Those of a certain age will remember the ‘magic door’ segment on the 1980s RTE kids show Bosco. The feature mostly contained scenes of a factory, perhaps a fizzy drink bottling plant or something similar. The most engaging ones offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse into...

When I was a child I listened to the Beatles a lot. My parents had an extensive LP collection with everything from The Dubliners to Abba and Bob Dylan to The Rolling Stones. I mostly preferred the Beatles. They were, and still are, my favourite band of all time. They’r...

I’m enjoying the reaction to the (finally confirmed) news that Guns N Roses are to headline the Coachella Festival. The rumours had been going around for months, although purists are cribbing about the apparent exclusion of three of the five essential founding members:...

It’s time to talk Christmas songs. There is no escaping them now, but even the most bah-humbug among you will have at least one festive favourite, right? It may sometimes seem like it is in danger of being overplayed (and my view is it should never be aired before Dece...

We are reaching the end of festival season with Electric Picnic being, for many people, the biggest and last bash of 2015. In the past couple of years I’ve really enjoyed the Picnic experience, and Longitude equally so. Dare I say it, and risk sounding like an old hipp...