The Zen Arcade to play the Hot Press Lockdown Sessions' Y&E Series tonight

Following last night's stellar set from Babylamb on the Hot Press Lockdown Sessions' Y&E Series, we're thrilled to present another one of the country's most exciting bands, The Zen Arcade, as our next act – going live on the Hot Press Instagram tonight at 7.30pm.

Rising from the ashes of The Strypes, three former members of the Cavan crew have joined forces once again – with a new emphasis on doing things their own way. Having launched their own zine and podcast series, The Zen Arcade announced themselves as a very serious, smart new force in Irish music with the release of their debut, ‘Don’t Say A Word’, on their own label, Dental Records.

With the support of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, we've been able to shine a light on some of the best young and emerging talent that Ireland has to offer over the last year – with a brilliant selection of acts joining Hot Press on Instagram for special live-streamed performances.

Following the remarkable success of last year's Y&E Series – which featured 120 live acts, and an audience reach of over four million – the new edition launched last month, with a dazzlingly diverse selection of artists set to join us over the days ahead.

Watch The Zen Arcade on the Hot Press Lockdown Sessions' The Y&E Series, supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, TONIGHT – Tuesday, April 13 – live on the Hot Press Instagram (@hotpressmagazine) at 7.30pm.

In the meantime, we're delighted to present our spectacular upcoming line-up for the new edition of the Y&E Series – going live every night at 7.30pm:

Wednesday, April 14: FINTAN MCKAHEY
A lo-fi indie singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer from Cork, Fintan McKahey has been releasing music since 2016, and playing support slots for the likes of The Scratch, Junior Brother and Róisín O. His debut EP God Games was released in 2019 to widespread critical acclaim, followed by his 2020 single 'Platinum' – which has clocked up nearly 135,000 streams on Spotify alone.

Thursday, April 15: NERVES
Formed in 2016, NERVES began playing DIY punk shows in their home counties of Mayo and Galway. Since relocating to Dublin for college, they have really hit their groove with an electrifying mix of noise-rock, post-rock and shoegaze – releasing their acclaimed single 'Time Trial' in 2020, followed by their Time Trial Remixes EP.