As I approached the Court House in Bangor for the soundcheck of Sarah McCreedy's highly anticipated debut album launch, "Why Am I Still Here?", the stage was a glittering spectacle adorned with fairy lights, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting, courtesy of five exceptional musicians. In full transparency, this documentation is less a review and more an account of my personal experience, as I was privileged to be part of the show.

The ensemble consisted of Simon Harte, Mark Armstrong, AOIBHA, Matt McIvor, and, of course, the woman of the hour, Sarah McCreedy. My connection with Sarah's music goes back so far that my fandom evolved into collaboration and ultimately an amazing friendship. Returning to the stage after a four-year hiatus due to family commitments, I was honored when Sarah insisted I be the bassist for her launch, a role she felt wouldn't be the same without me. This experience meant more to me than she might have realised, reigniting a part of my life I thought was over.

The night began with hauling my heavy bass amp into the venue, managing to avoid a sciatica-induced collapse, and recalling a certain "Lethal Weapon" quote as I persisted. Pre-show anxiety is something I've always struggled with, but the camaraderie and support from Sarah, Mark, Simon, AOIBHA, and Matt quickly put me at ease. Matt took my amp, Sarah directed me to the green room, and I was met with hugs and a calming sense of anticipation.

Soundcheck proceeded smoothly, thanks to Matt McIvor, whose meticulous yet friendly approach set the tone for the evening. Not only was Matt the sound engineer, but he also acted as a roadie, performed on stage, and co-produced Sarah's album. Not to mention he is one of the nicest human beings that I've had the pleasure of meeting. His contributions were integral to both the album and the launch show.

As the venue filled with patrons, Eilis Phillips opened the show, captivating the audience with her acoustic set. Her song "Boneshaker" stood out, embodying a powerful feminist anthem that resonated deeply with me and surely many others in attendance.

With the audience primed, the band retreated briefly to the green room for final preparations and a unique team chant led by Sarah and AOIBHA who requested we all put our hands together. "NOT ME! NOT HERMIONE! YOOOU!!!". I suppose most people would say "THREE, TWO, ONE, LETS GO!" but I felt this worked better for us. We then took to the stage, opening with the instrumental "Airplane Mode" before Sarah's grand entrance to thundering applause. Dressed in a cream jumpsuit and black nail polish, Sarah led us through a setlist filled with standout tracks from her album, interspersed with beloved classics like "City of Broken Dreams" and "Ribcage."

The night featured an ensemble of incredibly talented musicians, each bringing their unique flair to the show. Simon Harte captivated the audience with his lead guitar, delivering stunning solos that elevated the performance. Mark Armstrong's mastery of drums and percussion provided a robust rhythmic foundation, driving the energy of the set. AOIBHA's contributions were twofold, offering outstanding backing vocals that harmonized beautifully with Sarah's voice and skillfully playing the keyboard to add depth and texture to the music. Matt McIvor, a multifaceted talent, not only managed sound engineering with precision but also performed on stage, showcasing his versatility. Together, these musicians created a dynamic and unforgettable live experience.

The performance balanced full-band intensity with intimate acoustic moments, showcasing the versatility and emotional depth of Sarah's music. The night culminated in a moving rendition of "Courage Can Be Quiet," a song that resonates with me both lyrically and personally. Watching Sarah, AOIBHA, and Matt deliver a flawless three-part harmony was a fitting end to a remarkable evening.

In summary, while my involvement precludes a traditional review, the success of Sarah McCreedy's album launch was evident. Her talent and dedication promise a bright future, and I look forward to witnessing her continued growth as an artist. Sarah McCreedy is undoubtedly a rising star worth following.

• Written by Don Maple

It's that time again I'm covering the band rehearsal rooms in Oh Yeah Centre and have a couple spare hours on my hands so I have exactly 2 hours to knock up an article about some amazing music that you do not want to miss out on. Ready....Set....Go

Welcome to Distant Soundwaves Release Roundup where our hardworking Year Spaceship crew members have probed the internet for your absolute pleasure. Yes that's right our Year Spaceship crew have brought to your beautiful human faceholes wonderful music for your ears, amazing visuals for your eyes and other such art of the highest calibre for your aching souls. Please find below lovely magical stuff and things made by people, that's right real life humans that will hopefully make life feel not so bleak with their amazing creativity, outstanding energy and infectious passion. This week we have searched high and low and beamed up into the spaceship the following collection of artists, oddities, misfits and curiosities especially for you and we sincerely hope that you enjoy something here and support anything that plucks at your little heartstrings.

**Addendum - (This will probably be a recurring theme of this blog). Failed miserably to complete this in 2 hours, ended up sick, life got in the way and here we are about 3 weeks later with a finished article. Sorry it's late and slightly out of date but trying my damnedest to shout out the coolest stuff happening on our scene hopefully it helps the amazing artists and points somebody at some cool new music!

Nolan | Irish Goodbye

Nolan Donnelly is and has always been involved in so many creatively successful projects throughout the years a bono fide talent adept at tackling all sorts of genres with absolute conviction. Whether as one half of the brilliantly experimental electronic outfit Homefred or as the guitarist having just completed a European tour with the unstoppable Amy Montgomery guys got chops. Here he is stripping everything back for the haunting but beautiful Irish Goodbye a song steeped in introspection. A lament about wanting to leave the party first, a song as Nolan puts it "About living and leaving on your lonesome"

Dutch Schultz | Levil9

After their incredible album 'Friends Like Brutus' a personal musical highlight of 2020 for yours truly the Dutch Schultz boys are back in our lives and how happy that makes us! More riffy goodness on the uplifting subject of finding the joy in doing what you love all born of a drunken comment about the bands playing skills being level 9 the bands new measuring stick of excellence. With the band releasing new song 'Creeps' late November and long awaited live shows still to be announced it's an exciting time to be a DS fan. The guys have said with this latest single they just 'want people to play our music and feel good about themselves!' well it worked for me now you try...

Winnie AMA | Here I Go

Having been introduced to the incredible music of Winnie AMA at Yeo Magazines latest 'Get On It' gig night we at Year Spaceship have been listening non stop. 'Here I Go' is not Winnies latest track but we've done this on purpose because we want you to go down the rabbit hole! This is a flawless and effortlessly cool live version of her single 'Here I Go' filmed at The Freehouse in Brussels. Buttery smooth and soulful R & B vocals meets 80's disco synthy treats sure to get you moving your anatomy. An absolute celebration about cranking up your own self belief and going for it.

Alpha Twin | Live Your Life

They've been dropping banger after banger lately and we're failing miserably to keep up and here they go again with another in your face distorted ball of energy hadoukend right into your unsuspecting face. A song that makes you want to live each moment to the fullest whilst simultaneously violently 360 spin kick moshing at a respectable distance in a crowded street with your headphones in and the volume loud! They were meant to make a music video but instead went to the pub, damn man..... that video looks painful. Don't worry everyone Tomas is ok!

New Pagans | Better People

New Pagans are back after releasing their absolute killer album 'The Seed, The Vessel, The Roots and All" in 2021 you'd be forgiven for thinking how can they top an album stacked with bangin singles like 'Harbour' and 'Charlie Has the Face of a Saint' well 'Better People' would be the answer to that bonkers question ye of little faith. The addictive riffs are back and the big choruses better than ever. I blasted this in my car the other day and it just made me feel fucking good to be alive so thank you for that New Pagans, with lyrics that are uplifting and cathartic urging us to fight through difficult times and come out stronger what more can I actually say slap it on the playlist already.

Virgins | Signalling

Prepare to be washed away into an endless void of shoegazey goodness by the mighty Virgins and their new single 'Signalling'. Part of their brand new EP 'Transmit A Little Heaven' which has been released on a tasty looking pink vinyl. This track needs to soundtrack a fucking kick ass horror movie it has some sort of Vampiric Empress type quality or like if they reboot The Crow slap this bad boy on there and be done with it already. I will swim in this ocean of riffys and dreamy vocals for days just leave me here floating in my lazy river donut with a couple beers and an umbrella to protect my pale skin from the harsh daylight sun. Bonus points for my partner Jade making a blink and you'll miss it appearance in the crowd of the video I was in the room that night too but probs too busy taking pictures and getting in the way ha

Becky McNeice | In My Head

Becky McNeice's latest single 'In My Head' is the best mix of 90's garage, drum & bass and hyper pop. It has the intimacy of the best kind of bedroom studio Indie releases but is elevated to big choon status by the dreamy production and glittery vocals. With previous single 'Long Days' racking up 60,000 Spotify streams and finding it's way onto playlists from both fashion magazine Vogue France and H & M clothing brand Becky is making waves and going from strength to strength. This new single finds McNeice in contemplative and introspective territory crafting an absolute bop you can cry-dance to as it pumps out in the club.

Megan Hopkin | She

Finally because we consider ourselves to be a supporter of all types of media and are looking more opportunities to shine a light on the brilliance within our whole creative scene not just music but film, poetry, art and more. We'd also like to shout out this beautiful poem written by the talented Megan Hopkin for national poetry day about 'Finding the muse within yourself'

Welcome back to the Distant Soundwaves Release Roundup where our hardworking Year Spaceship crew members (pictured below) have probed the internet for your absolute pleasure (do not fear young earthling the procedure is relatively painless). Yes that's right our Year Spaceship crew have brought to your beautiful human faceholes wonderful music for your ears, amazing visuals for your eyes and other such art of the highest calibre for your aching souls. Please find below lovely magical stuff and things made by people, that's right real life humans that will hopefully make life feel not so badish with their amazing creativity. This week we have searched high and low and beamed up into the spaceship the following collection of artists, oddities, misfits and curiosities especially for you and we sincerely hope that you enjoy something here and support anything that plucks at your little heartstrings.

Ferals | Simple Lives

Roe | Cut My Teeth

Don Maple | Life Is A Wave

Monowhales | Rich$$$

Ciaran Lavery | Communion

Kyoto Love Hotel | Settling (July)

Kelp | WannabeNobody

Trevor Davies | Caught In A Trance

Floating through the galaxy aimlessly? Looking for something to quieten the existential dread? Want to put your senses to good use and experience something other than the crippling depression, severe anxiety and the stomach churning boredom of everyday life? Put that bag of Cheetos down my good pal, get up off that sofa and slip into your spacesuit, you know the one, your finest fit that makes you feel like a million bucks and take flight cosmonaut.

Welcome to Gigs for Space Explorers our regular rundown of what's going on around the Belfast creative scene. Something better to do with your time than get all in your head about that Monday morning alarm sounding. It's a well know fact that music, art, theatre and entertainment in general is good for our fragile little overworked minds. Go ahead do something nice for your weary soul and get yourself out to one of these events to switch off from life for a couple of hours and be immersed in a moment.

The Vault Festival | Tower Street | 27 Aug

This summer Tower Street will bear witness to the greatest festival the street has ever seen. Vault Festival is the finest showcase of ridiculous talent, concentrated into a single building, on a single day. Paying homage to our home of 5 years, with over 50 site specific performances in and on parts of the building you’ve likely never seen or thought possible. Throw some axes, roller-skate to disco, indulge you’re crafty side, witness theatre in a kitchen, comedy in a bathroom, music of all sorts in all manner of ways and so so so so much more! All of this leading up to a headline cabaret that will feature the finest Vault artists showcasing what could only be possible because of this magical place! Old friends will be on hand serving up dangerously delicious food, lubricated liberally with the help of The Sunflower Bar. So join us in soaking up every cubic inch of this place, in an extraordinary celebration of Vault Artist Studios, Tower Street edition. Full program to follow. Good to knows; 11am-7pm — Family friendly shows (with some clearly marked and supervised over 18 shows) 7pm-11pm — Adult only shows Under 5's go free We are a dog friendly event, but please keep them on leads!

Tickets available at eventbrite

Mob Wife | LØ | Fagash McCann | Oh Yeah Centre | Aug 19th

Mob Wife Mob Wife were formed in the closing months of 2018 following the folding of individual projects. Under the guise of eschewing popular beliefs of what punk music should be, Mob Wife galvanise various genres and defy expectations with their exploratory and experimental take on the punk and indie genres of yesteryear.

LØ We are LØ

Fagash McCann Fuzzed out two piece from Belfast.

Tickets available via eventbrite

Virgins | Wohn | Redtail @ Oh Yeah Centre | Sept 9th

Virgins

Virgins are a Belfast based shoegaze band with Michael Smyth at the hazey centre and now joined by vocalist Rebecca Dow, David Sloan on guitar, James Foy on drums and Brendy McCann of Hand Models on bass.

Vows was released August 2021, premiering on white light-whiteheat, “Bliss kissed ‘Vows’ propels you to a rapture of ecstatic emotion”. With The Verge Music News drawing comparisons to Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream and Play It Loud deeming it “Cocteau Twins with extra guitar and drums, exquisite.” The track was picked up by Golden Plec, Chordblossom, Grace Note and played on BBC Across the Line as a World Exclusive and Q Radio. Shoegaze Blog broke their rule of not covering singles for Vows “deafening dream pop.”

Vows is an ethereal warning against being coerced into actions simply to appease the needs and wants of others, when these couldn't be any further from your own desires. Like being warned in a weightless dream, through a haze of colour and smoke. Then trying to retain that knowledge when you awaken in your own hazy reality. Musically, the track is equally dense and beautiful, Guitars drenched in layers of fuzz and reverb dovetail between creating a dense melting wall of sound to beautiful bell like chimes. The vocals are a whisper in your ear from a long forgotten ghost laden with regret, melancholia and a desire to return to a more innocent time. Jonny Woods of Wynona Bleach recorded and produced the track. Even joining the band on bass for the recording.

Wohn

Loud, fierce , energetic. Born on the North Coast of Northern Ireland and lending themselves cohesively to the scene. 
 Nominated for the best single prize for the Northern Ireland Music Prize 2021, and featured on BBCs Across The Line with multiple different songs. This is a project you want to take note of.

Redtail

Redtail are an alternative rock sound from Belfast. With energy and emotion our dynamic tracks have fun with the boundaries of rock. As a collective of five writers that come from different genres, our music is unique in that it incorporates spontaneous moments of the sounds each of us started in such as blues, acoustic, indie and progressive rock to name a few. What to expect is the unexpected song to song with us.

Tickets available at eventbrite

Hand Models | Susie Blue | Cloakroom Q @ Oh Yeah Centre | Sept 17th

Old Crows Promotions Presents: Hand Models // Susie Blue // Cloakroom Q

Hand Models first show since 2020!

Hand Models

Belfast based Indie-Fuzz Quartet.

Susie Blue

Bringing you Queer Indie Pop from Ireland

Cloakroom Q

Cloakroom Q. are a 3 piece Art Rock band based in Belfast.

Having been previous alumni of Scratch My Progress and releasing their debut album "Yes, Again" as a 5 piece in September 2020, they have since returned as a power trio with brand new material.

Tickets available via eventbrite

So we're back with article number 2 in our continued effort to use our blog a bit more regularly to support the scene whilst our podcast takes a rest. Again experimenting with format I'm not going to worry too much about lengthy intros, tangents and an overly wordy approach to this post. I'm just going to jump straight into the facts the last article took too long to write, we don't really have the free time to write a masterpiece of journalistic wonderment and people's attention spans are short. You guys are more than likely skimming straight to the point anyways.

So what's the point of Gigs for Space Explorers then? Well it's to tell you about some of the events going on over the next little while that have peaked our interest. You may have already came across them or maybe not. Our aim is to just quickfire some stuff up on the site when we are made aware of them and get a few more eyes on some cool stuff that's going on around the scene.

Get On It | Yeo Magazines Monthly Gig Night | 26 Aug

This amazing gig night has been taking place out of the Oh Yeah Music centre on the last Thursday of every month for the past couple of months now. The lineups are always stellar, the atmosphere is always great and the drink promos are always um full of alcohol. There's honestly not much else like it on the music scene at the minute a guaranteed regular night at the end of every month to blow off some steam and enjoy the best up and coming artists with great lineup selections and an outstanding crowd of music supporters. We'll drop some songs below from past lineups just to give you an idea of what you're in store for if you call down but the thing to really point out here is this is not your locals haphazardly thrown together open mic night, these are well thought out lineups with the best new artists who are playing festival stages and top slots around the country. One to add to your calendars that you can count on to round off the end of your month with some feel good vibes!

Check out some of the past acts that have played Get On It below and drop in on the Yeo Magazine Insta to catch all the deets for next months gig along with in depth articles and the best new music!

https://www.instagram.com/yeomagazine/?hl=en

Ciaran Lavery | Live at EastSide Arts Festival | August 7th

Ciaran Lavery performs an intimate live show in the unique setting of St. Patricks Church on Newtownards Road on August 7th. Expect themes of helplessness, mental turmoil and dark humour all wrapped up in crafted lyricism and musical punch. If Ciaran's music tells one central theme, it is one of mould-breaking disruption as he seeks to flip the singer-songwriter genre on its head.

Coaster | Portrush | 6th Aug

Coaster returns! Summer gathering on the North Coast celebrating local music and alternative culture. DAY : Open Skate Jam at Station Square, Skate School, Finals of 'NI Game of Skate', Food and Prizes. All welcome, skaters and spectators alike. #getportrushaskatepark NIGHT : The iconic Atlantic Bar for Axis Of's first hometown show in over 6 years, marking the release of 'Bella Pacifica' full support bill - Beauty Sleep, Mob Wife, Heart Shaped and Beats Rhymes and Life Collective. TICKETS https://www.wegottickets.com/event/547555

Ferals | Ulster Sports Club | 19th Aug

BELFAST we’re coming back. Join us on August 19th with our friends Parker - Band and Tramp at Ulster Sports Club for literally the best night of your life. We can’t wait, see you there x Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/382475503527

Hello humans, inter-dimensional beings, animal friends and space amoebas. You are about to enter another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of music. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination.... welcome to the Release Roundup.

If you are one of a small group of people who have noticed it's been fairly quiet on the Year Spaceship and Sick Set Bro Podcast front lately we thought we'd address that here quickly in this blog post. For those of you that know the people behind Year Spaceship you'll probably know that we've never really been sure of what Year Spaceship is exactly. A record label, a podcast, a video production company, a music blog we don't really know, we've never known. What we do know is that we're a small group stretched thin with full time jobs, family commitments and sad fleshy meatbag bodies ready to fail us at a moments notice when feeling overwhelmed or snowed under. We'd love to be galloping like Cowbois through green fields on the Year Spaceship horsey full time, the wind flowing through our hair majestically as we cut through lifes stresses with the healing force of music and art but that shady old adage 'life gets in the way' is always lurking behind some rock just out of sight ready to jump us and beat our sorry asses to the ground until we get the energy to pick ourselves up, dust off and jump back in the saddle again.

Every song we record, podcast we stream, video we film, track of the day we put up, blog post we write, band we try and help push every Year Spaceship action is a small miracle of finding time where there really isn't any and for that reason we sometimes disappear for a while but like the best magicians in training we usually reappear... granted not from the box we were supposed to stage left, instead sometimes we stumble out from underneath the stage thinking "where the fuck am I and what am I doing with my life. Is magician school really right for me?" but like all Cowboys who also happen to be Magicians in training we wipe a single tear from our weather worn cheek with a colourful and unnecessarily long handkerchief, push our insecurities down with a splash of brown liquor, lace up our cowboy boots and ride off into the sunset ready to pull a rabbit out of a hat another day.

Where am I going with all this? I don't really know I'm using too many analogies but if you're still with me the point is that we were gone, now we're back, we might be gone again, this shit hard. The podcast's not dead just sleeping and due to the fluid nature of whatever the fuck Year Spaceship actually is we've decided to start using the blog again as it's what we can manage at the moment. This post has came out of pure guilt of getting sent a bunch of really cool music over the past while and letting y'all down with not helping to spread the word. We've heard so much great stuff dropping lately but we're not sure if you also have heard this good stuff so here we are ready to round up the cool shit we've been sent or have stumbled across ourselves or been recommended by y'all. So giddyup alakazam here we go buddies....

Alpha Twin | Gaze

Right out the gate with a swift punch to the jugular Alpha Twin are back with 'Gaze' swinging their big phat riffys all up in your face. Go ahead hit play and make the 'this shit slaps' face we all know there's no point in trying to resist!

Robocobra Quartet | Wellness

Channelling David Byrne on an LSD and jazz infused bender Chris Ryan and co wax lyrical about the daily struggles of the influencer culture on this great track which is just as bizarre as the very notion or existence of influencers as a job role. Robocobra have recently release their highly praised album 'Living Isn't Easy' find out more over on their website https://www.robocobraquartet.com/

SACHA. | Dialogues

Adam Weston returns with a belter of an EP. A melting pot of genre twists and turns consisting of heavy smouldering ruminations and twinkly math pop bangers. This 4 track EP is a constant delight that will keep you on your toes and surprised at every turn.

Moonlanding | The Room is Spinning

We are so glad to have more Moonlanding in our lives after their first single The Room is Spinning left us desperately wanting to hear more from the alternative music project stacked in layers of atmosphere, gentle melodies, 90's tinged grunge and an undeniable energy. Now that we've got the EP we just keep wanting more we patiently await the album as the output from Jake has been nothing less than extraordinary!

Lapse | The TV Lied To Us

Lapse have treated us to an amazing 5 track EP of glittering ethereal electro-gothika. Dark haunting melodies, existential samples that sound like they were ripped straight out of a twilight zone episode, and lush powerful vocals that seem to emanate from a neo noir bathed cathedral somewhere.

A.N.J.A | A-Bomb

The Surf Horror Queen returns bringing more Tarantino-esque Grindhouse vibes with A-Bomb. Fuzzy relentless fun from start to finish. Like the B 52s cooler edgier sibling with air raid sirens, that little clappy bit that you can't help doing and those vocals that sound like they're delivered through a 60's transistor radio pointed straight into a megaphone. This is a blast out the car while driving down a desert highway kind of track.

Freak Slug | Alien

An anthem for those unapologetically embracing their intergalactic heritage, this one goes out to all those lovely freakies who aren't from around here. Alien is an absolute dream pop bop and we're here for every minute of that intense bubblegum flavour. The soundtrack to golden summer days beamed straight down to our ears from twinkling galaxies above "Freak ahhh"

Stranger Dais | Tenth Edition

We have Stranger Dais to thank for that last Freak Slug tip as we were perusing their latest issue and we can't rave enough about this one of a kind Zine full of music, poetry, memes, think pieces and general bants we particularly loved this issues undercover deep dive into the juggalo lifestyle and if ever there was an article deserving of Pulitzer Prize acknowledgement and industry praise it is this hard hitting journalistic piece courtesy of the great Jack Hopkin simultaneously educational and shocking it's a tastier treat for your brain than the latest Netflix Documentary. Also big congratulations to the guys and gals for celebrating their Zine anniversary the creative scene is a better place with these guys around and we hope for many more Stranger Dais ahead!

https://strangerdais.files.wordpress.com/2022/05/stranger-10-1.pdf

And with that I bring this article to a close thus proving my opening paragraphs about life getting in the way as I find myself adding the finishing touches to this article some 4 weeks after I began writing it. Possibly already wildly out of date the recommends still stand, all the music is still amazing and we're going to find a way to do this better and more regularly. Less chat more music videos and links. Pushing the artists is the only thing that matters to us so we can maybe keep this up better by just feeding you guys the new music links from the blog and cutting the editorial as I am no writer anyways. Apologies to anyone we've missed out keep sending us all your cool tracks we will get better at this temporary pivot to the blog we want to push equally for all and help get your music out there.

Keep Music Strange Y'all

Big Love The Year Spaceship Crew

New Music Friday

Check out the 1920's noir epic video for Civil Simian's new single "Bramble" released today and impressively produced by DanDanDann Productions. The first new music from the band in approximately 2 years they have come back strong with a building and sprawling concept piece that is sure to please fans of their earlier work.

"Bramble is a murder ballad told from the perspective of three characters who knew the victim: The Bartender, The Widow and The Murderer. Throughout the song more details about the murder are revealed and the whole thing is tied together with the imagery of the Bramble cocktail."

KEEP | MUSIC | STRANGE

The Year Spaceship Crew 👽🖤 xx

The humans at Wynona Bleach have released a new video for fan favourite single "Sugar" along with a brand new mix of the already addictive song which they describe as "much sweeter" and we describe as absolutely massive and anthemic. Consider it a public service announcement when we warn you to be prepared for this song getting lodged within the recesses of your brain but fret not as we're pretty sure you will agree this is a very good thing. We were more than happy to let it reside there for many many days. In fact you may even feel the need to build this earworm a miniature brain sized bed so you can tuck it in snugly coming back periodically to feed it hot chocolate and cookies in the hope that it will never leave you and that its sugary goodness will erode your brain cells until you are unable to resist singing it in the face of your friends, colleagues and random passers by in the street, not that anything like that has ever happened to us per se but we did give you fair warning.

Hype train aside this is a great track overflowing with hooks and the DIY video is a perfect companion in which Wynona Bleach have managed to outdo themselves again. Already masters of the tongue in cheek promo video, (just see some of their previous output starring miraculously resurrected Jimmy Shrimpton the bands probably fictional manager) here the guys have taken a simple concept and they've executed it to perfection. The idea being what if Wynona Bleach was an actual product you could buy to spray on monsters and make them cooler. Queue late night shopping channel style ads, pyrotechnic guitar solos and a whole lot of fun filtered through a vintage 90's TV aesthetic.

The group will jet off to Portugal this week to record the next iteration of Wynona Bleach goodies. They intend to record over a 2 week period in the inspiring and sunny surroundings of a warehouse specifically selected as an incubator for the next phase of the band. Trekking their equipment halfway across Europe to kit out the warehouse themselves as a makeshift studio continues to push home the admirable appeal of their DIY ethos and penchant for taking risks. It's an exciting time not just for Wynona Bleach fans but also the artists themselves. With endless possibilities on the horizon, watch out because 2020 could be the year these dudes blow up and man do they deserve it having been stalwarts of the scene for so long.

Sugar is available to stream now on Spotify and all other streaming platforms. The video can be found over on the bands Facebook page or conveniently embedded above for you to enjoy.

About The Author - Mike Ledgerwood is co-founder of The Year Spaceship Artist Collective and former guitarist of Hit The B Button. You can find him on Instagram (@hungry_gh0st) enthusiastically being sad to The Cure whilst receiving unconditional love from his dog Arlo.

If you would count yourself among the passionate fanbase of the ever growing Belfast music scene or even the bustling Derry scene for that matter then you've probably already came across the always roaming Queen Bonobo. For anyone with even a pinky finger on the pulse of NI music Maya Goldbloom the human behind the Queen Bonobo monikor has been popping up everywhere since her release of Light Shadow Boom Boom her Psychedelic Jazz-Folk Infused Debut record.

Queen Bonobo first popped up on the Year Spaceship Radar back in February at Output Belfast a showcase event in the Oh Yeah Music Centre. As Wynona Bleach and Hot Cops shook the main venue space downstairs, droves of music fans made their way around the tightly packed schedule of showcases and just as tightly packed corridors of the old converted whiskey warehouse. Some eventually found themselves in the intimate confines of Start Together Studio the beautiful recording space used by a plethora of Artists to capture their musical projects in a soothing environment of exposed brick, fairy lights and more gear than that of your mates experimental math rock band. It is here that we were first intrigued by the blend of Queen Bonobos band, all jazz-lounge swagger and Maya's unique voice earthy, free-flowing and altogether refreshingly different.

From that moment we were hungry to hear more if not a little trepidatious, Queen Bonobo is an artist we would urge you to experience live if you ever get the chance but would it be difficult to transfer that live energy onto a record? Nope apparently not, from the neo noir cinema dripping off of "Light Me Up" to the psychedelic synth swells and face scrunching baselines of "MFGB" this album holds surprises round every corner veering off the beaten path just when you thought you knew where you were going and this is precisely what makes the album such an interesting exploration of beautifully abstract musicianship paired perfectly with abstract ideas of self love, mental health and the ability to feel comfortable in ones own skin.

I found myself constantly coming back to "Spin Me" one of my personal favourites beginning with surreal almost eerie instrumentation and a bossa nova like rhythm it eventually opens up into the most glorious of tone changes for the chorus, the song is ever changing throughout its 4 minute run-time with ambient bustling crowds and a hypnotising break that brings it all to a close and perfectly sums up just how wonderfully eclectic this album is. Likewise the introspective "Honey" is just as addictive with its warm chord progressions, instrumentally it's not a million miles away from something you'd catch on an Anderson .Paak record (maybe fittingly just a bit less bass kick though) and lyrically its unhinged soulfulness grips you as the chorus kicks in with "Gold cover me, teach me to be alone"

Maya has been turning heads most recently with glowing reviews in various online publications, a healthy dose of radio airplay, a beautiful stripped back YouTube session for The Live Room Belfast and some great live shows including a set at this years Stendhal festival and a recent night at the Zool Warehouse which for those in the know has been the go to spot for some of the countries most interesting and breaking artists. We recommend jumping over to her socials (Insta, FB) to keep an eye out for more live dates in the future and slide Light Shadow Boom Boom into your new music playlists below.

About The Author - Mike Ledgerwood is co-founder of The Year Spaceship Artist Collective and former guitarist of Hit The B Button. You can find him on Instagram (@hungry_gh0st) enthusiastically being sad to The Cure whilst receiving unconditional love from his dog Arlo.

If you have been following Year Spaceship goings on from the very beginning you may be aware of our video podcast we have been releasing up until now titled "The Crows Nest". After completing a handful of fantastically fun episodes and interviews we wanted to pause for a moment to take stock of what we have achieved so far and consider the unexpected and welcoming response we've had from you the viewers. We wanted to better understand what makes this podcast entertaining for you and what we can do to take things up a level and hopefully give you an even better show. So in wrapping up season 1 of The Crows Nest we've made a few changes heading into season 2, the first of which you will notice is a big change. Yep due to The Crows Nest name already being taken elsewhere we've had to re-brand the podcast to the Sick Set Bro Podcast. We put this decision down to a public vote over on the Year Spaceship Facebook page and you can read more about the musicians in joke that the name references over on the Sick Set Bro page.

Along with a new name we also have a bangin new theme song. We asked you guys to submit your songs and in return we'd pay one lucky artist for the privilege of using their awesome tune as the intro to our brand new podcast season. It was the guys from Zeal who were successful in the end with their single "Queen of the Rodeo" which will bookend every podcast episode from here on out and we couldn't be more pleased as we absolutely love this song!

Finally the podcast release schedule will be taking on a slightly different format. We will continue as always to do our video podcasts which will include a guest artist and stick to the long form format that we have come accustomed to. The video podcasts will continue to be released sporadically due to the nature of working around the schedules of the artists involved and our podcast hosts. However we wanted to try and give you more regular content that you can expect on a scheduled basis therefore we will be putting out an audio only podcast as well. These will be a shorter 30 mins in length and stick to a rough format covering main stream music news, underground releases, upcoming gigs and the usual independent artist chit chat. These audio podcasts will be uploaded to this very site for you to download free of charge and listen to when you want be it at work, on the bus or during the set of that band who refuse to play anything but Nirvana covers. So get this site saved to your device and check back often to grab the new Sick Set Bro Audio Podcast.

Saturday night saw Ethan Hanna take to The Pavilion, Belfast stage to launch his long awaited debut album 'Welcome To The Batlands'. The show went down a blast with the packed out crowd all keen to show Ethan just how long we've been waiting to get these beautiful songs into our ears and onto our playlists. With a full band behind him for the launch show and backup vocals provided by the ever talented Sonja Sleator it was a whole new experience to see these intimate and heartfelt songs that we love so much take on an even more dynamic form with Ethans husky vocals pulling you in during the quiet moments and the band providing the swells and punches to match the emotional weight of this brilliant album. Supported by Sonja and John Andrews Music this was a lineup I can't wait to see again with some of the best lyric writers on our music scene all under one roof. Ethans new album is available now on Spotify and in physical form at his upcoming live shows.

The Year Spaceship Crew 👽 xx