Wexford-native Niall Colfer is set to release 'After All That's Happened' on Thursday 1st May at a special gig in Crawdaddy, Dublin. This tune has being floating around the industry for a while now, so it's great to see it released for public consumption.

Recorded and produced by Niall and Gareth Mannix (Republic of Loose, Delorentos) over the past year, Lines & Space (release date Oct 2008) is Niall's first solo project after two critically acclaimed albums with the band Salthouse. After all that's happened is the first single to be released from this album. Playing many of the instruments on these new tracks himself, Niall has honed a distinctive style; a hushed confidence of melody and groove, inside disco, rock and sometimes even folk. Not afraid to admit where his inspiration comes from, he says it's everything from love, loss, to the history of life. You'll find street scenes in one song, ancient maps in another.

Niall's songs come across as honest explorations of everyday feelings without the smaltz. He hits a characteristic groove in each song, which just continues on through, hooking you in. Together, the songs leave an impression of subtlety, individualism and toe-tapping rhythm, with lyrics that creep on up and get you thinking.

Lines & Space, Niall's forthcoming album, will include After all that's happened, Dawnin' and Stole the Day. And with Lennart Breternitz on bass and Barry J Smullen on drums, Lines & Space is set to offer more quietly brilliant gems.

As an interesting aside, Niall is the brother of Eoin Colfer of 'Artemis Fowl' fame. Talented family!

Candle With Care

THE CANDLELIGHT SESSIONS at Phil Grimes' pub are the first rung on the ladder for many aspiring musicians. Proprietor Tom Ryan and chief rabble-rouser Johnny Kiely explain why this live gem is an important part of the Irish music scene.

Now in its ninth year, the Candlelight Sessions is the flagship 'open-mic' night in Waterford. Duke Special played in the room one stormy night to a small local crowd and Declan O'Rourke performed his first solo headliner there - a gig that was packed to its 50-person capacity.

Click here to read on at hotpress.com

Hotpress have posted those articles I penned on their website, so I though I'd include links here.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Park

As a young band, their biggest ambition was to play their home-town rock club. Now DEAF ANIMAL ORCHESTRA look set for far bigger things.

Deaf Animal Orchestra started as a bit of a laugh for singer/guitarist Joe Harney. "Originally myself, Alan (Davy, bass) and Niall (Hogan, drums) started playing in old sheds and garages," he says. "Anywhere we could find that wasn't too cold. Our original aim was to play The Forum (in Waterford city). We had such lofty ambitions!" ....

You'll need a Hotpress login to read the rest I'm afraid. (If you haven't got one, you're missing out possibly the greatest kitchen sink article ever written by a would-be journalist)

Wall-E is a film I'm very much looking forward to. All the early signs are good: Pixar, A Lonely Robot, Slapstick - sounds like a back-of-net score for me!

Anyway, here's the latest viral clip from it. Wall-E the Robot gets to grips with a hula-hoop.

Well, the new website has been 'live' now for almost a week and so far the feedback has been very positive. Thanks to everyone who's emailed me with comments on the site and I'm always open to suggestions as to how to make irishbeats.net a better place to visit on your web travels. I've made a few additions using all the best technology Web 2.0 has to offer. So in no particular order:

1. For podcasts, there's now a link so you can download the MP3 files directly.


2. I've added a Google Widget to the left hand menu, so you can get all the latest Irish Beats updates delivered direct to your iGoogle homepage.


3. There's now a map on the contact page. This has come mostly at the request of guests looking for directions when visiting the station.

Now, I'm off for a cuppa ....

Robotnik is the moniker under which the young gentleman Chris Morrin plays music. And he plays it very well indeed! In this episode of Irish Beat's adventures, we discuss the relative merits of Sonic the Hedgehog over Mario the Plumber, radio stations on buses and of course, Robotnik's music. Contains a live track 'I Met Jesus in the Year 2027' which is pure craziness in musical form. Listen and go buy his album!

Download MP3 (23.7 MB)

BalconyTV is a daily internet video show in which performers do thing on a balcony overlooking Christ Church in Dublin. A programme of pure unadulterated fun and they recently celebrated their 2 millionth visitor! They've also just been nominated for a Webby award! Rob spoke with chief ragamuffin Stephen O'Regan about the plaudits that just keep rolling in ....

Download MP3 (5.7 MB)

Sligo-native Willie Kelly talks to Rob about his new album 'In The Unlikely Event Of Fire', recording in Nashville and his Mam singing with Johnny Cash! Includes a beautiful acoustic track 'Lorraine'

Download MP3 (24 MB)

Danny O'Dwyer met with rockers The Aftermath to talk about their new album and other humourous asides.

Download MP3 (20.5 MB)

Congratulations to Waterford's Floyd Soul & The Wolf who stormed home to victory at the National Students Awards last week. This is the second year in a row a band from Blaaland has won the competition, with Saviours of Space coming out on tops in 2007. What with Ilya K and Gorbachov over at Murphy's Live, things certainly seem to be happening in this neck of the woods.

The Floyd Soul lads recently recorded some new material with Nashville-based producer Thom Jutz. Will they hurry up with the mixing/mastering please so we can all hear it? Thanks!

(Picture shamelessly thieved from Naomi McArdle's excellent Off Her Rocker blog!)

Robotnik aka Chris Morrin was our guest this evening. As well as waxing lyrical about the relative merits of Nintendo and Sega flagship characters, he also performed an amazing live tune, incorporating a miked up beatbox, a guitar and finding Jesus in the year 2027 (listen to the podcast to make sense of that.) The second hour of the show was devoted to music you don't usually hear on the radio - long mixes, evil sounds and general mayhem. Keep on rockin' in the free world ...

6-7PM
01. Country Bumpkin - Wallis Bird
02. Last Dance - Orphan Code
03. Footprints - Supermodel Twins
04. Pony Tears - David Turpin
05. What You Deserve - ODi
06. People Walk Away - Robotnik
** Interview with Robotnik **
07. Super Dooper Scientist - Robotnik
** Interview with Robotnik **
08. I Found Jesus in the Year 2027 - Robotnik *LIVE*
09. Out of Our Hands - Gemma Hayes

7-8PM
01. Empire is a Cave - Ilya K
02. We The People (Who Are Darker Than Most) - Republic of Loose feat Sinead O'Connor
03. Magnet Line - Isan (Jeff Martin Remix)
04. Gone Out - Green Lights
05. We Bleed the Blood of Androids - Le Galaxie
06. Back to Front - The Infomatics
07. Radio Killer - Stateless (yes, I know they're not Irish - but it's bloody brilliant!)
08. Jeta's Palace - The Jimmycake
09. Skyscrapers - Fred
10. Grace Under Pressure - Elbow feat Cathy Davey
11. Be With Me - Foy Vance
12. Generation X-Squared - Acrojunk
13. Serotonin - Simple Kid
14. The Wanderer - U2 feat Johnny Cash

Guess who's back? No, it's not Slim Shady - it's Rob O'Connor! Back from his holidays while Irish Beats was being looked after by the delectable Danny O'Dwyer .... anyway, guests on the show tonight were Willie Kelly (pictured) who's new single 'Sligo Town' is a corker and Stephen O'Regan of Balcony TV who recently celebrated their 2 millionith video view! Not a bad achievement at all! Tonight's interesting fact competition was won by Caragh from Thomastown who informed us that a 'fillip' is the technical name for snapping your fingers. It also means "one that is trivial or of little importance" - there's a joke in there somewhere, but I can't find it.

6-7PM
01. I Am The Room - Floyd Soul and The Wolf
02. Fallen from the Sky - Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
03. Guided by the Lights - Gavin Mulhall
04. Don't Be a Fool - Cian
05. Out of Our Hands - Gemma Hayes
06. Psycho Women Dirty Bed Linen - Willie Kelly
** Interview with Willie Kelly **
07. Sligo Town - Willie Kelly
** Interview with Willie Kelly **
08. Lorraine - Willie Kelly *LIVE*
09. Dead Record in a Vinyl Desert - Good Tiger
10. Hypnotised - The Spikes

7-8PM
01. Beat Machine - Gorbachov
02. Any Other Way - The Bravado
03. Borrowed Time - Giveamanakick
** Interview with Stephen O'Regan (Balcony TV) **
04. Skyscrapers - Fred
05. We Bleed the Blood of Androids - Le Galaxie
06. Maybe This is Not Love - Joe Chester
07. Houdstooth Shirt - Ian Whitty
08. Waking Up in America - Guggenheim Grotto
09. Are You Not Wanting Me Yet? - The Aftermath
10. Think Before You Think - Dali
11. People Walk Away - Robotnik

'nuff said ....

If you're in the market for some new music, here are a few recommendations of recent Irish releases which you might consider for your purchase.

1. Good Tiger - The Dynamics of Alcatraz. The best Irish album I've heard this year so far.


2. Infomatics - Kill or Create. Irish hop-hop comes of age.


3. The Jimmy Cake - Spectre & Crown. Wonderful instrumental madness.


4. Mark Geary - Opium. Will restore your faith in the acoustic singer/songwriter genre.


5. The Aftermath - Friendlier Up Here. Listen to the Aftermath and become their aural friends.


6. David Turpin - The Sweet Used-To-Be. A beautiful downbeat French-feeling electro record.

Electro rockers Ilya K have been invited to play at this year's Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts at Glastonbury, Somerset. The festival which takes place from the 26th-29th June is recognised globally and is a platform for the worlds biggest names in music and performing arts.

Ilya K were invited to Glastonbury after being spotted playing an inspirational show on the Hill of Tara at last years summer solstice festivities and are, so far, the only Irish act confirmed for the event. This only emphasises the fact that Ilya K are truly a festival
band. "This is perfect for us", said Niall Cuddy guitarist, "the big stage with a big sound is where we thrive, our music demands it. Playing at the likes of Glastonbury is one of the reasons I'm in a band, it's fantastic we've been invited over."

Ilya K will play in the newly named Shangri-La field on Saturday night 28th June with the promise of other gigs on-site. To hear some of Ilya K's tracks and find out about more goings-on, check out their myspace.

John Reynolds has written a very interesting piece for SiliconRepublic.com (that also appears in today's Irish Independent) entitled It's time to face the music: the future of the entertainment business, which believe it or not, is about the future of this merry-go-round of an industry many of us inhabit. The article focuses on business models and different methods of delivering digital content, whether it's music, video, games or whatever.

This is a subject I've been following for some time now. A few years ago, I nearly started a PhD on business models for digital music (thankfully for my sanity I didn't!). I would consider myself to be someway educated about these matters and I'm as confused as anyone. Here are a few simple truths as I see them, which may help gather my thoughts. This relates mostly to the recording industry, but applies equally to television, film and video game content also.

Danny was in for me the weekend just gone as I was away on a little break. Nowt to report...

After a mammoth four hundred and fifty band entries, seven nationwide heats, more than a few pints of stout and some superb live music, the last bands standing in the Murphy's Live 2008 final have been announced.

The acts going forward to the Murphy's Live final are Bravado from Dublin and Gorbachov from Waterford. Both armed and ready with superb live sets, they will battle it out on the stage of The Savoy in Cork on Thursday May 15th , with one band heading home €10,000 richer, king of the castle and sporting the Murphy's Live 2008 crown atop their regal head.

This is the third year in a row a band from the South East has gotten to the final, with Ashley Sheehan & The Mute (Waterford) narrowly missing out on victory in 2006 and Ilya K (Waterford/Carlow) winning the competition last year.

The Bravado are a bit of a mystery to me as I've never seen them live and don't know much about them. However, I'm very familiar with Gorbachov. Not wanting to sound impartial, Flame On! (Fans of The 'Chov will know what I mean)

See you down the front on the 15th ....

Ha ha! The Onion's aim is true once again, with a spot-on bit about the new Iron Man film, adapted from the wildly popular trailer (see below). I'm a comic book geek and looking forward to this film, but the ubiquity of trailers and exclusive video spots is beginning to wear thin, even on me.

Ah the Onion ... America's finest news source.

Look into my eyes ... look into my eyes .... you are feeling veeerry sleepy .... Good Tiger are a band you must listen too ... Good Tiger are a band you MUST listen to ....

So who are Good Tiger? Formed in Kilkenny in 2006 by Dave Holland (ex Blue Ghost), along with Alan Montgomery (Revelino) and Ger Cantwell (Gout, Tophi, The 2 Fantastic 3), Good Tiger began as a lo-fi stuidio based project and has developed into a full band taking influences from artists as diverse as Wilco, Miles Davis, The Velvet Underground, Aphex Twin, David Bowie, Orbital, Curtis Mayfield, Sparklehorse and many more.

Did I mention that I think their record 'The Dynamics of Alcatraz' is a contender for album of the year? Get on over to their myspace and have a listen to some tracks for yourself (I recommend starting with 'Snakes & Ladders)! Then come back here and listen to the podcast of the interview I did with them on the show last weekend.

After that, you'll have enough info to apply for your European Good Tiger Driver's Licence.

Former Tenspeedracer and producer-de-jour Joe Chester is gearing up for his second solo album release 'The Tiny Pieces Left Behind.' Rob spoke with him about this 'difficult' second album ...

Singer/songwriter Mark Geary spoke with Rob about his new album "Opium", the recording process and hanging-around-with-other-musicians therapy.

The Hotpress-On-Tour section in the current issue of the venerable music mag (the one with The Kooks on the cover) is written by Yours Truly here. Pick it up and read about Deaf Animal Orchestra, the lads from the Candlelight Sessions in Phil Grimes' and a tale of lost laptop woe from Ilya K.

On one of the first few pages, they have a short "Featured Contributors" section, which has proper journalist Adrienne Murphy, Ash's Tim Wheeler and myself. Auspicious company indeed! This might turn into a bit of a habitual spot, so I'd better hone my written skills on this blog!

The three amigos over at BalconyTV.com have been nominated for a Webby Award, the internet's equivalent of the Oscars. Placed in the Viral Video category, this is an incredible achievement for an outfit that has precious few resources and doesn't receive a penny of funding.

If you're not familiar with the internet phenomenon that is BalconyTV - here it is in a nutshell. Created by three Dublin flatmates, Pauline Freeman, Stephen O'Regan and Tom Millett, BalconyTV.com is a daily internet music show broadcasting live music and variety from a tiny balcony high above Dublin's Dame Street. Literally, music on the (l)edge.

You can help them out and cast a Webby ballot for them by following this link. In appreciation, I present one of my favourite performances from last year - 'Share My Sweets' by Robotnik. Keep watching for the choir!

Kilkenny pop/alt/rock/ambient/whateveryerhavin'yerself group Good Tiger were the guests in studio tonight. We also had another Interesting Fact competition to win a pack of CDs. The winner informed us that if threatened, spotted skunks perform a handstand before spraying their maliferous odour. Nowferya!

6-7pm
01. Lost in the Forst - Crayonsmith
02. Waking Up in America - Guggenheim Grotto
03. People Walk Away - Robotnik
04. Imagination - Armoured Bear
05. Brainwashed by Dublin Rock - Atlantean
06. Dead Record in a Vinyl Desert - Good Tiger
** Interview with Good Tiger **
07. Four Pictures from a Book on Las Vegas - Good Tiger
** Interview with Good Tiger **
08. Dark Hilarity - Good Tiger

7-8pm
01. Cailin na Gaillimhe - Mundy
02. Moving - Cathy Davey
03. Are You Not Wanting Me Yet? - The Aftermath
04. Back to Back - Cars in Walls
05. Running Start - Flinders
06. Maybe This is Not Love - Joe Chester
07. Borrowed Time - Giveamanakick
08. Bad Seed - Jezzebelle
09. Rolling Dice - Neil White
10. So Long - Colm O'Snodaigh
11. Come on Citron - Halfset
12. Transatlantic Pt. 1 - Electric Penguins
13. Revelate - The Frames
14. I Useta Love Her - The Saw Doctors

Mark Geary + Joe Chester were the guests tonight. Plenty of other music beside - Harty cup ended in a draw. REPLAY!

6-7PM
01. Tongue - Bell X1
02. Borrowed Time - Giveamanakick
03. Galway Girl - Mundy & Sharon Shannon
04. Cradle Burns - Rollerskate Skinny
05. Facing Down - Pocket Promise
06. All Together Now - Deaf Animal Orchestra
07. Tuesday - Mark Geary
** Interview with Mark Geary **
08. Papa Needs a Friend - Mark Geary
** Interview with Mark Geary **
09. Ghosts - Mark Geary
10. Slowly Fizzy - Juno Falls

7-8PM
01. Are You Not Wanting Me Yet - The Aftermath
02. Waiting - Delorentos
03. Gabbi - Cowboy X
04. Out of Our Hands - Gemma Hayes
05. Skin Deep - Ann Scott
06. Take Me Away - Pugwash
07. Maybe This is Not Love - Joe Chester
** Interview with Joe Chester **
08. The Bodies Are Moving - Joe Chester
09. Dead Record in a Vinyl Desert - Good Tiger
10. Involved - Rebecca Collins
11. The Hurt Inside - The Stunning
12. Grace Under Pressure - Elbow feat Cathy Davey

Having won 'the most downloaded track' at the recent Meteor Awards and enjoying the popular success of the latest Bulmers TV advert, Sharon Shannon and Mundy's decision to release a newly recorded studio version of the Steve Earle song "The Galway Girl", has proved an unprecedented success.

Released last Friday April 4th and with a stirring Late Late Show performance, "The Galway Girl" has gone to Number 1 in the Irish Charts. Beating nearest rivals Flo Rida Feat T-Pain new single "Low" by massive Three to One "The Galway Girl" has sent shock waves through the record industry by shipping 15000 copies and selling in first week of release a staggering 8000 copies.

With such a huge demand for "The Galway Girl" record shops throughout the country have welcomed this Number 1 record. As is has see the long-awaited and much needed return by consumers to the record stores after a sharp decline in record sales over recent years.

Have you ever seen any of the cartoons from Eyebrowy.com? If not, get on over there and drink deeply from their cup, which is filled with much urine extracted from the likes of Glen Hansard, Damien Rice, The Thrills, U2 and other stalwarts of the Irish music scene. Here's when Glen Hansard met Bono ...

The Beat 102-103 Fugitive competition has been a huge success so far. I've lost count of the amount of times I've been asked "Are You the Beat 102-103 Fugitive?" or other queries to that effect. The best one so far though has been when someone asked if I was the "Beat FM Refugee"?!

Anyway, with my love of useless facts and in the spirit of the competition, here's a quintet of interesting (but useless) facts about the 1993 Fugitive film that you may not know ....

1. Harrison Ford had never seen a single episode of the 60s TV series 'The Fugitive', upon which the film was based.
2. The chase through the St. Patrick's Day parade was a spur of the moment thing. You can see how surprised some of the people are when Ford and Jones join in.
3. Rather than having to come up with a disguise for Richard Kimble, director Andrew Davis had Harrison Ford start the film with a beard, then shave it off. (Well, it's better than a pair of glasses - I'm looking at you Superman!)
4. Jon Voight and Gene Hackman were both offered the role of Sam Gerard, but turned it down. Tommy Lee Jones grudgingly took the part and won an Oscar for his performance.
5. In an episode of "Scrubs",entitled "My Friend the Doctor", it is revealed that the Janitor had a part in The Fugitive. Neil Flynn, who plays the Janitor featured as the transit cop who is shot on the train towards the end of the film.

Kudos to imdb.com. Now, go forward and impress your mates down the pub with your new-found knowledge ....

"So you tour two records, see the world and you build up, somehow; a fanbase and some records get sold. Had I been on a major label, I would have been dropped by now, or shot in the head or whatever happens to those poor bands who don't make money for their labels. Bye bye time. I would love to have a comfortable life etc, but at what cost... so I never took the fast money and artistically speaking at least seem to have lived to tell the tale?"

Video for The Infomatics single 'Wake Up.' One of the best Irish tunes I've heard this year.

Having earned their musical stripes working the UK and Ireland touring circuit, picking up friends and fans along the way and with three Top 20 singles under their independent belts, The Aftermath present their debut album 'Friendlier Up Here' on April 25th 2008 on Live Transmission Records.

Been waiting to hear this for a while - The Aftermath are a band that you MUST see live. Did an interview with them a few months back, which you can listen to below.

Here's the cracking video for Deaf Animal Orchestra's latest magnum opus 'An Ape Odyssey', which is available as a free download from myspace.com/deafanimalorchestra. "Free you say!" - yeah, got get it ....

So Charlton Heston passed away over the weekend at the age of 84. A lot of people will remember him for his "from my cold dead hands" speech as president of the National Rifle Association in the US, but I rather think of this. Surely one of the finest finales in cinema history ....

Irish Hip-Hop! Yes indeed: two MCs, a guitar and a flute. Dublin outfit The Infomatics were in studio to talk about their new album 'Kill or Create' and the Irish rap scene in general. Includes an AMAZING acoustic version of their tune "You'll Get By."

Rob managed to get busy-bee Wallis Bird on the phone to talk about her homecoming shows at the Wexford Arts Centre, performing on a new Billie Holiday tribute CD and the joys of a cup o'tea.

Dublin rockers were in studio to talk about their new album "Gypsy Trip", recording in LA and supporting Bon Jovi.

Live acoustic hip-hop! Great interview tonight with The Infomatics, who've just released their debut album "Kill or Create." On a completely unrelated note, sad to hearthat Charlton Heston passed away. "Get Your Filthy Hands off me you Damn Dirty Ape!"

6-7PM
01. Jake Summers - Fight Like Apes
02. Maybe This is Not Love - Joe Chester
03. Dead Record in a Vinyl Desert - Good Tiger
04. Friction - Whipping Boy
05. And - Microdisney
06. The Irish Times - The Infomatics
** Interview with The Infomatics **
07. Wake Up - The Infomatics
** Interview with The Infomatics **
08. You'll Get By - The Infomatics **LIVE**
09. Slow Puncture - Dark Room Notes
10. A Smile'd Crack Your face - The Kinetiks
11. Take Me Away - Pugwash

7-8PM
01. It's All Good - Damien Dempsey feat Sinead O'Connor
02. Lame Dog - Rebecca Collins
03. Country Bumpkin - Wallis Bird
04. Don't Go Out - Tenspeedracer
05. Animation - The Blades
06. Out of Our Hands - Gemma Hayes
07. I Want It - Saviours of Space
** Interview with Keith Johnson (IMRO Showcase Tour) **
08. Falling Asleep - Deaf Animal Orchestra
09. Odd Socks - Grand Pocket Orchestra
10. This Is For My Love - John Haggis
11. All the Things That She Made Me - Caruso
12. Make Something - Declan O'Rourke
13. Through a Long and Sleepless Night - The Divine Comedy

So far so good with Jaded Sun and keeping it slightly bonkers with Wallis Bird, along with new tunes from Gemma Hayes, Mark Geary and GIVEAMANAKICK!

6-7PM
01. Dead Record in a Vinyl Desert - Good Tiger
02. Tuesday - Mark geary
03. Borrowed Time - Giveamanakick
04. Hypnotised - The Spikes
05. Out of Our Hands - Gemma Hayes
06. Breaking Through - Jaded Sun
** Interview with Jaded Sun **
07. Hey You - Jaded Sun
** Interview with Jaded Sun **
08. Crave - Jaded Sun ** LIVE **
09. I Was Born Yesterday - The Divine Comedy
10. F*&kability - Maria Doyle Kennedy

7-8PM
01. The Cure - Dirty Epics
02. I Know a Girl - The Undertones
03. Counting to Sleep - Wallis Bird
** Interview with Wallis Bird **
04. Country Bumpkin - Wallis Bird
05. Gone to Sea - New Amusement
06. Nothing - Neosupervital
07. Attention - Dry County
08. The Irish Times - The Infomatics
09. Radio 7 - David Holmes
10. What You All About - Autamata
11. Imprint - The Tycho Brahe
12. Odd Socks - Grand Pocket Orchestra
13. Dark Hilarity - Good Tiger

This Thursday (10 April) at Electric Avenue, 3 events combine to produce an amazing line-up of 8 live bands from the City and beyond and all for free ! In the main bar IMRO are running a showcase night from 8pm to 12am featuring the brilliant Saviours of Space and Deaf Animal Orchestra from Waterford plus 2 of Dublin's most talked about bands at the moment, Travega and Angel Pier. Then at 12.30am in the main bar the rock-tastic Jaded Sun play a late night show to preview their soon to be released major debut album "Gypsy Trip".

Meanwhile the Loft @ Electric Avenue is home to the "Hippystock" fundraiser on Thursday night in memory of Stephen Carberry. With Give Me Rosa, Red Eye Society and No Dead Space playing live, DJ Fishy on the decks and raffles for tattoos and slabs of beer, what more could ya ask for !