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...

“I’m going get my piano tuned now, I’m very excited!” chirps Amy Montgomery as we wrap up our call. The 20-year-old singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is just over a week away from the release of her debut EP following two new music videos, a string of singles and touring as far away as Australia. The culmination of four years’ work, Intangible is twenty-one minutes of powerful alt rock with squalls of guitar feedback lifted by bright, fluttering synths and vocal prowess akin to Janis Joplin, Alanis Morissette and even Miley Cyrus. Raised on classic rock, Amy’s sound gives a subtle nod to the music that nourished her, but she manages to rise above her influences. “I’ve been surrounded by music since I was born and in my house growing up. My dad is a big muso, he loves all sorts of rock music and I would hear AC/DC from no age. I picked up the guitar after my dad inspired me to; he plays the guitar as well and taught me my first few chords. I have this memory from when I was...

Lisasinson by Victoria Herranz Spanish garage rock is almost entirely synonymous with Hinds , the rambunctious, all-female band who took Madrid’s sounds to international ears in 2016 with their jangly debut Leave Me Alone . Formed in 2011 by Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote, the frontwomen joined forces with bassist Ade Martín and drummer Amber Grimbergen to become Spain’s most internationally successful indie export, sparking an interest in the Spanish capital’s thriving underground scene. For a country raised on the tontipop of Las Ketchup , Eurodisco acts like Baccara and hallmarks of tradition like Julio Iglesias , a new generation of bands were emerging who had always had to look abroad for the ramshackle rock ‘n’ roll sounds that their own country wasn’t making. As the now well-documented Madrid scene came to light, it became clear that not since the countercultural Movida Madrileña movement in the 70s and 80s following Franco’s dictatorship had the city’s scene been so vi...

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...

Title: Life on Tour with Bowie – a Genius Remembered Author: Sean Mayes Source: Goodreads Publisher: Music Press Books (2016) ★★★★ I’m immediately suspicious of any kind of memoir conveniently published to cash in on a rockstar’s death. Take Mick Wall’s Lou Reed biography ‘The Life’ which appeared shortly after the musician’s passing in 2013 which, although an interesting enough read, felt insincere and rushed. This recent reissue of Fumble frontman and Bowie pianist Sean Mayes’ 1978 touring diary has been accused of the same crime; however, Mayes’ material is distinctly different. Its unbiased, genuine view of life on the road during Bowie’s Isolar II /Stage tour, post-“Heroes” and Low, is insightfully untainted by the icon's recent demise.      Mayes died from AIDs in 1995 and so never witnessed the publication of his writings; described as a “prolific” diarist by pal Kevin Cann, he has attempted to streamline the masses of r...