Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The Indecent Cigar Emporium & Spies

Some images from our gig night last week. Taken by Aidhán MacCionnaith. Click to enlarge

Spies







The Indecent Cigar Emporium





Monday, August 16, 2010

Have You Seen It? #1: Brick (2005)


Brick is a film that toys with its audience, it is a piece with deception at its core. Indeed, it is easy for the viewer to be mislead by the fast-talking, hard boiled surface that the film so readily presents. The dialogue throughout is determined and deliberate, not much is given away by the excessive slang and doublespeak that constitutes much of the dialogue. Yet, this surface of pastiche and parody hides beneath it an intense and poignant tale of love and loss, the story sees the protagonist, Brendon, transgress a number of emotional trials. These trials are presented as the various obstacles that Brendon must overcome to uncover the mystery behind his ex-girlfriend’s untimely death.The noir-ish nature of the dialogue and plot when set against the film’s suburban setting remind us that while the stakes are high, the core of the narrative is Brendon’s struggle to overcome his recent break-up with Emily. The film intentionally obscures this fact and in doing so illustrates the confusion that comes from times of great emotional trauma. Film noir so often leaves the viewer with an unsatisfactory ending, our expectations are undermined by a protagonist’s death or a mystery left unsolved. Any amount of ambiguity surrounding Brick’s ending should not leave the viewer frustrated, we have travelled with Brendon, and witnessed his trials. He is left in a tranquil state of meditative satisfaction at the film’s close, and while the plot may be unwieldy at times and the message behind the parody somewhat confusing, Brick gives us a view into the teenage thought process that is both intriguing and refreshing, not to mention, unforgettable. --Luke Maxwell

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Acoustic Gold


Chris Familton's article Acoustic Gold from Issue 3 is now available via his blog Doubtful Sounds.


Unlike many other musical trends and genres, folk music never disappears and new artists are consistently emerging. Chris Familton discusses the history of the genre and why it never goes out of fashion…

You may not find many hardcore hip hop fans listening to folk music, or vice versa, but the connections between the two genres are closer than most people would think. The reality is that folk has been as cutting edge a musical medium as hip hop and in its heyday, the blues.

Click to continue reading...

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

One More Robot Magazine presents The Indecent Cigar Emporium & Spies Live



THE BLOCK IS HOT!!!

An evening of live music, courtesy of One More Robot magazine featuring the Indecent Cigar Emporium, a 5-piece, synth-heavy band intent on bringing the groove back to the masses. The band will be let loose in the Stage Room of The Twisted Pepper, bringing an electrifying selectrification of electrofunk, disco and whatever else they can mash into their songs, all for your dancing pleasure.

Also featured, the dee...p voiced, alternative rockers Spies will warm the room despite their affinity for the black.

Tickets €10 at the door. Dancing shoes essential, drinking shoes preferable.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

It is a truth universally acknowledged that you do not talk about Fight Club.


What happens when you mix a Jane Austen novel with Fight Club? A movie that absolutely has to happen, that's what.