The Point of Everything

Cork DJ Stevie G has seen and done it all over the years, from the Donkey's Ears and Sir Henry's in Cork back in the day to still pushing things forward with his dance show with Andrea Williams which blew festivals away this summer. He's one of the most enthusiastic, positive and get-on-with-it people I know in music - so I thought he'd be the perfect guest for TPOE 100. We talk about his journey,...

Limerick act Anna's Anchor aka Marty Ryan and friends have just released second album Everybody's Welcome. It's a masterclass in what's proving to be a burgeoning Irish pop punk scene. Released on the UK independent label Failure By Design Records, the album was written in isolation in a cottage which Ryan rented for ten days over Christmas 2016/17 at Tragumna Beach in Cork. It deals with a pletho...

Concluding a discussion begun in TPOE 96 with Orla Gartland and TPOE 97 with Conor and Ben, we delve into David Kitt's comments about feeling forced to move away from Dublin and what's next for artists as the housing crisis continues. We talk to Sean aka Kobina, an electronic artist living in Amsterdam about why he moved, if he misses Dublin, the differences in renting there, and if he's coming ba...

Continuing our discussion from TPOE 96, about 'The David Kitt Story', we talk to two Irish artists living in Berlin, Ben Connolly from All The Luck In The World and Conor Cusack, a member of Spies and manager of Tandem Felix and Saint Sister. Why did they feel like they had to leave Ireland, why did they choose Berlin, how does the rent differ over in Germany, and do they see themselves coming bac...

David Kitt caused quite a stir when he revealed he feels he's being forced out of Dublin due to the high rents and escalating cost of the city. I thought it's something that's worthy of delving into further, so for the next couple of podcasts I'll be talking to artists in Dublin and who have left, discussing why they left, how they feel Dublin is at the moment, and if where they're living now is b...

Fresh from releasing two new tunes in 'Take The Wheel' (featuring Paul Noonan from Bell X1) and 'In My Darkest Moments' (feat. The Sei aka Stace Gill), Dublin-based producer Daithi talks about making his most personal music to date, the creative process behind it, the art of collaboration and what's next.

Ena Brennan is very in demand at the moment, both with her own solo stuff as Dowry, playing with Tandem Felix and composing music for the likes of Paddy Hanna, among others. We talked about how the looped violin sounds of Dowry came about, improvisation, her increasingly busy schedule and what's next. Rate and subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-point-of-everything/id10328...

Danny Carroll, one third of the band Shrug Life, is also one of the minds behine A Litany Of Failures: Volume II, an ambitious 18-track compilation of new music by independent bands from across the country. Aimed at providing a diverse document of often overlooked music from around the country, the compilation features new tracks from indie-pop acts such as No Monster Club and Dott as well as risi...

During Cork Midsummer, I moderated a panel with Joe Kelly, Live at St Lukes / It Takes A Village Ashley Keating, The Frank and Walters / Cork Opera House Angela Dorgan, First Music Contact / Cork Loves Music We talked about the Cork scene in general, some of the issues facing it (venues! Audiences (or lack thereof)!) and other bits and pieces affecting the industry in Ireland. It was a really fun...

"This is the most personally involved I've been in a thing. It's taken over my life more than anything I've ever done before." Ahead of In Clouds, a new immersive, collaborative piece of music theatre, premiering at Cork Midsummer, I talked to director and co-composer Peter Power and author Sara Baume about the work and what they're hoping to achieve with it. Specially commissioned by Triskel Arts...

Paddy Hanna has released one of the albums of the year in Frankly, I Mutate, out on Strange Brew. He sits down to chat about his recent trip to Primavera, the changes mentally, physically and musically that have led to his stellar second solo album, how Daniel Fox (Girl Band) and Ena Brennan (Dowry) were key to its creation and wall of sound, and what's next for Hanna.

Having just released Live at Unitarian Church, recorded, pressed and released in about a month for Record Store Day 2018, Cathy Davey discusses how the show went, why she wanted to do a live recording, her creative process, looking back at her career thus far and why she needs to keep writing and making music, and what's next

Karen Sheridan aka Slow Skies has just released her debut album, Realign. It's a really great, immersive listen. We talked about her journey since the first Slow Skies music was released in 2013, writer's block, and the difficulties of creativity.

It's the annual TPOE festivals preview. Zara Hedderman is back to talk about past experiences, the best festivals at home and abroad, and we run through the lineups for the good, bad and ugly acts. There's also an Oxegen story or two in there... Burning questions discussed: Is Primavera the best festival around? Is the August bank holiday weekend - with All Together Now, Indiependence and Castlepa...

TPOE 86: Donal Dineen (live at It Takes A Village) by The Point Of Everything

Super Extra Bonus Party returned after a few years hiatus at the end of 2017 with the brilliant new track 'Switzerland'. Think of it as SEBP 2.0 - Gavin Elsted (Adultrock) is singing on the track, a first for them. I sat down with Gav and Cormac for a chat ahead of their first Dublin headline show at Bello Bar on May 12. We discussed why the time was right to get back together, how their tracks ar...

Shane Dunne has turned Indiependence from a very small town affair in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, into one of the best and most consistent festivals in the country. He talks about how it was done and the constant struggle of staging such an event and how it's changed, and continues to change over the year. He also discusses Music Cork, an industry showcase that takes place April 25-27, why it's importa...

Limerick band Zombia Picnic have released one of the best rock albums of the year in Rise of a New Ideology. I talk to drummer Brendan Miller about creating a second album, prog rock, the Limerick scene, and politics. "Six related tracks of progressive instrumental experimentation, Rise of a New Ideology aims to bring you on a journey, accompanied by the thoughts and ideas of Issac Asimov, Bill Mo...

Zara Hedderman, former reviews editor at State.ie, joins to talk about the demise of State and NME, how tricky live reviews can be, negative reviews, if podcasts are the new in-depth features and critiques, and the general health of the Irish music writing landscape in 2018. You can follow Zara on Twitter @zara_hedderman

Joe Kelly has been involved in plenty of projects down the years in Cork, from Sir Henry's to the Bodega to the Pavilion and currently Live at St Luke's. With Ed O'Leary and their promo company The Good Room, they're behind the inaugural It Takes a Village festival, which is on in Trabolgan, east Cork, from April 13-15. Headlined by Young Fathers and Andrew Weatherall, the weekend features Altered...

Galway-based musician Brigid Mae Power released her second album, The Two Worlds, on Tompkins Square at the start of February - it's safe to say it's one of the albums of the year. A powerful listen, Power's stunning voice and delivery stand out. We talked ahead of a UK/Ireland tour in March and April, discussing whether her son thinks what she does is cool, tips to stave off sickness, her (not) '...

It's the second annual Choice Music Prize Preview pod with 98FM's Totally Irish presenter John Barker. We go in depth on the 10 nominees for the best Irish album of the year, try to pick our favourite and predict who will win. The shortlist: Come On Live Long - In The Still (self released) Marlene Enright - Placemats and Second Cuts (self released) Fangclub – Fangclub (Universal) Lankum - Between...

Ahead of the release of his new album Yous and the Choice Prize ceremony where his other project New Jackson is up for album of the year 2017, and a day after his performance at Quarter Block Party, David Kitt sat down for a chat about making the new record, why it was released for a week and then taken back, how New Jackson has changed his ways of thinking and recording, and lots more. Including...

Emma Langford self-released her debut album, Quiet Giant, in October 2017, subsequently embarking on a month-long trek of Germany and Switzerland. She talks about how she recorded the album, how the tour went, fitting it all in with writing a thesis, the importance of shining a light on women in music and the arts, her (extensive) plans for 2018 - and being named Limerick Person of the Month for J...

Danny Denton, a Cork writer, has just released his debut novel, The Earlie King and the Kid in Yellow, via Granta Books. We chat about social media strategies, the Earlie King, rain, dystopia, writing itself and lots more. Note: We only briefly go deep into the book/plot itself so don't think of this as a spoiler interview - you can listen without having read the book. And hopefully you'll want to...