Hot Press

Hot Press is sort of the voice of the Irish music industry. It’s been on the go now for so long that it’s a bit like a bible. That said, it’s not my kind of read. I find the layout of it very cluttered and not very consumer-​friendly. But if you’re music mad I reckon this is the one for you.

I’ve always had a few issues (pardon the craftily constructed pun there) with Hot Press. First off, it should really be free. For something that prides itself on gig listings, they should really take note that the likes of connected* is doing the same for free. Second of all, Hot Press runs a website that you have to be a subscriber of their magazine to get access to. which is a bit ridiculous. Lastly, they review albums based not on musical merit, but on how big they expect the album to become. (Commonly known as the NME quandry)
But you have to take note that Hot Press was a one of its kind when it was set up and did support a lot of up and coming Irish acts initially. That support seems to be lagging in recent years and fewer risks are being taken in support of more pedestrian bands such as ‘The Coronas’. Although I’m not the biggest fan of the magazine, it has done quite a bit for Irish pop and rock, even if it has lost its way in the past few years.

Actually set up by Bob Geldof himself, Hotpress is all about the Irish scene in terms of music and sometimes other media. They usually have some good international stars as well as locals in it, and their penchant for seriously puntacular headlines means you can usually get a bit of a giggle out of it too.
I wouldn’t buy it regularly but when it comes my way I usually read it. if you’re the kind of person who wants to know who’s playing where and when you have to check this out. Sometimes it’s almost too trendy for its own good but Hotpress has been around awhile and seems to be here to stay!

Hot Press is Ireland premier music magazine. There hasn’t been a monthly magazine to contend with it probably ever in Ireland.
It clearly comes across as a sort of Rolling Stone of Ireland. It has a tone that suggests it knows everything before you do, regardless of what you might think, and it is happy to let you know how you too can be as cool as the magazine.; I don’t like this tone, but if you want to survive you sort of need to be a bit stuck up your own arse.
It is larger than your average magazine and so this gives it a bit of a newspaper feel. the broadsheet format pays off because a lot respect its opinions more based on this alone.
You may disagree or hate this magazine, but until something better comes along in Ireland your stuck with it.