Entertainment

Noise Annoys: Empty Lungs Don't Get It, Shellshock Rock back on big screen at QFT

David Roy

David Roy

David has been a features reporter at The Irish News since 2001, writing about music, cinema, comedy, theatre, books, art, TV, travel, motoring and more....

Empty Lungs release their new EP next week
Empty Lungs release their new EP next week Empty Lungs release their new EP next week

FANS of Belfast's punky alt-rock / alt-rocky punk combo Empty Lungs have been waiting patiently for the band to get around to recording their debut album for about four years now.

Active since 2011, the quartet turned power trio's excellent six track mini album Stand Up came out way back in 2013 and since then we've only had the odd couple of singles to sustain us.

Happily, 15 months on from their last missive, pro-choice anthem Bernadette, Kev Jones (vocals/guitars), Conor (bass/vocals) and Mykie (drums/vocals) are currently readying a new EP for release next Friday via Canada's Hidden Pony Records.

Don't Get It is a three song blast of riffy, shouty, enjoyably noisy and melodic tuneage, which kicks off in short, sharp shock style with the thumping title track.

Clocking in at 12 seconds short of the two minute mark – master of brevity Buddy Holly would be proud – the lead tune is a get-on-the-floor rallying call for folks who find themselves out of step with the modern world, combining punky attack with an almost surf-rock groove and some nice shoegazey guitar effects.

The rocking quiet/loud sing-along Losing It. Finding It features a late song breakdown that's pure Pixies in feel, though Black Francis and co never managed to deploy a three-way 'woah-woah' outro like the one the Lungs (or 'the Empties', if you prefer?) drop here.

Final song Fragile also tips its cap to the Boston indie rock gods by way of 90s alternative heroes Jawbreaker, combining a loud jump-around chorus with cool, slouchy verses for an uplifting rocker which should go down a storm when played live on their up-coming tour, which kicks off on Wednesday in Glasgow.

Hometown fans will have to wait until April 1 (no fooling) to experience the new songs live, as that's when Empty Lungs return to Belfast for a belated single release show aboard the Belfast Barge in the company of opening acts Chewing On Tinfoil (melodic punk rock from Dublin), Life Goals (poppy indie/alt rock) and Anna's Anchor (US-flavoured solo indie rock from Limerick).

However, you can get your tickets for this limited capacity 'bring your own booze/beverages' (no glass, dummy) soiree right now via Wegottickets.com, priced £11.

In other punk rock-related news, be advised that tomorrow night brings yet another chance to get your eyes and ears around excellent Belfast punk documentary Shellshock Rock.

Featuring Stiff Little Fingers, The Outcasts, Protex, Rudi, The Undertones and all your da's musical favourites from back in the days when everything round here was in black and white (though, weirdly, the film itself is in gloriously grainy 16mm colour), the doc was only recently made available to stream online by the BFI for absolutely free – but this time it's coming back to the big screen courtesy of the folks at QFT as part of the cinema's John T Davis Retrospective.

This brings the Northern Ireland film-maker's 'punk trilogy' – Shellshock, short Protex tour flick Protex Hurrah and 'Outcasts at The Ulster Hall' doc Self-Concious Over You – to the screen tomorrow evening in one big block of '77 punk nostalgia.

Before that, the man himself is 'in conversation' at QFT tonight, while on Sunday you can catch a double bill of Davis' 1989 docs Power in The Blood and Dust on The Bible, with screenings of Hobo (March 6 to 19) and The Uncle Jack (March 18) also in the pipeline.

See Queensfilmtheatre.com for tickets and exact timings.