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
City of Derry International Choral Festival
New Festival Chorus reaffirms the city's musical status in a pitch perfect opening gala performance
I Was An Astronaut
Derry singer-songwriter Conor McAteer takes a giant leap forward in a controlled and cohesive fourth album bursting with love in all its forms
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Mydidae
Martin Byrne's instrumental score for the harrowing Prime Cut theatre production stands strong even when removed from its dramatic visual context
U2
For all their waning studio powers, Bono and his merry band still hit the mark on a politically poignant return to Belfast
Beat Root
Robyn G Shiels and Richard Dawson turn folk on its head as Moving On Music's weekend takeover at the Crescent Arts Centre concludes
Matthew Whiteside - Dichroic Light
Melding chamber aesthetics with electronic minimalism, the Lisburn-born composer's debut strikes a rewarding balance of abstract subtlety and melodic power
Kathryn Stott & Martin Roscoe
Seventh annual Walled City Music Festival off to a thunderous start with two of the UK's finest pianists at University of Ulster Magee's Great Hall
Ash - Kablammo!
By no means a perfect comeback, but there is much to admire about Downpatrick's most famous sons' 'back to basics' first album in almost a decade
Donal Scullion
Though sonically on point, the folk singer's debut album is a game of two halves with middling lyricism revealing little of the artist himself
Look Out Machines!
Duke Special goes electro on captivating new studio album, his most personal to date, propelled by synths and marked by a romantic, optimistic lyricism
Lunch With Bowie
Writers and musicians pay tribute to the divisive, chameleonic rock icon at the Ulster Hall's latest Literary Lunchtime event. 'He was the human equivalent of a Google search'
Disquiet
Therapy? release 'a sequel of sorts' to 1994's seminal Troublegum, a fearsome album that deals with addiction, ageing and expectation with typical vigour
Brilliant Corners Jazz Festival
Dublin City Jazz Orchestra, featuring trumpeter Linley Hamilton, get into the swing of things at the Crescent Arts Centre – find out what else is happening over the coming days
Duets: Re-working the Catalogue
Van Morrison celebrates his 70th birthday with a committed, joyous collection of vocal collaborations featuring Michael Buble, Bobby Womack and a whole lot of soul
BBC St Patrick's Day Concert
Ulster Orchestra support Soak, Paul Brady, Duke Special and a host of others as BBC Northern Ireland prerecord a Waterfront Hall concert to be broadcast on March 17
Belfast Nashville Songwriters Festival
Trevor Hodgett attends three gigs at the Empire and Holiday Inn as Cara Dillon, Foy Vance, Ken Haddock and others share stages with America's finest
The Killer Instinct
Featuring former members of legendary rock group Thin Lizzy, Black Star Riders produce a hard rock album that is derivative but essential listening for any fan of the genre
Soak and Duke Special at McGrory's
Young starlet from Derry supports established artist from Belfast as guitar meets piano in a battle of the solo performers
The Fureys
Celtic roots music aristocracy attract tourists from across Europe to Belfast's Waterfront Hall for a rousing evening of laments and reels
Goons
The remnants of Fighting With Fire and LaFaro incorporate synths in new supergroup but ultimately stay true to their alt-rock roots
Homegrown '15
A wealth of Derry's finest acts perform in the Millennium Forum in tangible legacy from City of Culture 2013
Piaf
Christine Bovill's emotional tribute to the famous French chanteuse leaves the Black Box in tears
Niamh McGlinchey
The country singer entertains at Out To Lunch
By Any Means
Two of Northern Ireland's most promising metal acts get the New Year under way at Voodoo in Belfast
The Lost Brothers
Mark McCausland and Oisin Leech channel the finest songwriters in Derry
Lit Up Inside
Van Morrison launches a book of his lyrics in London joined by Michael Longley, Edna O'Brien and Ian Rankin
NI Music Prize
Robyn G Shiels scoops album of the year, while alt-metal icons Therapy? perform Troublegum
SOAK
Derry's finest returns home after a year in the spotlight
Lost Domain
Ash frontman Tim Wheeler produces a cathartic solo album following his father's battle with dementia
The Gloaming
Trad supergroup play out the 2014 Belfast Festival at Queen's with support from Hannah McPhillimy
Remembering Gerry
A host of musicians indebted to the late Radio Ulster presenter Gerry Anderson perform in Belfast
Black Stone Cherry
American purveyors of backwoods rock chug their way through an impressive set at Mandela Hall
Trio Rafale
Swiss three-piece conjure the spirit of their classical forebears in a buoyant performance at Queen's
Beoga
Virtuoso trad group are supported by emerging act Cúig in Belfast
Dillon & Tyminski
One of Ireland's finest vocalists is supported by American bluegrass legend at the Waterfront Hall
Southpaw Niños
Mick McCullagh's trad debut features songwriting worthy of The Waterboys
Ó Raghallaigh & Trueman
Composers conjure hypnotic soundscapes in north Belfast
Barry Douglas
Jenny Cathcart takes a trip down memory lane at Fermanagh Live thanks to the virtuoso pianist
First Aid Kit
Swedish sister act show themselves to be shining lights of the nu-folk scene at Mandela Hall
Planted
New Trad quintet Moxie release an uplifting debut album on jazz drummer David Lyttle's Lyte Records
Sestina
The innovative vocal ensemble welcome theorbo player Paula Chateauneuf to the Ulster Museum
Race With The Tide
PØRTS release three offcuts from their forthcoming debut album which suggest greater things to come
A Sense of Wonder
Biographer David Burke attempts to define Van Morrison
Little Matador
Snow Patrol guitarist Nathan Connolly performs a cathartic hard rock support set at Belsonic
Love's As Warm As Tears
Ulster Youth Choir commemorate the outbreak of the First World War
Romeo & Juliet
Ulster Youth Orchestra perform music from Provofiev's great ballet and more at the Ulster Hall
July '14
Andrew Lemon rounds up the latest releases from Boxcutter, Sister Ghost and TOSKA
Rhythm Nation
Ulster Youth Training Choir gain valuable live performance experience at Craigavon Civic Centre
Albatross
Andrew Farmer and Sons of Caliber ride the alt-folk wave with a debut album of highs and lows
Arborist
Mark McCambridge continues to impress with rich tunes and a hard-earned earthy croon
Walled City Music Festival
Founders Cathal Breslin and Sabrina Hu lead the opening concert in Derry~Londonderry
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