Nialler9

From now on, the Best of the Month episode is Patreon-only. Public subscribers get the first 25 minutes or so. Patreon members get to hear the whole episode on their member feeds or on Patreon direct. Episode 263 comes at us fast with Niall Byrne and Andrea Cleary's monthly music recommendations. Chatting Indie Sleaze, a reason to be cheerful with the return of Adebisi Shank and a chat about club culture post-pandemic. Then we highlight new albums from Floating Points (this is the Jamie xx Substack post that annoyed Niall), and Henry Earnest along with songs from Bon Iver, Ahmed With Love, Maria Somerville, Freak Slug, FKA Twigs, Fionn Regan, Nilufer Yanya and a Teac Damsa Nobodaddy-inspired closing pick. Plus, TV, film and books we're enjoying in the What's Consuming You? corner. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last Friday, Culture Night in Dublin, the Tola Vintage shop in Temple Bar's annual block party was shut down by the Gardaí, and three people were arrested. The police actions were met with criticism for the use of excessive force and suggestions of an underlying racial motivation. The Gardaí's statement about the matter cited "public safety concerns" but that doesn't explain how an innocuous gathering of people inside and outside a vintage shop escalated into baton-charging, threats of pepper-spray and a disproportionate number of guards clearing the busy Temple Bar area with an unwarranted heavy-handiness. The incident happened, in an increasingly hostile environment for minority communities in Ireland. Why was a block party in Temple Bar, that was giving no immediate pressing trouble, met with violence, while violence at far right protests and the burning of buildings earmarked for asylum seekers goes unpunished? Ireland is seeing an increasing number of anti-immigrant accounts online, and the verbal abuse of people of colour has increased, while just this week, the government’s Justice Minister Helen McEntee has dropped the incitement or hate speech sections of the Criminal Justice Bill. On this week's podcast, we talk to Silent Jee, a DJ on the night about what went down from his perspective, and how the guards showing up at the block party is nothing new. We explore how these kinds of actions are familiar to black and POC in Ireland's creative community. We talk to Mo Cultivation's Bekah Molony about what allies and peers can do and how nothing has changed since the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. Things have arguably gone the other way. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From now on, the Best of the Month episode is Patreon-only. Public subscribers get the first 25 minutes or so. Patreon members get to hear the whole episode on their member feeds or on Patreon direct. It’s the Nialler9 Podcast’s monthly episode where Niall and Andrea recommend albums and songs of recent weeks. Episode 261 of the Nialler9 Podcast features albums from MJ Lenderman and Sabrina Carpenter, along with songs from Moin, Adore, RÓIS, and a song discovery from Another Love Story festival. We also pay tribute to Eoin French, of the Cork project Talos who sadly passed away last month. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode #260 of the Nialler9 Podcast is a long overdue Andrea deep dive into the life and times and music of Josh Tillman aka Father John Misty - Andrea's Cool Big Guy. Over nearly TWO HOURS, Andrea takes us through the highlights of his albums: Fear Fun, I Love You, Honeybear; Pure Comedy, God's Favourite Customer and Chloë and the Next 20th Century, his run of albums from 2012 to 2022. Our chat takes in topics of masculinity, lyrical explorations, cynicism, playing with character and performer roles, entertainment, ecology, doom-laden rants, societal schisms, online living, political nightmares and psychedelic experiences. You know... the small stuff. The Nialler9 Podcast presents a Listening Party for Father John Misty - I Love You, Honeybear (2015) at The Big Romance in Dublin on Wednesday September 25th at 7pm. Join Niall and Andrea for a playback of a compelling grandstanding album all about love, romance tempered by the cyncism and internal struggle of a man and songwriter who can't quite put faith in the idea that love might be the answer. Buy tickets here. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon to hear all full episodes, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community. Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Niall is joined by journalist and arts writer Aoife Barry to review the fourth album from the Fontaines - new chapter, new label, new look, new sound for the band? Romance signifies some change from the Fontaines, their first on new label XL Recordings, they have graduated from the indie producer du jour Dan Carey with James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Blur, Depeche Mode, Florence and the Machine, Gorillaz ) at the controls, a producer used to big music stage sounds. Romance brings a mix of guitar rock genres - shoegaze, 80s Irish and UK indie, ‘90s alt-rock, grunge, into their fold, while retaining their core Fontaines sound. Yet, the songs are among the brightest they've done. Grian Chatten's lyrics have transcended their Dublin roots and embraced a universality. The preoccupation with a city of origin is replaced by Romance as a concept. His vocals have grown on this record, more soaring, more melodic, brighter, less gutteral, more commanding and varied. But is it any good? Dive into Romance with us. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon to hear all full episodes, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community. Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From now on, the Best of the Month episode is going Patreon-only. Public subscribers get the first 20 minutes or so. Patreon members get to hear the whole episode on their member feeds or on Patreon direct. It’s the Nialler9 Podcast’s monthly episode where Niall and Andrea recommend albums and songs of recent weeks. Episode 258 of the Nialler9 Podcast features Niall and Andrea discussing the Olympics, a brief review of All Together Now, Optimo at Hang Dai and more. Up for discussion on the music tips are: albums from Clairo, Remi Wolf, Clara La San; tunes from A Lazarus Soul, Charli XCX, Kynsy, Merce Lemon, Devon Again, Chanel Beads, Fcukers and Father John Misty. Plus an unreleased gem from Phil Lynott? * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Siobhan McClean aka shiv is an Irish-Zimbabwean producer, singer-songwriter of neo-soul, RnB and lo-fi hip-hop who has shared two songs from the forthcoming debut album the defiance of a sadgirl this September, 'Limerence' and 'Cherry Pie', the latter featuring Kojaque, and produced by Gaptoof. I spoke to Shiv about the nature of collaborating and connecting with different artists and producers for this episode of the Nialler9 podcast, ahead of Shiv’s set at All Together Now Festival this August Bank Holiday weekend, where Shiv plays on the Jameson Connects The Circle Stage at 7pm on the Friday night. Shiv will be debuting a special song and joined by her collaborator on the song James Vincent McMorrow. The forthcoming album is a reflection of the personal upheaval she experienced, including a breakup, leaving a major label, parting ways with her manager, and moving countries. Shiv talks about how studying psychology has influenced her songwriting. Shiv also talks about her influences and we focus on songs from Kanye, James Vincent McMorrow, Dijon, Ari Lennox, and Negro Impacto (see below). The Jameson Connects: The Circle stage at All Together Now features some Nialler9 favourites including Optimo, Just Mustard, The Murder Capital, qbanaa, Aby Coulibaly, Morgano, Sloucho, Rachael Lavelle and more. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon to hear all full episodes, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community. Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Exploring a subset of electronic music made in France from the years 1996 to 2004. It's the latest episode in the Niall explains a dance music genre to Andrea series. What is French Touch? For some it means house music of French origin of the '90s and 2000s. For me, it's more defined. French Touch is more of a subgenre almost exclusively made by French producers - French dance music rooted in samples of old disco records where strings, bass and vocals were rerouted through a Chicago house music 4/4 beat and given a retro futuristic sheen with shiny synthesisers and a compressed cosmic atmosphere. A sense of majique can we say? It was part of a near 10 year period from the mid 90s to the early-2000s in which French dance music dominated, a time in which Parisian cool, French fashion and influence dripped out of the country’s culture, whether it was Daft Punk’s world domination, Ed Banger Records’ electro cachet on dancefloors worldwide, fashion and record label Kitsune’s coveted Maison compilations or Phillipe Zdar’s influence on music production. For our short history of French Touch, we will feature music from Alan Braxe, DJ Falcon, Thomas Bangalter, Stardust, Cassius, Together, The Paradise Étienne De Crecy and the omnipresent Daft Punk. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon to hear all full episodes, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community. Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist French Touch companion playlist Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From this episode going forward, the Best of the Month episode is going Patreon-only. Public subscribers get the first 20 minutes or so for free but to hear the whole episode you'll have to sign up to Patreon to hear all 70 minutes of the podcast. It’s the Nialler9 Podcast’s monthly episode where Niall and Andrea recommend albums and songs of recent weeks. Episode 255 of the Nialler9 Podcast features Niall and Andrea discussing the latter's trip to see Taylor Swift in Dublin (Andrea's review is here), and Niall went to LCD Soundsystem, and, got happily divorced this month. REAL LIFE STUFF. Musically we are talking albums from Mabe Fratti and Kneecap, and songs from MJ Lenderman, Skinner, Charli XCX and Lorde, Sabrina Carpenter, Soccer Mommy, the batshit clubccordion polkapop song from Kesha and literally, music for tomato plants. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's our annual look at the contenders for the song of the summer. There's no formula for writing a song of the summer, the same way that you can't guarantee a Christmas classic, but there are some ground rules that seem to apply for most of the songs in contention every year. As noted by Mark Savage's The secrets of a hit summer song piece, some key things a song has to be simple (like Whigfield's 'Saturday Night'), It should make you feel like you're on holiday ('Pon De Replay' / 'Club Tropicana'), novelty is good, whether that means meme-friendly, silly ('Macarena') or a novel mix of styles (like Old Town Road's mix of country and rap) but most importantly it should be released before the summer, ideally mid April - early May latest. We added a few more rules of our own - including mentions of food and drink are good, controversy can be helpful, titillation can work, melancholy, anticipation and the song's unquantifiable repeatable vibe that doesn't grate over months of listening via rooftops, out of cars, festivals, clubs and pubs. A catchy lyric is essential - are you ready to match our freak? But really the song of the summer is a nebulous accolade, and ultimately decided by too many factors to identity. This year's main contenders include Kabin Crew's 'The Spark', Sabrina Carpenter's 'Espresso', Tommy Richman's 'Million Dollar Baby', Chappell Roan's 'Good Luck Babe', Charli XCX's '360', Kendrick's 'Not Like Us' and songs from Tik-Tok memes, Billie Eilish, Jamie xx, Tinashe, Hozier, Shaboozey and more. We take them at their word and consider each for the ultimate summer medal - the song of the summer 2024. Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s a new album special as we take a deep dive into Charli XCX’s sixth album brat. On Episode 253 we are joined by Kelly Doherty (of The Vinyl Factory, Satellite Towns and formerly Nialler9) to discuss all things brat from the clubby rollout to the surprising vulnerability and insecurities on Charli’s latest record. We put in context of her career, it girls, relationships, motherhood and how big of an artist Charli XCX really is now. Plus, Kelly shares her favourite Charli songs including three under-rated favs. Listen to the episode or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the Nialler9 Podcast’s monthly episode where Niall and Andrea recommend albums and songs of recent weeks. Episode 252 of the Nialler9 Podcast and we are excited and enthusing about music of May. There are songs from Kynsy, His Father's Voice, PinkPantheress, Clairo, Kawaii Hoe and Charli XCX. And albums this month from Papa Romeo, Billie Eilish, Carlos Danger, Niamh Regan and yes, the Challengers score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Best of the Month Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Episode 251, Niall gets the chance to talk about one of his favourite all-time records from his favourite band. "Don’t try this at home on your dad’s stereo — only under strict hip-hop supervision.."] Join Niall and Andrea to hear why Beastie Boys' fourth album from 1994 Ill Communication is one of the best around - with chat about how the band recorded and made it, where the put the Beasties in the context of their discography and their career, the artwork, B-sides, Adam Yauch's spiritual enlightenment, political activism through the Milarepa Fund and Tibetan Freedom Concert and how the band addressed their previous Licensed To Ill misogyny. Ill Communication is defined by a melting pot of hip-hop, punk, jazz-fusion, flute samples, funk, rare groove records and Tibetan monk chanting. Plus, the brilliance of 'Sabotage', the Letterman performance and the best music video of all-time? And Niall reveals that his first ever website was a Beastie Boys one in 1999 that he made with his friend Ciaran. This week's episode is a companion podcast to our Listening Party of the album in the Big Romance on Wednesday May 29th. Buy a ticket here to join us. Show notesSpotify Playlist - Songs played on the Podcast Sabotage on Letterman Nialler's first website - A Beastie Boys site - Alright Hear This on the Way Back Machine. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the Nialler9 Podcast’s monthly episode where Niall and Andrea talk about the albums and songs they loved this month. It's episode 250 (!) of the Nialler9 Podcast and we are sharing our enthusiasm for albums from Curtisy, Rachel Chinouriri, Jessica Pratt, Bálordabreen and tracks from Chappell Roan, Jamie xx, Baby Rose / BadBadNotGood, Sloucho, Taylor, CMAT , Charli XCX and a tribute to Steve Albini. Along with the What’s Consuming You corner with chat about Ripley and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and more. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Best of the Month Spotify list. Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 249 of the Nialler9 Podcast and we have a grab bag free-range episode with Niall and Andrea discussing: Hozier is the first Irish artist in 34 years to get a US #1 The Kendrick, Drake, J. Cole rap beef The reaction to Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Department The Electric Picnic lineup Lankum, CMAT and Jazzy nominated for Ivor Novello Awards Early club nights are a thing Song of the summer contender: Espresso Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee - the power of one review and relative release obscurity Show notes Spotify Playlist - Songs played on the Podcast Coachella Isn’t Dead—but It May Be Haunted * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The West Kerry DJ and radio presenter Cian Ó Cíobháin marks 25 years of An Taobh Tuathail, his alternative new music show which has been running for five nights a week on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta since 1999. Cian joins us to pick 6 tracks to represent his radio show over the years, and to discuss his process, DJing and how he has managed to present a world-renowned radio show for so long in a fickle media industry. Tracks selected come from To Rococo Rot, St. Germain, Dead Can Dance, Fairmont, Loner Deluxe and Mike Smalle. Cian is marking 25 years of ATT on his show from Monday 29th April to Friday 3rd May, wheree he feature all exclusive new music, previously unreleased and unheard outside of the musicians’ studios, from artists he admire from home and abroad, including Peter Gordon, Works Of Intent, Dian Cécht, Blamhaus, Elliot Adamson, The Shen, Meljoann, Man Power, Junk Drawer and Ambient Babestation Meltdown and Borai. Two Disco Dána parties in Galway (Cuba venue on Saturday 4th May) and Dublin (at Hen's Teeth - Friday 31st May.) are also lined up. ---- ATT airs every Monday from 11pm to 1am and from Tuesday to Friday from 10pm to midnight. — Show notesSpotify Playlist - Songs played on the Podcast Radio show Archive - ATT * Support Nialler9 on Patreon. Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 247 is a deep dive into a seminal '90s debut album from Fiona Apple. Fiona Apple – Tidal (1996) The debut album from the then 18 year-old American singer-songwriter established the artist’s unique raw songcraft that blends pop, rock, and jazz. Featuring the songs ‘Criminal’, ‘Shadowboxer’, ‘Sleep to Dream’, and ‘The First Taste’, Tidal is a fully-formed classic of the mid-90s written from the hardened perspective of a young woman surviving the world. We discuss the album, how Fiona Apple got her record deal, how the media at the time largely focused on Apple's looks in the context of album reviews , how this "sullen girl" / strong-willed opinionated young woman was treated by the music industry, and how the album stacks up nearly 30 years later. This week's episode is a companion podcast to our Listening Party of the album in the Big Romance on Wednesday April 24th. Buy a ticket here to join us. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon. Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSpotify Playlist - Songs played on the Podcast Fiona Apple & the Sexist Critics in the 90s Idiotalk Podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Niall and Andrea are talking about the A B, and Cs of Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé’s eighth studio album on Episode 246. A for America B For Beyonce C for Country (and D for Discourse) This 80 minutes and 27 track album, serving as Act 2 in the Renaissance trilogy, was purported to be Beyoncé's country album. That's not what has bolted from the stables. Cowboy Carter is not a country album, but it does feature a lot of country music sounds, references and personnel. it’s Beyonce kicking through the saloon doors of country and inviting whoever or whatever sound she wants alongside her. It’s more of a cultural reclamation of black AMERICAN music, with the origin story being that night in 2016 when Beyoncé performed Daddy Issues at the Country Music Awards in 2016, and made the traditionalists mad. Cowboy Carter is an odyssey through American music of black origin, black country heritage, with Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, opera, bluegrass, Beach Boys, Nancy Sinatra, Westerns, "real instruments", Rodeo, Chuck Berry, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Jon Batiste, Rhiannon Giddens outlaws, shotguns and giddy ups and shotgun riders. Join us for an very interesting chat about it. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the Nialler9 Podcast’s monthly episode where Niall and Andrea talk about the albums and songs they loved this month. Episode 245 is a ping-pong new disco recommends, with music discussed from Waxahatchee, Adrianne Lenker, New Jackson, Tatyana, Travis & Elzzz, Glass Beams, Charli XCX, Havvk, Group Listening, Two Shell / FKA Twigs and Mildlife (I guess)... Along with the What’s Consuming You corner with a sci-fi TV show we both loved this month. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This month's deep dive Listen Closely album is: Portishead - Dummy (1994) The debut album from the Bristol trio of Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons, and Adrian Utley was released during the summer of Blur’s Parklife and Oasis’s Definitely Maybe. Dummy was a darker, stranger record that would become a trip-hop classic that paired hip-hop, jazz, and electronic textures with Beth Gibbons spine-tingling voice and twangy tremolo guitars that belong in spy movies. The winner of the 1995 Mercury Music Prize, Dummy features the singles ‘Sour Times’, ‘Glory Box’, and ‘Numb’, and is notable for it soulful turntable-sampling, melancholic film noir atmosphere. A modern classic indeed. We delve deep into how the band met, what trip-hop and the Bristol sound was, how the band got their name, how Dummy became hugely popular and a bit of a dinner-party LP ripe for background music in film and more. The hosts of the Nialler9 Podcast (Niall Byrne and Andrea Cleary) present the Listen Closely series of listening parties on the Big Romance’s warm Toby Hatchett soundsystem, featuring a focus modern classic album and a chat around it on the last Wednesday of the month. The Portishead - Dummy Listening Party happens Wednesday March 27th at The Big Romance. Thanks to Georgia Hallion for editing the podcast. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist KEXP 25 year anniversary interview in 2019 Dummy Samples Pitchfork’s review by By Philip Sherburne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's episode is a bit of a grab bag of news items, but musicians speaking truth to power is a common theme. Niall and Andrea discuss: Lankum winning the Choice Music Prize and their speech that encouraged the boycott of Israel Kneecap's show of Solidarity with Palestine on the Late Late Show & their US TV debut All the Irish bands including Kneecap who then cancelled their SXSW Festival shows this week in protest at US Military involvement Leo Varadkar wants nothing to do with bringing in the long-proposed Irish nightlife laws any time soon James Blake weighs in on streaming being broken, in a time which increasingly feels like it’s going towards a tipping point The growing crisis in music - How the rising cost of living is affecting bands' ability to create art and make money to live. “You can get a Grammy nomination and you still can't afford to rent a one-bedroom flat in London,” says Grian Chatten of Dublin's Fontaines DC, And the minor furore over an out-of-context use of quote from The Last Dinner Party - "People don’t want to listen to post-punk and hear about the cost of living crisis any more.” * Get this podcast ad-free and with additional playlists, Discord community access, Nialler9 and Lumo event discounts on Patreon from €5 a month. Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the Nialler9 Podcast’s monthly episode where Niall and Andrea talk about the albums and songs they loved in the last four weeks. Episode 242 is a return to the music recommends corner, featuring new album picks from Fynch, Thee U.F.O, Declan McKenna, Mohammad Syfkhan and new songs from Adrianne Lenker, Brittany Howard, Niamh Regan, Jessica Pratt, The Decemberists and Beck. Along with the What’s Consuming You corner with TV, books and films we are vibing with lately. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this near-annual episode, Niall and Andrea are joined by writer and journalist Sophia McDonald to discuss the 10 nominated albums in this year’s Choice Music Prize Irish album of the year 2023 category, as chosen by 11 judges. The albums are: Grian Chatten – Chaos For The Fly (Partisan Records) The debut album from the Fontaines DC frontman. CMAT – Crazymad, For Me (CMATBABY/AWAL) The second album from Ireland’s global country pop superstar. John Francis Flynn – Look Over The Wall, See The Sky (River Lea Recordings) The second album from the Dublin folkie turns with a contemporary twist. Kojaque – Phantom Of The Afters (Soft Boy Records) he second full-length album (not counting previously nominated mixtape Deli Daydreams) from the London-based Dublin rapper. Lankum – False Lankum (Rough Trade Records) The fourth album from Ireland’s leading doom folk trad band. Rachael Lavelle – Big Dreams (Rest Energy) The Irish songwriter and avant-pop practitioner’s debut album. Soda Blonde – Dream Big (Overbite Records) The second album from Dublin alt-pop band. The Murder Capital – Gigi’s Recovery (Human Season Records) The second album from the Dublin rock band who have softened somewhat for album two. The Scratch – Mind Yourself (Perrystown Music Limited) The second album from the Dublin trad-folk-metal band. Ezra Williams – Supernumeraries (Ezra Williams / AWAL) The debut album from the Cork singer-songwriter. – Niall, Andrea and guest Sophia discuss the albums in detail and decide which of the ten they individually think a) would like to win and b) will win the award. The actual winner of the Prize announced at the live event in Vicar Street on March 7th, and is broadcast live on RTÉ 2FM in a special four-hour extended show with Beta Da Silva from 7-11pm. A special TV show will be broadcast on Thursday 14th March at 22.30 on RTÉ2. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The hosts of the Nialler9 Podcast (Niall Byrne and Andrea Cleary) in conjunction with The Big Romance present the Listen Closely series of listening parties, a night featuring a focus album from an artist we love on the last Wednesday of the month. To accompany the monthly listening party on Wednesday February 28th – 7.30pm @ The Big Romance, we present a Nialler9 Podcast episode all about this month's chosen album.... This month: Laurie Anderson – Big Science (1982)“This is the time/and this is the record of the time.” An album that was ahead of its time upon release, Big Science draws from Anderson’s multi-media performance art piece United States I-IV, and presents an experimental avant-garde electronics , art-rock and spoken word prophetic dissection of 80s America that spawned a surprising pop hit with the towering O Superman. Andrea takes the lead on why this album is noteworthy and important. Listen Closely is a chance for the music heads, to appreciate a modern classic album on the Big Romance’s warm Toby Hatchett soundsystem with a chat about the record on the night. More info. Big special extra thanks to Georgia Hallion for editing the podcast. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Laurie Anderson plays music for dogs Marcello Giordani - O Superman (Disco Spacer Mix) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's pod, it's a deep dive into an album from one of our perennial favourites, as it celebrates 20 years. It's the turn of the MF DOOM and Madlib's classic 2004 album Madvillainy by Madvillain, a dense, psychedelic, colourful rap album that quickly cemented itself as one of the best rap albums of all time when it came out on Stones Throw that year. Why is Madvillain so important? It's the sound of two masters of their craft - Madlib deep crate-digging wizz of flipped samples which avoided the musical grid and DOOM’s "tripping off the beat kinda" rhymes which defied expectation and form, and became endlessly quotable while retaining complex and comedic intent. Madvillainy is the sound of two elusive creatives ricocheting off each other’s oddball styles with disorienting brilliance. Niall and Andrea discuss the album's gestation, recording, leak, samples, lyrics and mythology. In January, we hosted a Listen Closely listening party in the Big Romance in Dublin with this album. Our next one will be Wednesday February 28th with Laurie Anderson's Big Science. Tickets on sale next week. Big special extra thanks to Georgia Hallion for editing the podcast. Patreon supporters get the episode ad-free on Patreon * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Nialler9 Podcast returns for another season and new year. After taking January off, Niall and Andrea are back discussing what has been happening in music since we closed off the year with the Best of 2023 episodes including Pitchfork's downsizing, the state of music journalism and the Enshittification of online music discovery and discourse, and online life in general? The Choice Music Prize Irish albums of the year nominees The Eurovision Song Contest and the growing call for the Boycott of Israel. Will Ireland make a stand alongside Sweden, Finland, Iceland and more? What we've been consuming - music, TV, film since our break. Big special extra thanks to Georgia Hallion for editing the podcast. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our final podcast of the year is the fun rapid-fire Podcast Awards! In a year where AI, touring became more difficult for musicians, and Spotify squeezed the emerging artists, We give out awards for things like: Best live gig Best live performance Villain of the year Thing we'd like to go away Best opening song lyric Best bagpipes solo The Alan Maguire Award horny for photoshoots award Best rap guest verse(s) aka The Andre 3000 award Rap beat of the year Best new bands Surprising sample of the year best pop song worst song of the year worst guest verse of the year biggest letdown of the year Comeback of the year Most pointless release of the year Wonky beat of the year Best discovery from end of year lists Best Italo song of the year Favourite song to DJ this year Best ambient / chilled release of the year Best album about a bus Route in Galway Thing nobody wanted, aka the Harry Award Music documentary Plus, our favourite TV shows, podcasts, film, needledrops and books. Special thanks to Georgia Hallion for editing this podcast episode. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the second of our end of year podcasts as Nialler and Andrea Cleary talk 12 albums they loved this year. Featuring albums from Lankum, Boygenius, Noname, Andre 3000, Olivia Rodrigo, Rachael Lavelle, Lana, Kara Jackson, Mitski and more. Next episode: The Nialler9 Podcast Awards 2023. Special thanks to Georgia Hallion for editing this podcast episode. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 235 features Nialler and Andrea Cleary highlighting some of their favourite songs of the year. We are talking tracks we loved from Lankum, Lana, Big Thief, Troye Sivan, CMAT, The Hives, Sofia Kourtesis, Mustafa, Olivia Rodrigo, Rachel Lavelle, Overmono, boygenius and more. All killer no filler. Next episode: Albums of 2023. Special thanks to Georgia Hallion for editing this podcast episode. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 234 is the latest in the occasional series of the podcast - Andrea's favourite weird little guy. Nialler and Andrea Cleary take a big overview of the main discography of one of our favourite songwriters. Sufjan Stevens is a Detroit Michigan artist, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist who has a deep catalogue of studio albums drawing on orchestral conceptual releases about US States, electronic hymnals, secular-friendly Christian music, Christmas albums, ambitious cosmic electronic long players and devastating folk and singer-songwriter music informed by grief, love and life. Andrea leads us through his main thoroughfare, stopping at Enjoy Your Rabbit (2001) to Michigan (2003), Seven Swans (2004), Illinois (2005), The Avalanche (2006), The Age of Adz (2010), Carrie & Lowell (2015), The Ascension (2020), Convocations (20201) and stopping at his most recent rejuvenating album Javelin, released in the wake of the rare peek into Sufjan's private life - his coming out after speaking about the passing of his partner, and the autoimmune disease he has been rehabilitating from recently. Special thanks to Georgia Hallion for editing this podcast episode. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist SFollow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week’s podcast, episode 233, we are talking about what we learned from fairly shocking Britney Spears’ new autobiography The Woman In Me. Nialler and Andrea Cleary are joined by pop culture writer and DJ Louise Bruton to discuss the chilling details that Britney Spears reveals about her career and private life. That includes her treatment by the media, fame-hungry exes Justin Timblerake and Kevin Federline, the conservatorship, and the ultra-overbearing toxic role that her parents held over her for 13 years where they controlled what she ate, where she was allowed to live, how she performed and all manner of abuse-like behaviour including putting her in a mental health institute for taking energy supplements or refusing to do a dance move. Britney was denied her own lawyer for 13 years but finally broke free of the conservatorship to regain control of her own life finally. It’s a miracle that Britney is even alive after the harrowing experiences of what she’s lived through, and what her family put her through. Louise and Pop Emergencies are presenting their annual Britmas at Wigwam in Dublin on Friday December 15th, in support of ActionAid's Gaza Crisis Appeal. Special thanks to Georgia Hallion for editing this episode. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes & join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist #FreeBritney: The Framing Britney Spears Documentary with Louise Bruton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the Nialler9 Podcast's monthly episode where Niall and Andrea talk about the albums and songs they loved in the last four weeks. Episode 232 has an exoskeleton theme of accidental spooky picks as we feature new albums from Kojaque, OXN, CMAT, Sufjan, Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist and new songs from The Last Dinner Party, I Dreamed I Dream, John Francis Flynn, Rachael Lavelle and Tandem Felix. And a couple of oldie picks to round things out from William Onyeabor and Echo & The Bunnymen, along with the What's Consuming You corner with TV, books and films we are vibing with. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode is a chat around the sale of Bandcamp from Epic Games to Songtradr. With streaming paying pennies or less than for many artists, the independently-driven music platform Bandcamp is the last bastion of online revenue making for many bands - allowing musicians to sell their music digitally, and on vinyl or CD direct to their fans. Artists on Bandcamp collectively earned $193 million in the last year alone, and Bandcamp has paid out $1.19 billion since its founding in 2007. But recent business deals have meant Bandcamp was acquired by Songtradr, after a short 18 months owned by Epic Games. With the acquisition came news today that approximately half (60) of the Bandcamp staff of 118 employees, including the Bandcamp Daily team, had been laid off, with the entire negotiating team at the workers' union - Bandcamp United, let go. We discuss what it means for independent musicians, what the alternatives are and also the other dodgy news this week, that NTS radio have been partially bought by Universal and Spotify is planning on reducing its royalty payouts to a minimum threshold so that many artists literally won't get a penny for their song streams. All that, plus Niall shares his months-long local detective story, and Andrea talks about presenting PHD at a dance music conference in Huddersfield last week. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon Show notesThinking of ditching Spotify? Musician Joel Harkin explores alternative music platforms so you don’t have to Bandcamp alternatives: Faircamp / Nina / Tone Audio / Mirlo Interdependence Podcast First Floor Substack Dancecult conference Songs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Fandom of Taylor Swift is something that I find so fascinating, particularly the massive surge in popularity in the last 3 or 4 years. Where Taylor couldn’t sell out Croke Park in 2018 on her Reputations tour, her current Eras tour as we’ve discussed before on the podcast, crashed Ticketmaster and has seen such a huge unprecedented demand that that’s worth exploring why? With the three Dublin gigs at the Aviva next summer and the Taylor Swift Eras Tour film doing big numbers at the box office, it felt like the right time to dip in. With Andrea’s absence this week, I thought I’d delve into the lore and fandom of the Swifties through the lens of a community which gather around Taylor once a month. Swiftogedden is a club night that plays only Taylor songs all night, and was started by Dave Fawbert, a DJ and former journalist who put on his first Swiftogedden in London in 2019, and since then it has grown to a national UK and in the last two years an nationwide Irish event too. Anna Jacob is a resident DJ at the Irish Swiftogedden club nights, and a pal of mine, and I’ve been fascinated with the success of the single artist only night – as Swifties gather en masse to sold out venues in Dublin, Cork, Belfast, Galway and Limerick along with a rake of UK cities to sing their hearts out to Swift classics, new songs, new versions and deep cuts. Our chat covers fandom becoming a religious like community of like-minded people, why Taylor Swift is the new Mozart, a celebration of the “eras” of girlhood and womanhood, what happens at Swiftogedden nights and why does it work so well and we also read out some passages from this wonderful Taffy Brodesser-Akner New York Times piece on Swiftiedom. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, where we share Anna’s Swiftie Skeptics playlist. Show notesTaffy Brodesser-Akner piece on Swiftiedom [New York Times] Inside Dublin’s Swiftogeddon club night [Irish Times] Songs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist All 237 of Taylor Swift’s Songs, Ranked [Rolling Stone] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

English electronic musician Kieran Hebden has been a constant artist in my life’s history of listening to music. Recently, the artist has exploded in popularity in his DJ partnership with Skrillex and Fred Again.., but as we’ll discuss, headlining Coachella this year, was just a natural culmination of two decades plus of music making and collaborations. On this week’s episode it is all about the music of Four Tet. We discuss his origins in the Elliott School with fellow now-famous musicians Burial and Hot Chip, the formation of his first band Fridge, who signed their first record deal when Hebden was just 15. We take you through an output that moves from jazz, folk, electronica stylings of his early work, the seminal album Rounds from 2003, his subsequent collaborations with Burial, Steve Reid, remixes work for the likes of Madvillain and Caribou, and how his live show worked. // On Wednesday November 8th, we are putting on a Listening Party at the Big Romance playing Four Tet's Rounds (2003) in full, as part of the Listen Closely monthly series. And onto his independent releases throughout the last 15 years as his music moves from the ambient instrumental electronic music to the more club-focused 4/4 tracks that came about as he began to DJ at Plastic People and DJ at festivals around the world. We discuss his court case with Domino, and how his flirtations with remixing pop artists telegraph his bromance with Fred Again.. and Skrillex. Plus, we spotlight some of our favourite Four Tet / KH / Kieran Hebden Percussions tracks. The Accompanying Four Tet playlist for the episode * Support Nialler9 on Patreon Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the Nialler9 Podcast's monthly episode where Niall and Andrea talk about the albums and songs we loved in the last four weeks. On Episode 228 we are album focused with new LP chat about records from Mitski, Cleo Sol, The Alchemist, MIKE and Wiki; Olivia Rodrigo, Soda Blonde, Natalia Beylis and an EP from Soccer Mommy. There are songs from Annika Kilkenny, Holly Humberstone and two Golden oldies from Anne Clark and Fountains Of Wayne. Plus what's consuming you - Fringe Festival shows, Peter McGann, TV, books and films we are vibing with. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Episode 227, we are joined by the acclaimed music writer Bob Stanley, the man behind one of Niall's favourite books Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop and a member of indie-pop group St. Etienne. To celebrate 10 years of Faber Books are reissuing Yeah Yeah Yeah (with a new chapter taking it up to present day) , along with its prequel Let's Do It: The Birth of Pop (the definitive story of the birth of Pop, from 1900 to the mid-fifties), both on paperback. Along with the books, Bob Stanley also put together a compilation for Ace Records called Latin Freestyle - New York/Miami 1983 - 1992, in his words a crashing electro-funk sub genre of dance music. It was the aural equivalent of a can of thirst-quenching Quatro or a Spanish Harlem dance-off, and it became the electronically constructed bridge between disco and house. Latin Freestyle grew out of electro, and was a more female-fronted classic pop version with frequently Latina vocals, bleepy synth riffs, proto-house piano lines, drum machine hits and lyrics that harked back to '60s girl groups teenage concerns of heartbreak, boys and dancing. We talk to Bob about the books and this subgenre of electro music that developed in New York and Miami in the early 80s and included Madonna, Debbie Deb, Shannon, Alisha, Company B, Lisa Lisa, Exposé, Taylor Dane and went on to influence music from the Bee Gees' Robin Gibb, Pet Shop Boys, Freeez and more. A playlist of Latin Freestyle accompanies this episode on Patron. Sign up from €5 a month. Patreon members get access to the the Discord community, special playlists, ad-free episodes, event discounts & more. Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Latin Freestyle - New York/Miami 1983 - 1992 compilation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu, the JAMs, the Timelords, The KLF. Episode 226 is a look at the UK band that simultaneously topped the pop charts while being divisive art provocateurs. Two British men, the Scotsman Bill Drummond and Englishman Jimmy Cauty created a notorious music project that engulfed the charts, aggravated the art world, upset the capitalists, annoyed the record industry and almost everyone else. Other musicians have been known as provocateurs before but The KLF were on an whole other level, because they became a massive chart success, while posing questions about the validity of art, original ideas, creativity, commerce and capitalism. This is the story of a band who did things like no one else, who had number 1 hits, who created art installations, defaced billboards, made cryptic advertisements, gave manic performances on Top of the Pops, fired machine gun blanks into the audience, became known as pranksters, and blew all the money in one huge notorious stunt. We discuss their flagrant sampling of Abba and pop hits, their stadium house/rave chart-topping music, how to have a number one hit according to The Manual, a cult weekend on a Scottish Island, involving journalists, Wicker Man and Martin Sheen, The KLF's Brit Awards shenanigans, The K Foundation art stunts, and the literal burning of a million quid. The KLF is a story like no other. Patreon members get access to the the Discord community of like-minded music fans, special playlists, ad-free episodes, event discounts and more. Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist KLF on the Late Late Show in 1995 The Manual: How to Have a Number One the Easy Way, 1988 References: KLF.De / Who Killed The KLF documentary (2021) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the Nialler9 Podcast's monthly episode where Niall and Andrea talk about the albums and songs they loved in the last four weeks. On Episode 225 we have album recommendations from The Hives, Citrus Fresh and Noname along with song inclusions from Sufjan, Diners, BadBadNotGood, Cartin, Barry Can't Swim and Olivia Rodrigo. Plus what's consuming you, chat about live gigs from The Walkmen, Boygenius, Another Love Story Festival, and the Roisín Murphy thing. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 224 is a deep dive into the discography of electronic music pioneer Aphex Twin. t's Richard D James, "the godfather of IDM", "the Mozart of Ambient,", the mischievous enigmatic man who I shook hands with once, the artist born in Limerick who has been making weird electronic music since he was the age of 14 for over 35 years now. As Richard D James turns 52 this Friday, we take a chronological look through his back catalogue touching on the three main strands of his sound - ambient, experimental and dance. We discuss the myths around AFX, the famous 'Windowlicker' and 'Come To Daddy' videos in detail, the side-projects, the live show, the mischievous humour, the ubiquitous Richard D James face and much more. Using quotes from the man in his many interviews, we figure out why the music of Aphex Twin is so unique, how he developed his own scales, how he builds his own instruments and studios, and how he has always been a composer and sound designer first, but also an abrasive techno merchant, a purveyor of acid, drill and bass, electro and creator of beautiful classical melodies. Patreon members get access to the 3 Aphex Twin playlists mentioned - ambient, dance, experimental. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 223 of the Nialler9 Podcast is a return to the festival field with Nialler9 and Andrea Cleary. We review last weekend's All Together Now Festival in Waterford. Niall shares his experiences of the festival's fourth year, a weekend in which ran the weather gamut from rainy to windy, muddy to sunny. We talk highlights and lowlights, the mud, the rain, the wind, festival organisational logistics, stage sound, and tents nearly blowing away on Saturday morning. In between the muck, there was great music and lots to discuss. We shared YOUR weekend experiences from those who emailed us, responded on Insta (we couldn't get to all 199 of you), Twitter and Discord callouts. Plus, Andrea puts forward the case for more "quiet camping" areas. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the most popular monthly episode where Niall and Andrea share what's moved them musically from the month of July. On Episode 222 we have selections from Big Thief, Sarah Crean, Andrea's pick of the Barbie soundtrack, another of Niall's song of the summer contenders, Fizz, Aluna, Mitski, The Hives, girlfriend, albums from Blur and Joanna Sternberg and some a tune tribute to Sinéad O'Connor. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

30 years ago this week, Singer Sinead O’Connor sparked outrage when she tore up a picture of the Pope during her musical performance on Saturday Night Live. The fallout of that action is at the centre of Kathryn Ferguson's new documentary about Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares - which is in cinemas this Friday. Following the release of last year's Rememberings, O'Connor's biography, the film tells the story of Sinead's upbringing, subsequent success focusing on the early period of her career and the vindication of her actions at the time. Sinead O’Connor was ahead of her time. The documentary celebrates a maverick artist, who never compromised her personal integrity or artistry, who was often ridiculed, and deemed the mad Irish women who shaved her head, who spoke up for minorities, criticised the church for child abuse coverups, Magdalene laundries (which she had direct experience of), and Ireland's fight for abortion rights. These causes and beliefs are now mainstream but at the time, O'Connor was openly mocked for pointing out the abuses of power (especially in America, where she refused to allow the National Anthem to play before her concert) further fuelling an anti-patriotism sentiment around the Irish artist, that fundamentally altered her pop career, one that she never wanted anyway. “I'm not a pop star. I'm just a troubled soul who needs to scream into mikes now and then.” Sinead O’Connor was a protest singer, first and foremost. Joining Niall and Andrea to discuss the Sinead O'Connor film is pop critic Louise Bruton. We discuss her relationship with Byrne, the parallels to Britney and MIA, that Bob Dylan tribute concert, and the aforementioned themes from the film. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is a rewind of an episode from 2021. Today's episode is all about my favourite subgenre of disco and dance music - Italo. What it is, where it came from and why it's so enduring. Italo disco is a European form of electronic disco that proliferated throughout Europe in the early '80s. It’s a catch all term for 80s electronic pop of mostly Italian origin. Italo is what happens when disco starts getting made with drum machines and synthesizers - a loveable curio of romantic pop, a tasteless yet tasteful novelty item, A simple music born at a time when music was increasingly sophisticated. Italo is big fun electronic pop music that doesn't take itself too seriously. It is time capsule of a generally more innocent time of bad dancers, keytars, moustaches and chrome-shimmering fashion. From Vice’s A Bullshitter's Guide To Italo-Disco by Angus Harrison Imagine, if you can, if somebody made a B-movie of the entire disco genre. Music so obviously emotional, it becomes inescapably affecting. This is Italo and its heartstring-pulling magic. It's not disco, in fact in most cases it's technically a lot worse, but there is untold charm in the chintz. Niall and Andrea take you deep into how US disco morphed into Italo, how Moroder and Hi-NRG fits in, the characteristics of Italo disco, the glitz, the glamour and the keytars. Plus, we talk about the Nialler9 Podcast theme song - Red Dragon Band's 'Let Me Be Your Radio... Patreon members get exclusive access to my 8 hour Italo Disco playlist featuring all of the songs played on this episode, which includes classics like Doctor’s Cat – Feel The Drive Mr. Flagio – Take A Chance La Bionda – I Wanna Be Your Lover RAF – Self-Control Ken Laszlo – Hey Hey Guy Ryan Paris – Dolce Vita Sabrina – Boys and many more. Support Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord chat Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For a subgenre deep dive, Niall takes a dip into the idea of Balearic music, and finds out that it's not as easy to explain as he first thought. Balearic is often thought of as a signifier of music that is evocative, sun-kissed and downtempo, but as our deep dive discovers Balearic is a feeling, an approach, that encompasses those things but also can be cheesy, soft, rocking, easy listening, dancey, slowed-down, dreamy, psychedelic and as dance music writer Frank Tope put it “it’s pop music that sounds good on pills.” The true origin story of Balearic is certain to includes the music selections of the Ibiza DJ Alfredo who DJed at Amnesia during the years of 1983 to 1988, just as all-night licences were coming to the Island. You know Ibiza as the Balearic Island haven where superclubs bang out techno and house and big name DJs hold residencies now, but in the '80s, the story of clubbing in Ibiza was being built from the ground up. Alfredo played an eclectic mix of pop, soul, disco, electronic, house, psych rock and Latin pop including Sade, The Cure, Derrick May, Simply Red, the Pink Panther Theme, Madonna, Richie Havens, Queen, psych rock wigouts, The Woodentops, and The Style Council, but was initially derided for his DJ sets. Our tale of Balearic music is linked to the Bhagwan Oregon cult selling MDMA on the island, new age dropouts, hippies, and party jet-setters, chillout Cafe Del Mar sunsets, and a sunny island mecca that became a setting for ecstasy-fuelled music epiphanies, that spread dance and club culture throughout the UK and Europe. Episode notes / referencesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist DJ Harvey on Balearica Did the Cult From 'Wild Wild Country' Introduce MDMA to Ibiza? Last Night A DJ Saved my Life - Bill Brewster, Bill Broughton Joe Muggs - The Balearic Aesthetic guide Alfredo Spotify Playlist Alfredo @ Amnesia, Ibiza (1985) / Youtube. Cian O'Ciobhain’s Balaeric special Balearic Beats Ritmo Fantasía: Balearic Spanish Synth-Pop, Boogie And House (1982-1992) Support Nialler9 on Patreon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Note, this is a rewind of an episode from 2021 to mark our second Indie Sleaze night on September 29th in Workman's Cellar. You may have heard of the term Indie Sleaze lately. A term newly coined to describe a nostalgic trend of post-Y2K era of culture and aesthetics of indie music and parties that crossed cities and continents. Niall and Andrea are talking indie-rock, blog house, nu-rave, electro-clash and the alternative scene of the years of 2004 to 2012 that gave us the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Crystal Castles, CSS, Uffie, MGMT, New Young Pony Club, MIA, Hipster Runoff, Mashups, The Cobrasnake’s hedonistic flash photography, Dublin clubs like Antics and spawned an Indie Sleaze instagram account. So how are Gen Z co-opting the vibe of the era and is the Indie Sleaze trend just a Tik-Tok-enabled churn in nostalgia economy? Plus, Louise McSharry, host of the new topical news podcast Catch Up, drops in to talk about her experiences of indie, electro and alternative of that time, the fashion and the tunes she still loves, and why she wants to start a club night in the era’s honour. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon for extra persk. Show notesOur Indie Sleaze night with guest DJ Louise McSharry. Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Subscribe to Andrea Cleary's Ghost newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 220 is a chat with the journalist, pop culture writer, and author Michael Cragg. Michael's new book Reach for the Stars is a rip-roaring oral history of UK pop music between 1996 and 2006, told through the interviews with the popstars, the songwriters, producers, label executives, pop fans, svengalis and culture writers of the day. It's an unputdownable behind-the-scenes history of British pop music that tells the story of the Spice Girls, 5ive, Steps, S Club 7, Atomic Kitten, Girls Aloud, JLS, Liberty X, Sugababes, The X-Factor and more. The book contains many anecdotes like Geri Halliwell missing the Spice Girls audition because she had sunburn or 5ive saying 'Baby One More Time' is " ” to Max Martin's face. We spoke to Michael about pop stars' mad schedules, the lack of mental health awareness, Xenomania, the moguls like Pete Waterman; the homophobia around boy bands coming out, TOTP, Smash Hits and the media landscape of the day, and the crazy pressure they were under in which a number two record is considered was failure. Michael Cragg will also be appearing for an interview and Q&A with our pal Louise Bruton at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party on Saturday July 15th at Wigwam. Tickets are on Eventbrite. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon for extra persk. Show notesBuy Reach For The Stars Michael Cragg Author Interview and Pop Party on July 15th Follow Nialler9 on Insta | Twitter | Youtube | Spotify Subscribe to Andrea Cleary's Ghost newsletter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the ever popular monthly episode where Niall and Andrea share what's moving them musically from the month of June - new music and older stuff too. On Episode 219 we have selections from King Krule, The Hives, Bright Eyes, Peter Gabriel, Maija Sofia, Glasser, Slaughter Beach, Dog, Niall's song of the summer contender and some oldie shouts from Surfers, Freestylers, Joy Anonymous and Bikini Kill. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get ad-free episodes and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are keeping our summer school vibe going for a bit for the season by keeping episodes relaxed and casual for a bit while the weather is a bit nicer. Episode 218 of the Nialler9 Podcast then, sees Niall take the reins of the going out buzz after last week's Andrea Goes To Slane episode. It was a busy festival weekend with Beyond The Pale, Body & Soul and Seas Sessions all taking place in Ireland this past weekend. Niall went to the first two for Body & Soul Festival on Friday and Saturday and then festival hopped to Beyond The Pale on the Sunday. He shares his experiences of both, from the weather to the site cleanliness to the highlights, lowlights and an attempt to answer the question that was om everyone's lips - why was Beyond The Pale and Body & Soul clashing on the same weekend? There were thunderstorms, lightning, big sets, stage time delays, vibe checks and crowd checks to consider. Plus, we share your highlights and lowlights from your festival weekend experiences from our Insta and Discord callouts. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 217 of the Nialler9 Podcast is all about that great Irish music institution - Slane Castle. 22 years (!) after Nialler was last at the big annual concert in Meath, Andrea makes her first trip to Slane for the Harry Styles concert and our roving vibe reporter is here to share her experiences from the gig day out, the food on offer, and the car park saga after. Plus, there's a look at the recent Why Not Her? radio report, a new official Beatles song via AI, some fascinating facts culled from the recent New Yorker piece on the Ed Sheeran/ Marvin Gaye copyright case Plus, the US plan to hike up artist visa prices from $460 to $1,615 per individual musician or crew member, meaning a lot less international touring acts going to America to play if it goes through. * Support Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord community Listen to the episode below or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Listen on Apple | Android | ACAST | Patreon | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Show notesSongs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.