Ham Sandwich - Whelan’s, Dublin (7/11/09)

And to think that some people are still deluded enough to believe that U2 are Ireland’s premier live band. I don’t know if it’s sheer media saturation that’s perpetuated that myth, or just widespread ignorance, but it needs to be stamped out post-haste. Bono can take his impossibly huge stage monstrosities and stick them where the [...]

Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

So, apparently, the 16th MTV European Music Awards “went down” on Thursday. Did you notice? I didn’t - I was preoccupied with more relevant, pressing matters, like noticing that ooh, it’s getting quite cold this time of year, and hey, I need a shave. Of course, the fact that these two realisations came in quick [...]

Ham Sandwich: Out of the Darkness

Hooray! I love when I get to talk about Irish indie heroes Ham Sandwich, as I’ve done before here, wherein I recount how their gig both melted my face, and rescultped it in a new, smiling, more handsome fashion. But now? Now I bring news of their new single, Out of the Darkness, which is [...]

Bon Jovi: ‘The Circle”

Album name: The Circle Artist name: Bon Jovi Genre: Rock Released: November 2009 Label: Island ZME Rating: 7/10 Website: bonjovi.com There are two possible scenarios that come to mind when I try to picture a Bon Jovi songwriting session. Obviously, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora are there. They’re probably joined by their co-writer of choice - say, Desmond Child or Billy [...]

Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

Spending too much time thinking about anything in particular is dangerous. So dangerous, it should quite possibly be illegal. Giving any amount of extended thought to anything rarely leads to a good outcome. Imagine if Hitler hadn’t been allowed enough “thought-space” to write Mein Kampf - wouldn’t that be wonderful? Hitler’s awful, demented thought process, [...]

Gonna Be Your Man In (Uniform) Motion

Anytime I receive a press release that labels a band “an extremely exciting arts collective [and] a perpetual multimedia art installation“, a tiny emergency klaxon in my brain - wedged somewhere between the hippocampus and the primary auditory cortex, so the sound is both unbearably loud and very memorable - goes off. The klaxon reminds [...]

Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

Music: it’s entirely, utterly, completely, undeniably, irrefutably subjective, right? Wrong. You daft idiot. Look, I know it hurts, but it’s true. Some music is just objectively woeful. In fact, the odds are pretty high that if you’re listening to music right now, it’s crap. Whether it be chart music on the radio, an album on your iPod, [...]

Peter Serafinowicz “Does” Paul McCartney

This seems important. Also, make sure you follow the good Serafinowicz’s Twitter feed for daily hilarities. Paul McCartney ‘I’ll Kill’ - watch more funny videos

Al Byrne’s Radio Bile

When did music television die, exactly? I’ll tell you when - it was when we all gave up on it, and with a collective mouseclick accepted Youtube and Myspace as our appointed saviours. But! There’s a more pressing question on my mind: is there a single post-Myspace moment where we can say music television went [...]

Impending Doom: Tom Waits Prepares Live Album.

Hello. Have you been having a good day? Oh, I’m sorry - didn’t she warn you? Oh dear. Well, I’m sure they make a cream for that. Oh, they don’t? I see. Well, if anything is going to cheer you up, it’s the paragraphs which directly follow this one. Tom Waits’ fancy new website tells us [...]

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