Moya Brennan on ‘Macalla’ at 40 — Clannad’s Timeless Legacy (#255)
Release Date: 10/28/2025
The Twilight Sad: James Graham & Andy MacFarlane on ‘It’s The Long Goodbye’ (#276)
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with James Graham and Andy MacFarlane — the creative core of Scottish band The Twilight Sad — to talk about their powerful sixth album It’s The Long Goodbye. Written across a seven-year period, the album became the band’s most personal and emotionally direct record to date. Much of it was shaped during a difficult chapter in James Graham’s life as he navigated his mother’s illness, his own struggles with mental health, and the weight of grief and loss. During the conversation, James and Andy reflect on the long journey...
info_outline
Damon Minchella on Ocean Colour Scene, Paul Weller & ‘You’d Look Good on a Donkey’
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with Damon Minchella — founder of Ocean Colour Scene, longtime bass player for Paul Weller, and collaborator with Richard Ashcroft — to talk about his candid and often hilarious memoir You’d Look Good on a Donkey. Across a musical life that has ricocheted between some of the biggest names in music — from Paul McCartney and Jimmy Page to Diana Ross, Dr. John and The Who — Minchella has built a career full of extraordinary stories, unlikely encounters, and a deep love of music that runs through everything he does. During...
info_outline
Steve Lillywhite on Producing U2 — From Boy to Achtung Baby (#274)
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with legendary U2 producer Steve Lillywhite to discuss his work on landmark albums including Boy, War, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, All That You Can’t Leave Behind, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, and No Line on the Horizon. Across a career spanning more than four decades, Lillywhite has worked with some of the most influential artists in modern music. But his work with U2 — from their earliest recordings through some of their biggest albums — helped define the sound of one of the world’s most important bands. During the...
info_outline
Zak & Matty of The Dream Machine on Fort Perch Rock (#273)
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with Zak and Matty from The Dream Machine to talk about Fort Perch Rock — the band’s third studio album and a record shaped by instinct, friendship and a deep connection to place. Formed in 2021, the band first emerged with their 2022 debut Thank God! It’s The Dream Machine, followed by 2024’s James Skelly-produced Small Time Monsters. With Fort Perch Rock, they move further into their own identity — self-produced and recorded between studios on the Wirral and in Liverpool. Built with a DIY spirit, Fort Perch Rock leans...
info_outline
Archive’s Dave Pen on 'Glass Minds' and 30 Years of Evolution (#272)
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with Dave Pen of Archive to talk about Glass Minds — the band’s 13th studio album and a bold new chapter in a 30-year journey defined by reinvention, collaboration and creative risk. Formed in Croydon, South London in 1994, Archive have evolved from trip-hop pioneers into one of Europe’s most respected alternative collectives. Glass Minds, released Friday 27th February 2026 via Dangervisit through [PIAS], follows the ambitious 2022 triple-album Call to Arms & Angels, which charted Top 10 across Europe and culminated in...
info_outline
Robert Levon Been of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club on Re-Examining Howl (#271)
The XS Noize Podcast
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s third album Howl was a risk — one that nearly broke the band. In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with Robert Levon Been to revisit the record that stripped away the noise and reshaped their identity. Originally released in 2005, Howl arrived as an unexpected curveball. The reverb-drenched guitars and white noise that defined the band’s early records were stripped back, replaced with folk, blues and gospel-inspired arrangements built around space, restraint and raw emotion. It was a risk — one that confused some at the time, but...
info_outline
Mark Shaw of Then Jerico on The Return and bringing the band back on stage (#270)
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with Mark Shaw of Then Jerico to talk about The Return — a moment that reconnects legacy, live energy, and purpose as the band bring their full show to Ireland for the first time. Watch the full XS Noize Podcast conversation below. Then Jerico are currently touring the UK and Europe, with debut full-band Irish headline shows at Belfast’s Limelight 2 on Thursday 19 February and Dublin’s Whelan’s Main Room on Friday 20 February 2026. The tour features a 90-minute set spanning the band’s classic first two albums — First...
info_outline
Crispian Mills of Kula Shaker on Wormslayer (#269)
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with Kula Shaker frontman Crispian Mills to talk about Wormslayer — a record that captures the band feeling revitalised, confident, and creatively fearless. Watch the full video conversation. Released on 30 January 2026, Wormslayer is Kula Shaker’s eighth studio album and sees the original line-up distil their explosive live energy into something cinematic, playful, and expansive. Often described as a natural companion to Natural Magic, the album allows songs to stretch and evolve, blending tight pop instincts with longer, more...
info_outline
Dani Larkin on Next Of Kin (#268)
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with Dani Larkin to talk about Next Of Kin — a deeply emotive record shaped by time, patience, and a renewed sense of creative clarity. Released on 23 January 2026, Next Of Kin marks a bold progression in Larkin’s sound and vision. Co-produced with Ruth O’Mahony Brady, the album expands her acclaimed storytelling into a cinematic, emotionally rich landscape that explores life’s most universal milestones — from birth and coming of age to love, loss, and acceptance. Structured as a trilogy, the record moves through...
info_outline
Paul Draper on Mansun Retold: revisiting old songs with new perspective (#267)
The XS Noize Podcast
In this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar sits down with Paul Draper to talk about Mansun Retold — a project shaped by distance, perspective, and the strange experience of meeting your younger self through song. Watch the full video conversation. Releasing on 20 February, Mansun Retold sees Draper revisit and reimagine key songs from the Mansun catalogue, rebuilding them from the ground up as full-band, acoustic unplugged recordings. Rather than revisiting the past for nostalgia’s sake, the album is about clarity — hearing familiar songs anew, stripped of urgency, ego, and...
info_outlineIn this episode of the XS Noize Podcast, Mark Millar is joined by Moya Brennan — the unmistakable voice of Clannad, often hailed as the First Lady of Celtic Music.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Clannad’s landmark 1985 album Macalla — a record that bridged ancient Celtic roots with modern pop and ambient textures. Produced by Steve Nye (Japan, David Sylvian) and recorded across Dublin, Surrey, and Switzerland, Macalla captured the moment when Irish music stepped confidently onto the global stage — featuring the iconic duet with Bono, In a Lifetime.
In this conversation, Moya looks back on the creative and spiritual journey behind Macalla — from the evolving sound that carried Clannad from Donegal’s Irish-speaking Gaeltacht region to worldwide acclaim, to the energy of recording during a golden era for Irish music, with U2 at Live Aid and the world discovering Celtic voices anew. She recalls the “lightning in a bottle” studio sessions with Bono and explores the deeper sense of faith, family, and identity that continues to echo through her work.
“If Macalla helps someone feel something, even for a moment — that’s what it was meant for.” – Moya Brennan
Moya also reflects on Clannad’s role in reshaping how Irish music was seen around the world, and the blending of Gaelic language and modern production that became their signature sound. She discusses how her collaborations have taken her voice from folk stages to global dance floors — most famously with Chicane on Saltwater — and the enduring power of songs such as Closer to Your Heart, Buachaill Ón Éirne, Caisleán Óir, Almost Seems (Too Late to Turn), The Wild Cry, and Journey’s End to connect generations.
Listen to the full episode and join Moya Brennan as she reflects on 40 years of Macalla — the memories, the music, and the lasting echo of Clannad’s legacy.
About The XS Noize Podcast
With over 250 episodes to its name, the XS Noize Podcast has become a trusted home for music’s legends and trailblazers — a space where real conversations meet real stories. Hosted by Mark Millar, the show has welcomed an extraordinary lineup including Glen Matlock, Miles Kane, Matt Berninger, Saint Etienne, D:Ream, Gavin Rossdale, The Farm, Snow Patrol, John Lydon, Will Sergeant, Ocean Colour Scene, Gary Kemp, Doves, Gavin Friday, David Gray, Anton Newcombe, Peter Hook, Razorlight, Sananda Maitreya, James, Crowded House, Elbow, Cast, Kula Shaker, Shed Seven, Future Islands, Peter Frampton, Bernard Butler, Steven Wilson, Travis, New Order, The Killers, Tito Jackson, Simple Minds, The Divine Comedy, Shaun Ryder, Gary Numan, Sleaford Mods, and Michael Head — among many more.
Explore the complete XS Noize Podcast archive here