A brand new music festival set at the foot of the County Antrim Hills, just thirty minutes from Belfast, is set to hold its first ever iteration on Saturday 28th September. Set just outside Ballyclare, it takes its name from Drumadarragh, one of the hills overlooking its intimate setting of Breckenhill. Atop the bill are NI Music Prize-winning alternative folk artists, the supremely talented Joshua Burnside and Arborist, with the likes of indie-psych quartet Junk Drawer, Galway garage punk masters Oh Boland, Derry alt-pop artist Roe, experimental rock quartet Blue Whale, Brand New Fr ..read more

It’s once again been a ridiculously prolific week for new music from across the island. Here’s the best of it, featuring releases by PostLast, Meljoann, Rejjie Snow, Buí, Thee U.F.O, Arvo Party, cbakl, God Is An Astronaut, and more. Meljoann – Bye Bye by Meljoann PostLast – Hollywood Ending Hypnic Jerk – Hypnic Jerk Hypnic Jerk by Hypnic Jerk Selu & Living Things – Merry Go Arvo Party – to evening kleio – mercury HEALTH GOTH WIFE – Where Did I Go When You Stopped passersby – leaveing leaveing by passersby Thee U.F.O – Glowing Friends EP Glowing Friends by Unique Freaks hhH – Australia [fea ..read more

Faoin Tuath makes its debut on the last weekend of July as a festival paving the way for the queer community in the west of Ireland. The three-day celebration of nature and the arts is set to take place from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th of July on the grounds of Common Knowledge in Kilfenora, County Clare. Common Knowledge was cultivated as a collective founded on the belief that connection through the artistry of practical skill has the power to encourage sustainable and revolutionary change. The organisation aims to connect its people through land-based skill sharing. From house building to fo ..read more

Paloma Faith live at the Iveagh Gardens in Dublin. Photos by Kevin Hennessy ..read more

Féile Na Gréine is back, and the 2024 edition promises to be its most ambitious yet. Running from August 23rd to 25th, this annual, volunteer-run festival will take audiences on a three-day musical trail through the music capital of Ireland, Limerick City, stopping at an array of venues – from art spaces and underground clubs to craft breweries and street parties. It’s there we’re certain it will underscore its status as a supremely curated expression of Ireland’s world-beating DIY community. This year’s perfectly pitched line-up includes TTA favourites The Bonk, known for their song and freef ..read more

Leftfield live at the Big Top in Galway with support from Houseplants, part of the Galway International Arts Festival. Photos by Mark Earley ..read more

Susan O’Neill live at the Roisin Dubh in Galway with support from Seba Safe. Photos by Mark Earley ..read more

It’s a hefty week for new music from across the island. Here’s the best of it, featuring releases by Shiv, Ciaran Lavery, His Father’s Voice, Slomatics, Tongue Bundle, Robbie Stickland, Cold Soviets and more Photo by David Willis Shiv feat. Kojaque – Cherry Pie His Father’s Voice – The Blues Ciaran Lavery – Heart Malaise Slomatics – Silvers Ship Into the Past Silver Ships Into The Past by Slomatics Cold Soviets – A Decade of the Devil’s Rosary Tongue Bundle – Second Hand Banger Second Hand Banger by Tongue Bundle Robbie Stickland – The Revenge of Nosepicker The Revenge Of Nosepicker by Robbie ..read more

Since 2021, Soft Gut Song Camp has emerged as a wonderfully unique initiative to unlock the collaborative potential of artists, songwriters, and producers on the island of Ireland. Held at Julie McLarnon’s world-beating analogue recording studio, Analogue Catalogue, in rural Rathfriland, Co. Down, it has sealed its status as a sanctuary for genre-spanning songwriters from every corner of the island. Brian Coney reflects on time spent at its most recent edition in late June, highlighting the singular sense of creative solidarity that he witnessed at the camp. All photos by Graham Maree Back in ..read more

Very soon we’ll anointed with the knowledge of who all’s playing this year’s Féile na Gréine – the annual, volunteer-run Limerick festival that is right up there with the finest, supremely curated expressions of our world-beating, island-wide DIY community. Ahead of that, organisers have announced details of a couple of fundraiser gigs for this festival, set to take over Dublin and Limerick next week. With money raised at both going into funding this year’s festival, which takes over Limerick City form 23-25th August, Crowbar in Dublin will bring together Post Punk Podge & The Technohippie ..read more