Eleanor Gilmore has been awarded the first Carol Clerk Bursary for music journalism. This project aims to support the skills and potential of a female or non-binary music journalist in Northern Ireland.
The bursary honours the trailblazing life of Carol Clerk (1954-2010), an award-winning music writer from Belfast who was News Editor of Melody Maker and also authored books on the likes of Madonna, The Pogues and The Damned. Continue Reading…
Too bad if you missed the return of New Pagans in 2021. We shouldn’t gloat, but hey, it was monumental. It was all the stuff you had yearned for in the silent months before – volume, roaring communion and festival kicks. New Pagans came onto the stage and called it. It was time, again, to be alert. To transmit fierce ideas in a public place. To cook up the synapses and release the joy. Continue Reading…
Raised in south Belfast, Winnie Ama currently works out of London. She travels keenly and during a youthful visit to New Orleans, she came to understand and love the jazz legacy. Continue Reading…
John came on from stage left and David made his appearance from the other side. They walked cautiously, past the microphone stands, the amplifiers and the effects pedals. The pair met in front of the drum riser and with some ceremony, they shook hands. David crunched down firmly, but John was also a practiced gripper. There were a few more reassuring pats, taps and exchanges and 2,000 school children roared over the awkwardness. Continue Reading…
The world of Lemonade Shoelace is a kaleidoscopic soundscape of synths, hypnotic basslines and reverb-drenched vocals. In his new music video for debut single ‘Autopilot Paradise’, viewers are presented with a surreal version of Newcastle, Co. Down, distorted through the dual lens of Salvador Dali and Wes Anderson. Teenagers in clout goggles and Spike Island bucket hats ride Chopper bikes and drive yellow convertibles around the coastline. It’s bliss.
Stevie Wonder once sang about it being “hotter than July”. We’re guessing that Stevie was never in Limavady on a wet Friday in midsummer, when the de rigueur fashion statement at a music festival was the dryrobe®. Oh well. There are 8,000 people ready for an excellent time at Ballymully Cottage Farm and if the rainwater fills the river past capacity, then perhaps there are a few takers here for bonus, wild swimming action. Continue Reading…
Just ahead of the Brand New Friend gig at the Limelight. Belfast on July 4, vocalist and songwriter Taylor Johnson selects the important tunes from the jukebox of his heart.
THE SUPREMES
This Old Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You)
As a 17-year-old my dad shipped off to Naples by himself to explore the world and escape the Troubles. He had a tiny Walkman and a handful of cassettes he would dance to in the evenings. This consisted mainly of Kate Bush, but The Supremes were one of his favorites and he passed on his love of 60s girl bands to me. The Supremes/Ronettes sound was a big influence on our new record, our song ‘Hey Blue’ is an ode to them. I love how sad it is too, Diana Ross has been hurt here, but she’s still in love with whoever she’s singing to. Continue Reading…
Ross Parkhill is the Director/Founder of Stenhal Festival of Art, which runs 30 June to 2 July in Ballmully Cottage Farm, Limavady. This is his playlist selection for Dig With It magazine. For info about the festival, see stendhalfestival.com.
RADIOHEAD
OK Computer (1997)
Glastonbury 2003 – age 20, first paid-for concert/festival, all in one. I wasn’t really into music beforehand, life changed!! I couldn’t have named a Radiohead song prior. Synonymous headline set and particularly ‘Karma Police’. We were 50 deep from the front, maybe – had a huge impact on me and in time would ultimately help inspire the existence of Stendhal Festival, and without doubt it inspired our beloved Karma Valley space. Someday they will play, Limavady – nice
dream, eh? Continue Reading…
A brief listen to Robocobra Quartet’s back catalogue, from the tentative baby steps of Knotweed, to the criminally underappreciated live album, Live Tape #1, shows a band prone to bursts of poetic and musical capitulation. Robocobra Quartet have always allowed songs to fall around them like a house on fire, as long as the flames resemble fireworks. Not so on Living Isn’t Easy, a record built with foundations to last. Continue Reading…
“This is what we do here; move forward while falling back.”
Bernie McGill’s new book of short stories is a collection of quiet majesty, featuring 12 perfectly crafted stories, all exploring moments of transition in the lives of the lost and the lonely. With a compassionate skill, these stories are like arrows in flight; we do not know where they have started from, or where they will land but the journey itself is what is important. Continue Reading…
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