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.
An estimated 100,000 people showed up in the Phoenix Park for the O2 sponsored gig that featured Samantha Mumba, Ronan Keating, Mundy, Six, David Kitt and Kells' rock outfit Turn. Would one of the local scenes hottest contenders shine brightly enough to win the hearts of the nation’s pop kids?
Home-recording buff, culinary wizard and fully paid-up member of the local indie cognoscenti – welcome to the cultured residence of turn singer Ollie Cole.
It’s their safest record to date, yet also their most rounded with Cole delivering an unfaltering run of fine songs that suit the poppy presentation down to the ground.
Kells three-piece Turn are on the crest of a wave, and are about to unleash their rather spiffing debut LP, Antisocial, on an unsuspecting world. John Walshe reports. Suit shoot: Myles Claffey
Turn are toughing it out and their new offering is a fine indicator that their position as one of the strongest rock bands in Ireland today is more than secure
Having established their cult credentials with Turn On The Bright Lights, Interpol are back with a new album that looks like earning them a place at rock’s top table. New York City fop Sam Fogarino tells Colm O’Hare how they’re sharp-dressed for success.
The first thing that strikes you about ‘Stop’ is its complete lack of balls. There was a time when Turn were well on their way to becoming the best rock band this country has produced since Whipping Boy. However, the days of tracks like ‘Face Down’ and ‘Beeswax’ are seemingly over. Given the snip, ‘Stop’ is a slice of radio friendly day-time pop very much in the vein of Snow Patrol. There’s even East 17-style Christmas glistenings at the track’s close. Far from their best work.
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.
"I used to always take clothes off people as well, like little kids after gigs who would go 'You were brilliant' and I’d go, 'Can I have your jacket?'”
Apologies if it seems like a bit of an obsession, but – for women in particular – foreplay is such an important part of good, satisfying sex. Here, then are some top tips on how best to ignite the passions of the woman you lust.
Dail Eireann has never been short of socialist mavericks but rarely has a member of government spoken out so emphatically in favour of divorce, abortion and the shackling of the Catholic church as Democratic Left’s EAMON GILMORE. JOE JACKSON meets the agnostic Junior Minister who smoked and inhaled and reckons he'd probably make a better whoremaster than a priest. Pix: Colm Henry.
There is something mysterious and unpredictable about the things that make us horny, or that draw us to new lovers. The same is true of those features in potential partners that turn us right off. Here with the results of her own private survey of our likes and dislikes.
Antisocial has been a long time making its way from the studio to the record shop but the good news is that, like the famous scene in Ice Cold In Alex, the result was certainly worth waiting for.
As a sort of accompaniment to Hot Press' current cover story on the Heineken Rollercoaster Tour bill-sharers, we decided to make 'em our Archive Artists Of The Week. Getcher old news stories, getcher reviews, getcher interviews. You know you want 'em
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.
From Kilkenny to LA, kerbdog have been on a seven-year learning curve that's produced a powerful second album, On The Turn. barry glendenning hears how, after an inauspicious beginning, they finally got their act together. Pic: cathal dawson.
English singer Pixie Lott looks like being the latest pop sensation on the block. The stage-school trained 18-year-old already enjoyed a number one single earlier this year with ‘Mama Do’, and this month sees the release of her debut album Turn It Up.
You know, Nick Lowe was right when he asked “What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding?” Lately, I try to avoid the news as often as not, because it seems that every day there’s another atrocity: more carnage, more blood, more tears, more misery, more grief.
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
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.
As the lesbian witch willow, Alyson Hannigan was the star turn in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. she’s also the lead female in the ongoing teen comedy caper that is American Pie.
This was not the usual high energy experience that we’ve come to expect from Turn’s Dublin appearances. Which, in a funny way, made it all the more special...
Back at the turn of the decade there were three mad bands from Downpatrick Vietnam, Lazer Gun Nun and Confusion. The first of these dropped the dodgy heavy metal element and became Ash. The second toned down the Stooges sound to give room for the Backwater experience. Two-thirds of the last act have come back to haunt us in the form of Griswold.
The daughter of a famed cinematographer and an accomplished actress, Zooey Deschanel had an easier entrée into Hollywood than most. But with an array of cred-heavy indie hits to her credit, and a stellar turn in The Hitchiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, she’s proven a good deal smarter than your average LA starlet. Interview by Tara Brady.
He believes that country music can make people "turn their hearts away from sin." He also believes that Jerry Lee, Elvis and The Beatles failed to answer the call of Jesus and that many rock groups - U2 consPICUOUSLY not included - are now doing the devil's work. JOE JACKSON hears the gospel according to Ricky Skaggs.
Actor Ray Liotta has a jaundiced view of the film industry and the media that feeds off it. But, as he proves in Wild Hogs, he can turn on the comedy too.
Welcome to Galway . . . now turn out your pockets, face the wall and spread your legs. Olaf Tyaransen reports on how new laws are being used to spoil the party way out west.
Well, okay, it's SOMETHING HAPPENS, so that's overstating it a bit. Still, having taken a fair few industry beatings over the years, the band are no longer inclined to simply turn the other cheek. At the end of a year in which they toured the States with Warren Zevon, released a "Best Of ..." and are bringing it all back home for Christmas, Olaf Tyaransen finds the band can snarl as well as smile.
It’s the guide Ladbrokes, the Central Bank, Mystic Meg and Mark Lawrenson turn to at the start of each year – Jackie Hayden’s cultural, sporting and political forecasts for the forthcoming twelve months.
Actor, writer, musician, director, and husband of Angelina Jolie, BILLY BOB THORNTON is currently a very busy man, with one album on release and no less than three movies queueing up at the box-office. All this and he’s constantly on his guard against germs
Masturbating for charity – it was a new one on us. So whose idea was it? What was the purpose? Who would turn up? And what would happen in real life, when the doors to the Wank-a-thon were finally declared open? There was only one way to get the real SP on what promised to be one of the most bizarre events ever mounted in London. Send for our man Tyaransen: he wouldn’t make his excuses and leave! Or would he?
She calls Him her “Great Lover”. He tells her to “call Me Daddy”. At any hour of the day or night Himself is likely to drop into the life of Vassula Ryden for a bit of a chinwag. She, in turn, broadcasts His words to the world at large. All of which means that, in what amounts to the metaphysical journalistic coup of the century, our Liam Fay gets an exclusive interview with The Holy Spirit.
In answer to a fan's question in the Hot Press Mixed Grill (see current edition of HP), Bono dismisses rumours that he will run for the Irish presidency
The future is here. Well, somehow it always is. And, as usual, it is both familiar and strange. Nothing seems to change, but one day you turn around, it is 1995, and you are cybersurfing on the internet, summer seems to last all winter, ambient-acid-techno is bubbling away on the radio, your fax machine shows up on the Antiques Roadshow and papa’s got a brand new drug.
Hey! Ho! Let's go (girls)! And so the band who named their debut album Teenage American Rock 'n' Roll Machine reach the ripe old age of twenty one, celebrating with a fourth record and a new, more mature sound.
Is this what we’ve come to? That Dogs’ record company think their unique selling point is Kate Moss picking one of their tunes for a cosmetics ad? Rock ‘n’ roll is dead and its corpse is starting to stink.
They are far, far superior to anyone in the current retro brat pack, with songs that remind you of Sonic Youth without the feedback, the Velvets without the drones, Joy Division without the doom laden fatalism and The Fall with lyrics that you can actually decipher.
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.
Nas continues to turn out some of the most original rap around. ‘Hip-Hop Is Dead’ is a pretty damning critique of the state of the genre, but is undermined by the appearance of Will.I.Am of the flipping Black Eyed Peas.
‘Surface Noise’ sounds like it was culled from Basic Channel’s back catalogue, but it gradually reveals multi-layered intricacies, as bleeps, ethereal FX and swirling, echo-heavy chords twist and turn through a succession of sub-sonic bass frequencies.
The contrasting harsh backward riff and deep pads works well for a time on the Border Community-aping original, but the break is just too unsophisticated. Best skip to Koletzki and Meindl’s more confident remix – they beef up the bass, fuck with the main elements and turn it into a tough electro-house chugger.
Following Tiefschwarz, it’s the turn of Anu Pillai to mix it up for Fine, which he does in a wide ranging style that takes in nu Italo, electronic hip-hop, Seymour Bits’ electro funk and even Aphex Twin’s off the wall ‘Windowlicker’. It’s a real mish mash.
Not enough hip-hop mentions Safeway trolleys, nutters with ginger beards and Sega Megadrives. For that reason we should cherish Lady Sovereign, who managed to take such arcane references and turn them into US gold dust. It helps that her beats follow the standard American pop rap model. You have to admire the sheer absurdity of it all.
Camea & Insideout give minimal the dance floor oomph it needs. The jacking 'Nothing Shocking' and the wiry funk of 'Azimuth' twist and turn through FX-laden percussion and heavy drums, while Rohr and Xavier's version of the title track adds powerful claps. This is a wake up call for all the plodding minimalists.
Here’s a cultural oddity that would give Noam Chomsky nightmares – a cover of Canned Heat’s hippie classic by Telex, an ‘80s electro act from Belgium, in turn remixed in throbbing style by a former member of Technotronic! However, the highlight remix is Trevor Jackson’s menacing Chicago house reconstruction.
Less overtly blues-flavoured than previous efforts, this is an intriguing taster for Boss Volenti’s forthcoming debut album. Tipping its hat to, among others, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Dublin band’s third single packs a classic pop punch and features enough bass noodling to turn Flea mildly green with envy.
Putting up quite the fight for Single Of The Fortnight, ‘Radau’ is a tantalising taster from les Astronaut’s new album. With an atmosphere that builds at its own sweet pace and an eight-armed drummer causing havoc behind a simple guitar riff, GIAN again prove themselves to be at the top of their game. If this doesn’t turn the world onto left-field electro-experimental instrumentals, nothing will. I’m guessing nothing will, though.
Though perfectly pleasant and diverting, were it not for Ms. Huffman or Fionnula Flanagan’s stupendously gauche turn as Bree’s disapproving harpy mother, you’d be forgiven for not remembering a thing about Transamerica five minutes after the final credits.
Newly appointed to IMRO, Steve Wall is never too busy to hang out in the Loire Valley with the boys and turn out more of that early-‘90s rock that we’re all so fond of. The first track from the new album, due late next month, is a 2005 ‘Bright And Shining Sun’: no frills, earnest, friendly stuff that the fans will love. Some of us still remember when they were playing off the back of a truck in Ballinrobe.
The name may not ring a huge number of bells, yet Fiona Melady has been something of an Irish musical mainstay over recent years, first as a member of Turn and then through her work with Gemma Hayes, Paddy Casey and Declan O’Rourke. Of them all, ‘One’ is probably most reminiscent of Hayes, especially in the vocal department. As accomplished as you’d expect, Melady still needs to find more of an original angle.
Word is spreading. Following a run of successful support slots with The Chalets, Turn and Kerbdog, Boss Volenti are creeping into the nation’s heart. Their debut as a four piece is all Southern State blues and straight laced rock ‘n roll, combined with an irresistible dark dirty guitar riff. Not as hard hitting as devotes of their live show might expect. But hip-shakingly good nonetheless.
With little or no fuss, Placebo still somehow manage to shift hundreds of thousands of records and to pack venues across Europe. Just as with 2003’s Sleeping With Ghosts LP, ‘Because I Want You’ is far better than we’d expect.
The track is bolstered by a chorus just as memorable as ‘Nancy Boy’ or ‘Bruise Pristine’. Clearly frontman Brian Molko has lost neither his sneer nor his turn of phrase. The angst which made them famous is still present and just as palpable as before. On this evidence, you wouldn’t rule out a comeback.
Renko’s sound is a hotchpotch of BRMC-style riffs, a whiff of Radiohead circa ‘97, hints of electric Neil Young and some good old down-home hair metal. Debut single ‘The Fate Of The Free World Depends On You’ is a more relaxed turn however, in which the band show they can do mellow. File under ‘a little bit alt. country and a little bit alt. rock’n’roll’.
Now here’s a turn up for the books. First Ian Brown does a gig full of Stone Roses material and then he pitches up with quite possibly his finest solo record to date.
While ‘Burn’ is nothing more than a mediocre offering from an underwhelming album (Crimson), what saves it from the dumper is the myriad of remixers that have their way with the track.
Tim Armstrong (Rancid, The Transplants) takes ska to its logical conclusion by introducing steel drums and a reggae beat, with astounding results. Sheffield noisemongers 65daysofstatic throw all sorts of craziness into the equation when they get their turn, and they too come up with a work of modern art.
Test Icicles slow (and dull) it down, but as Meatloaf once said, two out of three ain’t bad.
This year’s Brits provided few moments of genuine horror, with the notable exception of Stone’s stupefying turn, who tottered around, sending out love to Robbie Williams in a god-awful trans-Atlantic accent and trying to upstage Amy Winehouse. A bad move and one that could single handily de-rail her comeback, which is a shame because ‘Tell Me ‘Bout It’ is a decent record, brimming with hip-hop attitude and Motown cool and perhaps the first real indication of what she could be capable of.
Seems we forgot to flip the record over. Pinky's 'Jack The Lad' features on a vinyl-only double A-side single with Porn Trauma's 'Cassanova Blues', which we've already reviewed. Well now it's Pinky's turn, and it was worth the wait. 'Jack The Lad' is an uptempo track with funky verses and an irresistable chorus. Pinky's distinctive voice really makes this track memorable, varying between deep and soulful and bright and soaring. Definitely one to watch in coming months.
Lifted from what is arguably his most aesthetically pleasing album to date, The Lyre Of Orpheus, Breathless is ripe with poetic finery and endless elegance. Although some prefer Caves tortured, writhing energy, this single proves that he can also turn his hand to a splendidly tender and touching acoustic love song. By contrast, There She Goes, My Beautiful World is a more upbeat though no less affecting affair, marrying Caves sombre baritone with the joyful sound of the London Community Gospel Choir. Predictably, its a near-perfect moment of life-affirming splendour.
Inspired by Colm Toibin's novel about Henry James, director Liam Halligan has brought one of the horror master's most singular ghost stories, The Turn of the Screw back to the stage.
There’s a delightfully breezy ambience to this album by two veterans of traditional music. Flute player Peter Horan hails from Killavil, Co. Sligo, while fiddler Gerry Harrington was born in Kerry, now lives in Waterford, and favours the Sliabh Luachra style – particularly evident during his solo turn on a pair of hornpipes previously recorded by Sliabh Luachra players Julia Clifford and Denis Murphy.
There was a point at the turn of the ‘90s when — much like Something Happens! a year or so before — it seemed to be the law to like The Stunning, and in the summer of 1990 the question was not whether you had the album, but what was your favourite song on the all-conquering Paradise In The Picturehouse: that is, there was Stunning snobbery.
In an issue stuffed with domestic releases of great variety and admirable quality, it’s a pleasure to give the nod to some home grown hip-hop for a change. Flip has made his name behind the decks (he was World Champion mixmaster a couple of years back) but has now started to forego playing other people’s records in favour of his own. This EP, however, could sit happily in his record bag next to the more established releases. The appearance of members of The Arsonists and Foreign Legion confirms his standing among the big underground hitters, and although their presence gives the two main tracks a more US than home feel, they suit the old school approach and sound perfectly. Now let’s see him turn his spotlight on his home town
Costello is one Ireland’s most promising talents, a producer unafraid to turn his back on the 4/4 in favour of a more esoteric spin on electronic music.
It’s been some time since Tara Blaise first came on like a potential star, fronting the EMI-signed Dublin band Kaydee. In the interim, she has worked quietly away, developing her craft as a songwriter and performer – and, last year, guesting as vocalist on John Hughes’ largely instrumental album Wild Ocean. Now, it’s her turn to grab the spotlight and she does it with impressive finesse, emerging as a vocalist to be reckoned with in the process.
Though much of the comedy is hit-and-miss, Michael Caine’s supreme turn as a hopeless, hack thespian makes this enjoyable viewing all on its own, while Moran is ever reliable as our maudlin hero, even beneath the silliest of wigs.
20 years on from their first musical offering, the Indigo Girls thankfully refuse to age with grace and here turn in an album as vital and as edgy as anything they’ve ever done, with fresh subtleties to add to an illustrious back catalogue.
Boo Hewerdine has written countless gems of songs for the immaculate Eddi Reader. In turn she has co-composed tunes with him, used him as support on live outings and generally touted the man's prowess as an extraordinarily gifted songwriter.
When At The Drive-In imploded so spectacularly a couple of years ago, most spectators were left confused by the turn of events. The band were, after all, just beginning to reap the reward for their efforts.
Kooky is a young male crooner with a classical voice who sings maverick, cabaret style pop tunes like a contemporary Irish Frank Sinatra. His album’s title – The Good Old Days – acknowledges the throwback nature of his vocal style, which sounds like it’s from the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s rather the turn of the 21st century.
Reasons to be cheerful…the often-fickle world of indie appears to be facing an about turn; hey, things are even undergoing a facelift round Merseyside way. Liverpool’s newest young things The Zutons are striking out on their own, easily evading notions of scouse copyism with a collision of taut, wild-eyed rock and oddly belligerent soul.
"Seriously, Ms Jackson, I invite you around for high tea and you turn up leather clad, groaning, and hollering about touching yourself. Mrs Wilberforce didn’t know where to look and the vicar was most upset."
“ROSE-mair-ee!” yells a sold-out Olympia along with Paul Banks, as the Morse-code bassline of ‘Evil” jitters away beneath. “HEAV-en re-STORES you in LIFE!” So, yes, onstage it looks like Interpol: five smart-suited gentlemen throwing rock shapes in a graveyard-mist fug that is ‘lit’ (if you can say that about a near-dark stage) in their trademark two colours, black and dark red. But turn around to face tonight’s all-singing, all-dancing crowd, and you could be at an Oasis concert circa Definitely Maybe.
Fake Chemical State is one of those records that rewards repeated listening, so over a week or so nearly every song takes a turn in the ‘best on the album’ slot.
Recorded mostly at home in Montréal and in art galleries and hotel rooms by the quarter-Irish, one-woman cottage industry that is Emm Gryner, Songs of Love and Death is a brave selection of Irish pop and rock songs that thankfully avoids the obvious and gives some perhaps forgotten gems an overdue turn around the block.
Adapted by Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan from Christopher Priest’s novel about two competing magicians in turn-of-the-20th-century London, The Prestige charts the fortunes of suave Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and working-class runt Alfred Borden (Christian Bale).
Mike Got Spiked are a quartet well schooled in the forge-work of the form. The rhythm section is nimble and quick, and singer Gavin McGuire has a fair set of lungs on him. They frequently carry off tricky muscle-funk licks and Rancid-like ska-metal hybrids with handbrake turn metre shifts (‘To Have You Here’, ‘Teen Idol’, ‘Find Yourself’) not to mention the odd muso fusion fuckabout (‘5 Second Heaven’, ‘All You Need’), although the songs invariably go scurrying back to the power chords and layered harmonies of a Linkin Park chorus. More worryingly, they have little to say, and no artful way of saying it.
The Radiators were the first true Irish punk band, and with most current rock acts unwilling to confront the broad political realities of today, they may well turn out to be our last.
Spitting expletives and wearing costumes that would turn heads in a Berlin S&M dungeon, The Warlords Of Pez are here to save Ireland from the po-faced musicians who threaten to take the island over.
The most immediate thing that stand out is the sheer power of her voice, an emotional instrument that is capable of matching the moods of her songs which can turn, at ease, from a whisper to something more powerfu
Getting dreessed especially for sex is a great turn on. There's nothing like knowing that you are the object of someone else's desire - but isn't it time that men got in on the act?
As one might expect, the proceedings are highly performance-driven, but it’s Julianne Moore’s tormented turn which steals the show, and grants a heartbreaking humanity to a character whose actions are morally reprehensible.
What A Girl Wants suffers from a typically unpleasant chick-flick worldview, purporting to condemn snobbery while unconsciously embracing it at every single turn.
Rounder, the well respected Cambridge, Massachusetts label has, of late, been picking up on acts who have left major label deals. Not long back it was Jimmie Dale Gilmore, now it’s the turn of fellow Flatlander Joe Ely.
Ronan Keating is an entertainer, not an artist, so maybe it's a bit rich to expect him to turn into Captain Beefheart at this stage.
Music Review | Live
33% | 10 May 2004
Kim Porcelli
Incredibly, the woman before you in the rustling, blindingly white wedding dress, Mrs Tracee Mae Miller (flame-coloured cascade of hair; skin like a porcelain doll; sugary-breathy voice like the thought at the back of your mind), will turn out not to be the most interesting thing on stage tonight.
Had Dreamworks’ animation wing chosen to follow Shrek 2 with Madagascar one might be inclined to see this jungle-to-jungle fable as evidence that the signature studio gumbo of starry voiceovers, pop pastiche and cartoon buffoonery was starting to turn...
Two weeks ago it was Triumph The Comedy Insult Dog, now it’s the turn of Nathan Explosion and Pickles to be introduced to the Caught In The Net masses.
I AM writing this with a crick in my neck, the kind we used to call red-hot-pokers when we were kids. I am ramrod stiff, and cannot turn my head to the left. I feel like a cross between Frankenstein’s bolt-necked monster and Julian Cleary, who carries himself as if he has invisible drop earrings tied to his shoulder pads. Very regal and pained.
As Ireland’s economy hits the skids at breakneck speed, the Government – and the Opposition – seem utterly bereft of ideas on how to turn the tide. But we need to get on with it quickly...
There was a time when our sex columnist might have enjoyed a flirtation with gender crossover. But not anymore. So why does she find the so-called ‘metrosexual’ less than a complete turn-on?
The Netherlands has long been a byword for liberalism in relation to cannabis. But the Calvinist attitudes of the current administration there look set to change that.
Meanwhile, the Gardaí themselves have problems. Early in January, retired Circuit Court judge Anthony Murphy told RTE’s Prime Time that “there have been occasions when the Guards have committed perjury in my court.” His view was that “if there was a confession and nothing else, the man walked.”
In the words of visionary film-maker David Cronenberg, "There are records you listen to when you want diversion, and there are records you go to when you're in spiritual trouble." We asked an array of today's brightest stars to tell us about the artists they feel provide the greatest sustenance in time of turmoil and upheaval.
Pro-life campaigners have been celebrating the closure of one of the few organisations in Northern Ireland which provided information on abortion. NIALL STANAGE gets the other side of the story.
Comedian of the moment Andrew Maxwell talks about his recent car-crash gig in Dublin, in which he staggered on stage drunk and promptly blacked out, the controversy over Tommy Tiernan's comments on the holocaust and his love/hate relationship with Ireland. Plus, why we're to blame for our current economic crisis and how going to the same school as U2 helped turn him into ther performer he is today.
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
They've earned a reputation as catfighting divas. But in person Sugababes turn out to be absolute sweethearts. New 'bab' Amelle Berraba talks about fame and dodging the papparazi.
The bright lights of Toronto beckoned for Leeside electro-poppers Fred as they kicked off their North American tour with a turn at the prestigious North by Northeast festival.
Four albums in two decades may seem like a poor return, but not when the music is as gentle and wondrous as that made by The Blue Nile. Ahead of a rare live turn, frontman Paul Buchanan explains why he likes to take things slowly.
The late lamented Tindersticks may not be around anymore, but the band’s singer and songwriter Stuart A. Staples still knows how to turn a masterful tune.
She’s acted in big screen Joyce adaptations and appeared in hip-hop cinema. Now Irish actress Fionnula Flanagan is set to enter the major league, following her turn in the acclaimed – and Oscar nominated – Transamerica.
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.
She came to our attention with a disturbingly convincing turn as a bondage queen. Now Emma De Caunes joins an ensemble cast for a whimsical deconstruction of the Hollywood musical.
Marriage and babies have given The Dandy Warhols a fresh perspective on life. But they aren't ready to turn their back on sleazed-up rock'n roll just yet
A graduate of art-house cinema and experimental theatre, Cork actor Cillian Murphy is set for the a-list following his chilling turn as Scarecrow in Batman Begins. Interview by Tara Brady.
Most people slow down a bit when they turn 60, but not trad legend Andy Irvine. Colm O’Hare hears about his latest collaboration with Donal Lunny, the Planxty reunion and the perils of being stranded in small German towns.
Like Groucho Marx may or may not have said, timing is (pause) …everything. As such, the two albums that electrified us this year (Interpol’s hugely moving, visceral masterpiece Turn On The Bright Lights; Justin Timberlake’s Neptunes-assisted pop‘n’B triumph Justified) were actually released in ’02.
The Great Chat-Show War didn’t quite turn out to be the promised Mother of All Battles. Although in some ways it did: like Saddam’s first war, it was all over in less than a 100 days.
Ollie Cole of Turn pays a fan’s heartfelt tribute to the “genius lyricist and stupidly brilliant guitar player” who tragically took his own life two weeks ago.
When time comes for the models to put on their real life clothes, chances are they’ll turn to Filippa Knutsson. Alison Bourke meets the designer who’s more interested in “style than fashion”
With paranoia running rampant among US immigration officials in the wake of September 11, even a seemingly straightforward holiday in the land of the free can turn into a Kafka-esque nightmare.
GEORGE BYRNE joins the stars of stage turned stars of screen at the CORK FILM FESTIVAL as one band's star-crossed story takes another unexpected turn. Snaps: GEORGE BYRNE.
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.
For a man who was working in Galway nightclubs and renting damp rooms in dilapidated hotels at the turn of the decade, PERRY BLAKE hasn t done too badly since. After releasing two acclaimed singles for Polydor, he s now set fair to emerge as one of Ireland s brightest new
songwriting talents.
OLAF TYARANSEN hears his intriguing story.
For a man who was working in Galway nightclubs and renting damp rooms in dilapidated hotels at the turn of the decade, PERRY BLAKE hasn t done too badly since. After releasing two acclaimed singles for Polydor, he s now set fair to emerge as one of Ireland s brightest new
songwriting talents.
OLAF TYARANSEN hears his intriguing story.
Until now, that is! DAVID PUTTNAM is one of Britain s most successful film directors of the past 20 years. But, as the turn of the century approaches, he believes that the control exerted by Hollywood over the film, entertainment and information industries globally may yet inspire a violent reaction. Interview: CATHY DILLON
Did you hear the one about the Clare man who loves Dublin and is less than enamoured with rural Ireland?
Or the staunch Labour Party man who doesn’t worship Dick Spring?
Or the politician whose fed up to the teeth with political correctness?
Then you haven’t heard about PAT UPTON, Labour TD for Dublin South Central.
LIAM FAY did, and now it’s your turn.
Pix: COLM HENRY
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.
Her dad’s got the keys to St. Andrew’s Observatory, her mum’s texting to say she’s just seen Prince William playing hockey, and her new album Eyes To The Telescope is currently bewitching audiences throughout Britain. Things could hardly be better for Scots singer-songwriter KT Tunstall.
Rioting in Dublin raises many questions about our society. Not all are easily answered. Of one thing there can be no doubt, however: Glasgow Celtic 'supporters' who participated in the mayhem peddle a uniquely Irish fascism.
It s a bit of a mouthful but it s actually the multi-talented Parisian musician, photographer, sometime pop producer and film maker Jay Alanski in an ongoing process of aural and spiritual development.
Eyebrows were raised in the Irish rock community at Dave Fanning’s appointment as a panellist for RTE’s next series of You’re A Star. Colm O’Hare gives him a chance to explain why he doesn’t care.
Recently freed from the responsibilities of being in a relationship, our columnist has decided to make hay while the sun shines and exploit the advantages of single life to the full.
In her new collection award-winning Northern poet Leontia Flynn invites the reader on a metaphorical journey by car, plane and modes of conveyance more obscure.
For once, and don’t hold your breath for the future, we had a really brilliant summer. Couldn’t have been better. What would ya be going to Spain for, sure isn’t this even better? It was just mighty.
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.
Irish guitarist bernie torme no relation to Mel has played with Ian Gillan, Atomic Rooster and Ozzy Osbourne, and lived to tell the tale. Interview: colm o hare.
The fall of the Republican party in the US has been hailed as good news, but perhaps we should not be too optimistic about what the future holds as the Democrats prepare to take over Capitol Hill.
The fall of the Republican party in the US has been hailed as good news, but perhaps we should not be too optimistic about what the future holds as the Democrats prepare to take over Capitol Hill.
Forget Liam and Nicole and Pete and Kate, the hottest rock 'n' roll couple in town at the moment are The Subways' Charlotte Cooper and Billy Lunn. The female half of the duo tells Ed Power about the highs and lows of making beautiful music together.
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.
Need help, advice or a second opinion? Put your music industry question to the oracle@hotpress.ie. This issue Tom from Lurgan has been approached bt a management company who want his band to sign a deal that includes management, publishing and recording contracts with the same people. Is this legal?
Students are renowned for their loud music, substance abuse and copulating in the streets. But eating disorders, anxiety, stress and depression may be more true to life.
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.
"Anywhere from Dunnes to designer stuff. Mark O’Neill made me some stuff, Antonia Campbell Hughes gave me a suit. And I’ve always been a hand-me-down person because I’m the youngest of ten kids"
Recent violent attacks, such as the horrendous killing of two Polish men, may have involved young people. But that shouldn't lead us to tar an entire generation.
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.
Michelle Phelan and Pete McGrane of folk-pop duo Carosel have cracked the secret to balancing love with the art of making music. And it’s not as complicated as you’d think.
photos Emily Quinn
Personally speaking, the death of the wonderful Elliott Smith was a major blow his year. I found out about his suicide through Ollie Cole, who had e-mailed me with a very succinct, “Elliott Smith is dead. He was my king”, on the day of his death.
With the publication of U2 By U2, the band have finally got to tell the story of their success from their own perspective. It’s got some great pictures too.
As a pregnancy counselling agency in receipt of state funding, Life would appear obliged to offer non-judgemental advice to its clients. But does the organisation retain what is an essentially anti-abortion stance? Imogen Murphy investigates.
Why do people read magazines? An interesting poser in view of the last decade: the era that brought us multimedia and the Internet, the cultural idea of “dumbing down”, and that saw “content” production in the media – what we read, what we listen to, what we even hear about – fall conclusively into the hands of the profit-or-die multinationals. The question is in the news pages this month following reports that landmark American music and youth culture magazine Rolling Stone is breaking with its 35-year tradition of intelligent cultural and political journalism to move into the racy male-lifestyle-mag arena, under the stewardship of British editor Ed Needham, famous for giving the world “lad” magazine FHM.
Let's start with a crescendo and build to a climax.
Being Irish, we talked a lot about the weather. Right from the start. Tornadoes in America and cyclones in east Africa. Doomsday. Biblical torrents raged down the Limpopo and Save rivers. The lucky ones clung to the tops of trees - there was even a baby born in one. But thousands perished. Villages too. A million or more were homeless. Family and tribal networks were destroyed. Roads and rails were in ruins. Thousands of landmines were washed away from their known zones to who knows where.
To some it is the great white hope in the battle against illegal file-sharing, and the idea that music on the internet comes for free. But to others, it is another nail in the coffin for artists who earn a paltry sum for the streaming of their music.
Aslan's Billy McGuinness grew up on Dublin's northside. Now, he's living in the sticks loving every minute of it – especially when friends call around for karaoke.
WITH THE Spank, sorry, Bank Holiday Weekend upon us, we thought you d be interested in a magazine that enables you to get the most out of your leisure time.
Thousands of adolescents go before under-age courts in this country every year. In this exclusive dispatch, we report from the frontline of the criminal justice system as it applies to teenagers.
Hector Ó hEochagáin is from Navan in Co. Meath. He learned Irish by attending summer colleges in the Gaeltacht and later studied Irish in Trinity College He has presented several popular Irish language programmes on TG4, including the acclaimed Amú series of travel documentaries, which last year won three awards at the IFTA’s.
SEX, HUMOR And Truth it proudly proclaims on the cover and, sure enough, Hustler is almost as famous nowadays for upholding the Fifth Amendment as for what the porn world so sensitively titles hamburger shots.
GREAT WESTERN SQUARES frontman gary fitzpatrick has built a career out of crafting beautifully heartfelt C'n'W vignettes, prowling around ancient pubs and being "a sad bastard who drinks too much". nick kelly says: "Cheers!"
“The stakes go up every season,” she reflects. “When I first sold to a Japanese store I was over the moon. I would have taken off my socks and shoes and sold them"
Norwegian pop sensation Annie on her new-found celebrity status in Scandinavia, the music scene in her increasingly hip hometown Bergen, and why her future output is likely to follow in the same upbeat vein as her acclaimed debut, Anniemal. interview Steve Cummins
Operating in the interstice where Sonic Youth meet the Jackson 5, Brighton dance-rock outfit The Go! Team are deservedly brewing up a storm with their debut album, Thunder, Lightning, Strike.
Twenty-three year old Thea Gilmore may have five albums and a record label to her name, but she still give kudos to ma and pa. Born and raised in rural Oxfordshire, her Irish parents – “quite liberal characters” – gave her a carefree upbringing and a healthy musical nourishment.
Let us now praise famous women. 2003 was the year of the female condition in all its most gorgeous and gruesome. Sure, the boys – and men – acquitted themselves admirably, but this year oestrogen overload didn’t necessarily equate with PMT (Pro-Minstrel Attention).
Hot Press readers worldwide want to know about Bono for president, Larry for lead singer, that mysterious tattoo, the greatest book, and more. Bono and Larry smoulder on the coals of the hp mixed grill
Legendary ballad singer Liam Clancy, of the pioneering Clancy Brothers, kicked off this year’s Fleadh Cheoil in Clonmel with a vintage performance in the Enfer village. Here he reflects on Fleadhs past and their current contributions to Irish culture.
In one of Irish music’s worst kept secrets, The Frames played Whelan’s recently, road testing some new songs and being joined on stage by a number of special guests. John Walshe reports from ringside.
Having done serious box-office damage in the States, Our Lady Peace are now looking to conquer Europe. Mainman Raine Maida tells Patrick Hedlund why failure is not an option
Before Wexford playwright BILLY ROCHE made a name for himself as a Chekhovian chronicler of smalltown dreams and desperations with The Wexford Trilogy, he wrote a novel entitled Tumbling Down. More than 20 years after its original publication, that book has been revised and reissued as a beautiful limited edition hardback.
A new compilation album charts DONAL LUNNY s extraordinary musical journey to date but Colm O'Hare finds that the COOLFIN founder still has his eye fixed firmly on challenges to come
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
Mickybo And Me is a sensitive but unsentimental examination of two boys' cross-denominational friendship. Actor and screenwriter Adrian Dunbar sings its praises.
Patrick Freyne interviews Tegan from Tegan and Sara about their brilliant new album The Con, her twin sister and obsessively recording the minutiae of her life.
Well, ya can’t say I didn’t warn ya. I’ve been writing about a forthcoming earthquake in Japan for months. And now it’s struck with a vengeance. Hundreds of thousands are dislocated, their homes either destroyed or threatened.
PEOPLE BUYING magazines for sick Grannies in hospital beware! It may sound like the sort of publication that has Russell Grant doing the horoscopes and Richard Madely talking about his perfect marriage, but the only pricks in For Women are of the bell-ended variety.
Blood, parties, testosterone, gonzoid lyrics – that nice ANDREW WK has a little something for just about everyone. "Hell, I don't even mind if your other favourite artist’s Enya," he tells STUART CK
David bickley, aka Mobius of hyper[borea], tells Olaf Tyaransen about dance music as gaeilge, Bronze Age atmospheres and how he came to throw his Hot Press Award off a cliff.
Confrontational Aussie comic Brendon Burns came to the attention of a wider audience last year after receiving the if.comedy award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Why do people read magazines? An interesting poser in view of the last decade: the era that brought us multimedia and the Internet, the cultural idea of “dumbing down”, and that saw “content” production in the media – what we read, what we listen to, what we even hear about – fall conclusively into the hands of the profit-or-die multinationals. The question is in the news pages this month following reports that landmark American music and youth culture magazine Rolling Stone is breaking with its 35-year tradition of intelligent cultural and political journalism to move into the racy male-lifestyle-mag arena, under the stewardship of British editor Ed Needham, famous for giving the world “lad” magazine FHM. …
THERE ARE those in contemporary music who ascend suddenly to the heights, their stars burning fiercely bright for a short time before they fall just as spectacularly back down to earth. There are others who build steadily upwards over a period of years, gradually winning new audiences, selling more records and expanding their sphere of influence until they attain the status of superstars, almost by stealth.
There has been nothing showy or ostentatious about Mary Black's progress to date...
The biggest ever music exhibition in Ireland will cover all aspects of the entertainment business – with something for every music fan. What’s more, it is happening at the perfect time for Christmas browsing.
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.
...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.
Fact, fiction and hard graft form the inspirations for DERMOT HEALY s acclaimed memoir The Bend For Home. LIAM FAY meets an author who moves rocks, stones and words. Pic: CATHAL DAWSON
He's been painted as a loud-mouthed yob but The Courteeners' Liam Fray is actually a complete sweetheart - so long as you don't ply him with liquor and encourage him to slag his rivals.
The referendum of late 1995 at long last made divorce legal in Ireland. But lawyers are now charging #7,000 for even the most straightforward cases, if they can get away with it. JACKIE HAYDEN gives his own personal account of attempts at a legal rip-off. Pics: Sasfi Hope-Ross
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.
When it comes to selecting a condom for that steamy sexual encounter, the revolutionary Avanti leaves Mr Fred Brewster s Geronimo in the ha penny place. Report: adrienne murphy.
Patrick Wolf’s baroque folk-pop has earned the singer comparisons with artists such as David Bowie and Kate Bush, while The Arcade Fire were sufficiently impressed to offer him a support slot on the first leg of their European tour.
He may be trained to kill, but recently James Blunt has been seducing vast swathes of the population with his poignant love songs. Lured to the Hot Press Chat Room, he tells all about his number one album, the Queen, being shot at in Kosovo and lesbian swim parties.
With over twenty-one years experience in pro audio, Richard Dowling is the man responsible for making Interpol, Foo Fighters, The Undertones and countless others sound good!
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.
Back in his native Fife, Scottish folk sensation James Yorkston chats about his childhood sojourns in West Cork and the debt his music owes to a sense of time and place.
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.
Creativity for depression? It s an exchange he can live with, says PAUL WESTERBERG, whose days of excess with The Replacements continue to haunt his latest acclaimed solo album Suicaine Gratification. Interview: JOE JACKSON.
Stuart Clark meets The Bellrays' vocalist Lisa Kekaula and hears how she developed that voice, why Lemmy is a big fan and why she's in bed with Alan McGee
IARLA O LIONAIRD has a new star-studded solo album out but the Afro Celt Sound System continue to teach him that music can be enjoyable and not just sublime . Interview: Colm O'Hare
Joe Jackson talks to Peter Hanly, currently starring in the Pulitzer Prize winning play Dinner With Friends, which explores the minefield of contemporary conjugal relationships.
He quit busy Dublin for blissful rural Sligo and recorded what many consider to be one of the outstanding electro records of the year. CHEQUERBOARD's John Lambert talks about finding his muse in the north west.
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
Scottish minimalist maestro Alex Smoke is earning serious kudos for his intriguing LP Incommunicado, an impressively eclectic collection which sounds equally as good on the dancefloor as the headphones.
He’s best known for reuniting – okay, attempting to reunite – the stars of ancient television programmes while the cameras roll. But behind the zany persona Justin Lee CoLlins has an interesting story of his own to tell, as he recounts in a fascinating memoir.
As well as enabling us to use a painful Usual Suspects pun, catching up with the Kaiser Chiefs at Oxegen meant we could quiz them about U2, Live 8 and becoming filthy rich rock stars
Hi-tech slo-fi merchants
The Plague Monkeys discuss science,
vocal heroes, glockenspiel loops
and The Day Of The Triffids with a
suitably quizzical Peter Murphy.
Hi-tech slo-fi merchants
The Plague Monkeys discuss science,
vocal heroes, glockenspiel loops
and The Day Of The Triffids with a
suitably quizzical Peter Murphy.
The plight of Ireland’s migrant community is explored in the new heist flick The Front Line. The movie’s stars Eriq Ebouaney and Fatou N’diaye explain why the Irish need to be more open to newcomers.
In August of this year, Hot Press photographer Emily Quinn undertook a unique journey to Uganda to document the lives of people touched by the efforts of the A-Z Children’s Charity.
Running an independent label is challenging enough, but how do you operate in a town where you can count the bands and the venues on one hand? Robbie McManus tells Hot Press what motivated Athlone-based Kissmearse Records to take fledgeling local bands under their wing.
After a lengthy Facebook campaign by fans of leading man Rupert Grint, gritty Belfast-based drama Cherrybomb has finally secured a cinema release for 2010. We catch up with co-director GLENN LEYBURN to find out about the movie that the world nearly didn’t see.
Former Prayer Boat frontman Emmet Tinley on the break-up of his old band, the challenges of forging his own solo career and the joys of artistic independence.
A recent survey revealed that highly sexed women are far more likely to want a bit of same sex action than highly sexed men. Anne Sexton- who falls effortlessly into the highly sexed category!- recalls that it was the feel of her girl lover's skin that was the most striking aspect of her first lesbian encounter. Once she relaxed, however, it was an experience to remember.
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
Writer-director Christopher Smith has already curried a great deal of favour with such clever Brit horrors as Severance and Creep. Triangle, a smart and nifty psychological chiller, suggests that Mr. Smith has only been clearing his throat.
Annual article: When Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005, she was forced to cancel the remainder of her Showgirl World Tour. Unbelievably, she made her comeback just last month.
A police raid on a dublin record store has led to intense speculation that the Gardaí are about to commence a serious crackdown on the retail of bootleg CDs.
Playwright Michael Harding explains why his newest play, Birdie Birdie, is about how “the only way to survive, as an individual or as a society, is to mind each other.”
Taking the best – or at least, the most over-the-top – pieces of KLF, Slayer and Radiohead, Enter Shakarai are the hottest thing on eight legs at the moment.
When Sharon Corr visited the townships in South Africa, she vowed to contribute to the drive, spearheaded by Irishman Niall Mellon, to build real houses for the underpriveleged citizens of Cape Town.
Ireland beating the mighty Dutch on an enchanted evening at Lansdowne Road. The Frames at Vicar St. Liverpool lifting three trophies in one season. BellX1 at the Music Centre
The naked senator and other tales – ten things you might not have known about politics and politicians in Ireland. Photography from The Naked Politican by Katie Hannon
Renowned for his elaborately-posed images of nude figures in public settings, artist Spencer Tunick is hoping Irish people will strip off for him when he visits these shores in June.
Having survived being Macaulay’s youngest brother, delivered stellar turns in acclaimed movies like You Can Count On Me and Signs, and now in teen murder drama Mean Creek, wunderkind actor Rory Culkin has packed a hell of a lot into his fifteen years – and there’s the still the vexed question of what he’s going to study at college to mull over.
An Irish band who don’t entirely fit in at home, Relish can console themslves with a great new album Karma Calling, and an international fanbase that stretches from the U.S. to Japan.
An Irish band who don’t entirely fit in at home, Relish can console themslves with a great new album Karma Calling, and an international fanbase that stretches from the U.S. to Japan.
They may profess disdain for the CD:UK world of glamour and hype, but with a recent appearance on the show and a support slot with The Darkness to their credit, it looks like nine-piece rock sensation Do Me Bad Things are going to have to get used to being in the limelight.
He's the spiritual leader of 'freakfolk', a scene that celebrates the quirky and off-beam. But behind Devendra Banhart's neo-hippy schtick is an awesomely talented songwriter.
The master of the historical psychological thriller,
CALEB CARR's own life has not been short of drama.
Here, he talks to OLAF TYARANSEN about growing up with the Beats and the shock of discovering that his father was a convicted murderer. Pics: Mick Quinn
The master of the historical psychological thriller,
CALEB CARR's own life has not been short of drama.
Here, he talks to OLAF TYARANSEN about growing up with the Beats and the shock of discovering that his father was a convicted murderer. Pics: Mick Quinn
The master of the historical psychological thriller,
CALEB CARR's own life has not been short of drama.
Here, he talks to OLAF TYARANSEN about growing up with the Beats and the shock of discovering that his father was a convicted murderer. Pics: Mick Quinn
With Franz Ferdinand sweeping all before them, Tanya Sweeney talks to Domino Records’ latest star in waiting – and favourite son of Ireland’s singer-songwriter community.
Every loser wins on patrick kielty s new Channel 4 show, Last Chance Lottery , and for the 26-year-old comedian, presenter and former germ , things have never looked so good. Interview: barry glendenning.
AIR's latest outing is the kind of thing that gives the soundtrack a good name. JONATHAN O'BRIEN talks to the finest French musical outfit since LITTLE BOB STOREY!
Before he was the face of televised pop Jools Holland played empty pubs alongside U2, mentored a skinny kid called Mark Knopfler and rode to school in Daniel Day-Lewis's dad's Mercedes.
Once renowned as the doyen of new queer cinema, Far From Heaven director Todd Haynes has long since infiltrated the Hollywood mainstream. In a wide-ranging interview, he speaks about updating Douglas Sirk, seeing Pulp in Dublin and the parallels between American society today and in the 1950s.
Not content with being a key member of the Damien Rice band, Vyvienne Long has released an EP that finds her doing wondrous things to the Flaming Lips and Pharrell Williams.
You don’t associate Cavan with a cutting edge music scene – but Michael O'Brien aims to change that with his Origins club night. Who knows? One day Neil Young might even decide to pay a visit.
Fresh from the success of ‘Shrooms, in which she has a leading role, Lindsey Haun shoots the breeze about music, film and growing up as the daughter of a soft-rock legend.
Ahead of the release of his new movie, Irish boxing melodrama Strength And Honour, Michael Madsen reflects on a career that been sometimes troubled but never boring.
NIALL STANAGE speaks to PHILIP GOUREVITCH, author of a newly published book on the genocide which consumed the African state of Rwanda. PICS : MICK QUINN
Having been dogged for years by sectarianism, Northern Irish sport has finally found a team that everyone can support. Colin Carberry reports on the phenomenal rise of the ice hockeying Belfast Giants
That’s the routine for the incredibly busy Galway Bay Fm DJ Jon Richards, who also handles on the spot traffic reports from his spanking new Honda. And he’s up for a Meteor Award this year too!
As he limbers up for yet another sell-out Irish tour, guitar-picking hearthrob Tom Baxter is keen to scotch rumours of impending nuptials and wax lyrical about his love affair with this country
The Editor s office at Loaded is exactly how you imagined it would be. Heinous stains on the carpet. Tatty posters and ranting, scrawled messages on the walls. Buckshee liquor piling up on the table and numerous publishing awards plonked in the spare corners.
Sebastian Barry's new play Hinterland concerns the reflections of a former Taoiseach and his failed relationship with his family. Joe Jackson asks director Max Stafford-Clarke if the story is based on anyone in particular
Donal Convery, lead vocalist of Co. Derry band Asterix talks to ADRIENNE MURPHY about the link between pain and creativity, and why he hopes to give up his day job.
The Frames and BellX1 stormed the palisades of Groningen recently as part of the Eurosonic Festival. John Walshe was there to see it happen and to revisit the spot where the great Mic Christopher met with his tragic accident. Plus: the latest news and reaction to the Frames’ new record deal
Songwriter to the stars Gretchen Peters on record company inertia, the need for revolutionary new artists, and what it means to be an American musician in these highly fraught times. words Jackie Hayden
We’re completely aware that it’s a ridiculous band name,” groans Organized Confusion singer Niall Doherty. “But we’ve come this far with it, so it might be a bad idea to get rid of it now."
A glimpse into Glen Hansard’s tour diary while on the road with The Frames' fourth album For The Birds (2001) - including reflections on their first landmark Olympia show (March 30th, 2001)
GILLIAN WELCH s most recent album Hell Among The Yearlings has underlined her position as one of the most important of New Country artists. With an Irish visit pending she spoke to STEPHEN RAPID.
Ex-Picturehouse front man Dave Browne talks about differentiating his USB, pushing the envelope, and disambiguating his product with a blue-sky opportunity.
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.
The new installment in the Narnia franchise, Prince Caspian, is burdened by huge commercial expectations. But the film's director, Andrew Adamson, is not letting the pressure get to him.
As part of a scam to exaggerate the weight of the cannabis they sell, ruthless Irish criminals are lacing their wares with pieces of glass – thereby putting the health of consumers at serious risk.
Following the Green Party’s decision to go into coalition with Fianna Fáil, former MEP Patricia McKenna felt disillusioned and angry. Now those emotions have subsided, she has decided not to run away – but to fight…
The last time we met Cillian Murphy he was fighting Black and Tans in west Cork. Now he’s the star of a lavish Danny Boyle space opera. Still, no matter what the subject matter, the actor keeps his feet firmly on the ground.
Having successfully avoided submersion into Tim DeLaughter’s Polyphonic Spree, New York-based psych-rockers Secret Machines are now touring with The Chemical Brothers and being widely cited as one of the hottest bands on the US underground.
Despite how the result of the citizenship referendum has been interpreted by some, ireland is not a racist society. but we do need some calm and honest discussion about immigration.
EAMON SWEENEY meets RELISH, a northern band just signed to EMI. Up for discussion: Ash, landing a deal, Van Morrison and ghosts in the (studio) machines.
As well as forcing Ireland to reassess its attitude towards Europe, the second Lisbon referendum was a reminder of just how nasty British euroskeptics such as UKIP really are
With Pete Doherty, Mani, Noel Gallagher and Alex Kapranos in their fan club, and a debut album that makes the Arctic Monkeys sound like jaded old has-beens, The View have ’07 by the short and curlies. Just don’t let them stay in your hotel.
As one half of gross-out movie kings the Farrelly Brothers, Bobby Farrelly turned bodily humour into an art form. Now the Farrellys have reunited with actor Ben Stiller for their funniest film in years, The Heartbreak Kid.
Coldplay, White Stripes, Strokes, Queens, Garbage, Oasis, JJ72, Franz... With a whole slew of major albums in the pipeline, it looks like ‘05 will be the wrong year to kick that addiction to noise.
It's eyes down and no conferring as Colm Russell asks We Are Scientists about their new album, intra-band bullying and why Alex Turner wouldn't know a hit single if it bit him in the ass.
Dom Joly hasn’t heard them but says they’re his favourite band. Noel Gallagher hasn’t heard them but thinks they’re probably shite. And what has country troubadour Crawford Bell got to do with all this? The Embers explain all to Colin Carberry
Steve Earle is known for his passionate political views. But never mind standing firm in the face of conservative America. The hardest thing he ever did was follow Christy Moore onstage.
Spiritualized are back with a new album which confirms Jason Pierce’s theory that “the best music is made by people who are out of control.” Loving the alien:
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.
Consistency and continuity. Hmmm. These are things we value. Like when Ireland used to be hard to beat at football. That was good, wasn t it? You ll never beat the Irish. Not at football. Not then, anyway.
It would be different if we were talking about rugby. But that, sadly and predictably, is another story. A very other story. About which nobody can do nothing. As it were.
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.
They’re different, they’re fun, they have their critics but more and more people seem to love them. But enough about the trams; it’s all aboard for an interview with another Dublin
sensation Republic of Loose.
Driving By Night have been on the go since the early '90s, but they've yet to get around to that tricky first album. But with an appearance at SXSW confirmed, things might finally be happening for the Belfast outfit.
They're unheralded heroes of Canadian rock, purveyors of slinky indie-pop and swooning torchsongs about gay football hooligans. Say hello to Stars, the other great band from Montreal.
When Lucan band The Riptide set off on a recce mission to the States, the last thing they expected was a seven hour ordeal at the hands of US immigration control officials in Dublin Airport.
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.
Raised in India and hailed as an heir to Tori Amos, singer-songwriter Nerina Pallot is set to break big in 2007. Just don’t ask her about her appearance on kids’ television.
WELL, I dunno about ‘London Beat’. How does ‘Surrey Beat’ strike you? The implausible horror of moving home now but a dim memory, I can sit back and survey my new manna. It’s a whole different universe out here, believe you me.
Having drummed his way round the world with Therapy?, Graham Hopkins is now upfront singing with his own band Halite. But as Paul Nolan finds out, he’s no indie Phil Collins
Irony-deficient Nordic rockers Turbonegro are one of the world’s most credible hardcore acts, with a fanlist that includes Queens Of The Stone Age and Therapy?
By releasing an album in association with Phantom FM, EMI/Virgin records have placed a question mark over radio play for their artists – and have risked a clash with the ODTR
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.
White-boy soulsters daryl hall and john oates have returned to keep America safe for accomplished, slick R n B and they re still packing in the punters after all these years. Interview: colm o hare.
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.
Still on a high after his hobnob in the last issue with the Greatest Living Film Director, NEIL McCORMICK nears apoplexy as he gets to extract the closely-guarded secrets of being the Finest Actor in the World Today from DANIEL DAY-LEWIS.
RAYTHEON, the armament-technology firm which manufactured Patriot and Sidewinder missiles, is establishing a plant in Derry and the local politicians couldn t be happier. EAMONN McCANN reports.
The Road Relish singles club has played a central role in the growth of the local independent scene. the main players explain their philosophy to Hannah Hamilton
The man formerly known as Dennis Pennis, Paul Kaye, has made a return to form as hedonistic DJ Frankie Wilde in the new Ibiza-set comedy, It’s All Gone Pete Tong. A rollicking mockumentary following the fortunes of its errant lead character, it aims to do for the dance scene what This Is Spinal Tap did for heavy metal.
The revolutionary Venezuelan government of Hugo Chavez aims to cast off the shackles of what it describes as US cultural imperialism by educating its people. But can it continue the campaign without US intervention?
Government indignation and empty promises characterise China’s response to CD and DVD piracy, which flourishes in the country. Irish artists like U2, Westlife and Enya are bootleggers’ staple sellers. And Mary Black gets ripped off too. Mark Godfrey reports
Indie golden boys Delays are back – and they’ve gone all shiny and techno on us. But then that’s what happens when you make a record with produer-to-the-stars Trevor Horn.
“The world’s in a state of chassis,” to paraphrase that great, unforgettable actor whose name I can’t quite remember right now. At least, that’s the thought that struck me while entering Eamonn Doran’s Theatre in Dublin’s Crown alley (ex-Rock Garden) to see Shoot, If You Must.
Unreconstructed Downpatrick rockers The Answer are brewing up a whirlwind of hype. But frontman Cormac Neeson admits their good humoured hair-metal may never be cool
As the final countdown to Blur’s Oxegen comeback gets underway, Alex James talks about falling in and out with his bandmates, collaborating with New Order’s Bernard Sumner – and why Clonakilty Black Pudding will definitely be on the band’s Punchestown rider.
One of the highlights of this year's Witnness festival Basement Jaxx drop hints about their forthcoming third album, explain why Brixton is so important to their sound and preview the live show
With Walmart; The High Cost Of Low Price, veteran filmmaker Robert Greenwald has issued a savage critique of the biggest private corporation in the world, one which has strip-mined the blue collar landscape of America and beyond.
Paul Wilkinson of widely touted Coleraine duo, The Amazing Pilots, on the making of the group’s Dave Odlum-produced debut album, Hello My Captor, joining artists like Jarvis Cocker and Evan Dando in paying tribute to Lee Hazlewood, and surviving a visit to the real-life Twin Peaks.
An image-savvy frontman with a parapsychology obsession – Chuzzle lead-singer Darragh Downes is injecting some much-needed colour into the local independent scene.
It's one thing to suffer in some abstract way for your art, it's another to have some coked-up crazy attack you for it. But that's what happened to one joker-man after a gig in Dublin.
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
Along with the music, beer and scoffing, there was some serious talking done at the Electric Picnic. Shilpa Ganatra was taking notes as The Chalets, Flaming Lips, JJ72, Bob Mould, James Blunt, Tommy Tiernan, Declan O’Rourke and The Devlins were subjected to a public grilling by the Hot Press journalistic elite. And John Walshe.
Hilary and Jackie director Anand Tucker’s latest film And When Did You Last See Your Father is an even more heartbreaking version of the story first told in Blake Morrison’s memoir of the same name.
peter murphy meets the multi-faceted pelvis, whose debut album Who Are You Today marks them out as one of the most formidable new Irish
talents in years.
Minimalist practitioner, aficionado of asceticism and producer of note – Germanic groove technician Steve Bug is shaking up the continental dance scene in idiosyncratic and dynamic fashion.
Fresh from the success of THE DIVINE COMEDY in the Hot Press Readers Poll, NEIL HANNON drops his guard(s) for some candid talking on love, sex, aesthetics and the whole damn thing. Interview: JOE JACKSON
For so many bands, touring is a drag: months on the road away from home; living in the back of a van or a bus; surviving on large amounts of fast food and alcohol. Andy, lead singer with Therapy? enjoys it a hell of a lot and gives his advice to young bands going on the road.
Doctor John may be renowned as a laid-back Big Easy legend, but get him started on the Federal Government's treatment of his beloved New Orleans and he spits nails.
Documentarian Morgan Spurlock takes it upon himself to track down America's Public Enemy Number 1 in his new film Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?
Susanna Clarke’s debut novel, the epic Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, is putting new blood into new magic, not to mention proving something of a sensation on the bestseller charts.
The creator of Bowling For Columbine, this year’s most devastating big screen documentary, shoots from the hip on violence, gun control, Charlton Heston, George Bush, satire and the Canadian solution to an American problem
tim rogers, frontman of Australian popsters you am i, talks to nick kelly about the primeval forces that made him want to get into the rock n roll business.
By day he's Nick Cave's trusty lieutenant, but Conway Savage is also spreading his wings as a solo artist, tipping his hat to James Joyce along the way.
They can’t decide whether they want to be dance band, a rock group or a hip-hop outfit. One thing’s for sure: you’ve never head anything quite like Super Extra Bonus Party before
Or the total lack thereof, in an Ireland where unfavourable weather conditions and reactionary legislation has had the effect of ensuring tourists now rate Dublin as one of the most boring cities in Europe.
