:: Aoife Wolf – The Wetlands (single, Analogue Catalogue)
RAIN is pelting the windows, you can't afford to turn the heating on and the little money that's left in your savings account is now basically worthless thanks to the economy taking a massive Liz Truss-shaped dump.
Yes, it's set to be a long, cold winter of discontent – so there's no better time to kindle what little inner glow you have left with a few dozen spins of the smouldering new single from midlands-bred and Dublin-based musician Aoife Wolfe.
You'll remember Aoife, of course, from her last quality release, The Woman Who Shot Andy Warhol, described in this column back in May as "a dark 'n' dreamy, sultry sly and slinky lamentation packed with ominous, rolling drums, portentous Telecaster strum 'n' clang and Wolf's spine-tingling vocal performance".
Her latest offering, The Wetlands, is also the title track of the upcoming EP from which it has been plucked for your present day listening pleasure. And it is a pleasure, a dreamy shoegazey daze which sways, swirls and occasionally snarls while unfurling at moody, measured canter that puts me in mind of the kind of sensual yet ominous throb you used to hear down The Black Lodge in Twin Peaks.
While her last tune was inspired by the infamous actions of others, this new song is one from the heart.
She explains: "It draws inspiration from my own perpetual conflict between the internal pull towards the sparseness of my rural upbringing but also how exposed and barren the midlands feel to me in both a metaphorical and literal sense.
"The city can offer solace in its wealth of amenities and distractions. However, the constant churn of the city overwhelms the senses until one needs to return once again to the black soil of home. This constant oscillation between noise and silence is a reflection of my own turbulent mental health during the time of the song's conception.
"My ambition with this piece of work is to pay homage to the deep cultural and ancestral ties of the Irish bogland and my complicated relationship with it. The Wetlands also represents, for me, a land that is metaphorically dark and vacant as my experience growing up in Offaly, not fitting or not having access to the culture or influences that brought joy and colour to my life at a much later stage.
"The song addresses a longing for a sense of peace but being unable to attain it by returning home, and thus the cycle repeats."
It's also excellent for dancing to, in a slow swaying kind of a way. Check The Wetlands out now on Spotify, imminently at aoife-wolf.bandcamp.com and live in person at her free show at Dublin's Smithfield Square on Sunday November 13, and don't miss the very cool video on YouTube.
:: Michael Head headed for Belfast
SHACK fans rejoice, for Michael 'Mick' Head cometh. The cult Liverpool band's fearless leader and solo artist of considerable repute is Belfast-bound with his current and fabulously monikered backing group The Red Elastic Band for a show at The Black Box on November 29.
Mick can now add 'bona-fide Top 10 Album Chart-bothering artiste' to his already impressive musical CV – which includes being the mainman of The Pale Fountains, The Strands and the aforementioned Shack – thanks to his current Bill Ryder-Jones produced album Dear Scott hitting the dizzy heights of Number Six on the LP hit parade earlier this year.
Expect to hear the highlights of that, like recent singles American Kid, Kismet and Broken Beauty, plus favourites from the Mick Head songbook at the upcoming show, tickets for which can be had for £19.80 via ticketweb.ie.
:: Milky Chance are a thing
FANS of German electro-folkpop rejoice, for Milky Chance cometh. OK, I'll be honest, I'd only vaguely heard/heard of this lot before Shep From The Empire (and indeed elsewhere) got in touch regarding the duo's upcoming engagement at The Ulster Hall on October 27.
Naturally, the fact a band I was unfamiliar with were playing such a prestigious local venue piqued my interest: it turns out Clemens and Philipp have been going for almost 10 years now and have built up a decent worldwide following over the course of six albums since the release of their breakout single Stolen Dance in 2013.
Colour me informed – and a quick Spotify listening session reveals that 'the Chance', as I'm now calling them, actually aren't half bad at all. Guess that must be why they've nearly sold out next week's Belfast show already. Das ist wunderbar, etc etc.
If you want to go, best get your tickets (priced £27 to £30) now via ulsterhall.co.uk.
:: Young Musicians' Platform Award
ARE you young (but over 18)? Do you hail from/reside in Northern Ireland? Are you a solo musician specialising in either jazz, classical, trad or contemporary songs? If the answers are "er, yeah?" then don't waste another second: pick up your phone, open a new browser window and apply for the Northern Ireland Young Musicians' Platform Award (NIYMPA).
Presented by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland in partnership with BBC Northern Ireland and supported by The National Lottery, these biennial awards provide £5,000 awards to three classical musicians, one jazz musician, one traditional musician and one contemporary singer-songwriter, who will then mentored by a 'master' musician, teacher or composer.
Each awardee will also participate in two broadcast sessions with BBC Northern Ireland, with four presenters from BBC Radio Ulster and Foyle following their progress on their programmes and help them prepare to perform with the Ulster Orchestra for a live broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster.
Classical pianist and Classical Connections presenter John Toal will mentor the three classical awardees, Folk Club presenter and Irish News columnist Lynette Fay will mentor traditional, Jazz World presenter and legendary local jazzer Linley Hamilton will mentor (you guessed it) jazz, while Stephen 'The Stephen McCauley Show' McCauley will mentor the singer-songwriter.
Paul McClean of BBC Northern Ireland says: "Nurturing new talent is something we are extremely passionate about and we are delighted to be involved in finding new classical, alternative, jazz and traditional artists.
"Being able to have our listeners engage in these young musicians' journey will be incredible to watch as they grow and develop with some help from John, Lynette, Stephen and Linley, all of whom are music evangelists."
Online applications are now open at artscouncil-ni.org/funding, where you'll also find a full list of the eligibility criteria, and will close at 12pm on Tuesday November 15. Applications will be assessed by a specialist panel and shortlisted applicants will then be invited to audition in Belfast between December 8 and 9, where they will be asked to perform two contrasting pieces in style and period, one of which will be contemporary.
In other words, it's time to get practising.
:: Fighting With Wire re-union
FINALLY for this week, a reminder that the one and only Fighting With Wire return next weekend for a one-off show.
This fantastic Derry alt-rock trio have been defunct for almost a decade now, but those who have been mourning their loss ever since and anyone who missed out on their reliably raucous and ferocious live shows the first time around now have another shot to catch up with what they were all about.
Guitarist and frontman Cahir O'Doherty, bassist Jamie King and drummer Craig McKean invite you to join them in their home city at The Nerve Centre – a venue so crucial to their musical development – next Saturday night for a blast through old favourites from 2008's debut album Man Vs Monster, its belated follow-up Colonel Blood and hopefully a decent smattering of early EP tunes besides.
Joining them on the bill will be two of Derry's current finest musical outfits, Cherym and Parker, and tickets can still be had for £12.50 plus booking fee from nervecentre.org.
Be there or be forever regretful.
