in-a-lifetime free CD, the upcoming HEINEKEN HOT PRESS shindig in Belfast and the new album the band are currently in the throes of making.
One of the leading figures in Belfast's electronic scene has just embraced an intriguing new identity. Step forward A.J. SUZUKI a.k.a beatmaster Jupiter Ace.
The opportunities to move forward are presenting themselves to all sides in the North. Now all we need is for everyone to do what the Irish do best - Talk!
Between the unattractive alternatives of the Belfast Agreement and a return to war, there has to be a new way forward for the Republican movement. So says former IRA man and respected Republican TOMMY McKEARNEY. Interview: EAMONN McCANN
PICS: CATHAL DAWSON
A mere 112 years after the infamous Transylvanian Count made his literary debut comes the official sequel to Dracula. Bram Stoker’s great grand nephew, Dacre Stoker, working with screenwriter Ian Holt, has brought the events and characters forward 25 years, taking their inspiration from Stoker’s original manuscript and notes.
Dream line-ups are occasions to be celebrated, so when news came through that some of the brightest lights emerging from the UK music scene were to converge on Fabric this Easter Bank Holiday weekend for what can only be described as one of the most exciting gigs so far this year, Hot Press felt it was only right to grab our trusty notebook and a hip flask of whiskey and get the hell down there.
If there were handouts for the shy and retiring, Dervish would be at the back of the queue. Never backward in coming forward, this Sligo/Roscommon ensemble have elevated audience rapport to an art form that's sadly all too rarely practised round these here parts. Lead singer, Cathy Jordan (the sole Roscommon interloper amid a quintet of Sligomen) delights in the more quirky and bizarre backgrounds to the band's songs and tunes. And somehow they all seem to treat a night flight to Kuala Lumpur with the same gravity as they would a skite to Kenmare. Dervish live and breathe on the road. Its interminable miles are the band's sustenance, its cat's eyes their compass to the next town, the next continent, and the next gig.
While Zinedine Zidane's return makes the task considerably more difficult, Ireland have both the players and mental strength to beat France in next week's crucial World Cup qualifier. That's the verdict of our panel of celebrity fans who tell Killian Murphy why they're looking forward to another night of international footballing glory.
The Heineken Rollercoaster Tour is taking to the road again and this time the capital is nobody’s hometown gig. From Kells come Turn, from Limerick Woodstar and from Cork The Frank and Walters. Next stop: a venue near you.
With a new ‘Best Of’ bringing the band’s story up to date, U2’s guitar man steps forward to riff on good times and bad, the private life of a public figure, discovering the secrets of the universe on mushrooms, and why, after all these years, few things match the high of being a member of U2
With a new 'best of' bringing the band's story up to date U2's guitar man steps forward to riff on good times and bad, the private life of a public figure, discovering the secrets of the universe on mushrooms and why, after all these years, few things match the high of being a member of U2.
Special hotpress.com members edition: "director's cut" featuring interview sections unavailable anywhere else.
Until recently vibrant and prolific, Cuban music fell headfirst into the fate of an industry dominated by a communist government. Most local acts of promise were either over-regulated and not allowed to flourish on their own terms, or were snapped up by foreign imperialists and brought away from their homeland. Then came the Buena Vista Social Club. Juan de Marcos teamed up with executive producer Nick Gold in 1997, and with the help of Ry Cooder and some very important Cuban musicians, they realised a musical dream.
Life Processes is a spiralling, demented album; the sound of a band genuinely wanting to fuck with conventions, with a welcome slice of lunacy threaded through.
Nick Kelly is a voice of experience but one looking forward rather than anywhere else, underpinning this piano ballad with subtle electronics and shuffling beats to turn it into something subtle yet memorable.
Unwritten is another above average tune that proves that we might just have a forward thinking, original pop star on our hands and lord knows they’re in short supply right now.
Something of a holding pattern for the Delorentos, with their album being rightly acclaimed in all quarters, the need to keep providing singles leads us to ‘Stop’. They’re still streets ahead of most of the other domestic bands at their level though and the Jape remix proves that they’re keen to keep moving forward.
Apparently Coxon’s latest LP, Love Travels At Illegal Speeds was a leap forward in so far as it contained songs that you can hum. Sheesh – what a sell out. Oh, and the thick-rimmed specs – isn’t it time Graham got over the late ‘90s dork chic thing? Nice chorus, though.
On the title track, Schneider brings Hawtin’s doubled-up drums and sick acid lines forward 10 years, re-enacting them in a driving style. The skeletal groove and stacatto beats of ‘Mistaken Identity’, meanwhile, offer a dark, modern feeling to Plastikman’s techno heritage.
Currently making all the right noises in the North, Machine Parts is a confident step forward for FWW. They’re starting to sound like a big time rock band, albeit one with a healthy Foo Fighters fixation, and that has to be half the battle. The other half will be finding their own unique place in things. For now, this is definitely going in the right direction.
Currently making all the right noises in the North, 'Machine Parts' is a confident step forward for FWW. They’re starting to sound like a big time rock band, albeit one with a healthy Foo Fighters fixation, and that has to be half the battle. The other half will be finding their own unique place in things. For now, this is definitely going in the right direction.
Stalwarts of the Cork scene and all that implies, Stanley Super 800 find their feet firmly on the first single from their Louder & Clearer album. This is indeed a step forward in terms of pure production, a chunky number topped off with a shiny trumpet and squiggly keyboard break. Throw in a fine song and everyone’s a winner baby.
An interesting take on the love triangle theme wherein the protagonist endevours to convey that in wasting his time with the object of this song she can look forward to being his dirty little secret. And like the song’s altogether too cheerful sing-along meat-and-two-veg riffs and somehow inappropriately enjoyable lyrics, the result is imbued with the feeling of delicious tension the moment before the guy will fall between two stools.
To entertain the notion that you are ‘forward-thinking’ with the implication that the bands around you are mired in the past, when your songs, sound and attitude are so patently a decade old, is odd and maybe delusional. This is not an argument for classicism, more an observation that it is just as conservative to lift from Suicide as Slade.
In a slightly unfathomable move, the lead single from Hayes’s second album makes its appearance a couple of weeks after that record’s release, by which point it will have become clear that the singer has managed to sidestep that difficult second album problem with aplomb. All of which leaves ‘Happy Sad’ a bit redundant and most probably with little chance of troubling the upper reaches of the charts. Record company tactics aside, though, this is a lovely, warm and fuzzy song that moves the Hayes sound forward, if not in giant leaps.
In contrast to Lynch, Peter Doran’s debut is much more in tune with traditional singer-songwriter fare. This however, doesn’t make the Mullingar performers work any less impressive. Delicate and reserved, Doran’s tender voice swells with the sparse, acoustic-driven melody. Owing a great deal to Damien Rice, there’s an impressively warm and enchanting feel to ‘Scenic Route’. If debut album Wood is half as good we really do have much to look forward too.
Damn you, Jack White, why do you have to seep talent through every pore that graces your seemingly flawless self? With The Raconteurs, the man with the Midas touch puts The White Stripes on hold and teams up with pals singer/songwriter Brendan Benson and members of The Greenhornes.
On the face of it, it’s a simple little track with an indie swagger that makes you feel like the coolest person in class just for listening to it. But, in fact, the arrangements, vocal and otherwise, are a work of intricate genius. How we look forward to their debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers.
Having impressed with their early demos, Dubliner's The Star Department managed to rope in legendary Low, Daniel Johnston and Lou Reed producer Kramer to mix and master this debut EP. Kramer adds eerie soundscapes throughout, though what's most interesting is the imaginative structure. The trio play with tempo shifts and sonic hooks at will. 'Embers' shines with a masterful melody, while 'Flickering Lights', with its sozzled vocal, just about works. Top it off with the fact they've been together less than a year and we have something very interesting to look forward to on future releases.
These three musicians share a bracing, muscular approach and have been playing together long enough to achieve a rare sympathy, easing back or surging forward as a solidly cohesive unit.
By now you’re probably aware that Arctic Monkeys really are as good as everyone’s making out. If you’re still sceptical, then just give ‘When The Sun Goes Down’ a whirl.
Confident, edgy, intelligent, witty – this is a record to get genuinely excited about. With a nod to Pete Doherty, front man Alex Turner drops observations on the seedier sides of life. In particular, he has a knack for breathing life into the characters he sings about. Like The Libertines, there’s a dark romantic undertone throughout. Impressive as previous singles ‘Fake Tales Of San Francisco’ and ‘I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor’ were, this is a great leap forward. The fact that Turner is still in his teens merely adds to how exciting their future looks. What a band.
Well at least they don’t look or sound like Flock Of Seagulls. Yes, we can actually report that there is a new guitar band around who don’t hark back to a particular period in time about twenty years ago. No, New York’s Ambulance Ltd look both further back to the ‘60s and ‘70s and forward to the ‘90s and, good God no, shoegazing. The problem is that they don’t seem to quite know which era or what band they want to borrow from, opting instead to chuck everything in and hope for the best.
How to make a campus comedy by Steve Pink. Must have a crusty old Dean. Must also have snooty boys who do the bidding of said crusty old Dean. Now we need a cheeky young pup (step forward Mr Long, you’ll do nicely) fighting the system in some way. He will head up the rowdy party house, or in this case a fictitious rival college. They are the good guys.
Plaid have been responsible for the most forward thinking electronic music ever, and this double CD collection of early hard to find bits and forgotten gems serves as a timely reminder of how far ahead of everyone else they were and still are.
It's been half a decade since Robert Hood's first Nighttime World installment. In the interim, the minimal sound the former UR member pioneered on benchmark releases like 'Minimal Nation' and 'Internal Empire' has been squeezed dry of all innovation by hordes of copyists, but the jazzy, musical leanings on Nighttime World are still relevant to forward thinking dance music.
It's the kind of record forward thinking producers don't usually have the nerve to attempt – a serious stab at something other than a collection of choons
As the title might suggest, this album marks a forward movement for Eileen Ivers, not only in terms of her career path, now very firmly in the ascendant, but also by way of connecting her past to her future.
Tony Mac Mahon has never been behind the door in pronouncing the way forward in traditional music. There's a fire in his belly whose flames rarely need fanning, so passionate and fervent is his belief in the one true way.
Three Monkeys marks another Great Leap forward for the former photographer Nuri Bilge Ceylan. The narrative is gripping, the performances are poignant and the stylistic repertoire is flawless.
JON TURTELTAUB might not be the worst film-maker in existence (step forward, Michael Winner) or the most boring (my vote: Renny Harlin) but in terms of pure undiluted sentimentality at its worst, no-one lays it on quite like Turteltaub.
A MORNING of meditative Japanese arthouse cinema might not normally strike me as the most inviting way to spend a couple of hours, but whatever it was that took hold of me, I was seriously looking forward to this occasion.
"Go see chicken-movie! Go see chicken-movie!" chanted my three-year-old best mate in a paroxysm of enthusiasm and excitement on the way in - and I must confess even I was well looking forward to Chicken Run, the first full-feature flick from the men who brought you Wallace & Gromit.
Two weeks ago, Life’s Rich Pageant sounded to these ears like a formulated cop-out, an undignified retreat where previously REM had charged remorselessly forward.
Hard to believe it's been ten years since David Grohl first emerged from the ashes of Nirvana, raised his hand, and asked to be selected as the man to drive forward American rock music.
Even the most optimistic listener couldn’t have predicted the former drummer’s batch of demos would contain such anthems as ‘This Is A Call’, or that he’d be able to follow up Nirvana with another hugely successful outfit.
Yet despite all their accomplishments, the Foo Fighters still have great deal to prove. For all their platinum discs, anthemic singles and sold out tours, they’ve yet to release an album of any real consistence. Grohl could have been speaking about any of the Foo’s previous LPs when he recently said of 2002’s One By One that “Four of the songs were good, and the other seven I never played again in my life.”
Despite rumours of relegation, RTE's Apres Match team of BARRY MURPHY, RISTEARD COOPER and GARY COOKE release a live video for Christmas, return to the live arena this winter and are looking forward to Ireland's World Cup final games. STEPHEN ROBINSON reports
Not content with the several bizillion pounds already languishing in the (possibly spooky but undoubtedly large) bank vaults at Potter Inc., the franchise that felled a million trees continues its Great Leap Forward with a third big-screen outing for the lovable though disconcertingly popular miniature-magus.
The Minister for Health is proposing to impose a charge on every drug prescribed under the Medical Card scheme. Already the IMO and the IPU have put forward better and fairer schemes that would not target the vulnerable…
It's been a difficult birth and the infant institution remains weak. But at least the Assembly is alive at last, and fitfully kicking. With a bit of luck we can look forward to real politics.
Tom Foote came to writing late in life but in Undertow he s produced a fast-moving maritime thriller which reflects his own personal obsessions.
Interview:
Olaf Tyaransen.
PIX:
AONGUS McMAHON
Tom Foote came to writing late in life but in Undertow he s produced a fast-moving maritime thriller which reflects his own personal obsessions.
Interview:
Olaf Tyaransen.
PIX:
AONGUS McMAHON
JOHN WALSHE talks to top Irish 400m hurdler Susan Smith about what it means to devote yourself completely to athletics and her need to challenge for gold at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Pix: COLM HENRY.
Three bands, 10 venues, 12 dates, four DJ comperes and two high-profile corporate sponsors, including the official national pop station. Jackie Hayden talks to the bands scheduled to play this year’s RTÉ 2fm 2moro 2our, coming to a town near you.
As Scottish tunesmiths BIFFY CLYRO prepare to release their fifth record Only Revolutions, Edwin McFee chats with bassist James Johnston and hears all about working with Josh Homme, why their latest sonic manifesto is their most positive to date and why he’s glad he doesn’t have to support Limp Bizkit anymore.
THERE probably isn’t any other play quite as relevant to the changing political landscape in Ireland right now as A Night In November by Marie Jones. It’s currently running in Eamon Doran’s, on the site of the former Rock Garden, and focuses on the experience of a young Northern Protestant, who finds he must completely re-evaluate his life and attitudes after attending a qualifying match between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in Belfast’s Windsor Park and then following the Irish teak to New York.
In the past five years, Garageland has helped numerous unheard bands and artists find a more permanent spot in the music biz. With a series of upcoming shows that will spotlight the most successful of the bunch, Marissa Connelly speaks to some of the highlight acts about life after their Garage Gig debuts.
Wayne Coyne would like to share a secret. Thing is, he shouldn’t really be telling you. Maybe he’s stirring hornets here and, well, that’s not what he’s about.
Kicking off our 2007 coverage of the northern music scene, Hit the North answers all of those questions that have been keeping you awake at night. And a few that haven’t.
Hard Working Class Heroes, featuring big names and rising stars – and everything from rock to hip-hop – is set to provide a snapshot of one nation under a groove. Phil Udell reports
So, how was it for you? On reflection, 2003 was a good year but one that offered little in the way of genuine surprises. Not that we didn’t go looking for them. As always the hunt was on to find the next big thing, the one new act that would define 2003 in years to come.
US Stand-up Emo Phillips is one of the star attractions at this year's Murphy's Kilkenny Cat Laughs festival which takes place from May 30th-June 3rd. Stephen Robinson is amused
Making his first home town foray in months, Kilkenny drumming sensation R.S.A.G is just one of the highlights of this year’s arts festival in the Marble City.
Mike Mormecha, frontman of Mojo Fury, is now making a stab at singer-songwriter glory with his debut solo EP as Clown Parlour, wherein he references his Eastern European roots.
LIAM CLANCY is in sparkling form as he looks forward to the release of a documentary on his life, which explains how he escaped the Irish Ayatollahs and wowed a young Bob Dylan in Greenwich Village.
New Xposé presenter GLENDA GILSON talks candidly about the malicious newspaper allegations printed about her late Uncle Liam Lawlor, recalls the feelings of pride she had for her ex Brian O’Driscoll captained the Irish squad to a Grand Slam victory and looks forward to Xposé Live at the RDS!.
Roll out the Union Jack and strike up the first verse of Rule Britannia. Al Murray is bringing his pub landlord character back to Dublin. Looking forward to the gig, Murray talks about stripping to his boxers in front of Dita Von Teese and hanging out with Phil Collins and Alex James (while remaining fully clothed).
Formed when they were fresh-faced school kids, border country gloomsters Sanzkrit are at long last set to unleash their debut album. You could say they’re looking forward to finally getting stuck in.
As the summer blockbuster season ends, the average cinephile can look forward to a trickle of left field treasures. Echo Park L.A. is one such worthy specimen.
As a long time acquaintance of Pete Doherty, Steve Cummins was looking forward to a fly-on-the-wall seat on the Babyshambles tour bus for the band’s five day jaunt around Ireland. But no-shows, court appearances and the attentions of one Johnny Headlock gave him a rather different perspective on the Doherty circus.
Christy Moore, who headlines this year’s rejuvenated Lisdoonvarna Festival, recalls the first flowering of music festivals in Ireland – and looks forward to this year’s event, when once again the challenge will be to weave that spell
Is style important? We asked six musicians, and the answer was a resounding ‘you betcha’.
Step forward Maria Tecce, Jerry Fish, Gabriela, Ollie Cole, Nina Hynes and Bjorn Baillie
The man behind the Mystery Train is a bit of a mystery himself but, at Peter Murphy's request, writer and broadcaster JOHN KELLY steps forward to talk about Enniskillen, friends in high places, the fall and rise of his broadcasting career, his lack of intercourse with Dave Trimble, "taking the soup", desert island music and Uaneen.
Broadcast Views: Cathal Dawson
Progress doesn t always follow a straight line. Far from it. Sometimes you take two steps sideways for every one step forwards. There s another image that holds progress to be a kind of tumbleweed effect. We roll forward, but sometimes we re going backwards, and mostly we re just marking time. Frustrating? Yes, but it has the ring of truth.
Nowhere is this more evident than in Northern Ireland.
MARY STOKES reminisces on her first decade as Ireland s premier blues artist, and looks forward to expanding her horizons in the future. Interview: john walshe.
In the second and final part of an extensive interview, director Jim Sheridan discusses his troubles with Gabriel Byrne and Noel Pearson, explains why he could marry Daniel Day-Lewis but would fail to measure up against Richard Harris, and suggests the best way forward for the embattled Irish film industry. Plus: the ouija board prophecies which seem to have shaped his life. By Joe Jackson.
Technology is setting the pace in the musical instrument and equipment market of the ’90s, with one great leap forward following another, and the musican reaping the benefits in terms of a vastly increased range of product choices. But it’s a difficult market for retailers nonetheless, with the level of investment and exposure rising all the time. Report: Colm O’Hare
The past year hasn't been the easiest for Whipping Boy and all who sail in him. Their debut album, though critically acclaimed, did not sell well and they've also had to weather their own share of record company hassles. But, as Gerry McGovern discovers, the band are still setting their own agenda, and forging forward with their own brew of hope, confidence and fuck-ye-all attitude.
If anyone had told me a year ago that I’d be flinging my knickers at a bloke in a catsuit and another who used to be in a boy band I’d have told them to fuck right off. But, they wore me down and I eventually succumbed to the cock rockin’ charms of The Darkness (albeit with the help of a persistent Stuart Clark). And as for old Trousersnake, well, frankly, who wouldn’t?
Their sombre, melancholy music has seen The National tagged as arch-moochers. Face to face though, frontman Matt Berninger turns out to be a stand-up fellow.
MIDI are a major force in the distribution of musical instruments in Ireland. Managing director Lesley Kane reflects on the importance of supporting local dealers rather than going overseas.
Six years ago, when a group of Belfast artists invited Bill Drummond to play host at a gathering at College Green House on Botanic Avenue, something like a seed seems to have been planted.
Oisín Coghlan, Director of Friends of the Earth (Ireland) insists that the developed countries have to make space for the industrialisation of the developing world.
Set in Dublin on the day that Ballymun flats were demolished, Danny and Chantelle (Still Here) is a modern love story for a modern Ireland, says playwright Philip McMahon.
Jools, Letterman, platinum discs, fan hysteria – it’s all very nice and much appreciated, you understand, but for Damien Rice the bottom line remains the song – and doing things his way.
Mystery still surrounds the tragic death of a student whose body was found washed ashore on a Wexford beach exactly a year ago. Now, his mother has accused the Gardai of neglect.
As Velvet Revolver prepare to play Dublin on January 12, Duff McKagan talks to Steve Cummins about the band's chart-topping success and his pancreas-exploding days of yore with Guns N' Roses.
Two years ago Carrickmacross foursome Sanzkrit were on the brink of splitting but now they’re one of the hottest acts on the local scene. Vocalist, guitarist and Monaghan man extraordinaire Dave Marron shares the inspiration behind their drastic turnaround.
Seasick Steve is a former hobo who once called Kurt Cobain a neighbour and, in his 60s, now finds himself acclaimed as one of folk's hottest 'new' acts.
Folk legend and son of Woody, ARLO GUTHRIE is feeling a conspiracy of hope take shape as the inauguration approaches and he gears up for his Irish tour.
Ahead of his Dublin gig, Motown legend Smokey Robinson tells Hot Press what it was like running one of the greatest music labels in the history of pop music.
Losing their keyboard player to Dirty Pretty Things and falling out of favour with their record label The Cooper Temple Clause have certainly been through the mill of late. From adversity comes strength however and the band are back with arguably their strongest album yet.
Tom Vek's eponymous debut album was an electro-rock gem with echoes of Beck and Talking Heads, partly recorded in a flat on Exchequer St. He returns to the scene of the crime for the upcoming BudRising festival.
Already established as a major star in Ireland, and with a healthy and growing following internationally, it looks increasingly likely that we have a major world star on our hands.
Come Into The Garden
Colm O'Hare meets Fionnuala Sherry, the only Irish person to win the Eurovision for Norway and half of new age superstar group Secret Garden
We’re not sure whether it’s having one of the coolest names in music or boasting a killer live show that’s got Kilkenny four-piece Myp Et Jeep where they are today. But we certainly aim to find out.
They once blagged a soccer scholarship to America as a laugh. Now back in the UK with a number one album, The Hoosiers are at the forefront of their very own scene: “odd-pop”.
With the huge success of his sophomore album and a brand new masterwork in the offing, 2004 has been a capital year for US singer-songwriter and adopted son of Eire, Josh Ritter.
David McAlmont (left) and Bernard Butler have re-united after seven years, following their ill-received eponymous debut in 1995 and their subsequent falling out. The result, according to Butler is the pair's "true debut"
They’re mates with Humanzi and have hung out with Juliette Lewis. Give it a little while and Leeds dance-rock outfit The Sunshine Underground will probably be stars in their own right.
Trad quartet Lunasa, named to honour the Irish harvest god Lugh, who also gave his name to the month of August, have become something of gods themselves within the Irish trad scene. Jackie Hayden talks to them in the wake of the release of their new album Se.
The Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, has just promised “to streamline and modernise our liquor licensing laws”. Karla Healion asks if the government is correct in its approach to curbing problems associated with alcohol.
Regarded by most sane citizens as an irrelevant safe haven for pompous political windbags, Seanad Eireann is really . . . an irrelevant safe haven for pompous political windbags. Why then, is the decidedly sane TCD academic, ivana bacik, so anxious to get elected to Dail Eireann s Upper House? liam fay finds out.
With a vivid backwoods sound that’ll leave you hungry for a campfire and a pair of old moccasins, Nevada native ALELA DIANE is Europe’s favourite adopted daughter of folk. On her sophomore visit to our shores, she talks to Celina Murphy about working with her Dad and the album she never thought she’d make.
Seneca's sorrowfully spirited anthems don't exactly fit in with today's high-energy trends, but that hasn't stopped them from creating a major buzz in the US.
Irish film-maker BILL HUGHES has just completed a documentary on the past 100 years of homosexual life in Ireland. ANGELA McGOLDRICK met him to talk about the programme, and his own experience as a gay Irish person.
the biggest grossing tour of the year or just the grossest tour of the year? Jackie Hayden encounters tales of everyday madness and sadness in the trail of St Therese
It was the day the world stood still to watch Barack Obama take the oath of office and start his historic Presidency. Millions gathered on Washington’s mall to see him sworn in – including campaign staffer Patrick Reilly, who'd travelled all the way from Ireland to bear witness.
LIAM FAY investigates the strange phenomenon of the RAINBOW PARTY, a pseudo-democratic movement dedicated to the abolition of politics and politicians , and meets its leader, the enigmatic RAINBOW GEORGE.
Teen prodigy George Murphy followed in the footsteps of some of the biggest names in Irish music when he recently performed for the inmates of Wheatfield prison in Clondalkin. Danielle Brigham reports. Photos: Cathal Dawson
Those who limit themselves to the traditional man-on-top position during sex are missing out on the fun and excitement that a little sexual experimentation can provide. For the more adventurous a little research can help you see a whole new side of your partner
The new album from Foo Fighters is an indie-rock tour de force, combining blistering anthems and delicate acoustic tracks (there’s even a cameo from dinner-party doyen Norah Jones). According to drummer Taylor Hawkins, it may just be the band’s masterpiece.
The Moondogs were one of the original wave of late ’70s Northern Ireland punk bands. Now reformed, they have no less than two albums slotted for imminent release. Bassist Jackie Hamilton tells all.
If not reinventing the wheel, Arctic Monkeys are certainly giving the spokes a good polish. Stuart Clark takes his place in the moshpit for their recent Dublin show.
Karen Ramirez may have hit the big time with her massive hit single ‘Looking For Love’, but, as she tells Barry Glendenning, her heart
currently lies not in the Top Of The Pops studio, but in sunny Naples.
As the summer festival season goes into overdrive, Richard Brophy talks to Slam's Stuart Mc Millan about his involvement in the T in the Park knees up in Scotland next month.
These days you're more likely to meet a witch at the frontlines of mass anti-globalisation rallies than on the mountain tops under a full moon. Renowned American witch and author Starhawk tells Adrienne Murphy why.
They inhabit a musical no-man’s land between indie and metal. But that hasn’t stopped Boss Volenti building an impressive following. Now their sights are set on international fame words.
EAMON SWEENEY meets LLOYD COLE to talk about his forthcoming Dublin gigs, the changing face of music, and why he doesn t want to write songs for a while.
The good and beneficial use of music and the hard and brutal treatment of junkies next big thing finley quaye delivers the sublime and the ridiculous in equal measure to jonathan o brien.
Kirsty MacColl has added another string to her bow with a new album heavily influenced by Cuban and Brazilian music. She told Niall Stanage about the album s genesis, the break-up of her marriage to Steve Lillywhite and why there s no Left in Britain anymore .
This year there is one striking feature of the Dublin Theatre Festival which would suggest that the Capital’s two key theatres are not making too much of an effort for the event.
In Dublin to promote his latest book, Smiths-loving author Douglas Coupland explains why the Apocalypse keeps raising its seven-headed head in his avowedly modernist novels.
The traffic in Dublin has steadily been getting worse. Now, however, new alternatives are beginning to assert themselves. Stephen Robinson finds out about what the LUAS line, currently under construction has to offer
His dreamy electro-pop is winning Ulrich Schnauss an international fanbase. In his native Germany however, they’re still not convinced. Maybe it’s something to do with all those guitars.
With the increasingly multi-cultural aspect of Irish life, how does Christmas – in either its religious or its commercial manifestation – impact on Muslim, Jewish and immigrant communities living here?
The pressure’s on for Roisin Murphy. She’s no longer shielded from public scrutiny as a member of Moloko and Electric Picnic is her first outing as a solo star in her native Ireland.
She’s been a regular festival goer since she first attended Féile at the age of 14. Gemma Hayes waxes lyrical on the joys of those sprawling, big days out
Joe Jackson talks to John Kilby, founding member of famed French theatre company Footsbarn, who are set to light up the George’s Dock Festival this June with Perchance To Dream, their lively and imaginative reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s most famous plays.
As the dust settles in the wake of the Stormont Settlement, eamonn Mccann assesses the situation and wonders just how much of their ideology Republicans are in the process of jettisoning.
From sweeping the steps of lauren hill’s manager’s house to teetering on the brink of a massive hit – native american Jason Downs tells his story to John Walshe
The Monaghan-Cavan area has been a bit of a desert in quality rock terms in recent years, but the new Monaghan-based Venue Promotions is set on changing all that.
The Liverpool Comedy Festival 2002 saw a significant number of Irish acts - including Neil Delamere, Eddie Bannon and Dara
O'Briain - appearing alongside such notables as Johnny Vegas, Ross Noble and many others, all hoping to create an annual
comedy-fest to rival Kilkenny and Edinburgh
The most hyped show on earth may not have lived up to expectations but the year 2000 did provide the usual mix of giddy highs, horrible lows and the odd blast of flat out weirdness. THE WHOLE HOG reflects on 12 months in the history of our world, while our regular columnists have their last word on the first year of the new century
She’s a mouthy young Londoner who knows how to strum a guitar and isn’t afraid to diss ex-boyfriends in song. Just don’t call Kate Nash the new Lily Allen.
Limerick thrashmeisters Giveamanakick's third album Welcome To The Cusp is the product of ten days of cabin fever in Donegal. No wonder it sounds wet 'n' wild.
Travellers have been barred from the town of Larne in Northern Ireland, in what amounts to one of the most extreme uses of an ASBO yet under UK law. Report by Eamonn McCann.
From indie shy-boys to multi-platinum chart toppers, it’s certainly been a long, strange journey for The Shins. By now, we all know that Natalie Portman played a part in their success – but what’s Elliot Smith go to do with it?
The lure of regular nine-to-five work is exerting a powerful gravitational pull – but Portrush four piece Patio Sounds are determined to stick it out and spread the word about their intriguing brand of idiosyncratic pop.
Torch-song troubadour marc almond had his greatest commercial success during his days with Soft Cell, but it s as a solo artist that he s really reached his creative pinnacle. Interview: adrienne murphy
Despite sub-standard displays against Israel and the Faroes, Tony Cascarino remains confident that the Republic of Ireland will qualify for Germany 2006. Even if Clinton Morrison can't get to grips with the offside rule!
PROFESSOR POE senior sat in the kitchen with his head in a sound magazine, chuckled to himself, took another sip of coffee and read on. It was an article on the latest innovation in speaker design with one party saying that they had a new invention and another party introducing the same idea but with a different name saying it was theirs.
With Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea all in Champions League action last week, Tony Cascarino takes a look at how English clubs might fare in Europe this season.
Playing Live at the Marquee on Sunday June 24: Lock up your housewives. Ireland’s most eligible bachelors, Podge & Rodge, are on the road and looking for love.
LEAVING CERT STUDENT AND HOTPRESS CONTRIBUTOR HANNAH HAMILTON ON THE INCREASING ANGER AND ANXIETY BEING FELT BY STUDENTS BECAUSE OF THE TEACHERS’ DISPUTE
Currently touring their fifth record Saturday Nights And Sunday Mornings, COUNTING CROWS singer Adam Duritz speaks to Edwin McFee about Teenage Kicks, porno flicks and his love for Ireland.
Jim Corr-endorsed four-piece Karrier have wowed the Dublin indie circuit and supported Pink at Malahide Castle. Now, the band are looking to make a big impact with their debut album.
Ahead of their Slane appearance, Adam Duritz of The Counting Crows spills the beans on everything from the inspiration behind his songwriting to Gemma Hayes
He said it, we didn't. Henry Rollins may not be the most obvious embodiment of the American Dream but nowadays everything he touches seems to turn to dollars. Dan Oggly discovers the alternative approach to commerce.
Cockney football pundit Tony Cascarino recently paid a visit to the Ballydung abode of potty-mouthed puppets Podge and Rodge. Here both sides reflect on the historic get-together.
The Cronin Brothers have come a long way with their group The Aftermath since leaving Longford to make their fortune. With friends like the Kaiser Chiefs and fans like Chris Moyles, they’re on the brink of making it big.
To DECLAN LYNCH in Foul Play it's "bogball" but to GERRY McGOVERN it's a thrilling sport "created out of the imagination and genius of the Irish people." Here he writes in praise of gaelic football and declares: "I'm a bogman and proud of it."
Cork outfit Rulers Of The Planet may have started out with few ambitions other than having lots of fun, but the growing acclaim being afforded their exhilarating brand of corrosive punk-rock means that world domination is an increasingly realistic prospect.
He's come a long way, baby - once a poster-boy for rampant hedonistic excess, Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan has since settled down and learned to channel his energies into the area in which he excels, haunting, dream-like though reliably attitudinal - rock n roll.
Kildare’s favourite son and godfather of the singer-songwriter scene, Luka Bloom, talks to Jackie Hayden about his most intimate album to date, Innocence, gigging with The Frames in Australia and hanging backstage with Gabriel Byrne.
Amir Khan is one of the hottest young British boxers in a generation. What makes his story especially interesting is that the Bolton Olympic silver medallist is an English Muslim child of Pakistani parents. He is due in Belfast shortly for his seventh professional encounter and, make no mistake, fight fans are in for a treat.
If it s sombrely beautiful, slow-moving, Mogwai-esque instrumental mini-epics you re after, you ve come to the right place. EAMON SWEENEY meets THE REDNECK MANIFESTO.
After a long hiatus in the studio, London-based psychedelists saint etienne are back with an acclaimed new album, Good Humour. adrienne murphy finds out what they've been doing in their spare time.
Domino Records – home of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Max Tundra, Franz Ferdinand and Four Tet – turns ten. Kim Porcelli talks pop culture with label boss Laurence Bell.
Speaking recently to bands involved in the IMRO Showcases it became quite apparent that there was one major question on most minds, whether to look for a record deal or go the independent route and release their own records on their own label.
Annual article: Some of our most promising failures are not really doing enough to fulfil their ambitions. They must try harder next year, warns Jackie Hayden.
Having dispatched that difficult second album with admirable panache, Republic Of Loose are gearing up for the festival season, most notably a Saturday night headline slot at Castlepalooza. Mick Pyro talks us through his outdoor survival guide.
DANIEL DAY Lewis, John Malkovich and Gerard Depardieu were all considered for the role of the vampire Lestat, in Neil Jordan's forthcoming film version of Anne Rice's complex, erotic horror story Interview With The Vampire.
Life on the road isn't always a blur of parties and groupies. Sometimes it's exhausting, and oftn plain boring, as Irish hopefuls Director found out when they went on tour with Hard-Fi.
As Live 8 looms closer, rumours have been circulating that artists are being told that they cannot criticise politicians from the stage. HotPress' guest writer looks at the issues from an artist’s perspective. Bob Geldof responds below.
ED BYRNE can t wait to do The Late Late Show. Hopefully then, Irish people might realise who he is. BARRY GLENDENNING meets a young Dubliner who s being hotly tipped to win this year s Edinburgh Festival Perrier Award.
As it’s back-to-school time, Hit The North thought it would be fun to ask one of our class swots to write a ‘what we did with our summer’ report. So, find below how Rocky from electro-pop duo Oppenheimer spent the last month wooing New York suits, Hells Angels and Jersey cops. If they keep doing their homework, we predict great things this year.
The most brilliantly outspoken mind in rock’n’roll, or just a mouthy Sheffielder who says mean things about Johnny Borrell? As the second REVEREND AND THE MAKERS album hits the shelves, Celina Murphy chases down the ever-intriguing Jon McClure.
Cathy, Ciara, Kelly and Tara are collectively known as BELLEFIRE and are Westlife
manager Louis Walsh’s latest project. STEPHEN ROBINSON investigates Louis’ angels
In Case Of Fire are one of a clutch of NI bands that are helping to spearhead a new alternative Ulster. With a string of high profile festival dates on the cards, they talk about their plans for world domination.
They may look after Lambchop’s pets and occasionally leg it from Crawdaddy to catch the last train home, but when not partaking in such hi-jinks, Dublin quartet Delorentos are busy trying to kick rock music another rung up the evolutionary ladder.
16 years after recording one of the definitive hard rock albums, MEAT LOAF takes a return trip to hell and brings STUART CLARK along with him for the ride.
Veteran post-rockers Mogwai have just released arguably their finest record yet. On a suitably overcast day in France, band leader Stuart Braithwaite talks about the influence of Glasgow on their work – and explains the part played by ‘nonsense art’ in their music
Ireland’s energy policy seems remarkably generous to the exploration companies. Especially if, according to riggers, they have been playing a waiting game before they bring Ireland’s oil and gas to shore.
THE RUC shot a runaway cow in the streets of Ballymena recently. They didn't feel they had a choice, having received no training whatsoever in the control of country animals which get lost in a town.
Sorry, we couldn t resist it! But then PETER KELLY
is that rare figure in Irish life an openly gay
mainstream politician. NIALL STANAGE meets the Cork Progressive Democrat who believes that the liberal agenda is far from finished. Pix: CATHAL DAWSON.
RTÉ is doing its bit for Irish music with the 2FM 2moro 2our. Patrick Freyne went along to the live launch to catch a glimpse of the hit bands of the future.
From Have I Got News For You to his own sketch show series, from his soap ads to any television awards ceremony you care to mention, Paul Merton is undoubtedly the biggest and busiest star in British comedy. As he hits Dublin for a series of shows, he talks to Liam Fay about the price of fame, his close brush with nervous breakdown and, most importantly, his love affair with Bishop Eamon Casey.
With Ronaldo and Torres the toast of the Premier League, what better time to run the rule over some of the overseas stars who could soon be lighting up English soccer?
What would the old bishop of Down have made of the avowed feminist who made her name singing about blow-jobs in public places? The answer is open to debate, but as Colin Carberry discovers, maybe the bishop and Alanis Morissette have more in common than you might think.
Get ready for a whole new kind of weird as avant-gardists THE SUMMER EXPERIMENT prepare to hit the live circuit, touting a unique mix of folk, indie and classical.
I don t believe in horoscopes. At all. They just don t make sense. How could the stars influence our lives? It seems so utterly improbable. But there s a lot of credulous people out there. First page they ll turn to in a magazine. They must answer some fundamental need, some vacant space in people s lives.
This fortnight s postbag brings another serious dilemma from an unsigned Irish band. Last year they recorded a demo and it aroused some record company interest.
…for a while anyway. In a few short weeks Belfast's GHOST OF AN AMERICAN AIRMAN will leave home once again to tour distant lands. That's the bad news. The good news is that while they're here, Ghost... take time out to tell TARA McCARTHY what the hell they've been up to for the past two years.
For most bands, a gritty rehearsal room or their parents’ garage must suffice. But Belfast indie popsters Heliopause have opted for a rather more individualistic practice space – their drummer’s kitchen.
In the second part of our world exclusive interview, Dolores O’Riordon talks about the upside of leaving The Cranberries, her debut solo album and what she's been getting up to on the phone with Angelo Badalamenti.
Steve-O, the man best known for stapling his penis to his scrotum, on the scariest stunts, life after Jackass, and being empowered by going backstage with Mötley Crue.
With 2009 entering its final months, it’s time to take stock of the quality of northern releases thus far. If this year’s batch of stand-out records have anything in common, it is their determination to break boundaries and confound expectations
While some concern has been expressed about the future of Irish, all the current indications are that the enthusiasm of the people – who are learning the language now with greater gusto than ever – will ensure that it not only survives but thrives.
Now that he’s officially “too big for the perrier award”, Dara O’Briain is turning his attention to
conquering TV land. Here, he gives the lowdown on his new RTE series, The Panel, and attempts to rescue Angus Deayton from his titty bar hell.
After studiously walking the line between rock and pop, Corkonian Jennifer Clarke explains why she now regards herself as a country act, and tells Jackie Hayden about her interest in serial killers.
After half a century as the adventurous tripper s drug of choice, LSD is being given a designer makeover. In our continuing series on drugs, STUART CLARK checks out the hallucinogens.
Following a collapse in the numbers of students taking up the J1 Visa in 2004, the US Ambassador, James C.Kenny, has gone on the campaign trail in Ireland.
He s the man behind Reservoir Prods , a load of Premiership goals and a woozy Robbie Williams. But most he s behind pop songs with big fuck-off choruses , a passion PHIL WOOLSEY extends with his new band NINEBAR
Ireland's The Answer have pulled off a major coup by bagging the support slot on the American leg of AC/DC's Black Ice tour. Cormac Neeson talks us through their first fortnight on the road.
Comedian JACK DEE, the supremo of sarcasm, the sultan of sardonicism, is back on the road and he s headed for this green and pleasant land, for a string of dates in April. Interview: Andrew Darlington
One of the most hotly anticipated events at the Galway Comedy Festival is the show featuring stand-up comedian from the characters of Father Ted. Jackie Hayden talks to the evening's host Frank Kelly, a.k.a Father Jack.
Today FM current affairs broadcaster Matt Cooper seems to have perfected the knack of keeping his work and home lives separate. But when his house-guest Jackie Hayden calls around, who wil have The Last Word?
The Von Bondies were finally vindicated when Jack White pleaded guilty to assaulting their lead singer last month. Oh, and they’ve just released one of the albums of the year.
New York house DJ/producer Junior Sanchez has joined forces with Dutch techno prodigy Laidback Luke to create Riot Society’s impressive ‘Understand Me’.
When he landed in Dublin for the first time, three years ago, he thought he was in the United States. But for Olukunle Elukanlo, Ireland is now home. Following the extraordinary events surrounding his deportation and return, he is enormously grateful to be back – where he belongs.
Some of the best movies currently being made are coming from the near east, specifically Turkey and Romania. CRISTIAN MUNGIU, director of the astonishing, Ceausescu-era set 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days and the forthcoming Tales from the Golden Age talks about the new wave of Romanian cinema.
He’s the hottest thing in boxing and has been tipped as a future world champion. Recently Amir Khan was in King’s Hall Belfast for a lightweight bout with Laszlo Komjathi of Hungary. Francis Jones was in the audience.
Following a potentially fatal bout of auto-immune deficiency, Airborne Toxic Event’s Mikel Jollett gave up a damned promising writing career to play music.
The Queen of Zydeco, Boris Bob Dylan Grebenshikov and an erstwhile Rolling Stone were among the unlikely collaborators on ANTHONY THISTLETHWAITE S latest opus, Crawfish & Caviar. COLM O HARE hears more.
As the masses prepare to descend on Punchestown, we dispatch Hannah Hamilton to assess the festival fitness of one of this year's Oxegen buzz bands, Franz Ferdinand.
Motherhood means that television presenter Sheana Keane does not exactly enjoy a whirlwind social life anymore – but she’s mastering the art of the quiet night in.
With successive governments failing to implement proper child care services, Dan Oggly takes a look at the independent organisations who are filling the void.
Having delivered a storming set at Oxegen, pop-rock powerhouse NOISETTES confess a love for all things Irish in the Hot Press Signing Tent. Plus, they hold forth on their passion for everything from jazz to punk to heavy metal.
Currently ensconced in a recording studio in the wilds of Magherafelt, Edwin McFee sits down with General Fiasco to talk about ambition, Snow Patrol and the fickle finger of fate.
Currently ensconced in a recording studio in the wilds of Magherafelt, Edwin McFee sits down with General Fiasco to talk about ambition, Snow Patrol and the fickle finger of fate.
For the most part, the May Day protests – timed to coincide with Europe’s Day of Welcomes – were peaceful. But outside Farmleigh House, where the European Union’s 25 Prime
Ministers were meeting, the shit finally hit the fan.
American writer john horgan has earned the wrath of the scientific community and the unwelcome support of the fundamentalist Right for his provocative theories aimed at separating science fact from science fiction.
Interview: liam fay. Pix: CATHAL DAWSON
If the proposed SPENCER DOCK development gets the go-ahead will it bring Dublin's architecture into the 21st century? Or will it be a blot on the landscape? By KIM PORCELLI.
A compilation, a new album in the works, more distressing rumours about Richey and the prospect of the greatest football song ever – Eamon Sweeney finds Nicky Wire of Manic Street Preachers with plenty to talk about
One of Belfast’s best-loved indie clubs has undergone a radical reinvention – but is still going strong after more than ten years at the front line of alternative culture in the city.
The first time The Killers played Oxegen they fretted whether anyone would turn up to see them. Now they’re sweeping in to headline the main stage. They talk to us about being chased by papparazi, growing up in Middle America and sharing a bill with Bono and, er, Gary Barlow
Folk doyen Richard Thompson remains a singular presence in the roots music scene after four decades. Here he talks about “exile” on the US West Coast and his recent return to his electric rock roots.
In Dublin recently to lend his support to the AIDS Action Alliance all-star Olympic Ballroom bash, Tom Robinson took time out to reflect on his Spokesman For A Generation past, his nervous breakdowns, his sexual re-orientation and his re-embracement of the Quaker faith
In the run up to her Sligo Live appearance, chanteuse Martha Wainwright talks about learning from her father Loudon, channelling Edith Piaf and the perils of true romance.
She’s been lumped in with the nu jazz movement, but Amy Winehouse has no interest in keeping up with the Norah Jones’ or Jamie Cullum's. Phil Udell gets music lessons from the 19-year-old Londoner.
Former British soldier BERNARD O MAHONEY served in Northern Ireland during the H-Block Hunger Strike. Now, he has written a book about the reality of army life for a typical squaddie a reality where ideas of decency, fairness and the rule of law were often left behind. Words: NIALL STANAGE. Pictures: PETER MATTHEWS
“It’s the toughest thing we’ve ever had to do, it’s broken our fucking hearts.” While the recent sacking of founder member Mark McClelland has taken its toll on Gary Lightbody, the Snow Patrol mainman remains upbeat about their not-at-all-difficult fourth album, supporting U2 and their own stadium headliner in Killarney. Interview by Colin Carberry. Photography by Bradley Quinn
From obscure Australian character actor to fan-boy pin-up, it has been a long, strange trip for Hugo Weaving. His latest turn, as a masked anti-hero, could be his definitive role.
Bounding between genres, Derry rocker Andrew Ferris would seem to suffer from the best sort of attention-deficit disorder. And he also has his own label.
From playing tiny club gigs to serenading Wembley, songstress Tara Blaise has travelled a great distance in a short time. And the journey is only just beginning.
Craig Fitzsimons talks to David Gleeson, director of Cowboys & Angels, another exciting addition to the growning canon of unapologetically youthful and exuberent contemporary Irish movies
From Sister Sledge to The Spikes, plus non musical attractions such as massage, fortune-telling and art exhibitions, Castle Palooza promises a festival in the conventional sense of the word.
When not touring with Republic Of Loose, Mick pyro is free to kick back in his basement pad in a 1960s Swedish-style Terenure house, where he indulges his love of CDs, books and movies – and ponders the aesthetic similarities between Shakespeare and hip hop.
Bob Geldof recalls his initial response to the tsunami disaster in South East Asia and outlines the fundamental differences between it and the ongoing crises in Africa.
The deportation and subsequent return of Olukunle Elunkanlo has once again thrown the spotlight on Ireland's approach to the asylum issue. While Olukunle was fortunate enough to be able to return to his adopted home, as Steve Cummins reports, many of his compatriots have been left stranded in dangerous circumstances in their native country. Photography: Mick Quinn
He's the comedy songwriter who is deadly serious about his work. Meet Stephen Lynch, the man determined to prove that stand-up and indie rock really can get along.
Three years ago this month, MICHAEL HUTCHENCE s body was found in a Sydney hotel room. Now, his mother PATRICIA GLASSOP and half-sister TINA HUTCHENCE have written a book about their memories of the singer s life and the bitter legal battles which followed his death. They spoke to NIALL STANAGE
IT WAS straight out of Reservoir Dogs. Six men, all in black, most in suits, lope onto the stage, a cigarette nestling between fingers or dangling from
the side of the mouth. You half-expect them to open with 'Stuck In the Middle With You' and drag out a member of the Garda Siochana from the side
of the stage with a gag in his mouth and the contents of an extra-large can of Castrol GTX dripping from his fettered uniform.
He may have done time in Long Kesh for possession of explosives but Progressive Unionist leader DAVID ERVINE has left behind his terrorist past and embraced a future based on shared social democracy which, he says, the peace process can bring about. Interview: JOE JACKSON.
According to producer LISSA EVANS, the third and final series of Father Ted is the most fitting tribute possible to its late star. Interview: BARRY GLENDENNING
In a presidential nomination field virtually devoid of candidates of real calibre and charisma, the name of ex-Boomtown Rat and Live Aid hero BOB GELDOF has cropped up again and again. Despite his outright denial that he will run for office, the rumour refuses to die away. Here, in an interview with LIAM FAY, he gives his assessment of Mary Robinson s seven years in the job, and his hopes for the future occupants of Aras an Uachtarain.
In one his first ever interviews, James Ruskin, the man behind the Blueprint label, incendiary three-deck DJ sets and the landmark Further Design album, comes out of the shadows. Richard Brophy looks on in awe.
0ver the past twelve months, Daniel Kitson has risen to prominence following his Perrier award winning show at the Edinburgh fringe, and his celebrated appearance on Peter Kay’s Phoenix Nights but all the bespectacled comic really wants is to be recognised as a stand-up guy.
JOSI RAMOS HORTA, the Nobel Laureate from East Timor, on the Indonesian genocide which has killed one-third of his people and Ireland and the world can do to help. Report: SIOBHAN LONG.
Having come to prominence as a pancaked drag queen in Cowboys And Angels, actor Allen Leech gets to massage canine testicles in Paddy Breathnach’s new film.
American comic Rich Hall explains why he prefers the Irish to 'whiny' Brits and talks about working with Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David back in the day.
Does ABSINTHE really make the heart grow fonder or are the Conservatives right in calling for its ban? STUART CLARK and his showbiz chums check out the drink that s taking clubland by storm. Pix: CATHAL DAWSON.
Ronnie Wood reveals that his autobiography, a rather entertaining account of his hair-raising life as the 'new boy' in the Stones, was a toil of love to write.
The Progressive Democrats may have chosen to launch their campaign in Prosperous, but Ireland's thriving Celtic Tiger image belies the harsh reality of health, housing and crime problems as well as the ever widening gap between rich and poor. The Whole Hog casts a baleful eye over the general election landscape
Seven years after his last solo LP, David Holmes lost his father. That trauma, and working on the Bobby Sands-era drama Hunger, seem to have brought a new humanity to his work.
Shakespear s Sister siobhAN FAHEY makes her acting debut in a powerful new short movie that goes to the heart of the Dublin heroin epidemic. Here, she tells craig fitzsimons about the legitimate highs of working in both music and film.
Martin McGuinness was one of the key figures in the troubles in Northern Ireland . Many unionists believe that the one-time IRA man was at the heart of much that was wrong and divisive in Irish life. But ultimately the quiet Derryman has taken on the role of peacemaker – and he is now the Deputy First Minister in the new power-sharing administration at Stormont.
Hitmen are hot. Ain’t it always the way? You can never find a well dressed, cold blooded killer when you need one, then half a dozen all come along at once.
...So said David St. Hubbins 20 years ago in Marti DiBergi’s seminal documentary or, if you will, rockumentary, This Is Spinal Tap. In the time that’s elapsed since then, the Tap have become synonymous with all manner of excess, on the road hi-jinx and bizarre gardening accidents. In a special hotpress tribute, we ask a plethora of their admirers for their own Spinal Tap-style stories. And remember, it’s such a fine line between stupid and clever.
Rumours of Depeche Mode’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, as Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher explain on the eve of the release of their 11th studio album, Playing The Angel.
She’s one of the sassiest, not to say iconic, frontwomen in rock. Up close however, Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O is just a big pussycat. Look, we’ve even made her cry.
The enfant-terrible of Korean cinema, Chan-wook Park, is back with perhaps his most challenging and surreal feature to date. Yest, amidst the gore and torture, he says, lies a serious moral message.
Somebody up there likes us -that's for sure! Slane Castle 4pm on Saturday 25th August 2001 and the sun is shining down through deep blue skies like it hasn’t done all summer.
Best-selling author Colin Bateman has just published his 21st book, which is being hailed by critics as a cracker. He talks to Hot Press about cutting his teeth as a writer in Northern Ireland
Velvet Revolver axe-man Slash, one of the most influential guitarists of all time, joins bandmate Duff McKagan in reflecting on Guns N' Roses' hellraising heyday.
A new organisation of musicians has written to Barack Obama protesting against the use of music to torture detainees. Also: a closer look at the individuals behind the recent An Bord Snip report, which recommends systematic fleecing of the poor in order to keep fat-cats in the style to which they’re accustomed.
A defining personality of the seismic changes in Northern Ireland, Billy Hutchinson is a paramilitary turned politician, a convicted UVF murderer who spent 16 years in the Maze and who will now represent the PUP in the new Assembly. But if Hutchinson has abandoned violence, it hasn’t altogether abandoned him. As he reveals in this interview with niall stanage, there have been three attempts on his life by the INLA in the last 18 months.
Pics: Michael Taylor.
When we catch up with Bell X1 frontman Paul Noonan on a fine August afternoon, he’s bracing himself for a grueller of an autumn schedule that will begin with a handful of festival appearances – including an Electric Picnic set – and culminate in full-on month-long European and US tours. Reading dispatches from the band’s recent blogs, it’s apparent that the landscape of modern touring is far from Beat Generation romance and way closer to a Ballardian landscape of endless petrol stations, motorways and ferry docks.
There was a time when the associations of Irish culture were such that those of a radical, progressive outlook automatically turned the other way. Not any more. Irish culture is alive and kicking. Report: Chris Donovan.
In Vienna, along with another 99,999 people, LIAM FAY witnesses what may well be the finest rock n roll extravaganza ever mounted and discovers that its got both art and heart in abundance as well.
After making their name with the glacial atmospherics of Felt Mountain, Goldfrapp work up a sweat on their new album Black Cherry. John Walshe hear how they “defrosted” their sound
Proposed changes to the law concerning deportations of failed asylum seekers have aroused controversy. Are they a necessary safeguard or do they open the door to civil rights abuses? Report: Peter Murphy. Rally Pictures: Peter Matthews
From song contest to presidential contest, the most unlikely candidate for Aras an Uachtarain continues to face down her detractors in RTE, in Hot Press and elswhere and give voice to what she believes is the forgotten silent majority in this state. dana rosemary scallon interviewed by joe jackson. Pix: colm henry.
THIS ISSUE'S missive reaches you from my fever-wracked sick bed. The doctor pleaded, the nurse begged, my lover entreated, but I refused to just lie there, terrible though my sufferings be, when there was a column to be written. There are some things intrinsically more important than mere physical well-being. Duty is one of them.
Horslips axeman Johnny Fean is honouring us with a masterclass at the upcoming Music Show in the RDS. Here, he talks about his formative influences and Horslips’ upcoming reunion
Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley impressed a lot of people here last year with the quirky guitar pop of her debut solo album Grey Will Fade. hotpress catches up with her as she wows the masses at Japan's Fuji Rock Festival.
Having just done her leaving certificate exam, summer came as a great relief to hotpress reader Breda Bourke. and then everyone started to complain! here, she looks back at the season that seems to have pissed everyone off – and takes a somewhat different view.
One of the finest white soul voices Britain ever produced, Rod Stewart reminisces about the sozzled Faces days, discusses Bob Dylan, his penchant for blondes, and recalls the thyroid cancer that almost robbed him of his voice seven years ago.
[oops this was mis prompted as oxegen video interviews in our e-zine - they're here ]
By taming Celtic in their own back yard, St Patrick’s Athletic showed how far Irish club football has come in recent years. But as STUART CLARK discovers, when he meets manager PAT DOLAN, not everyone in the National League is heartened by their progress.
In the last issue of Hot Press, Noel Gallagher said his piece - this time out it's brother Liam's chance to shoot from the lip, as only he can, on love, life, OASIS and the whole damn thing. Interview: GEORGE BYRNE.
World AIDS Day will take place on December 1st. In an effort to raise awareness of issues surrounding the virus, Stephen Robinson offers personal reminiscences
Fresh from his recent success with the Xpress-2 collaboration 'Lazy', David Byrne reflects on a musical journey that began in 1977 with the legendary Talking Heads
The year is barely up and running and it seems just like the old one. Murder and mayhem, wind and water/water everywhere. Bastards bashing the knees off victims in Northern suburbs. And a Budget that neither pleased nor offended anybody too much. So what’s new?
CAST mainman JOHN POWER is on top of the world, with a string of hit singles behind him, a brand new album and impending fatherhood on the way. He talks to JOHN WALSHE about life, love, the joys of smoking weed and the meaning of sheerability .
As Gerry Adams and friends bask in the glory of another public relations triumph, EAMONN McCANN analyses the historical context of the current ceasefire, and assesses the scepticism surrounding the IRA s motives in calling it.
Fresh from masterminding yet another historic victory – this time, Laois’ first Leinster championship in 57 years – gaelic football legend Mick O’Dwyer recalls famous days with Kerry and offers his customarily forthright views on professionalism, soccer at Croker, drink sponsorship, booing the Taoiseach and a changing Ireland. All this plus the little-known Louis Walsh connection!
Britrock icon Paul Weller speaks about his new album 22 Dreams and why his influence on acts like Arctic Monkeys and The Enemy has proved a source of gratification and inspiration.
A surprisingly mellow Tom Ayara of Slayer thinks that calling God Hates Us All “ugly” is unaccurate. “It’s more angry and hateful,” he tells Phil Udell
And a nation weeps! The three Spanish goals that went in one after the other drooped the heart and mind. The ISEQ Index probably lowered by five points. Travel agents have ulcers where they once had digestive tracts!
Having survived classical and punk obsessions, not to mention an Adam Ant gig when she was 14, Joan Wasser may have finally found her true self in the role of Joan As Policewoman.
A special interview from the Hot Press archives, first published in 1985: Minister for Women's Affairs Nuala Fennell talks feminism, sex and contraception with HP editor Niall Stokes.
Notorious in her native China for her sexually graphic novel Shanghai Baby, Wei Hui looks sure to upset the authorities even more with her next literary outing. Fiona reid meets the controversial young author.
photography: cathal dawson
Dig out your old records by The Rocksteady Crew, Break Machine and The Soul Sonic Force. Locate that Betamax video of Wildstyle and purloin grandmother's kitchen linoleum for those almost-forgotten spins and whirls. Because, B-boys and girls, since the return of Run DMC and that all-grooving video, the return of breakdancing is imminent.
Author Daniel Pinchbeck discusses psychedelic drugs and shamanism as potential tools for the evolution of consciousness – catalysts of change in our age of violence and ecological meltdown.
Michael D. Higgins may have been disappointed by Labour’s decision not to contest the Presidential election, but he has confirmed his credentials as a statesman over the past few weeks in no uncertain terms.
The evidence of two British soldiers about the shooting of unarmed civilians, heard in public for the first time, but largely overlooked in coverage of the Saville inquiry, is a direct challenge to the “official” line on bloody sunday which has held for more than 30 years.
They may be one of the hottest bands of the year, but Las Vegas synth fiends The Killers are planning to cool off this Christmas with some well-earned down-time and a skiing holiday in Utah. But not before they’ve discussed texting Charlize Theron, hanging with Elton John and that David Bowie tribute with Stuart Clark.
Every now and then a record emerges that announces the arrival of a major new talent. So it is with Anjani and her remarkable collaboration with Leonard Cohen, Blue Alert.
He's not a Christmassy guy, he says, but perhaps the season has made Jape's Richie Egan reflective. Patrick Freyne talks to him about the past, present and future.
Managing to convince Shaz Oye that he’s not another Fianna Fail canvasser calling round to insult her, Jackie Hayden is allowed in to see where the singer-songwriter works, rests and plays.
Michael O'Higgins interviews Bertie Ahern, one of Fianna Fail's young tigers and a man many are tipping as a future leader of the party and possible Taoiseach
With their affirmative vibes and sprawling line-up, indie heroes Broken Social Scene are a sight to behold. But keeping this 40-legged rock machine on the road isn't always exactly a romp in the playground, confesses fromtman keving Drew.
John Walshe chats to verbose Auteurs mainman, Luke Haines, and discovers why it s been three years since their last release, why all pop stars are scum and how he wants to become a famous TV presenter.
LIAM FAY not a man who subscribes to Shaved Orientals swallowed his pride and morality recently to attend the PLAYBOY magazine 1st-anniversary-in-Ireland celebration bash.
There he met Miss December 1996, VICTORIA SILVSTEDT. Did he succumb to her boundless, eh, force of personality? Read on and find out . . . Pix: MICK QUINN
Could the legal status of E soon change? In the third part of Hot Press continuing investigation into drugs, STUART CLARK reports on the clubbers pill of choice.
There is only one way to combat AIDS and that is to resist it - with information, education, safer sex, condoms, awareness, agitation and solidarity. We're all in this together - and we're in it for the long haul. Report: Liam Fay.
There is nothing more odious, to paraphrase a famous quip, than the British press in one of its fits of moral outrage. And it’s true. Nothing can compare. And I’m not just referring to the tabloids . . .
She’s New Zealand’s biggest musical star. For her new album, Bic Runga retreats from sunny pop songs in favour of an introspective sound inspired by the death of her father.
The Corrs hit paydirt with In Blue, an album of memorable pop songs that topped the charts in over twenty countries around the world. It gave them the breathing space they needed to re-establish their roots, to live a little and to reassess their purpose as a band. Now, with the release of Borrowed Heaven, they’re back in the music biz frontline – slightly older, considerably wiser, but still with the same hunger to make great and honest records.
Ahead of next Sunday’s All-Ireland final, Tara Brady talks to former Kerry multi-medal-winner-turned-controversial-tv pundit Pat Spillane about Kerry fans, Northern sensitivites and fatherhood.
One of the most disturbing developments in the Middle East over the past number of years has been the rising number of female suicide bombers. Colm O’Hare talks to Barbara Victor, the pulitzer prize-nominated journalist who examines this alarming trend in a compelling new book, Army of Roses.
Snow Patrol and Ash are just some of the North’s rock ambassadors who have given their backing to the Oh Yeah Music Centre, a state-of-the-art multi-media development which will put Belfast on the international musical map.
Last month the eternally under-rated indie outfit The Cribs released Ignore The Ignorant, easily their most ambitious and critically acclaimed record to date. Catching up with the band in Belfast Edwin McFee talks to Gary Jarman and new recruit Johnny Marr about press attention and expectations as well as hearing about how the former Smiths guitarist has found a new home with the brothers from Wakefield.
Raised in the Bible belt, Kings Of Leon have fallen in love with the devil’s music. In an exclusive interview, they explain why rock ‘n roll is just like preaching and reveal what’s in store on their next album.
Queens Of The Stone Age frontman Josh Homme on the firing of bandmate Nick Oliveri, the London bombings and his plan to disappear once their current tour is over
