The Inside Track: January Bliss

2014 is well under way. As we struggle to shake off the final dregs of January blues take heart that some wonderful long-players are winging their way through the space-time continuum as you read. The uber-talented Gavin Glass brings us his next opus, Sunday Songs, in February. Having had the pleasure of an advance listen I can declare this his finest work to date. Spring also sees the hotly-anticipated Think Nothing from celebrated duo We Cut Corners. The guys have already released the first track, ‘YKK’, and road-tested some of the new material at recent shows – expect to have your tiny minds blown to pieces! Nathan Connolly from Snow Patrol’s gritty rock side-project Little Matador will release their debut in the coming months. A brace of shows in Whelan’s and The Grand Social last year have left us with high expectations. Also on the way is the next full-length offering from HP faves Le Galaxie, sure to be on constant rotation in Trinity Street when it lands….

Those in need of a quicker fix can get along to The Grand Social, Dublin on January 25 for the launch of Grand Pocket Orchestra frontman Paddy Hanna’s inaugural solo offering, Leafy Stilletto. The opus is a change in musical direction for Paddy with extremely pleasing results! Mark Chester (Ginnels), Bobby Aherne (No Monster Club) and Enda Canavan (Grand Pocket Orchestra). The launch has support from Mumblin’ Deaf Ro and Knoxville Morning all guest on the must-have collection.

The Mighty Stef also release a new long-player this year, recorded with lauded producer Alain Johannes. The group finished 2013 with a batch of packed out Whelan’s dates and a support slot with The Boomtown Rats. They return to the Wexford Street venue on January 31 with help on the night from Mineral and Sonance Hotel. Expect a few tasters from the forthcoming confection, including excellent new single ‘Nightwatchman Of The Iveagh Flats’ .

Dublin indie rock outfit Kapitals launch new EP Punch Drunk with a free show in The Workman’s Club, Dublin on January 18. The release follows on the heels of singles ‘Ms Heartache’ and ‘Paris Is Burning’. The guys gigged extensively through most of last year and squeezed in some festival dates too, so expect more live action in support of the release. They also managed a slew of London shows in 2013, which according to reports went down very well!

Talented duo Darling schedule an Academy 2, Dublin visit for February 7. They kick off 2014 with the release of the second track from their debut self-titled EP Sail Away. The pair worked with renowned producer Stephen Lipson on the release, which attracted rave reviews from across the blogosphere. Having sold out their Whelan’s show late last year we recommend getting tickets for the upcoming date post haste!