Ben Vendetta – Take It From The Man – Book Review by Killian Laher Author Ben Vendetta has compiled his interviews with bands into a coffee-table book.  He interviewed some of the notable ban…

Gilla Band – Pugnello – Album Review by Killian Laher Pugnello is Gilla Band’s fourth album, just about four years after Most Normal.  Fans can relax; they haven’t changed direction, gone sof…

Protomartyr – Hotel Usona – Album Review by Killian Laher When Protomartyr first emerged, they seemed like a bog-standard post-punk band; however, the reality is a lot more complex than that.…

Adam Wiltzie and Jóhann Jóhannsson – Friendship Survival Guide – Album Review by Killian Laher Adam Wiltzie and Jóhann Jóhannsson were working on a collaboration before the latter’s tragic de…

Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts – Second Song – Album Review by Killian Laher At the age of 80, Neil Young is putting out his fiftieth album, this time around with the Chrome Hearts.  The ma…

Ellie O’Neill – Pavilion Theatre – 13/09/26 – Live Review by Killian Laher Ellie O’Neill & special guests Aongus & Rua Rí Pavilion Theatre, Dun Laoghaire, Sund…

The Last Days of Dalymount – Dalymount Park – Live Review – 12/09/26 by Killian Laher Dalymount Park, Dublin, Saturday 12th September With the imminent demolition of Dalymount Park in P…

Arab Strap – Half-Told Tales – Album Review by Killian Laher This is the third Arab Strap album post-reformation and their ninth overall.  With 14 tracks, there is a lot to digest here, but A…

A Place To Bury Strangers – The Grand Social, Dublin – Live Review – 30/08/26 by Killian Laher The visit of A Place To Bury Strangers to Dublin two years ago was one of the most viscera…

El Diablo – The Annesley House – Live Review – 28/08/26 Back in the early 2000s, El Diablo recorded a pair of albums that fit loosely into what was known at the time as ‘alt-count…

Interpol – This Mirror Weighs A Ton – Album Review by Killian Laher It’s a little bit of a surprise (to your reviewer) that Interpol are still around and making music.  They struggled to matc…

Do What You Fear Most – The History of the Velvet Underground – Richie Unterberger – Book Review by Killian Laher The Velvet Underground are one of the most influential bands of the last 60 y…

Dinosaur Jr – There Near – Album Review by Killian Laher Another album from Dinosaur Jr, it’s now their sixth album post-reformation and thirteenth overall.  It’s very much a ‘business as usu…

Phoebe Bridgers – Lost Weekend – Album Review by Killian Laher Phoebe Bridgers is something of a phenomenon.  She has that rare thing: popularity and credibility.  This is a long-awaited foll…

Lloyd Cole – The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh – Live Review – 2/08/26 by Killian Laher The Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh was the rather fancy venue for the visit of Lloyd Cole.…

Shearwater – The New World – Album Review by Killian Laher This is the eighth Shearwater album and their first for four years.  The band, fronted by Jonathan Meiburg, has carved out something…

Ellie O’Neill – Time of Fallow – Album Review by Killian Laher One album that turned our heads recently is the debut by Co Meath singer Ellie O’Neill, who lately supported John Francis Flynn …

The Durutti Column – Renascent – Album Review by Killian Laher I never thought we’d see another album from Vini Reilly, after enduring three strokes, I believe, between 2010 and 2013, a…

Still In A Dream – Simon Reynolds – Book Review For those of us who lived through the late 80s and early 90s, it’s a bit disconcerting to see this period of music eulogised through multiple a…

Garbage – Iveagh Gardens – Live Review – 18/07/26 by Killian Laher Saturday, July 18 2026 The final night of the tour for Garbage, who have been all over Europe playing a selection of s…

New Irish Music: Bring Your Own Hammer – Adrian Crowley – Quinn The Adventurer by Killian Laher Bring Your Own Hammer has an album in the works telling the tale of Quinn The Adventurer, an Irishman…

Shark School – Selachimorpha – Album Review by Killian Laher Shark School are an all-female band from Galway who kick up a mighty racket.  This is their debut album, Selachimorpha… which appe…

A Screaming Life – Kim Thayil – Book Review by Killian Laher Nine years ago, Soundgarden came to an abrupt end with the tragic passing of Chris Cornell.  Guitarist Kim Thayil was a cons…

The Cure – Marlay Park – Live Review – 26/06/26 by Killian Laher A return visit for The Cure after three and a half years, to play a big outdoor show in most un-Cure-like weather, the b…

Rattling Ark – Top of a Mountain – Album Review by Killian Laher Anyone who has followed Kevin Murphy’s various iterations (Seti the First, Slow Moving Clouds, Blind Stitch) knows he has a wa…

Metallica – Aviva Stadium – Live Review – 21/06/26 by Killian Laher Metallica – Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Sunday 21st June – 2nd night of the No Repeat Weekend Probably music’s…

Rattling Ark – Bello Bar – Live Review – 19/06/26 by Killian Laher Rattling Ark is the latest project that cello player Kevin Murphy has formed, and they launched their debut album Top …

Cancer House – The Moth – EP Review by Killian Laher A mysterious band by the name of Cancer House have emerged slowly and quietly from Chicago.  Their debut EP, which was released recently, …

Boards of Canada – Inferno – Album Review by Killian Laher After a mere 13 years, Boards of Canada are back with their fifth album.  By calling it Inferno, many are reading into this as a com…

Sugar – The National Stadium – Live Review by Killian Laher Date – Wed, 27 May 2026 The old-fashioned National Stadium felt like an appropriate venue for the visit of the reformed…

The Sentimental Tourists – Without Love We Expire – Album Review by Killian Laher Paul Page (ex-Whipping Boy) and Dave Long (ex-Into Paradise) have recorded several EPs as Sentimental tourist…

Luke Kelly Festival – Smithfield Square – Live Review by Killian Laher Date:  23rd May, 2026 The weather gods looked kindly on Smithfield as the sun shone for day one of the Luke Kelly …

Willy Vlautin – The Left and The Lucky – Book Review by Killian Laher It has to be said at this stage that Willy Vlautin, ex-Richmond Fontaine and current member of the Delines, is one …

The Sleeves – The Sleeves – Album Review by Killian Laher The Sleeves are a side project of Jack Cooper and Tara Cunningham from Modern Nature, who joined for last year’s excellent The Heat W…

Bloodworm – Blood and Lust – EP Review by Killian Laher From Nottingham in England, Bloodworm are a post-punk band making waves across the English Midlands, and they are releasing their debut…

Facing the Other Way – The Story of 4AD – Martin Aston – Book Review by Killian Laher Martin Aston is a journalist who came to prominence writing for Melody Maker, and he wrote the defi…

Creepy Future – Thomas House – 17/04/26 – Live Review by Killian Laher Creepy Future held an album launch for their debut album, Brace Yourself, on a Friday night in the Thomas Ho…

Interview with Author Martin Aston – 4AD Biography – Part 2 by Killian Laher No More Workhorse spoke to journalist and author Martin Aston about his 4AD book and got his thoughts on mus…

Interview with Author Martin Aston – 4AD Biography – Part 1 by Killian Laher Facing the Other Way: Anniversary edition, updated with a new afterword – 12 Mar. 2026 Find out more about M…

Steve Gunn – Bello Bar – 2/04/26 – Live Review by Killian Laher Of late, Steve Gunn’s recorded music has become almost meditative, but this only tells part of the story.  Ki…