Following a breakout year that saw them storm the UK Vinyl Charts and amass over 210,000 streams for their debut EP, Belfast’s premier experimental noise-rock outfit, Makeshift Art Bar, have announced two highly anticipated headline shows this April. The band will bring their “poetic chaos” to Sandinos, Derry on April 23rd and Whelan’s (Upstairs), Dublin on April 24th.
Described as a “Frankenstein’s monster” of post-punk, grunge, and electronic influences, Makeshift Art Bar has quickly moved from underground favorites to a significant force in the Irish music scene. Their debut EP, “Lackluster Writing Makes Fundamental Reading,” released in January 2025, resonated immediately with fans and critics alike. The release peaked at No. 3 in the UK Vinyl Single Charts (Dinked Edition) and has surpassed 210,000 streams on Spotify.
The band’s reputation is built on a foundation of volatile, genre-warping live performances. After a 16-date international headline tour and high-profile support slots for CHALK, DITZ, Mannequin Pussy, BBC Radio 6 Live Session, the quartet spent the festival season gracing stages at All Together Now, YPSIGROCK, and End of the Road.
BBC Radio 6 presenter Mary Anne Hobbs described their track “Bedwetter” as: “Imagine catching the tears of 1980s Bargeld and Cave and using them to wipe down a devastatingly beautiful cafe racer motorcycle.” What truly sets Makeshift Art Bar apart is their dynamism. Their music defies predictable structure, pitching and rolling with discordance and strange rhythms.Their songs are a juxtaposition of low, searing moments and explosive crescendos, volatile yet danceable in all the right ways.
This is just the beginning for Makeshift Art Bar. Their innate energy and fearless sound, is cementing its status as a trailblazer in the underground music world.
MAKESHIFT ART BAR
Plus Special Guests
23rd April: Sandinos, Derry
24th April: Whelan’s Upstairs, Dublin
18+
Tickets on sale Friday at 10am
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