Kristen Sinclair

This review originally appeared in the now-defunct GiggingNI in 2017. Last year two of Scotland’s best loved acts, eighties titans Simple Minds and Edinburgh songstress KT Tunstall , collaborated on an acoustic reworking of ‘Promised You a Miracle’ ahead of the band’s unplugged album Acoustic in November. Tonight, they share the stage at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall for a stripped back gig of their biggest hits, without the help of electric guitar and synthesisers.  Even before support act KT Tunstall begins proceedings, rather unusually Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr creates an intensely personable rapport with the audience from the get-go; he enters the stage alone to introduce his friend and collaborator and shares fond memories of previous gigs in Belfast’s Ulster Hall. Not that Tunstall needs much of an introduction, as an energetic one-woman show who has graced the last decade with some of its best folk pop hits. Armed only with her acoustic guitar, a tambourine ...

Drawing inspiration from the likes of Radiohead, Foals and Depeche Mode, Dublin four-piece Ivy Nations have unleashed their brand of shoegaze-inspired indie rock with the launch of their latest single ‘Live By Design’. Only their third release, the band have worked with producer Phil Magee (Kodaline, The Script) and received international airplay as far away as Australia. Despite having already struck a winning formula, ‘Live By Design’ sees the quartet venture into gloomier territory, riding a dark wave of moody indie. Ivy Nations are a tight outfit who create a big sound, complete with soaring riffs, controlled yet powerful vocals and seismic basslines that would give The Cure a run for their money. ‘Live By Design’ gradually picks up tempo just as the listener is getting comfortable, breaking into the towering chorus “to escape the thoughts of someone else”.  The visual accompaniment to the track is an eerie, dystopian video courtesy of Blacktooth Films, in which one human at...

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...

Source: GiggingNI This interview was conducted on behalf of the now-defunct GiggingNI in 2017. Later this month, Ireland welcomes former Sporty Spice Melanie C to play Belfast’s Mandela Hall and Dublin’s Vicar Street on 12 th 13 th April respectively. Having sold 80 million records with the Spice Girls and 20 million as a solo artist, Mel C is back after five years with new LP Version of Me and a whole new sound. Combining heartfelt balladry with tracks boasting as much potential on the club circuit, her follow-up to 2012’s Stages sees the English songstress adopt a new approach to lyrics and production, reflecting the new stage she’s at in life. Ahead of her Irish gigs, I caught up with the woman herself, chatting EDM, pushing creative boundaries and being in the biggest girl group of all time: “The rule is, there are no rules!”… What is your earliest memory of music? When did you know music was a career you wanted to pursue? There’s not ever really...

This review originally appeared in the now-defunct GiggingNI in 2017. Source: GiggingNI Rarely do established musicians’ side projects take off quite like Mike Rutherford’s. As a founding member of Genesis, the English guitarist’s venture with Mike + the Mechanics produced a fantastic catalogue of pop rock albums and even a US no. 1 single with ‘The Living Years’ in 1988. However, despite a hiatus and drastic lineup changes, the now six-piece are back on the road with their Word of Mouth Tour, and Belfast’s Mandela Hall is the first stop on their UK and Ireland leg.  The night’s support comes in the form of Ben McKelvey , a confident young lad who emanates genuine excitement to be warming up the crowd for such legends. Armed with simply an acoustic guitar and flanked by his so-called ‘boxman’ Marc (who drums with his hands on the box he sits on), he introduces his first song ‘Work for Free’, dedicated to the headliners. The pair plays vigorously and with a makeshi...

This review originally appeared in the now-defunct GiggingNI in 2017. Source: GiggingNI Hailing from a large family of musicians, French-Canadian songstress Martha Wainwright is something of a stand-out talent in the world of folk rock. Her main connection to the NI music scene is her duet ‘Set Fire to the Third Bar’ with Snow Patrol back in 2006. Her gig for Open House fest tonight marks her return to Belfast, having last played the Grand Opera House in the city in 2008. It also forms part of the promotional tour for her latest album, Goodnight City . Playing to a sold out crowd at listed church building Redeemer Central on Donegall Street, fans congregate from early in the evening under the soft pink fairy lights and paper lanterns which adorn the nave.  Casually taking to the makeshift ‘stage’ facing a small sea of wooden chairs, Toronto’s Bernice begin their set with little introduction. Spidery vocals courtesy of frontwoman Robin Dann characterise the band, h...

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...