NO ENCORE

Too often accused of 'hating The Beatles', Dave sets out to prove once and for all... that Yesterday is a complete shambles of a cinematic enterprise.  Norma and Higgs are also present with their own hot takes on the Danny Boyle / Richard Curtis musical train-wreck that quite a lot of people flocked to in the summer of 2019. ACT ONE: What We've Been Watching including emotive arthouse affairs, can...

Let's get emotional.  NO ENCORE is back with a stacked agenda in the form of a devastating Top 5 face-off, the first Bright Eyes album in almost a decade and the absolute STATE of the Irish government... ACT ONE: Craig's got mail. ACT TWO [8:46]: Confusion reigns over the status of small Irish gigs in the time of Covid-19 and the government really isn't helping. Dave chats with Vinny Casey of The...

Dave is proud of that top five moniker but will he be as happy when the actual rundown occurs? Only one way to find out, dear listener, as NO ENCORE returns for a brand new episode set against a backdrop of a ferocious dead heat. ACT ONE [4:51]: A whimsical news section takes in the American Song Contest, yet more problematic concert gatherings, Nick Cave addressing cancel culture, Lewis Capaldi c...

NO ENCORE does the 'movies and music' blender mix again as Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams do their utmost to pay respect to the most beloved European knockout music competition there's ever been. Dave, Higgs and Norma may be a touch less enamoured. We'll see. ACT ONE: What We've Been Watching featuring about 10 minutes on Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy because that never goes out of style. Sp...

Summer? Autumn? Who the hell knows. Whatever the weather, NO ENCORE is here. Another stacked edition on the cards as Dave Hanratty and Craig Fitzpatrick review Fontaines D.C.'s latest attempt at making the best guitar album ever made before clashing with gusto over their shouts for most intriguing music-based rivalries and feuds... POD HERE ACT ONE [8:29]: News-based items of interest. ACT TWO [22...

We did it guys, we made it through July! Take a moment, celebrate. Then listen to our latest episode, which is a joyous affair.  Dave and Craig throw down on the apparently literally perfect new Taylor Swift album and then duke it out Top 5-style with a whole host of strange link-ups; good, bad and very, very ugly.  ACT ONE [5:39]: Coronavirus continues to have its way with the NO ENCORE news sect...

It's the weekend, it's NO ENCORE. Maybe it's the weekday. Up to you when you choose to listen, really. This week, Dave and Craig mull over a fresh top five that finds them slaughtering acts they generally adore or at the very least admire quite a bit. There's also a jam-packed news section and an album review. Stacked, so it is... ACT ONE [4:12]: Loads of music news including the Mercury Prize nom...

It's been a while, as yer man from Staind once warbled. NO ENCORE's music x movies spin-off comes in from the cold as Dave Hanratty, David Higgins and Norma Howard return with thoughts on two biopic-type efforts; Control and 24 Hour Party People . Both focus on the rise and fall of Joy Division, while also making considerable room for the wider 'Madchester' scene of the 70s and 80s.  Which film be...

The boys are back in town remotely as Dave Hanratty and Craig Fitzpatrick reconvene after a couple of weeks of rotating co-hosts. Reunited and it feels so good, et cetera.  On the NO ENCORE agenda this week? Why, the definitive, ironclad, undisputed Best Irish Albums of All Time, our shouts for the finest non-English language songs out there and the return of Rufus Wainwright. ACT ONE [2:51] : A p...

Sure, the NO ENCORE massive has been clamouring for a Craig Fitzpatrick solo joint, but you’re going to have to wait a bit longer.  A far more appealing prospect, in truth, is the appearance of Bandwagons co-host (and all-round top-tier social media-r) Fionnuala Jones on the second mic. She’s packing her trademark positive vibes and infectious energy (and it’s kinda needed!) as the pair navigate t...

"I'll try and get next week's episode down to an hour-and-a-half," Dave said. So much for that as NO ENCORE returns with another epic voyage. Craig sits this one out to celebrate his birthday and so the dulcet tones of Zara Hedderman return with the co-host assist. Together, she and Dave detail their best (Zara) and worst (Dave) songs by siblings in this week's Top 5 smackdown. Before that, Ailbhe...

NO ENCORE returns with an absolutely packed episode for your weekend. Or week day. It's up to you when you tune in, really.  This week, we look at the recently published Gender Disparity Data Report , which asks serious questions of Irish radio and women's airplay status thereof. David Tapley of Tandem Felix fame joins us on the co-host beat, the new Bob Dylan album is up for discussion (crazy art...

In the words of Antonio Banderas in the ludicrous Desperado ... let's play. In honour of a major release, Dave and Craig get involved in all things video game music for this week's top five face-off. Tis an energetic one, and there's even a special guest.  Elsewhere, we hear from musician and healthcare professional Jamie Adam as the 'when are gigs coming back?' horizon continues to look quite blu...

Another week, another edition of NO ENCORE. Lockdown begins to ease but there's no let-up for Dave as an old foe seizes the opportunity for inspired revenge. Elsewhere, the boys get into the new Run the Jewels record and mourn the loss of this year's UEFA European Football Championship by scouring the globe for the strangest songs that concern the beautiful game... ACT ONE: The preamble bit where...

Hello to you, NO ENCORE listener. First up, some important links to consider this week and beyond: SUPPORTING BLACK LIVES MATTER FROM IRELAND: https://bit.ly/2MueOp9   THIS LAND documentary, directed by Bobby Zithelo: https://bit.ly/2XxhaKi   Email Fine Gael Ministers to call for an end to Direct Provision: https://bit.ly/3gZh9GH   This week, you'll hear from Max Zanga of Tebi Rex and MuRli of Rus...

The long weekend descends as your NO ENCORE duo head underground for one of their deepest and oddest of Top 5 dives yet. We also turn our critical gaze upon a talked-about trio from Limerick to see if their chilly post-punk will soundtrack our summer.  ACT ONE: Craig dials in from a land with no water supply, Dave’s winningly lubricated… it’s our weekly catch-up.  ACT TWO [2:42]: Gigs are returnin...

Let them fight. Welcome back to NO ENCORE's movies-and-music hybrid as Dave Hanratty, David Higgins and Norma Howard reunite remotely for another exciting NO POPCORN. It's a mammoth episode, this one - all hail Sonic Architect Adam and his unerring patience - as we compare and contrast two epic titans from 2007 in the form of There Will Be Blood and, deep breath, The Assassination of Jesse James b...

It's the goddamn weekend and NO ENCORE is here to tap you on the shoulder in a socially-distant fashion and ask if you want to talk about music. You do? Awesome, let's go!  This week, Dave and Craig review the brand new album from pop titans The 1975, make the case for pop songs they think should have been number one the world over, and rejoice at Spotify's newest addition... ACT ONE: High drama a...

Another week of lockdown crawls to an end as the NO ENCORE boys signal the weekend. Rejoice. This week, Dave and Craig scrape the bottom of the written word barrel as they line up their shouts for worst lyrics in the latest top five face-off. There's a busy news section, too, not to mention a legitimately unique album review. Support NO ENCORE on Patreon: patreon.com/noencore   ACT ONE [3:13]: Lit...

Full disclosure: annoyingly, the headline ‘ Brian May Hospitalised After Tearing Buttock Muscles While Gardening’  broke after we recorded. Who’s to say whether we would have mentioned it, right? Fuller disclosure: we temporarily drop a show section… but pick up a beloved special guest! Fullest disclosure: Craig’s cheery prediction that “maybe this episode will come in at about 45 minutes” proved...

IT'S THE SUMMER~! Get in! Seriously, stay in.  NO ENCORE returns with a week of mostly no coronavirus-related news items, Car Seat Headrest's vague attempt to leap to the mainstream and a string of summer songs that should - mostly - lift the spirits. ACT ONE: General chatter.  ACT TWO [5:55]: News! We've got a high-profile TV firing, talk of a major pop reunion, awkward mix-ups and the future of...

Oh, brother. It's a big one as the NO POPCORN team of Hanratty, Higgins and Howard re-convene to shine a light on the genuinely incredible BROS: AFTER THE SCREAMING STOPS . A documentary on par with Metallica: Some Kind of Monster and This Is Spinal Tap sees two brothers warring with each other and their own colossal, bruised egos as a race against time ticks down in the background. Truly jaw-drop...

Back at it for another week as Dave and Craig indulge in some highly cathartic critical takedowns of critical gushing. That's right, this week's top five is all about slaying some sacred cows. Figuratively speaking, of course.  There's also the small - perhaps related? - matter of the new Fiona Apple to consider... ACT ONE: Your faithful 'Hey, it's barely a preamble anymore!' preamble. ACT TWO [5....

Your NO ENCORE listening experience returns following a nice long weekend in which we holidayed to other rooms of the house. Exotic stuff. This week, Craig tries to rein himself in while discussing The Strokes, Dave visits Sweden via the magic of video calling, and there's a top five deep dive with brevity at the forefront... ACT ONE [5:45]: News, featuring various hot takes on Covid-19, further c...

The episode in which Dave was like, come on into the realms of studio-quality audio, dear co-host, the high fidelity’s lovely. Yes – Craigy’s got a brand new mic ( thanks Patreon peeps !) and he’s back to his velvety best after previous eps chatting into his phone through a pop shield made of old tights. With your dynamic duo still social distancing but sounding like they’re back in the one room t...