Kristen Sinclair

In Waiting (Source: Pillow Queens' Bandcamp) ‘Highly anticipated’ is a cliché attached to many debut albums, but after four years of EP releases and relentless touring, In Waiting from Dublin’s Pillow Queens has lived up to its title. Brooding melodies, fuzzy guitar and hazy harmonies meet anthemic choruses in this cathartic exploration of being young in modern Ireland. Recorded in rural Donegal, the LP sees Pillow Queens grapple with spirituality and religion, family, politics and the crises of late-stage capitalism. Touching on everything from queer identity to life and gentrification in the Irish capital, impassioned vocals channel the anger of punk into rousing indie rock. In a country where almost half of people aged 25 to 29 still live at home with their parents, this frustration is tangible. ‘Handsome Wife’, a single from 2019, is a rejection of the nine-to-five, marriage and kids, white picket fence lifestyle that still feels expected even in today’s society. Riff-d...

Source: GiggingNI This interview was conducted on behalf of the now-defunct GiggingNI in 2017. Ahead of the band’s Belfast gig at Custom House Square on 25 th August, GiggingNI caught up with Ocean Colour Scene ’s vocalist and guitarist, Simon Fowler . Ranking high among the bands most synonymous with the Britpop era in the 90s, the Ocean Colour Scene frontman has rubbed shoulders with the likes of the Gallagher brothers and even collaborated with Paul Weller, the Modfather himself. To celebrate the 20 th anniversary of their magnum opus, Moseley Shoals , the Birmingham natives are taking their album on the road to play it in full. Boasting 92 weeks on chart and four Top Ten singles, it’ll make for a show not to be missed. Simon Fowler talks 90s antics, nostalgia and the music industry today… What is your earliest memory of music? What inspired you to start a band and become a musician? My earliest memories of music would be from very early family singles, which would...

This review originally appeared in the now-defunct GiggingNI in 2017. Source: GiggingNI Celebrating its eighteenth year in style, on Thursday night Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival welcomed Spanish garage rockers The Parrots to the city for the first time. Formed at university in Madrid, Diego García, Alex de Lucas and Larry Balboa brought their scuzzy rock ‘n’ roll to an unusually sunny Ireland, playing – ironically – one of Belfast’s most gothic venues, Voodoo on Fountain Street. Warming up the admittedly small crowd in the stage area above the bar is local act The Penny Dreadfuls . From the beginning of their set, the 70s influence is undeniable; clad in suede tassels and sporting impressive sideburns, the quintet’s sound is characterised by groove-heavy bass and loud reverb. Their brand of boisterous blues rock would give Ozzy Osbourne a run for his money, accentuated by kickass drumming which melds tracks seamlessly into one another. Raspy vocals recall a L...