Wicklow’s own electro-rock trio God Is An Astronaut are heading to Russia to play a festival in Moscow this July, alongside acts like Mudhoney and Shitdisco.
All is go for Wicklow band God Is An Astronaut, with their second album and download-only single released, a tour to support it and a publishing deal to boot.
The incredible visuals give each accompanying track a unique persona, and the number of mobile phones held high to capture the images onscreen are a testament to that.
The full lineup for Co. Carlow's Solas festival has been announced, with Autamata, God Is An Astronaut, Kíla and Republic Of Loose among the highlights.
The End Of The Beginning pretty much picks up where Revive left off, this time without any guest vocalists to distract our attention from the compelling compositions.
Support slots with British Sea Power and a star turn at this year’s Eurosonic showcase event have given Dublin’s Halves the opportunity to hone their ambient post-rock sound.
The most welcome of bolts from the blue. Envelope’s debut is the most gloriously delightful opener to come from an Irish group this year. A feast of pleasures, State and Nature shifts from the seductively visceral to deep and responsive melancholia. At its best, specifically on staggering second track ‘Cost of Living’, the Dublin trio eloquently spit contempt from the speakers, whilst locking their rage behind Simon Rand’s warm vocals to make for an uncomfortable hybrid of sound. It’s like Coldplay’s ‘Politik’, as executed by a crossbreed of Whipping Boy and Radiohead. The epic and the extraordinary continue to dominate on ‘Politis’ and ‘Store In A Dark Place’, with the sounds of Elbow, Doves and their closest Irish contemporaries God Is An Astronaut resonating throughout. An absolute gem of a debut.
The next generation of emerging Irish musical acts will be in the international spotlight when they perform at the Popkomm conference in Berlin later this year.
Dublin’s Sofa Records have put together a 2CD sampler, Music For Long Ears, which features tracks from 30 of Ireland’s premier independent and underground acts.
Many Irish radio fans reckon that the 2fm evening schedule is at its most exciting for years – from 6 pm, when a revitalised Dave Fanning comes on, right through to Hotpress columnist Cormac Battle signing off at 2am. One of the linchpins of that stretch is Dubliner Rick O’Shea. To celebrate his tenth year in radio we sent Jackie Hayden to ask O’Shea a few leading questions and to check out the great man’s credentials with his colleagues.
