Articles by Patrick Conboy
Author of 150 posts.
Patrick has been writing for State since 2008. He is also a regular contributor to AU, a music and culture magazine based in Belfast. When he's not writing he works on his own music project, dreams of owning a collection of vintage synthesizers, thinks he can play football and embarrasses his friends with his general nerdiness. www.twitter.com/patrickconboy
Website:http://www.state.ie
The State Mix Series turns 21 and to celebrate we’ve called in some heavy-hitters in the shape of Brazilian DJ/remix duo Mixhell. The husband-and-wife team consists of Iggor and Laima Cavalera, who’ve been creating, playing and remixing all sorts of fabulous electronic noise since 2006, when Iggor left his position as drummer with legendary thrash-metal outfit Sepultura.
They maintain a busy…
Day three of Europavox 2010 and the sun keeps on shining. And with the first band not taking to the stage until 7.30pm there’s no better way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon around these parts than to go for a drive through the countryside surrounding Clermont-Ferrand. Which is pretty impressive: mountainous scenery, castles perched atop…
French electro producer Mr No has only been creating music for the past year but already he’s played alongside big names such as Vitalic and Yuksek and has established a reputation in his home country for blistering live sets and remixes.
His primary focus is now on his own material with his first single, ‘He or…
Red stars, political diatribes, raised fists. It can only be Rage Against the Machine, a band who’ve always worn their ideological hearts on their musical sleeves. Which makes it quite disconcerting that rock’s champions of socialism should charge the very capitalist sum of €65.70 for their fans to witness the band’s first Dublin gig in…
State is feeling surprisingly fresh this morning and a quick glance outside reveals another fine, sunny day. The bands may not start playing until this evening but there’s plenty of activity around the festival site at this early hour, with small but lively groups of journalists, promoters, booking agents and festival organisers gathering in the…
It’s been a long day, starting with a 6am flight to Amsterdam, then a transfer to Paris and a tedious three-and-a-half hour train journey but State has finally arrived in Clermont-Ferrand. And as beers are sipped-upon under the cloudless sky of a balmy French summer’s evening, it already feels like it’s been worth the effort.…
Here’s hoping a certain Icelandic volcano behaves itself this week because State is set to travel to the French town of Clermont-Ferrand for the fifth edition of Europavox. The festival is based around a city centre venue called La Coopérative de Mai and augmented by Spiegel Tents in an adjoining park, while behind the scenes…
Ronnie James Dio has passed away at the age of 67. The singer, who at various times fronted Rainbow and Black Sabbath in addition to his own solo career, had been battling with stomach cancer for some time. The news was broken by his wife Wendy, who posted the following message on his official website…
Grand Pocket Orchestra will be launching their new single ‘Basketballs’ in the Twisted Pepper on May 22nd before they depart on a European tour this summer. Special guests on the night will be Futures Apart and No Monster Club.
The band have also produced a video to accompany the single, which you can see below.…
Now here’s one we didn’t see coming. It turns out Shakira’s new single ‘Explore’ borrows samples and lyrics from the XX’s ‘Islands’ and despite our worst fears it’s actually not all that bad. See for yourself in the clip below:…
Bangor indie-pop sensations Two Door Cinema Club look to be hitting all the right notes with audiences over in the States, with sold-out shows and now with performances on national television. Yesterday saw the band appear on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live show, where they performed ‘I Can Talk’ – taken from their debut album, Tourist …
After five weeks on the road, the 2010 IMRO Showcase Tour comes to an end with a special ‘Best of Tour’ show at The Academy on May 1st. Taking to the stage on the night will be The Cast of Cheers, Mia Sparrow, Miracle Bell, Jody Has A Hitlist and The Minutes, with more acts…
Dublin-based DJ/producer iRate Soundsystem (aka Dylan O’Neill) has taken time out of his busy schedule to put together this exclusive mix for State – ‘State of Yer Face’: a half hour eclectic rollercoaster ride through electro, indie and classic rock. Oh, and a bit of Hall & Oates!
Dylan has a number of residencies in…
The end is in sight for this year’s IMRO Showcase Tour as it enters its fifth and final week. Fifty acts have taken part in this year’s nationwide trek, including the seven who will grace the stages of Dublin’s Sugar Club and Dolan’s of Limerick this weekend. A number of the featured bands will also…
