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Pound Music Club
The spirit of the Belfast institution lives on in the lungs of Kenny McDowell, whose voice still enraptures a faithful following after 50 years
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The Wild Swan
Recorded in Nashville and rich in variety, the third album from Foy Vance isn't just his finest yet, it bears all the markings of a contemporary classic
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Neil Young
He's taken half a century to get here, but backed by Promise of the Real the Canadian is still the hurricane force of old, and shows no signs of quitting
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The Devil is a Songbird
Ports' long-awaited debut album is one to fall into and appreciate in full, placing them amongst the modern masters of sophisticated and heart-breaking alt rock
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The Zombies
It's the time of the season as the sixties pop survivors kick off the summer festival calendar under the twinkling lights at CQAF
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Two Door Cinema Club
There's no sign of new songs, but under the tongue-in-cheek guise of a tribute act the Bangor boys make a long-awaited reconnection with their roots
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The Sessions
Beatlemania returns to Belfast as the Fab Four's kaleidoscopic catalogue comes to life in a joyous re-staging of their Abbey Road exploits
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Transatlantic Sessions
The revolving folk ensemble leave little to be desired in a showcase proving them to be the crown jewel of the first Derry International Irish Music Festival
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Food and Folksong
Award-winning chef Emmett McCourt brings out the forward-thinking flavours of Derry's new music festival in a night where the menu matches the performances
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Mydidae
Martin Byrne's instrumental score for the harrowing Prime Cut theatre production stands strong even when removed from its dramatic visual context
Ben McAteer
Winner of NI Opera's Festival of Voice competition tackles the classics at Queen's
Radar
Queen's University Students' Union welcomes Arborist, Alana Henderson and Sons of Caliber, writes Chris Jones
Cut the Transmission
Fighting With Wire go out with a bang at The Venue in Derry~Londonderry
Everything I've Learnt
More Than Conquerors' debut album reflects their Christian faith but lacks some much-needed punch, writes Chris Jones
David Lyttle Trio
The acclaimed jazz drummer kicks off a 15-date Irish tour in Belfast's Leaf & Berry café
Sam Baker
Still physically affected by a terrorist attack in Peru, the American songwriter nevertheless infuses his songs with humour
Other People Wrote These
Ciaran Lavery gives us exclusive access to his latest release featuring covers of Talking Heads and more
Klang!
Stuart Bailie takes a trip to Coney Island Sound's world, where Ewan Gordon indulges his inner Eno
Harvest
Gareth Dunlop and others support Villagers against the picturesque backdrop of Greyabbey House
Steve Vai
The virtuoso guitarist brings his extravagant show to Mandela Hall
Joy of Nothing
Maureen Coleman reviews Foy Vance's 'gorgeous' second album featuring Ed Sheeran
Testing Times
The latest ironic offering from Belfast band War Hole is a thing 'of rare and affecting beauty'
Nine Inch Nails
And So I Watch You From Afar and Little Matador provide support for Trent Reznor and friends at Custom House Square
Stendhal
This 'charming melting pot of a festival' in Limavady welcomes emerging artists and established acts like Duke Special
Fleadh Cheoil NaÉireann
Derry~Londonderry's Guildhall hosts two concerts showcasing the best in traditional Irish, Scottish and American music
Folk on a Boat
Rachel Coulter and Stephen Macartney of Farriers serenade a boat-load of gig goers for Open House Bangor
Six String Love Stories
Pete Gardiner revels in wordplay, imagery and catchy hooks on his impressive debut album
The Priests
The Ulster Orchestra provide the music for a series of mainly religious compositions at Clonard Monastery
Happy Mondays
Shaun Ryder and co rock Falls Park, with support from The Charlatans, at Féile an Phobail
Chris Woods
The guitar maestro gives a finger-picking masterclass at the Black Box
For the Love of Letting Go
Kowalski step out of Two Door Cinema Club's shadow with an effervescent debut album
JAZZnBELFAST
The Dana Masters Sextet combine their virtuosic talents on their 'sublime, exquisite' debut album
The Olllam
Virtuoso piper/whistler John McSherry gets his groove on at The MAC with his latest collaborative project
The River Still Sings
Despite the best efforts of the Fidelio Trio, this multi-media City of Culture production fails to inspire
Bruce Springsteen
The Boss arrives in Belfast, the E Street Band in tow, to deliver a hit-heavy set that was well worth the wait
Glasgowbury
The music festival at Eagle's Rock says goodbye after two days of sunshine, setbacks and years of youthful promise
David Rees-Williams Jazz Trio
The pianist manages a successful fusion of jazz and classical at Portaferry Presbyterian Church
Where Is The Man
Amanda St John makes a strong first impression with her debut EP, produced by Gareth Dunlop
Songs of Iron
Trucker Diablo's second album is an intoxicating cocktail of rock hooks and stadium-sized choruses
Celtic Fusion
Frankie Gavin and the New De Dannan headline the traditional music festival in Castlewellan
Rod Stewart
The veteran singer dusts off the cobwebs with a hit-heavy set at the Oydssey Arena in Belfast
Big Belfast Choir
Musical director Aoife Cormacain gets the best of her newly formed ensemble at the Grand Opera House
Music City
Terry Blain wanders around Derry~Londonderry as acts from around the world unite in song for City of Culture
The Who
Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey perform their classic album, Quadrophenia, in its entirety at the Odyssey Arena
Enturbulation = No Challenge
Desert Hearts remain charmingly unfamiliar with the zeitgeist as they release their 'beguiling' third album
Desert Hearts
The Belfast four-piece launch their third album in Voodoo, Belfast with a blistering set of the old and the new
Piano Classics
David Quigley's debut recording as a solo artist is a vivid advertisement of how winningly he is playing at present
Underneath the Night of Stars
Robyn G Shiels ventures into the blue with five new tales of loss and regret
Portaferry Proms
Portaferry Presbyterian Church resonates to the elegant sounds of the Endellion String Quartet
Linen Hall Library 225
New Neil Martin composition is the highlight of this anniversary concert at the Ulster Hall
Lucinda Williams
Belfast's Real Music Club celebrates 15 years of roots music with performances from Malojian and Austin's finest
Frank Turner
Limelight 1 resembles an aerobics class as Frank Turner, the man with the plan, gets the Belfast crowd bouncing
Love & Other Nonsense
The National Chamber Choir of Ireland show their chops at St Thomas's Parish Church
The Fall
There are no histrionics this time around, as Mark E Smith arrives promptly to tear up the Custom House Marquee
Thee Oh Sees
If they once sounded anything like Neil Young, Fionola Meredith finds it hard to tell – she's too busy dancing
John Grant
Malojian provides the sunshine, John Grant the expletives, as CQAF celebrates the songwriter
Dexys
Kevin Rowland and co play through their latest album in full at Custom House Square Marquee
Neil Cowley Trio
The UK City of Culture musician-in-residence brings his own brand of exhilarating jazz fusion to the Black Box
Nikolai Demidenko
Philip Hammond admires the Russian pianist's individual take on works by Chopin and Rakhmaninov at the Ulster Hall
Can't Keep Up
Shauna Tohill uses the Silhouette moniker to pursue her own musical path – this four-track collection was worth the wait
Sing Under the Bridges
Anthony Toner crafts another fine collection of literate songs that tell of love, life and loss
Tales of the Working Class
They provided the soundtrack to the Backin' Belfast campaign, now indie act Pretty Cartel are going it alone
Brahms
Pianist Barry Douglas unleashes his talents on the German composer's formidable back catalogue
Welcome to Mikrosector-50
Belfast's Space Dimension Controller is 'light-years ahead of his contemporaries'
New Releases
The Wood Burning Savages, Vanilla Gloom and Elspeth bare their souls. Steven Rainey passes judgement
Passio
National Chamber Choir of Ireland perform Arvo Pärt's musical retelling of St John's Passion narrative
Arthur Kell Quartet
The acclaimed jazz group wrap up the Brilliant Corners Festival on the Belfast Barge
The Bear
NI Opera adapt William Walton's saucy one-act story under the baton of Nicholas Chambers
Girls Aloud
Detractors be damned, this talent show quintet have much to celebrate after ten years at the top
All Hail Bright Futures
A new line-up and a 'blissed out, expansive' sound bode well for instrumentalists And So I Watch You From Afar