The New Mendicants – the indie supergroup that begs to differIndie kingpins Joe Pernice of The Pernice Brothers and Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub pool their creative resources for a low-budget side project that’s yielding good returnsFri Jan 17 2014 - 00:00
I Break Horses: dancing in the dark, and letting in the lightThe second album by the Swedish duo was inspired by gloom but aims for happiness with a dash of ‘Twin Peaks’Thu Jan 16 2014 - 01:00
Irish country music’s new big wheel keeps on turning onHow does a 23-year-old Scouser become the poster boy of the Irish country music scene? Nathan Carter’s mix of Daniel O’Donnell’s nice-guy demeanour and Tom Jones’s sex appeal has turned the ‘Wagon Wheel’ singer into both a star and a heartthrob – knickers includedFri Jan 10 2014 - 01:00
Sensory healingCan art boost mental health? Lauren Murphy speaks to artists taking part in January’s First Fortnight Festival to find out whether creating a song, a play – or a smiley-face cloud – is catharticFri Dec 27 2013 - 00:00
The Daniel Johnston tape: ‘It’s an album that deserved a larger audience than 99 people’Adrian Crowley and James Yorkston’s lo-fi tribute to the cult singer was never meant to be a chart-topper, but now they want to spread the wordWed Dec 18 2013 - 01:00
Neko Case: “You can blow the whole wad on trying to be famous – which I definitely don’t want”Defiant in the face of despondency, Neko Case has produced a brilliant album from a dark place. The Vermont-based musician tells Lauren Murphy about her music, her menagerie and MileyFri Dec 06 2013 - 00:00
Back in the R.O.I – Fifty years on, the Fab Four are still causing a stir in DublinCelebrating 50 years since The Beatles played their only Irish gigs, the Dublin Beatles Festival takes place this weekend with tribute bands, exhibitions, plays, interviews and moreFri Nov 08 2013 - 00:00
Call and response: How Midlake came back from the edgeWhat did Midlake do when their frontman walked out last year? They picked themselves up and made a stunning new album in just six months. Eric Pulido discusses the Texan band’s shake-up with Lauren MurphyFri Nov 01 2013 - 00:00
Sam Amidon – an old folk head on young shouldersVermont native Sam Amidon explains how he went from office typist to folk revivalist - and how he loves to jam with Martin Hayes on the Lower East SideFri Oct 25 2013 - 00:00
James Blunt: The most hated man in pop?He’s often called the most hated man in pop, but does nice guy James Blunt care? Does he f**k, he tells Lauren Murphy as he shares the secret of his thick skinFri Oct 11 2013 - 00:00
Venus rising: Ann Scott is backWith her fourth album, Venus to the Sky, Ann Scott once again brings her trademark thoughtful approach, but this time she’s having way more funFri Oct 04 2013 - 00:00
Hot Scots Chvrches want to preach to the convertedFrom glum guitar band to vibrant electro-pop – hot new Scots outfit Chvrches is winning audiences at home and abroadFri Sept 20 2013 - 00:00
All style, little substanceDavid Turpin can craft a decent song, but the delivery is painfully pretentiousMon Sept 16 2013 - 13:33