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Once news emerged that January would bring a new album from David Bowie, our plan was always to sit down with Bowie fans / obsessives John Bereton (organiser of the recent Bowie Fest at the Grand Social in Dublin) and State’s Dara Higgins to discuss both it and the singer’s career. Of course events took an unexpected and tragic turn but we were determined to press on. Along with our editor-in-chief Phil Udell, the pair look at the sad majesty of Blackstar, Bowie’s ’70s heyday against the decades that followed, Tin Machine and his unassailable legacy. We also asked them to come up with five tracks each that they felt summed up the man and his music, an impossible task which has resulted in the more expansive playlist to be found below. RIP Starman. Subscribe on Stitcher Producer: Brendan Rehill Edited & Mixed: Steve McEvoy Theme: Kobina

Just two films short of his declared retirement point of ten, Quentin Tarantino still remains one of the most unique – if not loved – names in world cinema. With The Hateful Eight, yet another bloody epic, dividing opinion once more our film editor Dave Higgins was joined by pod regulars Rory Cashin and Stacy Grouden to discuss both it and what has come before. Topics include the team’s favourite and least favourite movies, the director’s strong use of female characters and Dave’s ignorance of Quentin’s peculiar fetish. Normal service then.

The final podcast of 2015 is with us and, even if we do say so ourselves, it’s not a bad way to finish the year. Tom Robinson was in Ireland recently for a couple of solo shows in support of his Only The Now album, marking his return to making records after a break of two decades. It proved the perfect opportunity to join him the morning after a memorable night before in Whelan’s to discuss his life and career – including his punk rise and post-punk fall, his change of direction into broadcasting and why the time was right to return to the studio. Subscribe on Stitcher Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

With The Force Awakens opening today, beginning a box office rampage that has a fair shot at becoming the highest grossing movie of all time made by someone not named James Cameron, our film editor Dave Higgins is joined by Stacy Grouden and Rory Cashin to talk all things from a galaxy far, far away — from the contents of J.J. Abrams magic box, to a re-appraisal of the prequels, and to the time George Lucas asked David Lynch to direct Return of the Jedi. Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Stitcher Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

It’s been a while since the last podcast but we’re back and hope you’ll agree it’s been worth the wait. The initial plan for episode 24 was for our editor-in-chief Phil Udell to sit down with the people behind what would appear to be two very different independent record labels – James Byrne of Dublin based Any Other City and Dessa, part of the Doomtree collective from Minneapolis. The former have a catalogue that includes the likes of Girl Band, Jet Setter, Squarehead and James Vincent McMorrow, while the latter came about to release the hip-hop crew’s own material. If we thought they wouldn’t have much in common, we were wrong and the wide-ranging conversation that followed proved not only to be genuinely fascinating but also a must listen for any musician with an interest in life beyond the rehearsal room. Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Stitcher Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

Amongst the plethora of home grown musical talent that State has covered over the years, what’s notable has been the number of musicians and producers who have emerged from the studio shadows to take their place as performers. DJ Kormac and Cian Galvin (aka The Expert) first met in college and went on to make their names in well respected acts – 8Ball and Messiah J & The Expert respectively. Now they’ve both returned in a solo guise, producing albums of depth and vision, so it seemed the perfect moment to reunite them for a chat with our editor-in-chief Phil Udell – covering their hip-hop roots, playing in bands, going it along, the issue of sampling and moving from the studio to the stage. Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Stitcher Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina Dynamic Drift by The Expert

As you may have noticed, next week sees the release of Spectre – the 24th James Bond movie since the character made his debut in 1962. To celebrate Rory Cashin and Dave Hanratty joined our film editor Dave Higgins to discuss the best and worst of the franchise, their favourite Bonds, this latest incarnation, how Quantum Of Solace may have been dealt an unfair hand and the movies’ attitude to female characters. Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Stitcher Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

Dance music seems so omnipresent now that it’s hard to imagine a time when it wasn’t part of the soundtrack to life. Dave McDonnell and Mark Crumlish remember it well, however, as they played their part in the early days of the Irish rave scene. From the first club nights at Sides through to opening their own record store and playing alongside the likes of the Prodigy, we could think of no better people to join our editor-on-chief Phil Udell and help tell the story. And what a story it is, so sit back, relax and enjoy some tales from the wild side. Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Stitcher Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

With the recent release of her fourth album since 2010, Lana Del Rey has cemented her position as one of the most talked about pop stars of the moment. Yet is Honeymoon a step backwards after the bold, dark Ultraviolence? Jennifer Gannon has written about the singer for State at length and so was the perfect person to join our editor-in-chief Phil Udell to discuss – not only the new record – but Del Rey’s career to date, the controversies and her reaction, her lyrics and whether Valley of the Dolls glum-pop is what the kids want these days. Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Stitcher Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

A regular visitor to these shores, B Dolan has just completed a couple of dates in support of his excellent Kill The Wolf album. Ross Logan spoke to him about that record on its release but we wanted to explore his extraordinary history – from his roots in the spoken word scene, walking away from a deal with Def Jam, leaving New York after 9/11, meeting Sage Francis and becoming one of alternative hip-hop’s main players. Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Stitcher Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

He’s one of the biggest stars on the pop planet at the moment, but The Weeknd’s number one status is a long way from his days as an anonymous figure in the internet shadows. Or is it? State’s Dave Hanratty and Rory Cashin joined editor-in-chief Phil Udell to discuss Abel Tesfaye’s masterplan, his new album The Beauty Behind The Madness and whether he’ll be able to sustain his commercial success. Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Stitcher Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

As we write, the video for Hozier’s debut single has been watched 255,331,618 times on YouTube alone. While it has undoubtedly played a major part in the singer’s astonishing rise, it’s also not had too bad an effect for director Brendan Canty. Just back from a trip to LA for the VMAs (which he goes into in fascinating detail), our editor-in-chief Phil Udell sat down with him to discuss his work, music video in general and how Feel Good Lost has grown to become a hub for music and film. Subscribe to the podcast. Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

As the Electric Picnic has grown over the past decade, so has Body & Soul – the area that began as a chill out space and has gone onto become, not only a festival within the festival, but its own three day event. Jenny Wren has been involved since the start, responsible for the marvellous range of musical acts that you’ll know doubt be enjoying this weekend. Our editor-in-chief met up with her to discuss how Body and Soul has grown, her highlights of previous years and her picks for 2015. Subscribe to the podcast. Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

This week’s podcast delves into the world of celluloid for the first time, with our film editor Dave Higgins joined by Dave Hanratty and Stacy Grouden to discuss how Hollywood treats sex in 2015, particularly when it involves female characters (as demonstrated by the certification given to The Diary Of A Teenage Girl (pictured)), and why the natural human act seems to be considered a lot more subversive than violence. Subscribe to the podcast. Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

With the release of the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton, the relationship that hip-hop enjoys with the world around it is back in the spotlight. From those brutally real stories of the street to the empty glorification of wealth and status, many feel that the genre is losing its way. One of those is State’s own Ross Logan, who joined our editor-in-chief to discuss why all is not lost as the likes of Kendrick Lamar, B Dolan, Run The Jewels (pictured), Public Enemy and more try to inject reality back into the music. Subscribe to the podcast. Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

If you listened to received wisdom you’d be convinced that the record shop was dead and gone, killed by the advent first of digital downloads and now streaming. Received wisdom isn’t always right, however, and the good old fashioned music store is making a comeback. Not that Dublin’s Tower Records needs to make a return, having operated in the capital for 22 years – recently relocating to Dawson Street. Our editor-in-chief Phil Udell met with Clive Brannigan to find out how they’ve beaten the odds. Subscribe to the podcast. Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

The Electric Picnic is fast approaching (more of which on a coming podcast) and one of the bands coming our way in early September are Manic Street Preachers. To celebrate, pod regular Jennifer Gannon and broadcaster / musician Danny Carroll joined our editor-in-chief Phil Udell to discuss whether this group, who meant so much to so many, are still relevant. Subscribe to the podcast. Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

One of this country’s most enduring bands, it’s now 28 years since Kíla first came into existence. In the interim they have released eight studio albums, toured the world, collaborated with a host of creative individuals, staged some amazing live shows and recored a number of film soundtracks – including the recently Oscar nominated Song Of The Sea. Our editor-in-chief Phil Udell was joined by Colm Ó Snodaigh to discuss the band and their history. Subscribe to the podcast. Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

There’s a lot of talk about independent music these days, but few have ploughed their own path as successfully as the Popical Island Collective. Formed five years ago with the intention of releasing a few of their own records, they have gone onto become a thriving cottage industry through compilations, gigs, tours and two Choice Prize nominations. Mike Stevens (pictured above with original PI band Groom) came into the pod to tell us how they did it. Subscribe to the podcast. Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina

Back after a fairly sizeable absence, Fight Like Apes released their third, self-titled album earlier this year – finding themselves back in the charts in the process – so we were delighted to invite Mary and Jamie to join us in the pod. It’s a very revealing discussion as the duo chat about the release and the challenges they faced following their second record, a period that came close to breaking them on more than one occasion. Subscribe to the podcast. Fight Like Apes photographed for State by Olga Kuzmenko. Producer: Brendan Rehill Theme: Kobina