alternative
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Rubyhorse: Ready to Shine
Having blazed a trail around the world for Cork’s indie scene in the late nineties and early noughties, Rubyhorse are lined up for a return this January at Ballincollig’s Winter Music Festival. Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with guitarist Joe Philpott. One of the great hopes of the city’s music scene as the nineties wound their way…
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The Shaker Hymn: “There’s No Redoing Things”
New single ‘Dead Trees’ sees Corkonian poppers The Shaker Hymn in hollering, apocalyptic form. Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with vocalist Caoilian Sherlock about the process behind the band’s upcoming third album. It’s one of those odd things, independent music: for a wide umbrella of music that prides itself on creative freedom and cultural autonomy in order…
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Katie Kim: “Who Knows What I’m Capable Of?”
Ahead of appearing at Cork Jazz this weekend with the Altered Hours, Katie Kim talks reverb, records and the future with Mike McGrath-Bryan. An elusive sight on gigging bills, Waterford singer-songwriter Katie Kim carries perhaps more of a mystique for being so, weaving stark imagery and toll-taking catharsis around moody arrangements centred on Kim’s moody…
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Hope is Noise: “It’s a Simple Philosophy for Us”
From humble roots as a secondary-school jam band in Ballincollig, Co. Cork to features in UK media and EU/US touring, alt-rock/post-hardcore four-piece Hope is Noise are often slept on when the conversation of veteran Irish acts emerges. Five full-lengths and two decades in, the band maintains somewhat of a godfather status in the city by…
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Bitch Falcon: Coming In to Land
Alt-rock power trio Bitch Falcon head down to Cork for a double-header in Connolly’s and Cyprus Avenue this weekend. Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks to drummer Nigel Kenny and bassist Naomi McLeod. The growing pains of any new-ish band are numerous, and a tough slog to varying degrees: finding a sound, establishing a live presence and generally…
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Neon Atlas: Alt-Rockers in Lights
Neon Atlas play the Crane Lane on the 18th of February, and bass player Enda O’Flaherty is preparing for a solo release. Mike McGrath-Bryan speaks with O’Flaherty ahead of a busy period for the musician. It’s a busy time for Cork bass player Enda O’Flaherty, to say the least. His sonic day-job, Neon Atlas, is…
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Windings: Honesty is the Best Policy
Before Windings launch new album ‘Be Honest and Fear Not’ on the 15th at Coughlan’s, Mike McGrath-Bryan talks with singer/guitarist Steve Ryan. Limerick five-piece Windings are the sort of band that subtly confound any easy labelling, moving fluidly between pop, alternative and folk oeuvres as the band’s music does. Nowhere is this more evident than…
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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…
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This Place is Death: Death Becomes Them
Ahead of the beginning of a run of singles for UK indie-label SoundHub, Mike McGrath-Bryan talks with Eoin Leahy, drummer from This Place is Death, about the band’s past, their creative process, and their recent recording excursion. It’s been a little over five years since This Place is Death started gigging around Cork, quietly but…
Mike McGrath-Bryan 