We have a new home - iheartau.com/blog

If you've been wondering just where on earth the AU blog went, this is the time for answers. Over the past while our web designer Andy and graphic designed Stuart have been beavering away on a fancy shmancy new look for the AU website. It's now live, go have a wee nosey.

This blog is now being moved over to iheartau.com/blog, so bookmark that bad boy.

O RLY?

The brand new issue is out now, and unlike the weather, it is a scorcher, shaping up nicely with these fantastic folk all inside
..........
PRIMAL SCREAM
Bobby Gillespie tells us about the great survivors’ past, present and beautiful future

CSS
Lovefoxxx on their second album, celebrity coupledom and Michael Jackson

EVAN DANDO
Alt-rock icon on becoming a reluctant mainstream star, oh and those pesky drugs

BLACK KIDS
Reggie Youngblood demonstrates his Partie piece

ALBERT HAMMOND JR.
Why he’s still got a world to learn

SPARKS
Pop’s Brothers Beyond, 21 albums in and still going strong

MOGWAI
Stuart Braithwaite on their new album and imminent Belfast date

+

History Lessons:
Tom Waits – Grand Weepers and Grim Reapers

Flashback:
Ronaldo – The 1998 World Cup Final mystery

A To Z of Cults:
Sect appeal

Respect Your Shelf:
The novels of Chuck Palahniuk

In The Studio:
The inside track on Friendly Fires debut album

Classic Album:
Nothing’s Shocking by Jane’s Addiction

Let’s Get Metaphysical:
‘Club Tropicana’ by Wham

Incoming: Jaguar Love / Ratatat / Dodos

5 To 1: Unconvincing Irishmen / Moody Celebrities
Ironic Iconic – Rod Stewart

The Last Word: Cut Copy

REVIEWS
>ALBUMS: Eine Kleine Nacht Musik / Beck / The Dudley Corporation / Ratatat / Wolf Parade / The Subways / Tricky / The Hold Steady / Albert Hammond Jr. / Weezer / The Dodos / Black Kids / Sea Wolf / Jay Reatard / Jaguar Love / Biffy Clyro / Primal Scream

>LIVE: Download special / Morrissey / My Bloody Valentine / Radiohead / Iggy Pop / Bonnie ‘Prince Billy’

>UNSIGNED: Autumn Owls / Nanook / Lines Drawing Circles / Sparks Fly

SUBBACULTCHA
Most Wanted: Gigs, Films, Games, Arts, Comics.
Back Of The Net: The funniest YouTube videos.
WeirdWideWeb. Story Of The Video feat. Mystery Jets.
Get Your Clicks: Movie memorabilia.
In Pictures: Pics from AU’s 5th Birthday @ Sandino’s, Derry / Topman Secret Gig @ The Black Box, Belfast.

WORD UPS: The National / Panama Kings / Los Campesinos! / Sonny J / Fight Like Apes / trans ‘08 / But where for art thou Chris Martin?

AU Is 5

Yeo, we celebrated out fifth birthday by decamping to Derry and throwing a massive party featuring 15 of the finest bands from Northern Ireland. It was an immense day. The organisation was spot on, big shout out to Homegirl Promotions for all their help and thanks to Sandino's for letting us take over for the day. Stephen McCauley's Electric Mainline radio show recorded all the sets from the main room for future broadcast, which is awesome.

Everyone played a blinder and there are too many highlights to mention. You can check out a great review of the day on the ATL website.

Can't believe it's been five years already. Onwards and upwards.

trans = sexual

Yeah, so they're gonna hate us for the pun we've made as the subject header here, but the truth is that this years trans festival is a sheer delight of goodness. We were at the launch part for it last week, which was cool. For those of you who don't know about it, trans is an annual festival that takes place in Belfast, utilising various venues throughout the city, and having its hub based at The Waterfront Hall.

This is the third year of the fest, and once again they've managed to improve and develop things significantly. There are a slew of big name acts (Los Campesinos!, Andy Weatherall, London Elektricity, Bonde Do Role...) a broad smattering of the finest regional talent (Fighting With Wire, Cashier No.9, Two Door Cinema Club...) and, more importantly, a host of cool, unique signature events.

Our favourite signature event of this year is the cleverly named Indie Takeaway. It's basically a gig featuring some fine local acts, but the twist is that you are presented with a menu of the tracks you are set to hear. You then select the tracks that you would like to take home with you, and they're burnt on to a CD as mp3's at the end of the night. It's a great idea that is only topped by the sheer amount of puns they have managed to fit in the programme blurb - check it out here.

There are a bazillion cool things happening over the course of the four weeks, plus they're all well affordable so there can be no excuses. The whole shebang kicks off on July 14 and runs till August 10. We'll be keeping you abreast of all the goings on throughout, plus we're co-promoting the opening night which features Los Campesinos!, Kowalski, Two Door Cinema Club and Cat Malojian. Good times on the way.

I Like That

The lovely new mag is out now and as it is our fifth birthday issue it is a biggy packed full with lovely goodies like a great big present waiting to be unwrapped.

It sounds a little something like this...
_______________________________

MGMT
We talk to the most talked about band of 2008

OPPENHEIMER
Belfast duo administer 2nd course of electro-pop therapy

THE HOLD STEADY
Lessons in rock legacies with Brooklyn’s blue-collar heroes

JAPE
Richie Egan’s rites of passage.

HAR MAR SUPERSTAR
Quite lovely, really

MY MORNING JACKET
Are they about to plunge into the big time?

+

The New Irish Noise: AU investigates the swell in Irish noiseniks

History Lessons: Dead Kennedys - Raising the stakes and falling hard

Flashback: A cunning plan is hatched, the TV debut of Blackadder

Let’s Get Metaphysical: ‘True’ by Spandau Ballet

A To Z of Tyrants: An alphabetical excursion to bad bastardville

Respect Your Shelf: Batman graphic novels

In The Studio: The inside track on the making of And So I Watch You From Afar’s debut album

Classic Album: Live And Dangerous by Thin Lizzy

Incoming: Lykke Li / We Smoke Fags / Dananananaykroyd

5 To 1: Home haircuts / Celebrity names

The Last Word: Operator Please

REVIEWS

ALBUMS: My Morning Jacket / Ladytron / The Vinny Club / Vetiver / Halves / Errors / Johnny Foreigner / Oppenheimer / Born Ruffians / Cat Malojian / White Denim / The Zutons / Joan As Police Woman / Fred / Flying Lotus / Gama Bomb / The Chameleons

LIVE: Public Enemy / Frightened Rabbit / The Raconteurs / Caribou / Animal Collective / The Kills / Dinosaur Jr. / Howlin Rain

UNSIGNED: Boathouse / Colenso Parade / The Kinetiks / Cruz


SUBBACULTCHA
Most Wanted: Gigs, Films, Games, Arts, Comics.
Back Of The Net: The funniest YouTube videos. WeirdWideWeb. Story Of The Video feat. Six Star Hotel. Get Your Clicks: T-shirt websites.
In Pictures: Pics from Broken Social Scene @ Vicar Street, Dublin / Spiritualized @ Mandela Hall, QUBSU, Belfast.

WORD UPS: Mudhoney / Gama Bomb / Evan Dando / The Vinny Club / Bon Iver / Tom McShane / Escape Act / Caribou / Keith Harris / But where for art thou Robbie Williams?

Beck In Action

So, the first taste of the new Beck record has been put out in the form of 'Chemtrails', which you can hear at www.beck.com and myspace.com/beck. It's total psych-pop and sounds like something straight out of a drugged up Sixties soirée. He's been working with the producer Danger Mouse on the album, which is due out early this summer.

Apparently, 'Chemtrails' isn't going to be released as a single, so it might be a truer reflection of the sort of thing we can expect from the new record. Still, Beck is capable of turning out super pop hits, and we wouldn't mind hearing another one of those from him.

Let is know what you think of the single over on the AU Forum

Even more Fighting With Wire excitement

The better those Derry boys Fighting With Wire do, the more nerdily excited we get. Watching MTV2 last night and up pops their video for 'Everyone Needs A Nemesis' at Number 4 in the MySpace chart. They were described as 'scruffy' on the ticker text that runs along the screen, which was pretty funny. If you've got a minute pop over to and give them a vote.

They've also been garnering a bit of coverage on the beeb too, from the One Big Weekend festival that they played at. Zane Lowe is continuing to give them massive props, which is excellent, and apparently they've been getting a fair bit of airplay on Radio 1. Here's a bit of footage of the interview (which we found over on the Smalltown America blog, plus a link to a few tracks from their set on the day.





A few live videos can be found here.