Martha Buckley

‘The Next Chapter’ is the latest offering from Connla who hail from the cities of Armagh and Derry. It’s an album where panache, energy, and style abound and it needs to be listened to with the same care and attention that has so obviously gone into its production. 

Run these Hills is an album of soaring instrumentation and insistent rhythms, conjuring thoughts of long summers and holding hands.  It’s nostalgic post-teen pop for a generation in need of a boost; a perfect dose of optimism for grey days.

The East Pointers return to Uffington where an enthusiastic audience were ready to take to the floor in a set featuring the old and new and a few surprises. They certainly lifted the spirits of any that were dampened by the wet weather outside.

On The East Pointers latest album, they blend the unexpected and traditional, ‘What We Leave Behind’ is certainly a breath of fresh air that blows straight from Eastern Canada.

With passion, respect, and immense musical talent, Shake the Chains have created a powerful and inspiring album, which deserves to be heard on the streets as well as indoors.  Listen, sing, and go and change the world.

The Routes Quartet live up to their liner notes by using all of the possible tones and textures of a string quartet. A deceptively simple album that is carried off with a real feel for the music. It’s a truly cathartic listen.

All We Have is Now is the latest offering from Elephant Sessions and with tunes that rely on polish as much as on pace, they are certainly not standing still in the race to create the next defining sound for folk music.

A Delicate Game is a confident debut album from the Top Floor Taivers, four talented musicians with voices to match from Scotland, Ireland and England. The album will be toured nationwide in May/June 2017.

Steamchicken are a band with attitude, and their latest offering, ‘Look Both Ways’ is a great example of their energy and style. The whole album positively fizzes with technical ability and joy.

Monster Ceilidh Band are no strangers to experimentation, and with Mutation, they continue to demonstrate a great talent for producing innovative yet accessible music. They have created an album full of head-banging, glowstick-waving energy – and it’s epic.

For their latest album, Tricks of the Trade, Dipper Malkin weave a veritable tapestry of sound that honours a long tradition, whilst adding the golden thread of the unexpected.

Afterlight is an assured and confident first album for Ímar. Their verve and energy combined with the sense of the lively interplay between band-members leaves you with the impression that this group is going to be a lot of fun to follow.