THE start of June was a signal to all tent pitchers, body painters and late-nighters that the festival season has well and truly returned to Ireland. It kicked off last week with the yearly celebrations at Output and AVA, and Eire is now in full musical swing as we hurtle headfirst into some of the best line-ups of the season.
First out of the blocks was the iconic gathering Body&Soul. A communion of arts and culture, they've built a reputation of being one of the best festivals in the country – and for good reason. This week came their day-to-day line-up breakdowns. With rising Irish acts The Murder Capital, Gemma Dunleavy, Aby Coulibaly and Aoife Nessa Frances (amongst others) taking the stage, it's sure to be another dynamite year for organisers and attendees alike.
Festivals aren't the only thing to be excited about this year, however. For those more comfortable enjoying the sights and sounds of Ireland's creatives from the comfort of their own chair, then checking out the newest documentary from electronic artist Shampain is a must.
Real name Cóilí Collins, the Galway-based and born DJ and producer is known for taking and shaping alternative sounds into club bangers. Now in the TV producer business, rather than the studio, he brings us the eight-episode mini-doc 'Éire Eile'. focusing on the subcultures and genres that have influenced the next wave of upcoming Irish musicians around the country, the Blackgate Productions film is available on the TG4 Youtube channel.
With episode one platforming some familiar faces and places, Collins heads to Belfast to explore how the punk roots and boots of the '70s and '80s scene have found a new home in the city's queer fashion and music spheres. Also under the microscope is boundary-breaking modern trad music, Limerick hip-hop, and the flourishing activist campaigns under the organisation Give Us The Night.
Speaking on the work, which is available now, Shampain said: "The most moving part of making the series was witnessing the strength of communities and the empathy that exists within them. I grew up in a very rural area and people who didn’t understand me, oftentimes made no attempt to understand my interests and just thought I was weird. Meeting these groups of people and doing it all as Gaeilge was an extremely positive experience and something that has really changed the way I see the world, because if people have each other’s backs and don’t give in to fear we could all get along with each other, but more importantly learn from each other’s experiences in life.”
Speaking of subgenres, some of the masterminds behind Ireland's best acts have formed a 'supergroup' of some esteem. Featuring the likes of Radie Peat (Lankum), Katie Kim (singer-songwriter), John ‘Spud’ Murphy (producer) and Eleanor Myler (Percolator), new group ØXN is the experimental doom-folk band you need to scare your children to bed.
Self-proclaimed as an act who are rooted in "evocative tales of love, loss, longing, revenge and ritual," ØXN announced their signing to Claddagh Records (their first in 18 years) with the new single 'Love Henry'. Describing the track, singer Radie Peat said: "(The single tells a) murderous tale with a building sense of dread that will immerse listeners in the band’s world of dissonance and experimentation with the harmonious vocal melodies melding with accordion, mellotron, keyboard, drums, bass and synthesisers."
And as always we end with a look at some of the best unsigned releases from independent artists of the last week. Ryan Vail makes his return to the release column with his first new single since 2020. The brooding new number 'Silhouette' sees him in fine form, tracing delicate electro-acoustic lines across a bedrock of nostalgic rave and dub sounds. A welcome return for the cinematic artist whose combination of the analogue and digital never ceases to delight.
