On the eve of their album launch Conor O'Brien and Dave Hedderman from the multi-talented The Immediate dropped in to the Phantom studios. They talk about the new record In Towers And Clouds, play us a track and tell us about life on the road, missing the ferry, cleaning blood and turning into hippies. If you haven't seen them yet then do yourself a favour and catch them on their extensive Irish tour this September.

Spawned from a Sesame Street character, Cowboy X are breaking into the scene with fury. Vocalist Karen McCartney and guitarist John Hanley visit the Phantom studios to tell us about their album, Who Are These People. They also tell us how they became those people and what's in store for their Irish tour in September. We also get a taste of the record and an exclusive acoustic version of Gabbi. Get your ass in the saddle and download Cowboy X now. Yeehaaa!

David Hopkins is a man who knows when it's time for a change. When he left Lir, he did it big style by staying in the States after one of their grueling tours. Since then, he's been gearing up to make music his way. And now with the release of his new album Amber And Green, he's ready to show the world what he is made of. David drops into our studios to tell us about life after Lir and play two exclusive tracks. So click that download button now.

This week's guests on I-Spot would fit in a number of places, a sleasy New Orleans bar, a hip New York joint or how about Crawdaddy? Burma Shade, the band with a thousand faces, okay five, have a big canvas and they plan to fill it all on Saturday August 26th in Crawdaddy. Why not listen to them now to get a taste of what will be a great night out from one of Dublin's most interesting new bands. Download this week's I-Spot today.

Having had to delay their album release for five months, Dublin band Decadence have finally launched Loud, an eleven track cross between Chemical Brothers and Queens Of The Stone Age.  Joe and Dave dropped by Phantom Towers to talk about their band's evolution and their up coming gig at Electric Picnic. Get a taste of the beat and download I-Spot today.

Formed in 2002, The Prescriptions are a Dublin 4 piece with a long and varied set of influences from throughout classic rock. They've joined us this week in the I-Spot hotseat to play some tunes and give us the lowdown on what makes rock great. We even get an exclusive preview of a track off their soon to be released album. We really had a damned good chat and you should listen in, so download I-Spot now!

There once was a Dublin band called Polar. They were a happy group but then they decided to have a big adventure and go off to London to find fame and fortune. So they changed their name and off they went.  They found a cool old house in Camden and lots of bands doing the same thing. They've come back for a wee visit and tell us all about their last year. Download this week's I-Spot and find out how it all went!

After driving across the country to come to our studios, Cork legends Fred spill the beans on intimate family matters (which includes flutes), the Cork music scene and other mysteries. And we get a taste of the tunage we can look forward to at their Whelans gig on July 30th. Join us for this week's I-Spot and you won't be sorry.

The week's I-Spot features Lost, a band that's three quarters Meath and one quarter Dublin, add a haunted house and some far out songs and you've got a great night out! Download it now then go see them live in Crawdaddy on Sunday July 23rd with support from Lotus Lullabye.

Jools and Bill, the founding members of Communal met in New York and forged musical bonds which, 5000 kilometres and a marriage later (not to each other), spawned a band that truly rocks. Communal have released their debut album, Passport, earlier this year and are looking to tour Ireland and Europe in 2006 with a few London showcases peppered in for good measure. If you like Fugazi, Pumpkins and Zeppelin then this will be your bag.

This week on I-Spot we're talking to three bands involved in The Electric Fix collective, whose focus on electronic indie has become a large part of the scene in Dublin. Their first anniversary show is on in Whelans Thurs June 29th and include LPX, Super Extra Bonus Party and Betamax Format. Find out more about the new electronic currents and sample some top tunes. What are you waiting for?

Having changed their name but not their tune, The Adventures enter the hallowed halls of Phantom to promote their new single, Don't Tell Your Friends and offer us a feast of sounds with an acoustic rendition of the song. And they can really give their music justice even in the sweatbox that is the Phantom studios on a hot day! If you like tight, melodic rock with super strong pop infectiousness then check out this week's I-Spot. Yowza.

We go from plots to conspiracies on I-Spot as The Coldspoon Conspiracy join us in studio this week. Having spent last year in Melbourne touring and writing, these boys have a lot to talk about. Most importantly, does the water go down the drain the other way? We find out! Plus we'll have tunes. Do yourself a favour and download now.

More sinister and shocking than the Da Vinci Code, The Popgun Plot goes back to the 16th century and still survives today! The plot to kill the king now surfaces again as a band fronted by Martin Burns. What does he know? What will he do? Well you'll just have to download it to find out. We've got a sneak preview of the band's new single and find out just how sweaty and hairy Christy Moore actually is. Plus you'll be treated to a live track recorded in our humble studios. So what are you waiting for?

I-Spot heads north once again and this time Fast Emperors join us in studio with some acoustic treats and talk. Their relatively short history has already seen such milestones as openers for Delorentos and Bell X1 and invitations to the Imro showcase gigs including the prestigious Best Of Show in The Village on Saturday June 3rd. They tell us how that helped their career and why Dublin is so important to the Belfast scene.

They've packed out The Village and Whelans and got their independent single to number 22 in the charts. No small feat but for Dublin band Doris, it's steady as she goes. Hear them on this week's I-spot podcast and get a Phantom FM exclusive sneak preview of their next single Stop, due out in August. Download now and you'll find out what drums and clamps have to do with each other plus a special accoustic version of their current single Will I Ever Learn, recorded in the Phantom studios.

Just ahead of their trip to London for the Northern Ireland NextGeneration Showcase, The Vals from Belfast took the bus down to visit the Phantom FM studios and spoke to us about their view on the Northern scene and how they got the reputation as Belfast's rowdiest band. With airplay inthe US, England and Ireland, these lads are moving. Check them out live at The Voodoo Lounge, Dublin on May 21st. In the meantime, download and enjoy!

This week on I-Spot we have two very special guests. Paul Page and Fearghal McKee from Whipping Boy hit the Phantom FM studios and talk candidly about their ten year career in Rock 'n' Roll, the build up and the bust up. We'll also hear about the re-release of their thought-to-be-lost debut album Submarine. WeÃÂ??ll also get an acoustic treatment of one of their classic songs recorded live in the Phantom studios. That's all on I-Spot, phantomfm.com's new Irish music showcase. So get downloading.

What's French, lives in Dublin and studies vegetables? Julien Lonchamp,  the force behind Jack And The ', a band with story to tell. When he's  not entrenched in his Phd, Julien (aka Jack) is off writing mad songs  about mad scientists. Imagine Belle and Sebastien mixed with They Might Be Giants and you get the picture. Julien joins us on I-Spot this week with a few tunes and a sneak preview of his album.

This is a special presentation from phantomfm.com, an exclusive interview with Buzzcocks' Steve Diggle. Having recently played The Village to support the new album Flat-pack Philosophy, Steve came up to the studio to talk about James Joyce, punk rock and life as a rebel. Steve talks frankly about the initial split of the Buzzcocks, his solo career and how James Joyce influenced Harmony In My Head while German group Can was the spark for Autonomy.

From Birr to Bolivia, Roesy has been around. This week he is our special guest in the hot seat on I-Spot. With his new album Colour Me Colourful just released Roesy is a busy man but he takes time to play two special accoustic tracks from the album in the Phantom studios. You can also hear how a kangaroo nearly stopped the album from happening at all!

If you like your rock in the vein of Thin Lizzy and Rory Gallagher then you'll like Glyder from Wicklow. On the cusp of the release of their self-titled debut, Bat and Tony make a visit to the Phantom studios to talk about their experience as a hard rock band in Ireland. You can catch them at The Sugar Club on Wednesday, March the 29th and feel the energy live. Website: www.glydermusic.com Myspace: www.myspace.com/glyder

Patrick Freyne and Eoin Mac Ionmhain are our guests this week on I-Spot. Their band Patrick Freyne And His Bad Intentions are relative new comers to Dublin's music scene but the band members have been playing up for years. We get a sampling of of tunes that they claim are genre breakers and chat about music, money and mischief. You can find out more about the band by visiting www.patrickfreyneandhisbadintentions.com

Berkeley from Donegal have been busy these last two years putting together their second album, In Moments, from lead vocalist Tommy MclaughlinÃÂÃÂÂÃÂÂs attic. Tommy joins us on I-Spot to talk about that and play us a couple sneak previews of it before Berkeley head out to tour. You can catch Berkeley in Whelans this March 18^th as they release a split 7 inch single with LimerickÃÂÃÂÂÃÂÂs Giveamanakick. For more info on Berkeley go to www.berkeley.tv

The Flaws from Carrickmacross are this week's guest on I-Spot, Phantom FM's Irish new music showcase. Lead singer Paul Finn joins us for his very first radio interview. Paul talks about the journey from self-made E.P. to signing to Polydor in one year and we get to hear a couple of acoustic tracks too. Watch out for the release of their single "No Room" this March and catch their show in Whelans March 28th. Grab this one now before The Flaws hit the heights of Snow Patrol, Damien Rice and Bell X1. Subscribe to I-Spot today at www.phantomfm.com/now/podcasts, always the best in Irish rock.

Limerick's Vesta Varro are this week's guests on I-Spot, Phantomfm.com's Irish new music showcase. Keith and Damien drop into our studios to play and talk about the release of their new single Blue Mirror Boy which launched at 33 in the Irish charts. Having gained high praise from ex-Sex Pistol Paul Cook, VV are hoping for a good year ahead of them and an album release too.

Welcome to I-Spot, Phantom FM's newest podcast. I-spot is a 15 minute feature spotlighting a new Irish band or artist. We'll prove you can be a success in the music industry without spending heaps of money or sounding like James Blunt. This week rock band Mike Got Spiked join us for a chat and a live studio session. Don't forget, Miked Got Spiked play with fellow Gigsmart colleagues Murder Of Crows, The Crooks and World of Good on Thursday February 23rd in The Village Venue followed by Phantasm, Phantom FM's alternative rock club. For more information click on to www.phantomfm.com. See you there!!