dublin

Premiere: The False and The Fair release ‘First Snow’, as part of a series of winter themed unplugged videos.

TMFTML are happy to premiere ‘First Snow’, the first in four part series of winter themed unplugged style videos from Dublin 4 piece The False and The Fair. Readers of the blog will be no strangers to the band as we covered their last single ‘Gone Tomorrow’, noting how well it showed off their eclectic songwriting style in comparison to previous their release ‘Bald Apes’ . ‘First Snow’ is another beautiful track which illustrates this quality perfectly.

Filmed in drummer Jacob Fry’s sitting room, the track starts off full of harmony between the guitars, vocals and bass with sparse percussion before kicking into an unexpected groove that carries the listener along the lyrical journey towards it’s close. It’s a brand new track written for the series. A new video will be released through their YouTube page each week for the rest of December and will include new arrangements of some old fan favourites.

Keep an eye out or subscribe here to make sure you don’t miss an episode. You can also keep up to date with The False and The Fair on:
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Dublin math/post rock bands come together to raise much needed funds for Dan Wild-Beesly(Cleft)


A group of Ireland’s best noise/prog/math/instrumental and post-rock bands are coming together to raise some much needed funds for Cleft guitarist Dan Wild-Beesley.

Dan is in need of potentially life saving surgery on two brain tumors that will cost upwards of £50,000. A lot of this sum has already been raised and Dublin musicians are uniting to do their bit to help raise the rest.

The lineup on the night includes Chancer, New Secret Weapon, Megacone, Vernon Jane, BiCurious and Mutefish so even if this wasn’t for a good cause it’s already a fantastic lineup to fill your Friday night with.

The gig is in The Bowery in Rathmines and the suggested donation is €7, more details can be found on the Facebook Event here.

If you can’t make the gig but still want to donate to Dan’s treatment you can visit his JustGiving page here. 

PREMIERE: Dublin loop junkies Chancer release new single ‘Streets of Ragel’

Dublin instrumentalists Chancer have released a brand new single from their forthcoming EP. ‘Streets of Ragel’ is a blistering bareknuckle ride, rapidly changing between the melodic and chaotic and delivering a beautiful string soaked thematic development throughout. At a hefty 6:19 seconds, it never loses pace and is constantly toying with dynamics and rhythmic oscillations, remaining interesting and engaging from start to finish.

The video for the track features Dublin aerial performer APolly Naria of Tribal Dance Studios performing a variety of high flying and technically impressive circus feats that really suits the accompanying music.

‘Streets of Ragel’ is available as a FREE DOWNLOAD now on Chancer’s Bandcamp page or at the link below.


Come help Chancer launch their new single in Sin É tonight alongside WOLFF and Markas Carcas and the Trail Gang. Entry is FREEEEEE and doors are at 8:30pm. See you in the front row!

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WOLFF are back with new single ‘Freak Like Me’

Wexford riffsmiths WOLFF are back with a brand new single ‘Freak Like Me’, their first release since their debut EP ‘Flesh, Blood, Skin and Bone’.

‘Freak Like Me’ is a return to form, chock full of headbanging trashy blues riffs and driven home by a pounding rhythm section. The verse sections lead you along a steady path before bursting into their catchiest chorus to date. It’s play on repeat goodness.

WOLLF have been hard at work over the last 2 years gathering a large swathe of followers and fans at home and abroad, with their music featuring on HBO, Fox Sports and Showtime to name a few. Lead singer Johnny Stewart’s regular vlogs into the processes behind the art are always a treat to watch.

The band are in the middle of a string of countrywide dates. Catch them next at Sin É this Friday at TMFTML Presents #004 alongside Chancer.

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TMFTML Presents #002 this Saturday with Sister Ghost, TFATF & Chinese Newspaper


Following on from last months packed out show, we’re back with an evening of face-melting, ear-ringing riffage to close out an amazing summer of music!

Headlining on the night are Belfast shock rockers Sister Ghost, purveyors of grizzly garage punk from the brain of lead singer Shannon O’Neill. Their live show is infectous and raucous, dripping in distortion but always underpinned with a catchy melody. Think Sonic Youth smashed together with The Distillers, recorded straight to a 4 track tape.

“Led by Shannon O’Neill, the outfit is rapidly becoming a must-see on the live circuit, and it’s no surprise given the ferocity and synchronicity with which Sister Ghost take to their instruments.” State Magazine

Support on the night comes from The False and the Fair and Chinese Newspaper.

Dublin based The False and The Fair are difficult to nail down. Their recorded output to date genre hops from psycedelic prog rock to alternative and even acoustic led folk. Their live show stitches this together to make a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Chock full of incredibly talented players, expect plenty of improvised sections and suprise transitions.

“There’s a lovely cross-over between late 60’s folk, psychedelia and alternative rock, the former courtesy of Love, the middle from Jefferson Airplane and the latter genre from The Doors. ”
– Remy

Chinese Newspaper are a 3 piece grunge/garage band from Navan. Fully embracing the DIY mentality has allowed them to be super prolific, self-recording and releasing 2 EPs and a string of singles in the short time they’ve been together. Solid solos and thundering drum lines create an energy thats impossible to ignore.

“Their most recent EP Spotless Mind is also their most accomplished. It’s all very unhinged and raucous but in a clearly very tight and honed manner. It’s got that off the cuff easiness that is actually rather difficult to pull off correctly.” – Overblown

Entry is FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE and doors are at 8:30pm. See you in the front row!

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LIVE REVIEW: Too Many Zooz go ape at The Sugar Club

New Yorkers and self described ‘Brass House’ trio Too Many Zooz hit The Sugar Club on Saturday night for the first of two sold out shows in the capital as part of the Becks Rhythm Series. The former buskers haven’t been around that long, but in a short time have racked up a legion of followers after a video of them performing their  unorthodox brand of electro-acoustic tunes in a New York subway station went Viral in 2014.

Since then the group have been extremely prolific, recording and releasing 4 EP’s, 6 Singles and a full length album entitled ‘Subway Gawds’. They’ve also toured extensively and even collaborated with Beyoncé at the CMA Awards. Not too shabby!

Support on the night came from Dublin Neo-soul outfit Akora. Having been acquainted with the musical stylings of most of the members (they’re some of the sickest session players in town), this was my first time seeing their new venture live and boy am I happy I did. There are some serious songwriting chops on show here. The kind of complex layered music that takes years of practice to make look this effortless. The bass and drums provide a rock solid foundation for guitars and keys to riff over, while lead singer Ciara O’Connor ‘s vocals drive through the tracks, subtly filling the sonic gaps in the soundscape. The set encompassed elements of soul, electronica, RnB and breakbeats all blended together skilfully into an entirely separate beast. Check these guys out live as soon as you get the opportunity. For now head over to their Breaking Tunes page and listen to their demos, which are as polished and well written as any tracks you’ll find blasting through the radio.
 Too Many Zooz arrived like returning heroes to cheers and screams from the assembled crowd. They wasted no time, bursting in to a set of hi-tempo tracks that really showed off the level of skill all three virtuosos posses on their instruments. Drummer  David “King of Sludge” Parks  is a bonafide human metronome, knocking out ridiculously precise and complex rhythms at a breakneck speed. This would be enough to make your jaw drop, but when it’s combined with the speed and precision of Matt Doe’s trumpet solos and the note perfect groove of Leo Pellegrino’s baritone sax it’s pretty unbelievable. These cats can BLOW!

Leo combines this skill with some pretty killer dance moves throughout the set, bouncing and sliding across the stage at a near constant pace, somehow never missing a beat on the sax. Their stage presence is palpable. The whole scene is a lot of fun and the crowd are loving it! Every single person is on their feet by the 3rd or 4th song, including the mostly seated sections of the venue. Joining in is pretty irresistible. They fill a surprising amount of sonic real estate for such a small group with the trumpet covering the high end and the sax acting like a bass guitar/synth, all the while driving forward with an eclectic mix of percussive sounds and rhythms.

One criticism I would level is that the tracks can become a bit repetitive. It’s difficult to maintain this mardi-gras level of excitement for an hour plus show, but that could just be me. The energy on stage never dips once. It’ll be interesting to see what direction the music takes to stand the test of time, whether more members will join or some texture will be added with backing tracks. Although it could be argued that this would take away from the raw intensity on display, which would surely be a shame. One thing is for sure, these guys are definitely worth checking out the next time they swing by your neck of the woods.  Kudos to ChoiceCuts for continuing to book such brilliantly eclectic acts that you just don’t get anywhere else in the country!

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And So I Watch You From Afar announce 4 Irish tour dates.

Ahead of the release of their fifth studio album, Belfast instrumental rockers And So I Watch You From Afar have announced a string of tour dates this December. The four piece are truly a a sonic force best experienced live. This coupled with the fact that they very rarely tour Ireland means that tickets will likely be in short supply after they go on sale tomorrow morning.

The dates are:

December 28: Academy, Dublin
December 29: Garbo’s, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
December 30: Cyprus Avenue, Cork
December 31: Roisin Dubh, Galway

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We’re launching a new series of gigs this Saturday with BODIES, Slouch and Keep!

After 3 years of writing about and reviewing new music, festivals and gigs here at The Minor Fall, The Major Lift we’ve decided it’s about time we put on some of our own. We’ll be taking over Sin É Dublin on Saturday July 29th for the first in a series of curated shows featuring the best new acts this island has to offer!

Headlining on the night are BODIES, fresh off the back of their brand new single ‘I’m Waiting’ . BODIES have spent time cultivating their sound; drawing influence from the likes of Radiohead, Brand New & Sigur Ros. Originally the solo project of David Anthony McGeown, now expanded to a 4 piece live band. Expect a wild sonic backdrop to David’s evocative and sometimes poignant lyrics.

Support on the night comes from Slouch and newcomers KEEP.

Slouch, self decribed as “The sound of gorillas caged in a polystyrene prison cell”, are a 3 three piece that play noisy, toe tappin’, knee slappin’ grungy/stonery tunes in your local swamphole. Often compared to Pinkerton-era Weezer with smackerings of Queens of the Stone Age and Pixies, the guys have released a slew of great singles this year off the back of last years ‘Feminine Elbows’ EP.

KEEP are a three-piece Experimental Rock band based in Dublin. Made up of members of Galway folk outfit Oscar Mild, and Dublin Progressive band Synk; Keep’s chilled sound is commandeered by the steady grooves of primary songwriter and drummer Seann Wynne.

Entry is FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE and doors are at 8pm. See you in the front row!

Expect to see more gigs coming up over the coming months. If you’re in a band and would like to play at one of the shows please do get in touch!

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Gig of the Week: The False and The Fair take over Whelan’s this Saturday

Dublin 4 piece The False and The Fair first piqued our interest with last years ambitious debut single ‘Bald Apes’. Since then the band have been steadily building their following and developing their live show.

Now the band are back with new single ‘Gone Tomorrow’, a flowing acoustic led track which contrasts deeply with previous efforts and serves to demonstrate the eclectic mix of influences and original sounds that The False and The Fair bring to the table. The lead guitar, shimmering cymbals/atmospheric percussion work and leading basslines all blend perfectly together and build the song slowly to a spine tingling crescendo aided by some beautifully arranged harmonies.

You can stream or download the track for free from their Bandcamp page linked below.

This Saturday at 8pm The False and The Fair will take over Whelan’s upstairs venue to celebrate the release. Support on the night comes from Galleries and Himalaya. Tickets are only €6 and are available from www.whelanslive.com

P.S. If you’re looking to make a night of it, TADGH are playing a show in the same room right afterwards.

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Derek Ellard launches brilliant new single ‘To Each Their Own’ in Bruxelles tonight!

Galway singer-songwriter Derek Ellard is back with a brilliant new single. ‘To Each Their Own’ is not your usual ‘one man with a guitar and his heart on his sleeve’ fare. The production here is slick and polished, complete with rhythm section and some glistening harmonies.

Derek is a loop station wizard live and those layered techniques are present here too. It’s great songwriting with some really interesting tempo changes and dynamics to burn.

You can catch Derek Ellard live tonight in Bruxelles at The Zodiac Sessions for the first in a string of launch gigs across the country.

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