Blog: State Magazine

Folk-pop upstarts and bona fide Face of 2013 Hudson Taylor will be headlining one of this year's Bulmers Live at Leopardstown gigs. Alfie and Harry Hudson-Taylor take the stage next Thursday (20th June) and will air favourites from their EPs, Battles and Cinematic Lifestyle , as well as some numbers from their upcoming debut album in what will be a can't-miss for fans of classic melodic pop. We at State have two sets of four tickets to give away. To be in with a chance of winning a set [...]

For two producers who had no interest in electronic music, and in a recent interview commented that only a few years ago they thought “dance music was all shit”, Disclosure 's Guy (22) and Howard (19) Lawrence have set a very high standard for themselves with the string of hits that have preceded their debut album, Settle . Over the last three years, the brothers have fully embraced dance music of the last three decades. Making up for lost time, they have seemingly devoured influences from UK garage to Chicago house and have fused the sounds of their [...]

Director: Zack Snyder Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner Running Time: 143 minutes Certificate: 12A Release Date: June 14 Considered by many the father of the modern superhero—though having debuted in 1938, grandfather is probably more apt—the fact that Superman stories have consistently depended on a father/son relationship for their emotional core has always made for a particularly neat fit. It proved a contentious point in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns , as the perennial son became a first time father. Contentious, but [...]

Lethal Dialect will perform at axis: Ballymun on 21st June in anticipation of his upcoming album, 1988 . The Dublin rapper will perform a mix of material and preview tracks from the new album that his currently recording at axis. The former Paul Alwright has been working with producer Jackknife-J on the new album and recently released the video to the first cut from the album, '13 'til Infinity'. Tickets for the gig cost €5 and are available from the axis: Ballymun website.

A State favourite since they appeared in our Faces Of 2012, July 5th sees Come On Live Long release their debut album Everything Fall . We're delighted to report that it more than matches our expectations, something proved by new single 'Mountains' which you can listen to below. The band launch the album at Whelan's on the day after release.

Sigur Rós' latest album, Kveikur , comes out this Friday but is now available to stream on their website . The Icelandic post-rockers and recent Simpsons guest stars have also released the video for latest single 'Brennisteinn',which is directed by Andrew Huang and embedded below. As previously announced, the band will perform at The O2, Dublin on 16th November, with tickets priced at €40 and available from Ticketmaster .

Oxfordshire's Stornoway have announced a date at the Button Factory on 3rd December. The indie-folk quartet will be playing in support of their second album, Tales from Terra Firma , with tickets priced at €16. Tickets go on sale this Friday (14th June) and will be available from Ticketmaster and all the usual outlets.

Nothing out of the ordinary for Tracyanne Campbell and co. Sticking to a formula that quite clearly works, and welcomingly reminiscent of classics like 'Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken' and 'French Navy', with 'This Is Love' and 'Troublemaker' creating instantly memorable hooks. Following on from the 31-second intro to this album, the opening minute of Desire Lines sets the happy, jazzy and upbeat tone for the entire album. Camera Obscura kind of disappeared off the planet following the 2009 release of My Maudlin Career , but they’re back with this blissfully [...]

“For me, our life has always been similar to a solar eclipse; it will all eventually line up but it's really just a waiting game”... Tera Melos’ X’ed Out has swiftly become a favorite since its release in April. From tracks like ‘New Chlorine’ to ‘Tropic Lame’, its gorgeous riffs, complex rhythms and sweet harmonies makes it a strong contender for album of the year. Maybe a bold statement but it is just so uplifting, complex and yet catchy. We were lucky enough to get a few words with frontman Nick Reinhardt. [...]

One of State's Faces of 2013, Inni-K is currently performing a series of concerts in people's houses across Ireland. This innovative gigging has her touring not just all over the country but also looking at potential concerts in Berlin and New York to coincide with some trips she has planned there. On a sunny Saturday evening in June she called in to the house of State art director Simon Roche and his housemate Dani in Portobello, Dublin 6. Friends gathered, Pimms was served and they were all treated to a beautifully intimate gig in the front room. If [...]

One of the most consistently impressive indie labels in the country, Out On A Limb is to celebrate its tenth birthday with a pair of shows in its hometown of Limerick. Both taking place on 10th August, a matinee run Seoda Shows – will take place at Bourke’s Bar on Catherine Street, featuring Owensie, Hidden Highways and Peter Delaney. Later that evening Dolan's Warehouse will play host to windings (pictured), Crayonsmith, Elk and Jogging, plus a one off performance from giveamanakick. Tickets priced €10 cover entry to both venues. Please note that capacity at Bourkes is [...]

One of a number of notable outdoor events on the Northern Irish calender, 2013 will see the Tennent's Vital festival expand to three days for the first time. Joining the already announced Kings Of Leon / The Vaccines (Aug 14th) and Snow Patrol / Kodaline (15th) is a dance bill on 16th. We're none too fussed about headliner Avicii but are certainly tempted by the combination of Tinie Tempah and Rudimental (pictured). Ticket Information Wed 14 August – Kings of Leon, The Vaccines plus more to be announced: £49.50 incl booking [...]

The weekend saw The Who return once again, this time to revisit their classic Quadropehnia album at the O2 in Dublin. State's Paulo Gonçalves was up front and centre.

Who are you and where are you from? We are Fuck Buttons from Worcester growing up, and who live in London as adults (Benjamin John Power) Who are your favourite artists from your hometown? Mike Paradinas who runs the Planet Mu label is from Worcester. Also, Edward Elgar (BP) I would have liked to have seen Murder of Rosa Luxemburg before they split (Andrew Hung) What’s it really like touring? Not as debauched as most people's Mother would think (BP) [...]

The Who | Odyssey, Belfast (6:30pm, 10th June ) | €59.50-69.50 Their generation probably won't make it to the gig, but you can! Duke Special | Whelan's, Dublin (8pm, 10th June ) | €12 Peter Wilson returns to Dublin. FIDLAR | Academy 2, Dublin (7pm, 12th June ) | €14 LA party-punks plan on tearing up Middle Abbey Street. Mastadon | Academy, Dublin [...]

Director: M. Night Shyamalan Cast: Jaden Smith, Will Smith, Zoe Kravitz, Sophie Okonedo Running Time: 100 minutes Certificate: 12A Release Date: June 7 In the distant future, mankind is living on a far-off planet after Earth has become uninhabitable. On a routine intergalactic mission, a ship crashes on planet Earth (what are the odds?). The only survivors are decorated soldier Cypher Raige (Will Smith) and his son Katai (Jaden Smith). Since Cypher is injured, it’s up to Katai to travel the 100km to find the rescue beacon. [...]

Director: Ed Gass-Donnelly Cast: Ashley Bell, Julia Garner, Spencer Treat Clark, David Jensen, Tarra Riggs Running time: 88 min Certificate: 15A Release: June 7 The Last Exorcism 2 is pretty bad. Remember Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 ? Remember The Grudge 2 ? Remember The Grudge 3 , actually? It's about as bad as those. The first film was a low-budget sleeper hit, and deservedly so. Horror films aren't usually so formally interesting, and Ashley Bell reportedly did all her own writhing. The [...]

This is the final part of our Primavera Sound 2013 review - parts one and two . Day three begins with a pact to massage the head and turn the dial down a notch, so we set up camp from 4pm in the 3,000 capacity Rockdelux Auditori, the indoor concert space in the spectacular triangular building that also houses the Natural History Museum. The darkened auditorium with its melt-in seats and pin-drop acoustics is the perfect setting as Pantha du Prince & the Bell Laboratory coax every last goosebump off our [...]

Some shadows are particularly difficult to escape. If you happen to be a folksy troubadour with a penchant for soul-searching and you call the American Midwest home, good luck avoiding Bon Iver comparisons. If you’re Chris Porterfield, things are that little bit trickier. Field Report , the brainchild of Porterfield (and a cute anagram) is a project tethered to its leader’s past, Porterfield having cut his teeth in now-defunct Wisconsin outfit DeYarmond Edison, itself led by one Justin Vernon. It’s not exactly fair that Vernon should play a role – albeit an indirect one – in Field Report’s narrative, [...]

With so many festivals adopting a grab-all approach towards their line ups it’s refreshing to see Life Festival sticking to a theme and curating a bill that offers some old favourites while giving lesser known talents a share of the light. Now in its eighth year on the stately lakeside grounds of Belvedere House in Westmeath, the electronic music festival has found its niche as the go to outing for dance-heads. The setting and layout of the stages gives proceedings a laid-back feel which is missing at larger festivals and also means the more ambient and [...]