The Sigla Blog

I was really interested in Amanda Delevan’s post about politicians wives blogging for a couple of reasons. Firstly she reminded me of that term blog widow. My other half is more of an internet widower because of the sigla site, with the blog being just one arm of it. I find myself (usually on the […]

Finally a decent festival line-up for Ireland has been announced. This year’s Electric Picnic happening in September in Stradbally, Co. Laois boasts an amazing line-up. I’m totally over-excited at the thoughts of Nick Cave, Kraftwerk, The Flaming Lips, Mr. Scruff and - gasp - The Human League all on the same bill (imagine seeing ‘Fascination’ […]

Red Bridge Compilation
Various (Risc Records) ***
The opening song on a compilation can often be the benchmark against which all the other tracks are measured. Given the range of styles and tempos on parade here, it wouldn’t be fair to do so, but Betamax Format’s ‘Nothing With A Face Is Safe’ is an inspired opener. A […]

Ambulance Ltd
Ambulance Ltd ****
At last a new band from New York that are actually doing something that most of its contemporaries aren’t. Ambulance Ltd. sound more Manchester than Manhattan and by that we mean more like the Smiths than the Happy Mondays. They rock out in a way the Smiths never did, but ‘Ophelia’ owes […]

There’s never a shortage of live music in Dublin, but live music that’s worth venturing out to see is rarer still. That said I’m very pleasantly surprised by the amount of things worth going to over the next few days.
First up are one of my new favourite bands Betamax Format who play instore in Tower […]

A couple of weeks back on Sigla, Stuart Clarke, Assistant Editor of Hot Press told us his Top 10 album sleeves of all time. I think he made some great choices (the Grace Jones one is inspired) and I’ve been wracking my brain ever since to come up with my own favourites. First of […]

I know I’m using chronic busyness as an excuse for not posting this week (well, that and a clunky old mac I had to work on this week, which would wheeze and collapse if I had more than two browsers and Word open). For another reason, it was a bad week to be working full-time […]

Seeing as it’s Grand National day and I’ve always had a flutter, I thought I’d jump
online and have a flutter. Managed to back Forest Gunner to win (It’d be great to see a female jockey win for the first time) and stick an each way bet on Colonel Rayburn. Then I remembered that over the […]

In 2004, Virago reissued most of Molly Keane’s back catalogue to coincide with the centenary of her birth. The introductions to three of them - Good Behaviour, Loving and Giving and Time After Time - are written by Marian Keyes, Michèle Roberts and Emma Donoghue respectively. If the quality of writer Keane has influenced is […]

Crazy week this week, so only getting to post this now. Thought the Big Bite on Tuesday with bloggers was quite interesting. Some good points raised all round by Richard Delevan, Mick Fealty of Slugger O’Toole, Jon Ihle, Gavin Sheridan and Caoimhe Burke. Great to see Blather on there as well and particularly that Sue […]

Phantom Buffalo
Shishimumu ****
The band-formerly-known as Pony return with a new name, a great album and some of the best artwork you’re ever likely to see on a CD cover. Based on Shishimumu, no American band does the chameleon thing as well as these guys. On the folk hush of ‘Golden Finish’, Jonathan Balzano-Brookes’ vocals […]

Monade
A Few Steps More ****
If you were wondering what happened to Stereolab, their chanteuse Laetitia Sadier returns with her own flock to put you out of your misery. Away from the Stereolab stable, her Gallic charm is more pronounced on this loungey collection. The songs are sung in French and with an array of […]