desert hearts
You never quite know whats going to happen at a Desert Hearts show. That's the point really. As Charlie steps into the darkness at the front of the stage the crowd wince as half his boot hangs over the edge. But just as it looks like it's going to all come crashing down it rises up instead. The searing guitars and mammoth drums somehow come together, stepping away from the brink, to create the sound of one of the most exciting and respected bands Belfast has.
The Desert Hearts have always been Charlie (Mooney) and Roisin (Stewart) but now they've found new blood and energy in General Fiasco's Stephen Leacock and Stuart Bell (Ex-Panama Kings). As a band they've released two albums across a career which seems to place quality ahead of quantity. These albums came out on Rough Trade off-shoot Tug Boat Records (Let's Get Worse) and Glasgow / Belfast indies Gargleblast and No Dancing (Hotsy Totsy Nagasaki).
The band have been busy in 2011 demo-ing new tracks, some of which have sneaked into the live set. Summer will see the 'Hearts enter studio to work on LP number 3 proper...it's been a while, but it'll be worth the wait...
wonder villains
We're not quite sure how they've managed it, but somehow Wonder Villains have soared high above teen angst and anger. Having just completed their A-Levels they're now busy dishing out
helpings of joyful, blistering pop, while finding out how high they can push the distortion on their homemade keyboard sounds.
The band's debut release will be out through No Dancing in October, a bit of a joint release with Third Bar Artist Development.
In the meantime the band have been keeping themselves entertained with support slots alongside New Young Pony Club, Castiotone For The Painfully Alone, The Undertones and at BBC Radio One's Big Weekend Festival.
They'll continue to blaze a trail across Ireland & UK in the coming months
robyn g shiels
Cat Power, The Good Life, Richard Hawley, Joan As Police Woman, Devendra Banhart, Low & Will Oldham. Some of the people Robyn G Shiels has shared a stage with.
His debut album 'A Lifetime of Midnights' was received with warm praise, comparing Robyn to his peers, suggesting he could soon be as important as the names dropped in the reviews .
Things move slowly in deepest Northern Ireland and with more long nights and dark days Robyn released the Great Depression E.P. Focusing on the retrospective, bleak side of Robyn's catalogue, this isn't the time for screaming choruses. It is night time and it is dark, after all.
There's an honesty and truth laid out amongst the sparse percussion, piano and guitars. These are songs of reflection and regret but all the while a melody, suggesting that although things may have been better not occurring, we've at least forged a good story along the way.
This is night and whoever is in the room is happy to be here and part of it.
general fiasco (management)
it's been a busy couple of years for general fiasco. dates in japan, new zealand, america, european tours, debut album released, kerrang! best new band nominee and currently in the studio working on their next release. they don't really do stopped.
for booking enquiries please contact smarshall at caa dot com
You are viewing the text version of this site.
To view the full version please install the Adobe Flash Player and ensure your web browser has JavaScript enabled.
Need help? check the requirements page.
