This is what happens when you leave the internet for a while, things go arse ways! Yesterday I logged through the phone for a quick peak at the news and what did I discover? One of my favourite Irish Music Blogs, Harmless Noise, is closing down forever. The blogs owner, chief architect and all-round voice of music, Naomi McArdle, has decided to wind down the blog and apparently her writing career for good.
Beginning on the Hotpress blog ‘Off Her Rocker’, Nay started Harmless Noise in 2009 and within a very short space of time, had etched out a highly regarded position for her-self amongst the Dublin music scene. Over the past two years she has strived to find, promote and love as many of our home-grown talents as possible. She always has a good ear (aside from Bats, I won’t give in Nay!) and always set the standard for getting out and going to see these bands in person.
Nay has put up with some hard times over the past two years but the support she’s received from her readers and the bands she strives to promote shows that blogging is beneficial to the music scene, as there are very few main stream outfits who are bothered giving these bands any coverage. Her blog is a bench mark for all serious bloggers if they want to achieve their goal of properly publicizing our own bands and artists. Her unmeasurable hard work and sacrifice to keep the blog going, in good times and bad, is a testament to her love and devotion for Ireland’s music scene.
Of course it wasn’t boredom or lack of interest or love that’s brought Harmless Noise to a close, it wasn’t even the occasional fruitcake that pops up on all blogs at one time or another. Nay has no shortage of love for what she does and is more than capable of handling the masked nastiness of the internet’s troll community. I won’t go into the reasons as it’s not my business and you’re better reading it for yourself on Harmless Noises’ last ever post located here: This Is The Last One I Will Spin
Harmless Noise will be sorely missed by her friends, her readers but most importantly the bands she worked so hard for. There is now one less credible, hard working source out there to find and write about our music, closing that window of opportunity to younger artists just a little bit more, as if it wasn’t hard enough for them already.
To Nay we say good luck and we hope to see you back soon!
Sad news for Dublin’s metal community as Into the Void have announced they’ll be closing doors at the end of the year. The shop opened in 2011 after the closure of Sentinel Records in 2010. The shop is the united effort of Sarlacc Productions, Underground Movement and Blind Men & Occult Forces as well as Sentinel Records. It has specialised in promoting underground acts since it’s inception and will leave a very deep hole for up and coming bands in the city.
'Ticket's There' - Irish and International Music Blog 