Irish at SXSW

Great showing from Irish bands at SXSW this year

Halves - Medals



Fighting With Wire - Everyone Needs A Nemesis



So Cow - To Do List

And So I Watching You From Afar - Set Guitars To Kill

Enjoy, more detailed junk later!

Songs about rain or with rain in the title

It's pissing outside. This is Galway. That's what happens here.

The Pogues - A Rainy Night In Soho

Bob Dylan - Shelter From The Storm

Prince - Purple Rain

New Vampire Weekend Pt. 3

The first new Vampire Weekend tune we heard that would be on the new Album Contra was White Sky, pretty good but a weak live recoring, then the first single Horchata which was brilliant! A good live version of Cousins dropped the other day which was very exciting and then this morning I got my hands on the studio version, not a leak or anything it's out today. The quality's iTunes-ish so no radio/club play for it yet but that's cos I haven't gotten out of bed yet and bought the single in the music shop downstairs. For the moment, this is Cousins, from Contra which will be out January 12th

Vampire Weekend - Cousins (Link taken down at request of record label)

College radio

I started out my (still short but getting there) radio "career" on college radio in Galway in a lovely little thrown together station called Flirt fm. It was, and still is run my two paid staff and over 100 volunteers and you're guaranteed to hear some damn fine music no matter when you tune in. For a station run by amateurs it's gone some excellent broadcasting and is always worth a listen. Quite a few of Galway's top DJ's have shows at night on the themed evenings, Monday is rock and metal, Tuesday has Indie, Wednesday is Leftfield, Thursday is Electronic/Techno treats and Friday brings hip hop and soul, all underground, all well thought out by people who really give a shit about their music and most importantly all good.

I had a listen in this morning and despite fumbling with mics and some awkward silences the entertainment was still there and the playlisted music is the finest you're going to hear on the airwaves, put together every month by Paula Healy, station manager. I was on Flirt for just over a year, trying my hand at as many shows as I could, talking a shocking amount of nonsense and at least once going straight from a summer beach party to the breakfast show at 8a.m. All of the playlists are on the website (flirtfm.ie) and looking back over the playlists during my time there I got tad nostalgic.

Here are a few of the gems I would never have heard if I hadn't been in there (as a first year college student I was still hanging on to my RAWK!!! roots, going to Cuba nightclub for a fix of AC/DC, Rage Against The Machine and Foo Fighters) It was being exposed to a lot of this "indie" stuff that forced me to broaden my horizons.

Common ft. Lily Allen - Drivin' Me Wild

Battles - Atlas

Vampire Weekend - Bryn

And a few I played a lot of at the time for whatever reason

Alabama 3 - Mao Tse Tung Said (Radio K Edit)

King Missile - Jesus Was Way Cool

Messiah J And The Expert - When The Bull Gores The Matador

Playlist for Sunday November 15th

I got listenership figures for the show on Thursday, absolutely delighted, I can't belive that thousands of people would tune into a show on a Sunday evening that in reality is a complete mess! No features, no structure, just loads of music that you won't hear on Irish radio. So thanks to everyone for listening!

Lot to be said for ignoring Lady Gaga For three hours. Or completely. Just a thought.

Before I continue, I have bads news for anyone who hadn't heard. First off Baria Qureshi, guitarist and keyboard player with The XX (Weds 16th Dec in Roisin Dubh) has quit the band citing exhaustion, they will continue as a three piece.

And in much sadder news Jerry Fuchs, drummer with !!! and touring drummer with MSTRKRFT and LCD Soundsystem died last week after falling down an elevator shaft after a party. If you never heard !!! check them out. A fucking excellent band.

Vitalic - One Above One
The Drums - Saddest Summer
Blk Jks - Molalatladi
Tegan And Sara - Alligator
Boat - Lately
Biffy Clyro - Booooooooooom, Blast And Ruin
Cold Cave - Life Magazine
Port O Brien - Oslo Campfire
Sleigh Bells - Infinity Guitars
Blakroc - Ain't Nothing Like You
Norah Jones - Chasing Pirates
Surfer Blood - Floating Vibes
Beat! Beat! Beat! - Fireworks
Arms - Tiger Tamer
Band On An Island - Back Disco
Suckers - Afterthoughts And TV
Vampire Weekend - Horchata
Major Lazer ft. Ricky Blaze & Nina Sky - Keep It Going Louder (Diplo Remix)
Yeasayer - Ambling Alp
Nakatomi Towers - Cut Me Out
Thom Yorke - Hearing Damage
Wyclef Jean - Warriors Anthem
Au Revoir Simone - Another Likely Story (Aeroplane Remix)
Brakes - Heard About Your Band
The Swell Season - Low Rising
Karen O - All Is Love
The Drums - Let's Go Surfing
CFCF - Monolith
The Mother Hips - White Falcon Fuzz
Marina And The Diamonds - Mowgli's Road
Fuck Buttons - Lisbon Maru
Slayer - Hate Worldwide
Flight Of The Conchords - Sugalumps
Hot Chip - Take It In
Blakroc - Hoochie Coo
The Raveonettes - last Dance
Biffy Clyro - The Captain
Frightened Rabbit - Swim Until You Can't See Land
The Name - Come Out Tonight
Cold War Kids - Audience Of One
Death Cab For Cutie - Meet Me On The Equinox

Blk Jks are from South Africa, their album After Robots is out now

Blk Jks - Molalatladi

Wyclef Jean of The Fugees has a new solo album called From The Hut, To The Projects, To The Mansion which got me thinking about tunes like 911 and Gone Til November, remember? Cracking tunes!

Wyclef Jean - Warrior's Anthem

Port O Brien's third album Threadbare is out now

Port O Brien - Oslo Campfire

Blak Roc is a new hip hop project from bluesey dudes Black Keys featuring Raekwon, RZA & (the late) Ol Dirty Bastard from Wu Tang Clan, Mos Def, Jim Jones and laods more big names. This is the first single, the album will be out Nov. 27th

Blak Roc - Hoochie Coo

This is a little Foals-ey for my liking, but it got me thinking about Foals, apparently they've just gone back into the studio to mix their second album and will choose which tracks to use based on crowd reaction at live gigs

Beat! Beat! Beat! - Fireworks

New Hot Chip! It's going to be on the album One Life Stand which is due out next February

Hot Chip - Take It In

I flipping love Frightened Rabbit, I reckon The Twist is one of the best tracks of the past 10 years. They'll be playin in Galway 4th and 5th of December, supporting Modest Mouse for Roisin Dubh presents ... in the Radisson Live Lounge. The Scots are set to release The Winter Of Mixed Drinks in March next year, for the moment this will serve as a taster to ...Mixed Drinks (!!)

Frightened Rabbit - Swim Until You Can't See Land

Some new stuff from Cold War Kids, their E.P Behave Yourself is out January 19th

Cold War Kids - Audience Of One

As ever if you've any music to suggest for the show I'd love to hear from you joshclarke@iradio.ie

Bitta Tashte

Lazing on a Sunday afternoon. Pack of smokes. Cup of tea. Newspaper. Getting the radio show ready. Lovely!

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

Indie Christmas #2

Much like certain shopping centres, carbonated beverage companies and national postal services I'm thinking ahead this Christmas. Last year I put together an hour of Have Yourself An Indie Merry Christmas on the radio show. I want to go full three hours of funny takes on Christmas songs.

Here are a few of my favourites so far, I'll be on the look out for loads more over the next few weeks and I'd love some help, if you find anything drop me a link on the comments, on joshclarke@iradio.ie or on the facebook pages

The Revolvers - Last Christmas

Polyphonic Spree - Happy Christmas (War Is Over)

Twisted Sister - Oh Come All Ye Faithful