Limerick punk rock lunatics Giveamanakick have come out swinging on their fired-up third album, Welcome To The Cusp. It’s an ear-shattering assault, a subversive wonder of a record and possibly the deranged duo’s best yet. The album distils the band’s most compelling characteristics whilst also bringing to the fore new aspects of their musical persona. Power ballads! Keyboard solos! Well kind of. A sheepish Steveamanakick explained all to AU.
Read On …
Features
In Conversation: Giveamanakick
"We’ve always thought that we were a pop band and that every song we write is a little pop nugget."
In Conversation: John Cooper Clarke
"I reckon The Simpsons could have me appear as a distant relative of Sideshow Bob!”
Dubbed the ‘Bard of Salford’, performance-poet John Cooper Clarke first came to prominence in the late Seventies opening for seminal punk bands including The Fall, Sex Pistols, Joy Division and Buzzcocks. An unforgettable sight, black shades, winkle-picker shoes, wraith thin physique and bushel of electric-shock hair, Clarke in full flow resembled a bizarre Beatnik machine gun, rat-a-tat-tat, words ringing out like bullets, comedy, poetry and social observation all weapons in his arsenal.
History Lessons: Iggy & The Stooges
It’s tempting to think that Iggy & The Stooges fell, fully formed, from the sky, and sowed their seeds of wrath, because that’s what they’d been bred to do, by some kind of alien mastermind. But, they are merely mortals, born of woman, who will someday die – as unrealistic as that seems.
What would you do if you had the opportunity to take a feeling and force it into a shape, a noise, something tangible? Would you do it? Would you be prepared for what that could do to you, or would you rather play it safe and not mess about with the theoretical principles of the universe?
In Conversation With: Caribou
"Where was that place we played in the middle of Wales? Hmmm, oh Wrexham. We were just like ‘what the fuck are we even doing here?’."
Dan Snaith aka Caribou is one of the most highly regarded artists working in contemporary music. He made an indelible mark with his gorgeously evocative debut album Start Breaking My Heart, the success of which he has continually built upon, culminating in the melodic masterclass of 2007's lavish poptronia masterclass Andorra. With a full band, including two drummers, his live shows propelled the music of ...
Zombie-Zombie
"We tried to make people feel fear. It’s funny trying to do that with instruments."
Parisian duo Cosmic Neman (left) and Etienne Jaumet have channelled a love for vintage synthesizers, John Carpenter soundtracks and Krautrock into something rather special on their debut album, A Land For Renegades. We cornered drumming zombie Neman to see if we could explode a few myths about the record.
Caspa Codina
"I've never tried to upload my own head to the Internet."
Whispering dirty little nothings over a patchwork of ragged funk and hypnotic beats, Caspa Codina might just be the most exciting proposition you’ll receive this year.
The Last Word - Scroobius Pip
"Halfway through the flight, one of them managed to pull some young girl and proceeded to spend the next seven hours getting off with her."
Ahead of 'Thou Shalt Always Kill' heroes dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip's Irish tour in May, the beardy rapper indulged us with a little reminiscence...
Elbow
“I had originally thought that I was telling stories, but looking back I realise that what I was writing about was where my head was at the time.”
Fresh from finishing their newest orchestral opus, ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’, Elbow frontman Guy Garvey opens up about the magic and loss that inspired it…
Story of the Video - UNKLE
"Have you ever read Revelation? It's not happy times!"
Amateur filmmaker James Ward saw a competition to make the new UNKLE video, knocked up a pitch in one night, sent it off and – hey presto! – won the damn thing. His warped animation for the Josh Homme-featuring ‘Restless’ is now the track’s official vid and James is understandably chuffed.
Crayonsmith
Drawn From Melody
Dublin’s Crayonsmith have just released their second album, ‘White Wonder’. It’s a midget gem of a record, fuzzy and warm like children’s mittens, where Sebadoh bear hugs Grandaddy and Sonic Youth and they all get along. Since their formation in 2004, the band has attracted attention from all the right people, garnering high-profile support slots with Quasi, The Decemberists and Sparklehorse. Now, slap-bang in the middle of their own Irish tour, frontman Ciaran Smith spills the beans on putting ‘White Wonder’ together.
The Jane Bradfords
"People either love or hate it and that pleases me."
The time is nigh for Belfast-based electro-rockers The Jane Bradfords. The much-touted act has just released their self-titled debut album on Simple Tapestry Records. It’s a milestone moment for a band that has already garnered considerable critical kudos.
