Nialler9

The Best of the Month episode is now Patreon-only [https://www.patreon.com/Nialler9]. Public subscribers get the first 20 minutes or so of the episode as a free preview. Members [https://www.patreon.com/Nialler9] get to hear the whole episode on [https://www.patreon.com/posts/128001014] Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/posts/128001014] as part of a €5 a month subscription so come join us! It's the return of our monthly Patreon episode [https://www.patreon.com/posts/128001014], but this time with a special guest. Andrea is taking the summer off the podcast and listening parties, so I asked Mo Cultivation's Bekah Molony [https://www.instagram.com/bekahmolony/?hl=en] to join me in enthusing about our favourite music of the past month. Bekah joins us to talk about Tyler, The Creator's recent Dublin gig, Forbidden Fruit, Lovely Days at Guinness Storehouse and more. Then we discuss our favourite music from PinkPantheress, Khamari, Baxter Dury, Evan Miles, Mhaol, Billy Woods, Sammy Virji and Skepta, For Those I Love, Katie Phelan, Loyle Carner and Erika De Casier. Plus some song of the summer contenders and chats about Sinners the film and TV shows we're catching. Listen on  [https://subscribe.acast.com/https%3A%2F%2Faccess.acast.com%2Frss%2F65f2befa2f7911001683da49%2Fdefault]Apple [https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/nialler9-music-blog-podcast/id220030762?mt=2] | Android [http://subscribeonandroid.com/www.nialler9.com/feed/podcast/] | Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/nialler9] | Pocketcasts [https://pca.st/BWui] | CastBox [https://castbox.fm/channel/id1516041?country=us] | Stitcher [https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/nialler9?refid=stpr] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2qCyvvnd4KCyJtJNtz8ErU?si=bP_-KxlfQ7C5xVtm5evP4A] | RSS Feed [https://nialler9.com/feed/podcast] | Podlink [https://pod.link/220030762] * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community [https://www.patreon.com/c/Nialler9] Albums and tracks mentioned For Those I Love - Of The Sorrows Sammy Virji; Skepta - Cops & Robbers billy woods - Golliwog (album) Khamari - Head in a Jar Baxter Dury, JGrrey - Allbarone katie phelan - nothing stays the same Erika de Casier - Lifetime (album) Evan Miles - It's On Me Mhaol - Something Soft (album) PinkPantheress - Stateside PinkPantheress - Illegal Sofia Kourtesis; Daphni - Unidos Selena Gomez; benny blanco - Bluest Flame Loyle Carner - all i need

Today's episode is a discussion with writer and journalist Una Mullally [https://bsky.app/profile/unamullally.bsky.social] about artist boycotts, solidarity, Palestine, Israel, protest, cancellation, capitalism and the music industry. We talk about how Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people has become a flashpoint of awareness about how modern music festivals work, specifically how private equity which invests in Israel operates in the live music industry. We chat about why Kneecap's recent actions have drawn so much ire and anger in the US and  the UK, leading to the expedited terror charge of Mo Chara on June 18th, and calls (often successful) for cancellation of their shows. Festivals owned by global events company Superstruct who own 80 festivals and brands like Sonar, Sziget, Boiler Room, Oya, Field Day and Mighty Hoopla have had artists cancel in boycott of Superstruct's owner KKR, the second largest private equity firm in the world, who  have documented ties to both weapons manufacturers and Israeli companies developing data centres and advertising real estate on illegally occupied land. It feels like an unprecedented time for the visibility of protest and boycott by artists in recent years. A generational shift is happening -  Artists and DJs are showing moral opposition in this complicity in the face of political inaction. Lines are being drawn.

K.Dot's first masterpiece album is a coming-of-age story with Kendrick navigating life in Compton, resisting peer pressure, destructive behaviour and trying to stay righteous in a corrupted world. Ahead of our listening party at the Big Romance [https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/kendrick-lamar-good-kid-maad-city-listening-party-tickets-1367541957809?aff=oddtdtcreator], Andrea takes us on the Hero's Journey of Kendrick Lamar's breakthrough 2012 second album good kid, m.A.A.d city. Subtitled A Short Film, this cinematic rap masterpiece was a huge mainstream success, and crowned Kendrick as the voice of modern hip-hop (Dr. Dre literally appears to do so on the coronation track 'Compton') and it's narrative storytelling tells the story of a 17-year-old Lamar on a quest for a girl before being sidetracked by homie peer pressure and the more dangerous elements of his surrounding landscape. It features the songs 'Bitch Dont' Kill My Vibe', 'Money Trees', 'Backseat Freestyle', and the accidental frat anthem 'Swimming Pools (Drank)'. We revisit this modern rap masterpiece, Kendrick's first of many.

The avant-electronic and experimental Irish music festival Open Ear returns to Sherkin Island on the June Bank Holiday weekend. Open Ear [http://www.openear.ie/] is known for its preoccupation with illuminating music operating on the fringes, and the remote island setting of Sherkin Island off the coast of Baltimore in West Cork reflects this outsider ethos. The varied programme is drawn from electronic, techno, experimental folk and trad, jazz EBM, bass music and art rock, and this year features the likes of Irish techno legend Sunil Sharpe, Scottish piper Brìghde Chaimbeul, Cork sean nos rockers I Dreamed I Dream, Belfast Sound Advice record shop owner Marion Hawkes, Limerick rap and production duo Citrus Fresh and 40Hurtz, Catalan/Italian EBM duo Dame Area, Autechre collaborator Rob Hall, and lots more. [https://nialler9.com/open-ear-festival-reveals-2025-lineup/] The programme features one artist at a time across various stages on Sherkin including the infamous Banger Cliff. I spoke to Open Ear head of programming Dion Doherty aka Belacqua [https://www.instagram.com/galwegianbelacqua/] about the challenges and uniqueness of putting on an experimentally-minded festival on an island and as it approaches its 10th year, how its planning to grow its European partnerships and unearths Irish music of the underground.   * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community [https://www.patreon.com/Nialler9] Listen on  [https://subscribe.acast.com/https%3A%2F%2Faccess.acast.com%2Frss%2F65f2befa2f7911001683da49%2Fdefault]Apple [https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/nialler9-music-blog-podcast/id220030762?mt=2] | Android [http://subscribeonandroid.com/www.nialler9.com/feed/podcast/]  | Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/nialler9] | Pocketcasts [https://pca.st/BWui] | CastBox [https://castbox.fm/channel/id1516041?country=us] | Stitcher [https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/nialler9?refid=stpr] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2qCyvvnd4KCyJtJNtz8ErU?si=bP_-KxlfQ7C5xVtm5evP4A] | RSS Feed [https://nialler9.com/feed/podcast] | Pod.Link [https://pod.link/220030762?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYd7iEeeIHT3fyO7C1lp9tT6oNq_9mmv30Q27fC2lqnq8Iizjsp2ejIfwg_aem_sr-4FWMipI5X18CIMkTAxw]

Our monthly Patreon episode [https://www.patreon.com/posts/128001014] in which Andrea Cleary and Niall share our favourite music of the past month.   The Best of the Month episode is now Patreon-only [https://www.patreon.com/Nialler9]. Public subscribers get the first 20 minutes or so of the episode as a free preview. Members [https://www.patreon.com/Nialler9] get to hear the whole episode on [https://www.patreon.com/posts/128001014] Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/posts/128001014] for a €5 a month so come join us! This month, we are discussing new albums from Torres and Julien Baker, Daughter Of Swords, Bon Iver, Maria Somerville and songs from The Hives, Turnstile, mischa and the bear, Frankie Cosmos, Morgana, Myles Manley and a Crossed Wires [https://www.nts.live/shows/amanda-siegel] NTS show recommendation. Listen on  [https://subscribe.acast.com/https%3A%2F%2Faccess.acast.com%2Frss%2F65f2befa2f7911001683da49%2Fdefault]Apple [https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/nialler9-music-blog-podcast/id220030762?mt=2] | Android [http://subscribeonandroid.com/www.nialler9.com/feed/podcast/] | Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/nialler9] | Pocketcasts [https://pca.st/BWui] | CastBox [https://castbox.fm/channel/id1516041?country=us] | Stitcher [https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/nialler9?refid=stpr] | Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/2qCyvvnd4KCyJtJNtz8ErU?si=bP_-KxlfQ7C5xVtm5evP4A] | RSS Feed [https://nialler9.com/feed/podcast] | Podlink [https://pod.link/220030762] * Support Nialler9 on Patreon, get event discounts, playlists, ad-free episodes and join our Discord community [https://www.patreon.com/c/Nialler9] Albums and tracks mentioned Marika Hackman; Laura Marling - Skin Daughter of Swords - Alex LP The Hives - Enough Is Enough mischa and the bear - Deny Maria Somerville - Luster LP Turnstile - NEVER ENOUGH Julien Baker; TORRES - Say A Prayer For Me LP Bon Iver - SAble, Fable LP Bon Iver - I'll Be There Morgana - Power Cuts Myles Manley - Indieboys of Dublin Myles Manley - Di Fontaines Frankie Cosmos - Vanity Dame Area - La Danza Del Ferro