Regular editions of the John Balance artbook which opens with my essay still available from Timeless Editions. In this extended writing, somewhat philosophical in nature, I discuss the themes of sexuality, the occult, and self-destruction in the art of John Balance and the music of Coil, alongside a review of those artists - such as the various Surrealists - whose influence is relevant to the work collected here. I believe what I have presented here might also serve as a useful resource for anyone else who would wish to research these particular aspects of Coil's enduringly fascinating corpus.
#industrialmusic
#johnbalance
#surrealism
#coil
Just announced, a beautiful art book which I have again contributed my writing to. @zagavabooks are publishing a new edition of the collection of Dolorosa de la Cruz art originally presented at the Manly P. Hall library at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles two years ago, in cooperation with Dublin's GalleryX. The volume closes with my extended essay on these visions of the Divine Feminine.
Pre-orders are available from for the first two (of three) editions of Hymns of Unknowability and Devotion:
A signed Roman Numeral Edition (A4 size), accompanied by an original drawing by Dolorosa, housed in a luxurious clamshell box. Its large window allows for an elegant frontal display of the artwork.
A signed Lettered Edition (A4 size), bound in illustrated boards, featuring head- and tailbands and black endpapers.
A Paperback Edition: a smaller format, to be released at a later date.
Favourites of 2025:
Music (recorded):
Nurse With Wound & Diarmuid MacDiarmada: Lung Oysters (album of the decade so far for me), Cat Bird Seat, Healsgebedda / Sausage / Sappho, Black Snake Stink
Hilary Woods: Night CRIÚ
Nurse With Wound & Scanner: Conium Maculatum
Scanner & Modelbau: Groundwater and the rest of Loess
Chandra Shukla: Ashva
Andrew Chalk: XV (Mosaics)
V/A (Fourth Dimension Records): When Worlds Collide
Mouldycliff, Potter, Mouldycliff: Canopies & Cathedrals
Ali Sethi: Love Language
Patrick Cowley: Ice Age
Rosalía: Lux
Laura Sheeran. Basra Moon, Lavinia
Rarn Studio: Nagra Textures Imma Ambience and Outdoor.
Music (live):
Villagers at Hibernacle, Orlagh House.
Landless at Trad Fest, Pepper Canister Church.
Nimf at Bello Bar, all in Dublin.
Books:
Obviously, the JB Bright Lights expanded edition and Babs Santini Formless Irregular were particular and personal highlights (and thanks as always to GalleryX); aside from those, the best book of this year I read was Tom Inglis’ Unbecoming Catholic, an incisive and insightful explanation of where the Irish have come from spiritually, and where we are going.
Similarly for viewing, Timeless continued the great work with A Way To Die at the Lighthouse cinema being really something special to witness, especially at such loud volume, while on the smaller screen Manchán Magan’s Listen To The Land Speak - like the Inglis book - also points the way.
The new Lung Oysters album by Nurse With Wound and Diarmuid MacDiarmada is a phenomenal and fresh set of sounds sure to delight long-time NWW fans. The back cover of the LP directs listeners to arcanahibernia.bandcamp.com which provides a further feast in the form of an archive of some of Diarmuid's other projects, and many hours of joy for lovers of adventurous music. As it happens, I'm on a few of the releases there, namely "Cathedral", some of the songs on the Daisies of Light album, and the opening track on the self-titled Blood Knowledge Ensemble release (a personal favourite of mine).
Earlier still, Diarmuid and I did an album with Suzanne Walsh, which is still available on vinyl at a very affordable price from Amazon, Discogs, and other online retailers.
Diarmuid has also just released a superb album with his band Rún, who are currently in the midst of an Ireland & U.K. tour. Strongest possible recommendation, check them out when you can.
@nurse_with_wound@diarmuid_macdiarmada@run_band_insta
My essay for the Steven Stapleton exhibition catalogue book continues exploring themes covered in my previous writings of this sort, such as esoteric surrealists, sexuality, countercultural currents, and philosophical speculation. But this one ends up being more political in consideration and discussion than those previous. An apt diversion, considering that in all our conversations over previous months, Steve and I have always found ourselves returning to particular geopolitical situations of the moment, with much horror and but a little hope. It felt impossible not to comment, even if we belong to those most obscure niches of comparatively little consequence. The art might be found inscrutable, yet it has emerged in wholeness as an expression of sincerity. The work may be otherworldly, but it is not escapist. Rather, it embraces reality through the method of surrealism. For is it not the case that the most intense of peak lived experience can seem held in that sharp clarity of the strangest dream?
A small number of pre-orders of this hardback limited edition catalogue book are available from the GalleryX online shop. Remaining copies will only be available at the gallery itself. Those interested in obtaining should expect them to move fast. The exhibition runs from 3 - 13 September. Music event on the 9th, where I'll be performing alongside Nimf.
Tuesday 9 September at 7PM
NIMF @nimf_ + BC @bc.orbit.bc
in concert at GalleryX
Get your tickets here: https://bit.ly/nimf_25
NIMF (Aoibhín Redmond) is an Irish composer, performance artist, and sound designer. In 2022, she was selected by Keychange as an artist and future leader in the music industry. NIMF’s ‘A Ballad for Looking into Time’ was rated Number 1 Track of the year in The Thin Air’s Top 100 Irish Tracks of 2022.
NIMF has been chosen as Dan Hegarty's The Alternative RTÉ 2FM Track of the Week, and featured on RTÉ Raidio na Gaeltachta, RTÉ1 Television, The Thin Air, Bandcloud, Kirkos Ensembles' Acousmatic Spatial Audio Concert, Gorilla Vs. Bear, Sirius XM, The Guardian, and has performed in venues across Ireland, Gallery X, Dublin, and abroad at the Different Sounds Festival, Poland and the Soupçon Salon in Lambertville, New Jersey; with more performances to come.
She was commissioned for a soundtrack for Dolorosa de la Cruz's Exhibit 'Hymns to Unknowability and Devotion,' featured in the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles and the Royal Society of Antiquaries Ireland with her own compositions and a collaboration with Brian Conniffe/BC Orbit. Having completed a Master's in Music and Media Technology in Trinity College Dublin, NIMF explores the concept of the uncanny and horror in music and audiovisual mediums.
BC (Brian Conniffe) is a cross-genre musician who has worked with a long list of collaborators covering a diverse stylistic range. Most notably, he has played on releases by Nurse With Wound and as a member of Patrick Kelleher’s Cold Dead Hands, and is currently completing an album in collaboration with Nimf about the Goddess Kali. He is also the writer of the introduction to Bright Lights and Cats with No Mouths, the book from Timeless Editions collecting the art of Coil’s John Balance, and he has contributed essays to four catalogue books for GalleryX.
#experimentalmusic #nww #irishmusic #electronica
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗼𝗻 (𝗡𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱) returns to Gallery - 3 - 13 September 2025!
Open for viewing from 3 September
Official launch on 8 September (booking essential - https://bit.ly/SS_2025launch )
Music event on 9 September with @nimf_ and @bc.orbit.bc https://bit.ly/nimf_25
Buy the exhibition catalogue here: https://bit.ly/SS_2025cat
We are excited to welcome Steven Stapleton aka Babs Santini back at GalleryX for a short exhibition to coincide with the launch of the book celebrating 50 years of his oeuvre!
#nww #coil #babssantini #nursewithwound
I wrote for the Thin Air about Indian Irish connections, from Independence movements to Tiger, and beyond. Also contributed Superhit Mixtape, overview of Indian Pop. Link in bio, or at thethinair.net
New song from Patrick Kelleher: proceeds go to UNRWA Emergency Gaza appeal. At patrick-kelleher.bandcamp.com - Also check out Sarha compilation from Invisibilia Editions with two Nurse With Wound tracks: proceeds go to Women with Gaza. At invisibilia.bandcamp.com
