Writing
Journalism for various print and online outlets.
-
Hope is Noise: Driven By Demons
Hope is Noise have been a constant in Cork alternative for the better part of the past two decades. Espousing a raw post-hardcore invested with a sense of melody drawn from wider influences, the band could be forgiven for settling into a groove. Instead, the band have chosen to confront middle age with fourth album…
-
Andrew Maxwell: Au Contraire
Ahead of taking his new show to the Opera House on the 13th of October, Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with comedian Andrew Maxwell on his beginnings, the psychology of comedy, The Panel and the stories behind the cult show’s guests… Andrew Maxwell’s new show tours this autumn, a brand-new show entitled Yo Contraire. The Dublin comedian…
-
IndieCork: Declaration of Indiependence
IndieCork film and music festival has become an important cornerstone of the city’s cultural community. Before this year’s instalment, from the 9th to the 16th of this month, Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with festival co-ordinator Mick Hannigan. Mick Hannigan is a man in a good place. With the IndieCork film festival he co-chairs now in its…
-
Mechner: Surfacing at the Kino
Mechner, a.k.a Jack Ahern, is emerging as a conceptual musician and visual director with debut single Surfacing. Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with him ahead of his upcoming Kino gig. Jack Ahern, formerly of Cork pop-punk kids Mishap, is slowly coming around as a solo artist. Launching his solo debut single and video on the 29th at…
-
Anna’s Anchor: Holding the Brú
Ahead of his gig in The Brú on Friday night, Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with singer/guitarist Marty Ryan, a.k.a. Anna’s Anchor. Limerick man Marty Ryan, a.k.a. Anna’s Anchor, stops in Cork on Friday night in a full-band show at the Brú on McCurtain Street. Adopting his nom-de-plume for both solo and ensemble recording projects, it has…
-
Coughlan’s: Going Live for Fourth Festival
September 21st-25th sees Coughlan’s on Douglas Street serve as the epicentre of Cork music during its flagship Coughlan’s Live Festival. Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with venue coordinator Edel Curtin. “Coughlan’s annual festival has become an important event on our calendar, as it marks the anniversary of the venue. It’s always a nice time to take…
-
Pauline Scanlon: “I Follow My Heart”
Ahead of her gig tonight at the White Horse in Ballincollig, Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with singer Pauline Scanlon about music, TV, and her new record. “It was all around me from when I was a kid. We were pretty much like any family in Ireland at that time, pre-TG4, so there wasn’t a whole pile…
-
Circa ’91 Zine: A Gammy Timeline of Growing Up and the Post-‘Zine Music Media in Ireland
Written as the epilogue for Circa ’91: The Zine, a fanzine accompanying Sunny Days Are Here Again, an exhibition of nineties Cork fanzines in the Cork City Library from August 16th-27th of 2016. Covering the online ground after the subsiding of print ‘zines around the country. The ‘zines had by and large been gone by…
-
Radio On: Tuning In to Cork’s Post-Punk Legacy
On August 24th in GULPD Cafe, several veterans of Cork’s post-punk community of the ’70s and ’80s will gather for a discussion on the sights and sounds of the time. Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with panellists Jim O’Mahony and Ricky Dineen, as well as DJ John Byrne. “I think there’s a lot of nostalgia surrounding certain…
-
Circa ’91: Turning the Pages of Cork’s Music History
Circa ’91, a series of events celebrating independent music in Cork 25 years ago, happens next week, including an exhibition of fanzines and a tribute to Nirvana on the 25th anniversary of their sole Leeside appearance on the site of Sir Henry’s. Before it kicks off, Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with some of the people involved…
Mike McGrath-Bryan 