Applause Music Reviews: Belfast and Northern Ireland

Baxter Dury, Delilah Holliday, and Étienne de Crécy - B.E.D. It is rare that the offspring of a successful athlete/artist/whatever manages to step successfully out of the shadow of their parents. Yet Baxter Duty, son of the late wordsmith Ian Dury (the man who put ‘Sex and Drugs and Rock n Roll’ in the Oxford dictionary) is now reaching even higher levels than his father. An aficionado of electronic and experimental music, Baxter Dury injects a dose of independence and spirit into his latest music, taking it from enjoyable, past impressive, onto downright essential. Joining forces with French dance pioneer Étienne de Crécy and vocalist Delilah Holliday, Dury is on rare form for one of the more remarkable albums of 2018. Subverting the idea that the beat should be the most important aspect, Dury’s deadpan spoken word delivery over the top of dark instrumentals makes even the dire and dour suitable for the club. The most intriguing part of the album is this choice to wax lyric

Big Zuu - Content Without Content  Talent seems to run in the family, as the cousin of grime star AJ Tracey is more than making a name for himself. The self-styled Big Zuu has been making his own mark on the grim scene. The debut album from the West-London MC, Content Without Content, comes following a string of well-received EP’s and successful singles. A solid debut with a good variation in beats, ranging from pulsing synths and whiplash garage hammers. While the wordplay is impressive enough, the themes, however, remain largely derivative. A combination of “I’ve been grinding,” “Look after the mandem,” “live for the fam,” and “fuck the haters” can be found in nearly every song. The repetitiveness is offset by Zuu’s voice, which rings out over each track like a siren. It is seemingly custom built for the grime circuit. Having a seemingly endless breath and switching gears like a Bentley, Zuu has plenty to offer on this debut. On the subject of wordplay and voice, it is tel

Interview: Seán McDonnell - Radio YNP, November 13th 2018 YouthAction Northern Ireland has been operating for over 70 years, working with locals aged between 10-25 and making significant, tangible differences in their lives. Mostly working with youths from disadvantaged areas, in recent years there has been a conscious step towards development in different areas of employment. One of these areas, Radio YNP (Youth Networking For Peace), is a radio station operated entirely by young people. Local musician Seán McDonnell is the station manager and the organiser of a number of events, including a recent networking panel for young musicians who feel their voice is unheard. I sat down with him to learn more about this. Walk me through what YouthAction actually is. Seán McDonnell: YouthAction is a youth organisation based in Northern Ireland. It’s been operating for around 75 years now. It’s a collection of youth organisations across Northern Ireland. We’ve got a number of region

Interview: Blxxd & FVRY - 11th November 2018 As time beats it ever moving path forward, it has become harder and harder to pigeonhole musicians into definable genres. Music has evolved, and with this evolution comes new and exciting sounds. Two such musicians responsible for these fresh vibrations are Blxxd and FVRY, who shun the idea that the sound they make should be grouped with anything other than the word “pretty.” Two of the more exciting and unique artists on the local scene and the latest addition to artist collective ZOOL Records, I sat down for a chat with them and discussed everything from their hometown, their ever-changing sound and surprising their fans: I want to start with something basic, so what would you actually describe yourself as:  Syeva Bondarenko (Blxxd): So Blxxd is a… solo production project I guess. It's as DIY as I can get it, I write everything myself, produce and record everything myself, mix it as well. Recently, with the live sho

Zeal - Shades Of Gold Zeal, champion of the word and wonderful, continues a strong showing with his newest release Shades Of Gold, displaying an ability to retain the same pull while doubling down on a subtler, more sophisticated sound. Opening titular track Shades Of Gold has an almost nursery rhyme aesthetic, while creepily innocent keys completing the look. Delicate as this track is, do not be mistaken in assuming passivity or shyness. Shades… has a razor wit and a macabre appeal. Retaining the lo-fi aesthetic and far-flung intentions allows Zeal to sound both vintage and futuristic simultaneously on this track. While Shades of Gold remains full rooted in the dirt, closer Echoes On Stars takes us to the clouds. Zeal retreats to his roots, which is always a nice thing to do when you’re emulating Bowie and Neil Young. Sounding like a cowboy from Saturn, this intergalactic ballad is a curious mix of folk and space rock. Filled with his calling card weirdness, Zeal remai

Modern Rome + Buí - The Sunflower Lounge, 10th November 2018 My brow furrows as I do a third and final scan of the landscape in front of me. Long black levers, each connected to the gossamer glow of their electric label, identifying them, signalling their allegiances. Surely, I am mistaken but alas, I am not. No Guinness. The horror. The night is Saturday 10th of November and I see myself bereft of the blacked barley tang. No matter. There are more pressing objectives at hand. I turn my back, grasping my craft beer/ale/warmish liquid and make my way upstairs to the performance lounge, wherein two of Belfast’s most exciting cult bands have taken over the space. Still lamenting my stoutish lover, I instead resolve to get a seat near the front. Wrong again. I take a second to register that, indeed this is the correct room, before marvelling at the packed room in front of widened pupils. Soundcheck is not quite finished and yet the space is wall to wall with expectant fa

Volume Control: Clash Of The New Breeds - Oh Yeah! Centre, Friday 9th November 2018 The rain pounded on the brim of my hat with a scornful vengeance. I wonder briefly what I did to piss of lady Eire on this night and why I chose canvas shoes instead of my boots. "At least there won't be a line" I shrug to myself. I round the corner to Gordon Street and curse, aloud and unashamedly. Wrong. Nein. Do not collect £200 as you pass Go etc. The line of smoking students and musicians is out the door. Thankfully, it's fast moving. Ahead of me, two girls debate the economics of attempting to sneak alcohol in or simply downing it in the street. They opt for the latter. I’m so proud. Volume Control, the youth run initiative sponsored by the Oh Yeah! centre, do a good job at filling out the hall. Their gig, a battle of the bands populated by the new local blood, is popular and well run. The DJ blasts Fleetwood Mac - “Thunder, only happens, when it raaaaiins...” Hilariou

VerseChorusVerse - Outro VerseChorusVerse (VCV), either the most basic wikihow recipe ever or the musical persona of one Tony Wright. A musician by trade and a veteran of the scene, having toured extensively when younger and being a founding member of collective And So I Watch You From Afar, Wright emerges from his year spent as the ‘Artist in residence’ for The Mac Belfast with his album/3D musical experience Outro. Steely in parts, haunting in others and intensely panoramic, Outro is every bit an opera as it is an LP. Wrights crooning vocals, carved with frankness and emotion, guide the listeners through an aural escapade, a journey through the mind of VerseChrouseVerse. This sounds understandably pretentious and art college-ey, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In his time as a solo artist, Wright has reimagined the music he wants to make for himself, as evidenced by the lexicon of styles present in Outro. Seemingly influenced by the alternative aesthetic Wrigh

Kings and Castles - Daydream Four piece indie rockers Kings and Castles shed the training wheels with newest single Daydream. A radio friendly, riff oriented hook fest, Daydream is exactly what you expect from a modern indie band. Buzzing enough to dance do but still driven by tinny guitar twangs, it fits the mould laid out in front of it well. Opening with a lick seemingly pulled from the annals of Kooks and Arctic Monkeys discography, the tune soon opens up into a highway of body swinging and hand clapping rhythm. Sing along melodies ensure a friendly, upbeat vibe the is easily accessible and familiar. Fitting in with the  modern musical landscape, Daydream then lands a haymaker with a ripping solo towards the end, punctuated by battling gun percussion. Bouncing off the walls with enthusiasm and exuberance, theres little to dissect and disagree with. Daydream has that timeless quality that defies eras with its smoothness. It’s the sound of life, of growing up, of unce

Vince Staples - FM! Long Beach native Vince Staples has long left behind the ‘new kid on the block’ vibes and has taken his rightful place as one of the faces of West Coast Hip-Hop. Much like his contemporary Kendrick Lamar, Staples has abandoned the hyperbolic drug rap so embellished by the Soundcloud generation, instead focusing on human voices and experiences, particularly his own and those of the people around him. Never afraid of sharing his two cents, FM! continues the trend in Staples's music of unafraid, uncompromising social commentary infused rap. Combing wit, bite, honesty, groove and no small amount of satire, FM! is his most ambitious, and best, album yet. Opening with a satirical take on one of LA’s many radio hosts, Staples quickly establishes his message: an intransigent perspective of the juxtapositions that exist within one of America metropoles. Opener Feels Like Summer tackles the year-round summertime feel present in LA but undercuts it with the har

Glass Wings - Everything And Nothing Glass Wings, other than being one of the least useful inventions of all time, is the nom de plume for Belfast based musician Stephen Jones. Performing in his current state since 2016, Jones debut album Everything And Nothing is a positive first step for the promising artist. Backed by the strong lyricism that we have come to expect from the performer, Everything… is filled with colourful metaphors, delicate instrumentation and, most importantly, clarity. Jones already understands what music he wants to make and what he is good at, investing heavily into it and writing an album that exaggerates his strengths and downplays his weaknesses. Jones has managed to put his own unique spin on acoustic indie music, a twist that has a playful teasing kick to it, while his calling card vocals remain bereft of genre and velvety smooth. Still, the influences of other genres are clear, with the Suzanne Vega-esque On My Mind indulging in a pop-oriented

I had the opportunity to sit down with London based noise makers Brain Ape. Known for their infusions of styles, riotous live act and relentless racket, we talked about everything from The Beatles, disappearing during gigs and 'peaceful anarchy' In the modern era, going down the route of producing a DVD seems curious when people are even turning away from CDs. Is this something that's always been on your to-do list? Minky: No, it was never on our radar. I think as a band you want to produce as much good content as possible, but when it comes to planning these sort of things… At our level, you can’t plan out on a calendar, plot certain points and say “By 2018 we’ll have a live DVD, and by February 2019 we’ll be on the Graham Norton show”. I don’t think a band like ours can plan those things out. Things come to you, rather than the other way around. This DVD came to us very naturally. Jamie: You can have goals, though. But you’re right, this DVD wasn’t deliberat