Kristen Sinclair

In Celtic mythology, the spirit of Ireland is commonly portrayed as a woman. Bygone nationalist symbols such as Róisín Dubh, Kathleen Ní Houlihan and the old woman of ‘Mise Éire’ personify the romantic view of the island embodied in the feminine ideal of Mother. Bríd, a Gaelic pagan goddess associated with fertility, later Christianised as St. Brigid of Kildare, is now one of Ireland’s patron saints. As a hallmark of Irish society, this concept of Mother Ireland, a gendered land to be fought for and possessed, requires male intervention to vindicate her sovereign rights. She is something of a supernatural being and incarnation of Ireland’s womanhood, a sacrificial heroine of the family. The ideal of Mother or virgin, further fuelled by the dominance of the church over the centuries, subdued women into becoming patriarchal stereotypes. Centuries ago, Irish women who, among other allegations of heresy, did not fulfil this archetypal ideal, were often accused of witchcraft. Last recor

The review originally appeared in the now-defunct GiggingNI in 2016. Along with the likes of Rio , Dare! and True , ABC ’s 1982 debut The Lexicon of Love ranks high among the most quintessential albums of the eighties. Boasting no less than four Top 20 hit singles, the band’s magnum opus deals with the themes of heartbreak and searching for meaning in relationships, all whilst filling dancefloors throughout the decade. Now thirty-four years on from their debut, Martin Fry, lead vocalist and the only remaining original member, is touring The Lexicon of Love II , released this year as the impressive follow-up to the record that changed his life. The Limelight is plastered with posters for tonight’s gig and the venue is steadily filling under the soft colourful lights of the opening DJ set. Playing genre-appropriate music to a crowd of predominately eighties kids, the likes of Depeche Mode, Pet Shops Boys and The Human League transition seamlessly into one another in prepa

This review originally appeared in the now-defunct GiggingNI in 2016. Source: GiggingNI   It’s not often that nine of the country’s most exciting new musical acts can be found on the same bill, playing the same venue and all for one ticket. However, Spectrum Festival 2016 created just that. Saturday night saw the highlight of Sound of Belfast 2016’s programme of events, culminating with an incredible line-up of local talent at Elmwood Hall. The iconic venue played host to a range of bands and solo artists from an array of genres to showcase the very best Northern Ireland has to offer; that’s everything from indie rock to folk and classical. Headlined by Lisburn-based alt-rockers Mojo Fury, local favourites Gnarkats and Radio 1 Big Weekend’s Hot Cops also shared the stage for a noisy night. Beginning the night’s proceedings in the sparsely packed hall, Letterkenny-born Joel Harkin plays a short set of harmonious lo-fi, armed with his acoustic guitar. The 22 year-old seduce

This review originally appeared in the now-defunct GiggingNI in 2016. Returning to Tubby’s Farm near Hillsborough for the seventh year running, the ever popular Sunflower Fest once again played host to a fantastic array of local Irish talent this weekend. Encompassing music, art, food and spoken word, the rolling fields of County Down were filled with brightly dressed campers, students and families alike, to enjoy the diverse and eclectic range of entertainment on offer. The organisers of Sunflower Fest are certainly no strangers to the cliché ‘something for everyone’, with stages covering (and often mixing) nearly every genre of music from rock, folk, electronica, ska, blues, indie pop and even heavy metal. Getting day two of the festival underway on the Main Stage is quintet The Late Twos , whose fiery indie rock attracts Saturday’s first spectators, enticing many picnic blanket and deck chair-wielding festival goers from their tents. The Belfast lads’ short set is super

 1.   Every stereotype about Amsterdam is true (even the train tickets cost €4.20 Sweaty and hauling my rucksack all the way from Centraal Station to Museumkwartier, it struck me that Amsterdam was just how I had imagined it; a labyrinth of canals and bridges decorated with colourful flowers and endless bicycles, quaint Dutch buildings, tourists and hipsters alike dodging the trams and, of course, an omnipresent smell of weed from the famous ‘coffee shops’ to live up to the cliché. In short: the place stinks of weed and everyone has bike they’re not afraid to run you over with.   2.  Google Maps is your best friend (most of the time) Whether it’s navigating the endless canals of the Dutch capital or street after street of bars in Berlin, there’s no better (or annoyingly necessary) way to use up all your monthly data allowance. You’d literally be lost without it – that is, until it sends you on a wild goose chase and you end up asking for a taxi to the place you’r