Applause Music Reviews: Belfast and Northern Ireland

Mob Wife - Captain Care A Lot + Hellsong It is often said (usually by people who have a cigar in one hand and litre of Strongbow in the other) that there are few endings, only new beginnings. As much can be said for punk collective Mob Wife. The conclusion of a number of solo projects led the trio of Chris Leckey, Carl Small and Mark McDaid together under the moniker of Mob Wife. Peddling a contemporary punk rock sound with aggression to match, I was in attendance for this debut show in Limelight 2. With their latest tracks, the double single release of Captain Care A Lot and Hellsong, its pleasant to see they kept the same energy from day one. Following the well-received buzz of Warm Water, the newest releases have Mob Wife sounding more comfortable than ever before. Their commitment to confidence has only aided the discovery of a more mature take on their already addictive sound, which shifts between unabashed fury and restrained malice. Captain Care A Lot leans on the...

Seventh Heaven: Sarah McCreedy Back in 1977, NASA sent a probe into deep space laden with earthly goods. One such object was a golden record, containing some of the best music created by human beings: J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chuck Berry. All in the hope that, should life exist beyond our spacial borders, anyone that came into contact with the probe would be prepared for homo-sapien culture.  But what if we got to choose which albums went into space?   Seventh Heaven is a feature in which musicians and influencers pick their seven favourite albums and send them out into the heavens in the hope of spreading peace and good vibes throughout the galaxy.  Writing for this edition of Seventh Heaven is Sarah McCreedy  #1 Sufjan Stevens I Carrie and Lowell  Stevens released Carrie and Lowell a few years after the death of his mother. I remember listening to the album for the first time, start to finish, and thinking: this always dese...

Interview: Beans on Toast It was 2005 when Jay McAllister took to the stage for the first time. Now, nearly fifteen years later, the man who came to be known as Beans on Toast has toured globally, played at every festival you've ever heard of (probably), released ten albums and seen the birth of his first child. Entertaining fans the world over with his social commentary, observational style and relatable charm, his latest foray into Ireland see dates in both Belfast and Dublin. Ahead of his performances, we sat down with the folk troubadour to discuss touring, his career, and his brew of choice. Congrats on your tenth album. You release one every year on the same day, your birthday. Why that particular date, is it a present to yourself? It's just something that happened. For my first album, I doubled up my album release as a birthday party, getting bums on seats more than anything else I fear. The next year I had another album ready to go around the same time, so ...

Kneecap, JYellowL + Dirty Faces - The Empire, February 28th 2019 GAA tops and polo shirts. Lynx Africa and Ted Baker. Double Vodkas and Guinness. Eighteen-year-old students and middle-aged couples. The meetings of minds tonight would warrant an episode of Blue Planet. The curious collection of punters tonight are united by one thing: a universal appreciation for our headliners, the wise craic-ing RTE banned rappers who perform in a language less than 10% of their audience can speak. Stuff like this doesn’t happen every day. KNEECAP don’t seem to give a fuck. Amidst the steady stream of ticket holders making their way in the door, the opening act of the night arrives on stage. Derry duo Dirty Faces, complete with Fred Perry and Adidas tracksuits, are the walled cities answer to Sealford Mods. Opting for the ‘Shout at’ approach rather than the ‘sing for’, their gruff demeanour and distorted bass had the Buckfast in the background jingling in its glass like a scene from Jur...

Rebekah Fitch - Poison  There are few who can boast the same level of success, both critically and physically, as  Rebekah Fitch . The singer songwriter’s debut EP was lauded by critics, her shows seldom have empty space, and her mix of alt-pop rhythm, aching soulful vocals and electronic sting has a universal appeal. Within her musical space, Fitch has found another way in which to surprise, as her newest release ‘ Poison ’ differs in mood from previous releases but retains the same addictive magic that has driven her this far. Replacing the deliberate intimacy of previous releases, the propulsive beats of ‘Poison’ disregard subtlety in favour of panoramic, in-your-face bluntness. Never one to bite her tongue, Fitch opts for an urgency previously unseen, with her striding, furious pace and echoing neo-soul vocals remaining high points.  “You’ve got to learn to let go, of the poison in your brain” she half sings, half pleads during the crescendo and in keeping w...

Stayne - Parachute Derry singer/songwriter Stayne makes a highly anticipated return to the ‘new releases’ column with ‘ Parachute ’. A self-described pop artist who brings “something a little different,” his newest single pulls no punches. On his latest, the ‘I slay ’ performer tackles everything from alcoholism, spirituality and needing someone to hold on to a 'human parachute.’ Know to fuse his lyricism with introspection and self-worth before sending them out into the world, Stayne’s newest is his best so far. The warm gruff vocals of the walled city resident flow into range, telling a tale of victory and failure. A stripped back arrangement of keys and ghostly strings help elevate the vocal message, ultimately committing addition by subtraction. Wallowing in a more subtle sound than would be expected from pop allows Stayne to bring his voice to the forefront, giving lines such as “I’m a whole different man when I’m holding a beer” a new gravity. With this being ...

Beans on Toast - Magic Essex born folk music Jay McAllister aka Beans on Toast returns to Belfast on the 20th of March for an intimate show in local music hostel Voodoo. Fresh off his tenth album in as many years (literally ten albums in ten years. I know. Mental), Bird In The Hand sees the troubadour tackle his usual bevvy of social, political and technological issues, but now McAllister deals with a challenge of a new kind: Parenthood. Dedicated to his first-born daughter, lead single Magic explains the fears and joys that come with the day of delivery, and see McAllister at his most tender. Led as always by a simplistic arrangement of acoustic finger plucking and rustic vocals, Magic is essentially a spoken word retelling of the day his daughter was born. Fear and joy are given equal platforms amidst the confusion and exhilaration, as does the trademark humour that fans know and love. It's impossible not to join in on the laughter as McAllister pokes fun at himself ...