His reputation as a live performer is well established, yet Bruce Springsteen has also proved his mettle as a speaker with a fantastic keynote address to the recent SxSW festival. Covering a range of topics, the speech proved that the singer is still very much in touch with modern trends and pretty adept at cracking…

There’s a second chance to see the Stone Roses in Ireland this summer with the news that the band will headline the second night of the Tennant’s Vital festival in Belfast. The Mancunians will appear on Sunday 22nd August, with Foo Fighters topping the bill on 21st. Other acts confirmed for the weekend are Florence…

There’s a double header and a half coming our way in July when Explosions In The Sky and Low team up for an exclusive show at Vicar Street in Dublin. Promoted by the mighty Harmonic, tickets for the July 10th gig go on sale this Friday, priced €28. Doors are at 7pm for an 8pm…

Having not recorded together for nearly nine years, Neil Young and Crazy Horse have reunited for a new album this summer. Americana… will be released on June 1st, a collection of classic American folk songs ranging from the mid-1800s to the 20th century (as well as the slightly left of centre inclusion of ‘God Save

Offering a mix of torch balladry, folk harmony, jaunty country and 50s pop, Louise & The Pins play the Stag’s Head in Dublin on March 29th. Having toured with Laura Marling amongst others, this will be the trio’s debut in the capital. The eponymous Louise Hull introduces herself to State.
Who are you and where …

The initial line-up for this year’s Body & Soul festival has been announced and sees the event definitely move up a level on previous years.
Villagers
M83
St Vincent
Little Dragon
Shangaan Electro
Gold Panda
John Talabot
Redinho
Emika
The Herbaliser
Tieranniesaur
Kormac’s Big Band
The festival takes place in the grounds of Ballinlough Castle,…

Having raised their stock no end with a Choice Prize nomination and dynamite Olympia performance, We Cut Corners head out on a series of Irish shows next month alongside State favourites Come On Live Long:
Thurs 12th April – Roisin Dubh, Galway.
Strange Brew presents… with The Ambience Affair + Come On Live Long, Free…

Only recently opened in the basement of the old Shebeen Chic, Dublin venue Electric Lounge has been closed down over a licensing dispute.
A statement from the organisers reads:
Last night, at approximately 10pm we were closed down without warning by the Gardaí during a gig. This was due to a licensing issue that we…

While some of the State team hold the fort back at home, Nialler9 is off at SxSW and tonight sees him host his first international party alongside the Hype Machine. It features Tennis, New Build DJs, Body Language, Beat Connection and a number of acts bound for the Camden Crawl Dublin – MMOTHS, Clock Opera…

As St Patrick’s Day falls on a Saturday this year there’s a fair few gigs happening around the country, with Noah & The Whale‘s sold out show at The Olympia Theatre one of the highlights. Thanks to our friends at Universal Music we have three tickets to give away to one State reader. You’ll have…

Seeing as this weekend is a bank holiday bash we thought that we should do something a little special. As a result we’ve teamed up with our friends at Love Music Hate Racism Ireland to host a stage as part of their Send Racism To Jail event on Friday March 16th. It will kick off…

This year’s SxSw Festival is well underway, with our own Nialler9 hosting a show at the weekend, and the city of Austin is awash with live music. Turntable.FM are also running a couple of shows and, having brought us Flying Lotus already, are staging an impressive bill featuring Diplo, A-Trak, ?uestlove, Araabmuzik, Jimmy Stack, Nick…

If their album The Lion’s Roar… suggested that they were firmly on the path to Americana, First Aid Kit‘s recent show at the Workman’s Club in Dublin saw them take the full plunge. The track ‘Emmylou’ displays those influences more than most, a tribute to the great artists who have informed the Swedish duo’s sound.

For us here at State, the festival summer is definitely going to start the weekend of May 11th and 12th, when the Meteor Camden Crawl Dublin takes over a number of venues in the city. The first few names were announced last month, but now we’re delighted to bring you the full line-up:
Friday…
Jape,