This week's episode is a long form conversation with journalist and writer Una Mullally about the central ideas behind the Utopia series, concocted with and author, lecturer and a sex workers’ rights advocate Conner Habib. Utopia at the National Concert Hall is a series of five speculative and aspirational events happening from today Wednesday October 20th until Sunday October 24th which will feature new forms of gigs and talks with improvised and experimental shows which asks questions of  audiences and artists about our future: what do you want? What do we want our future to look like. "If this era has changed us, then everything needs to be different. The only option is to strive for utopia.“ Una and I talked about what we'd like to see for live art and culture when things reopen, the desire to be around chaotic, loud performance, how art and music brings meaning and reflection that we've been missing, and discuss Night Dances, a recent show we both experienced at Dublin Theatre Festival, along with how we, as a society and people, have changed during this pandemic. We also talk the disconnect between people and politics, in light of the Cobblestone, student protests, Merchant's Arch and the numerous hotel developments around our city. Utopia will feature input from David Le’aupepe, Gemma Doherty (Saint Sister), David Kitt, MayKay, Daoirí Farrell, Rory Friers (And So I Watch You From Afar), Izumi Kimura, Ben Castle, Rebel Phoenix, Strange Boy, DJ Replay, Dyramid, Kate Butler, Don Rosco and No Place Like Drone. Buy tickets here. Listen to the episode below or Subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Subscribe in Apple | Android | ACAST | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Songs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Andrea has a new podcast - My Favourite Album Support Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord chat + member playlists and content. Andrea has a Ghost newsletter Subscribe to the podcast and please leave a review on iTunes, tell your friends or commit to supporting us directly. Support us on Patreon. Previous podcast episodes

Nialler9

Utopia - reimagining a new future after reopening with Una Mullally

This week's Nialler9 podcast with Niall and Andrea, is inspired by the sharp rise of London producer PinkPantheress and her sampling garage, drum & bass and pop music of the 2000s-era, which she has labelled the "new nostalgic". I referenced a book last week, in our conversation with Jenn Gannon, Simon Reynolds’ 2011 book  Retromania: Pop Culture's Addiction to Its Own Past. Retromania argues that retro revives a past that is barely over and does so with a prevalent mood of postmodern irony. Interestingly, what has happened in the last ten years is an increase in earnestness and almost wholesale dropping of irony, while new artists have continued to copy, sample and draw influence from existing music, the current generation of Gen Z's shifting priorities and attention to important facts and issues in society, marks a sea change in sensibilities. The ironic detachment of the hipster era has been superseded by a mantra of caring - expressions of truth and desire and meaning over bored detachment or non-commitment. PinkPantheress' music brings up ideas about how older generations gatekeep music, and how women and men sampling classic music is viewed differently, how Tik Tok and a lifetime of internet culture has freed younger artists to express themselves cross-genre and how being a bedroom pop artist is now a phenomenon of relatability rather than a trend of style. We also talk about the parallels between PinkPantheress and James Blake who first arrived sampling the likes of Kelis and Aaliyah, and whose electronic music went on to influence the mainstream, as Blake's own music, as heard on the just released Friends That Break Your Heart, has moved increasingly earnest itself. Listen to the episode below or Subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Subscribe in Apple | Android | ACAST | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Songs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Andrea has a new podcast - My Favourite Album Support Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord chat + member playlists and content. Andrea has a Ghost newsletter Subscribe to the podcast and please leave a review on iTunes, tell your friends or commit to supporting us directly. Support us on Patreon. Previous podcast episodes

PinkPantheress, James Blake & the "new nostalgic"

On this week's Nialler9 podcast, Niall and Andrea are joined by Jenn Gannon to talk about a recent piece she wrote for the publication Rogue Collective called Girl powerless: Why the 90s and 00s weren’t as empowering as they seemed (available on subscription). Jenn's piece was inspired by watching the recent Channel 4 two-part documentary Spice Girls: How Girl Power Changed Britain, which as well as telling the story of the Spice Girls rise and fall, also discusses '90s Britpop culture at the time from '90s ladettes to Girl Power to how famous women were coerced into playing along to Chris Evans' leering and problematic presenting style on TFI Friday. Jenn joins us to talk about growing up in the era and the early 00s, along with discussions about body-shaming in magazines, lads mags like FHM, the marketing co-opting of the term Girl Power and the retromania of our recent past. TW: there is discussion about weight loss and eating disorders around 42 minutes in. Listen to the episode below or Subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Subscribe in Apple | Android | ACAST | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Songs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Andrea has a new podcast - My Favourite Album Support Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord chat + member playlists and content. Andrea has a Ghost newsletter Subscribe to the podcast and please leave a review on iTunes, tell your friends or commit to supporting us directly. Support us on Patreon. Previous podcast episodes

Spice Girls, Girl Power and 90s Ladettes with Jenn Gannon

Our end of the month episode is all about the albums and songs we loved in the month of September. Niall and Andrea go one for one with albums from Little Simz, Andy Shauf, Cadence Weapon and Houseplants. Plus songs from HAAi, M(h)aol, Súil Amháin, Spider, Snail Mail, Kynsy and more. Plus TV, books and films we enjoyed. Listen to the episode below or Subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Subscribe in Apple | Android | ACAST | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Songs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Andrea has a new podcast - My Favourite Album Support Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord chat + member playlists and content. Andrea has a Ghost newsletter Subscribe to the podcast and please leave a review on iTunes, tell your friends or commit to supporting us directly. Support us on Patreon. Previous podcast episodes

Our favourite music of September

It's a deep dive episode into an absolute legend of music this week - the one, the only Dolly Parton.

The many musical sides of Dolly Parton

Are you a podcast listener? Show your support on Patreon Robbie Kitt is a DJ and producer from Dublin who makes music as R.Kitt. Robbie is a passionate advocate of late night clubbing as culture and one of the main voices engaging with the government as Give Us The Night. On the day that the government announced the Night-Time Economy Taskforce report, outlining recommendations for reform and licensing changes for the nightlife industry and culture, Robbie talked to Niall and Andrea about some of the ideas he recently shared in an IGTV video . With gigs, nightclubs and festivals reopening properly in Ireland from next month, we talked to Robbie about dancing as a political act, engaging with the political system and the politics of everyday. Robbie talks about how far the Give Us The Night campaign has come in getting clubs recognised as a cultural activity, systemic issues around dismantling decades old habits and laws, how government decisions don't include emotional and societal metrics, and the lack of trust of Irish citizens and young people in public spaces. We also discuss how the pandemic has underscored the need for cultural change, and how small communities can bring positivity in our country through behaviour and small acts without waiting for the government to enact that change. It was an enlightening chat. Listen to the episode below or Subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Subscribe in Apple | Android | ACAST | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Songs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Andrea has a new podcast - My Favourite Album Support Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord chat + member playlists and content. Andrea has a Ghost newsletter Subscribe to the podcast and please leave a review on iTunes, tell your friends or commit to supporting us directly. Support us on Patreon. Previous podcast episodes

Robbie Kitt on clubbing as culture & the politics of the everyday

Like the podcast? Show support for Nialler9 on Patreon Yes, Donda, Kanye West's tenth studio album finally arrived but not without a lot of baggage, abhorrent endorsements, and questions about its eventual release. Both myself (Niall) and Andrea felt queasy about directly reviewing art that platforms alleged abusers, assaulters and homophobes. So while Kanye has moved from red hats to red flags, we took a different tack to a traditional review. We look at Donda in the context of Kanye's career, and particularly his tumultuous last few years and how his art and his status has changed, how Kanye has abandoned traditional releases in favour of ever-shifting, unsettled tracklists, "listening parties" and albums. How publicly showing your music to the public before "release" makes everyone an executive producer. We look at the rollout, how the platforming of Marilyn Manson, DaBaby and Chris Brown in particular make Kanye a hollow evangelical edgelord, raise questions about engaging with popular music and art, from both a critic and fan perspective. Andrea and I discuss Kanye the rapper, Kanye the producer and Kanye the artist. We talk the dichotomy of Donda - an album ostensibly about his mother, is found quite lacking in that regard, and how Kanye has subsumed aspects of his religion into his music, while not holding the values of that faith to account on this very long release. Listen to the episode here or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Subscribe in Apple | Android | ACAST | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Songs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Andrea has a new podcast - My Favourite Album - The first guest is Sarah From Pillow Queens. Support Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord chat + member playlists and content. Andrea has a Ghost newsletter Subscribe to the podcast and please leave a review on iTunes, tell your friends or commit to supporting us directly. Support us on Patreon. Previous podcast episodes

Kanye & the problematic dichotomy of Donda

Niall and Andrea are talking new albums from Billie Eilish, Lorde, Villagers, John Francis Flynn, Chromatics (RIP), new songs from Big Thief, Self Esteem, Olivia Rodrigo, Overmono x For Those I Love, a sudden love of Paul McCartney's Wings, and Sally Rooney's bucket hat.

The music we loved, and didn't, this August

Like the podcast? Show support for Nialler9 on Patreon It's been over 500 days since the live events industry has been able to function fully over 500 days without proper gigs, clubs, art, theatre, comedy and EVENTS. As we reach over 83% vaccinated, despite a sustained campaign for clarity, the live events industry is no closer to knowing a plan for the sector. Yesterday, the government's Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin met key stakeholders of the industry once again, but all that seem to come out of it was that she can't get her Cabinet to take her seriously. The only conclusion to draw is that the government do not think that this industry is worth a serious consideration. An entire industry, the only industry left to reopen and it is disrespected and ignored. As thousands of people gather outdoors at events in Northern Ireland across the border, and there is still no information on whether gigs can go ahead in any small or medium capacity in September, October, November, December and beyond. Niall and Andrea discuss how we got here, what we can do and if there's anything we can do next? Thanks to Bressie, Shane Dunne (Indiependence, EPIC, MCD), Lyra and Stephen Butler (Set Theatre Kilkenny and Labyrinth) for their input also. Listen to the episode here or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: Subscribe in Apple | Android | ACAST | Pocketcasts | CastBox | Stitcher | Spotify | RSS Feed Songs played on the Nialler9 Podcast Spotify Playlist Support Nialler9 on Patreon and join our Discord chat + member playlists and content. Andrea has a Ghost newsletter Subscribe to the podcast and please leave a review on iTunes, tell your friends or commit to supporting us directly. Support us on Patreon. Previous podcast episodes

Podcast: Why have gigs not come back to Ireland yet?

Like the podcast? Show support for Nialler9 on Patreon On Episode 143, we are joined by the Limerick rap don God Knows and his actual little brother, producer Godwin. The siblings recently released a song called ‘Glory’ which features vocals from Senita Appiakorang (ex Shookrah), drums from Micheál Quinn (Meltybrains? / Dermot Kennedy), , production…

Amapiano: the rise of the South African house music genre (with God Knows & Godwin)

Like the podcast? Show support for Nialler9 on Patreon We’re not here for a long time, but we are here for a smooooooooooth time. Grab your linen shirt and deck shoes as we will be taking to the gentle seas for some smooth sailing, daiquiri in hand, and with love on our mind, we are heading…

Podcast: A deep dive into Yacht Rock ?

Like the podcast? Show support for Nialler9 on Patreon On episode 141 of the Nialler9 Podcast, a very hot Niall and Andrea chose 5 albums each from this year (there is 1 album shared) and talk about why we love them. Simple. Listen to the episode here or subscribe in your favourite podcast app: The…

Our favourite albums of 2021 so far

Like the podcast? Show support for Nialler9 on Patreon With five fine singles of countrified pop songs (and a bonus Christmas single), the artist CMAT has proven she has chops in the songwriting department. In the week that the artist has dropped a new music video for ‘2 Wrecked To Care’, who better than to…

CMAT on 5 examples of great songwriting

Nialler9 talks new music, new albums with interviews and chat.