Hot Press favourite Julie Feeney - whose superb 13 Songs took the inaugural Chioice Award earlier this year - and Humanzi have been picked by RTÉ 2fm to be Ireland's main representatives at the annual Eurosonic Festival.
Supported by a masterful eight-piece orchestra, Feeney’s vocal chords are limber and haunting. Even the eccentric ‘mmm hmms’ and ‘woo woos’ sound superb.
With this debut album Julie Feeney announces herself as the most intriguing female voice - bar the criminally neglected Shaz Oye - to come out of Ireland since Sinead O’Connor.
Julie Feeney and Duke Special have been confirmed as the first Irish participants at this year’s EuroSonic festival, which takes place in the northern Dutch town of Groningen on January 11 and 12.
Award-winning singer-songwriter Julie Feeney puts pen to paper for Hot Press as she arrives in the Dutch city of Groningen for the annual Eurosonic pop festival.
A one-night stand entitled Orchestral Manoeuvres In Belfast in which the Ulster Orchestra gets its oh-so-refined freak on with three of Ireland’s most popular performers.
Julie Feeney, Ron Wood and Kazakhstan’s answer to Will Young are just some of the artists who’ve availed of Def Leppard singer Joe Elliott’s Dublin studio. He talks about life as a budding recording mogul
Jon Astley, the UK producer whose credits include Debbie Harry, Eric Clapton and The Who, has put together a monster 31-track compilation for the Tuesday’s Child charity.
Nope, it’s not a Jim Morrison tribute; it’s an initiative which sees musicians such as The Blizzards, Neosupervital, Julie Feeney, Roesy and Brian Palm design a special set of doors.
The doors painted by Roesy (pictured), The Immediate, Julie Feeney, The Blizzards and others - last seen at Music Ireland 06 - are to be auctioned off for various charities.
Musicians have reacted with anger to the revelation that albums recorded by international artists in Irish studios qualify as 'Irish' for radio airplay.
The first Hot Press of 2008 focuses on the many weird and wonderful things that are in prospect, in music, movies, comedy, fashion – oh, and life in bloody general! It promises to be a fascinating year.
In the new Hot Press, Peter Murphy picks his 20 highlights from the last 35 years of home-grown alternative culture (in strictly chronological order!). Take a look and then have your say on the indie moments that rocked in your lifetime...
The Bird And The Bee’s sweet retro-rock has proved a surprise underground sensation. And nobody is more taken aback than the California duo themselves.
Neil Hannon fought off tough competition from the likes of Duke Special and The Immediate to win the second Choice Music Prize at Vicar St, Dublin, last night.
Watching so many acts in sequence, the audience may have discerned a hierarchy. Those on the cusp of mainstream success played with a cocky disregard for the actual event.
Choice Music Prize winners Super Extra Bonus Party are among the acts that will have free videos made for them as part of the latest Hot Press/NYU Tisch School Of Arts initiative.
As well as May and Regan, Josh Ritter, Buzzcocks and Tinariwen will headline the forthcoming Belfast Festival at Queens, running from October 16 to 31.
Irish labels, bands and artists often face an uphill struggle to garner recognition, even on their home turf. Which is why hotpress and HMV have undertaken their own combined initiative, to coincide with the announcement of the shortlist for the first Choice Irish music prize. As a product of this initiative, all ten albums will be specially stocked and displayed in HMV stores all over Ireland on the run-in to the announcement of the winning album later this month. Here, we take a look at the list – and reflect on those that have been omitted.
Never mind pressies and OD’ing on cranberry sauce, the important thing about Christmas is that it signals the return of the HP-10 Summit. Absolutely no blushes are spared as Ireland’s rock ‘n’ roll elite dissects the musical year that was 2006. Keeping order: Stuart “Paxman” Clark. Taking photos: Graham “Paparazzi” Keogh. Taking the piss: Eyebrowy
Never mind pressies and OD’ing on cranberry sauce, the important thing about Christmas is that it signals the return of the HP-10 Summit. Absolutely no blushes are spared as Ireland’s rock ‘n’ roll elite dissects the musical year that was 2006. Keeping order: Stuart “Paxman” Clark. Taking photos: Graham “Paparazzi” Keogh. Taking the piss: Eyebrowy.
Hot Press brings you an exclusive foretaste of the fourth series of RTE Two's highly-acclaimed Other Voices. Included is a run down on the musical guests, from José González, James Blunt and Elbow to Horslips, Julie Feeney and Rufus Wainwright. Also, we speak to presenter John Kelly and organisers Phillip King and Aoife Woodlock.
Other Voices, the RTE series featuring acclaimed bands playing in an intimate venue in Dingle, Kerry, will kick off its fourth year with a series of recordings in December.
The fourth series of RTÉ Two's highly-acclaimed Other Voices, presented by John Kelly, was recorded over an extraordinary eight days during the madcap run-up to Christmas, in the thoroughly invigorating coastal environs of Dingle. Hot Press reporter Craig Fitzsimons was there to soak up the phantasmagoria, as some of the hottest talent from Ireland and abroad descended on the tranquil Kerry town to make heavenly music.
Hot Press is pleased to announce another nation-wide search for Irish music talent to have a music video directed and produced (at no cost) by film students from the illustrious Tisch School of Performing Arts at New York University.
Hot Press is pleased to announce another nation-wide search for Irish music talent to have a music video directed and produced (at no cost) by film students from the illustrious Tisch School of Performing Arts at New York University.
David Kitt [pictured right], The Frank And Walters, The Walls and Royseven are among the artists who have been selected to have their videos made, in a special programme run by New York University, in association with Hot Press. Royseven's recently released debut album, The Art Of Insincerity, entered the Irish album charts at No.17 this week.
The results of the last Tisch competition, where Irish artists get their video made courtesy of talented students from the Tisch School Of Arts, New York University, are in.
So popular is the Rock The Vote campaign that it's become something of a celeb magnet. Watch videos from the likes of Cillian Murphy, Dara O'Briain, Katy French and more, who all have one clear message!
The Irish Music Rights Organisation has announced the second annual IMRO Live Music Venue of the Year Awards. The awards recognise Irish venues which provide the very highest standards in live music entertainment.
So popular is the Rock The Vote campaign that it's become something of a celeb magnet. Watch videos from the likes of Damien Dempsey, Mario Rosenstock and more, who all have one clear message!
A simmering dissatisfaction with the amount of Irish music being played on Irish radio bubbled over at Music Ireland, with a debate that was, by turns, lively and illuminating.
The illustration by David Rooney in the last issue of Hot Press, depicting a priest marturbating, was offensive not just to the clergy but also to women. At least that's what one caller to Joe Duffy claimed. It got us thinking as we prepared the Hot Press Women's Issue (though not, we have to say, for very long....)
Poxy fucking Irish weather!
Now that we’ve let the elephant out of the room – or should that be tent? – let’s concentrate on the musical delights that Day Two of the Picnic had to offer.
The life and work of Stephen Gately was brilliantly remembered at his funeral service by the members of Boyzone. There is a lesson in this for all of us.
As part of the build-up to Music Ireland ’06 in the RDS next month, hotpress has launched a nationwide campaign to encourage musicians to support their local instrument shop. Jackie Hayden explains the central importance of the local store to the Irish music industry – and to every musician’s livelihood.
Some of the country's leading music industry figures joined thousands of people for the Music Show, a two-day celebration of all that's good about the recording arts in Ireland.
From U2 to The Frames and Sinead O’Connor to Damien Rice, music has helped put this country on the map. So why is the government so slow to back the music industry?
Budget cuts almost spelled the end of Other Voices. But the team behind the Dingle music institution rallied around – with the result that this year’s line-up is arguably among the strongest in the history of the show
RTE2 have plenty of live music action to keep us placated for the next few weeks - here's the line up of bands and when to catch them. For more about the Other Voices series, click on the link at the very bottom.
