Orla Foster

3 weeks ago | northernirelandworld.com | Orla Foster

New Ulster University study reveals widening inequalities in access to sport and physical activity for children across Northern IrelandNew research from Ulster University highlights how the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is severely limiting access to sport and physical activity for children and adolescents in Northern Ireland, with families from lower-income backgrounds being hit hardest.

4 weeks ago | thelineofbestfit.com | Orla Foster

Since signing to Merseyside's New Retro Records, Lois Levin has been flying the flag for her hometown with a take on soul music that is informed as much by Billie Holiday as Alabama Shakes and the Stone Roses. It's blues in Doc Martens and a crisp suit, with an understated, quietly assured quality, the depth of her voice hinting at the the restless emotion within.

2 months ago | thelineofbestfit.com | Orla Foster

From urban wasteland to pastoral idyll and back, Lael Neale brings her rebellion against material living wherever she goes, trusting in her four-track recorder and the ideas that come from the quiet, as Orla Foster learns. Of course, she knew that already, but moving back to the city after three years on her parents’ farm in Virginia really hammered the point home. “I kind of felt like I had been dropped down into Babylon,” she reflects.

Feb 26, 2025 | thelineofbestfit.com | Orla Foster

Maria Usbeck comes closer than most as she channels the serenity of this majestic creature for her latest offering "Mantarraya". The former Selebrities frontwoman dons full ray garb for the music video, which sees her float unfazed through the streets and subways of New York – her current habitat. This unusual odyssey is a perfect primer for Usbeck's forthcoming album Naturaleza, due in April.

Jan 24, 2025 | thelineofbestfit.com | Orla Foster

"The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of" explores surrealism, remorse, and unwelcome epiphanies, and was inspired by a recent rewatching of Twin Peaks in its entirety. "I was trying to get sober and I needed something to fixate on so it became that and trying to really unwrap it all, which is impossible no matter if people say they’ve figured it all out," she reflects. Dilettante is a suitably self-deprecating alias for Francesca Pidgeon, playing down her credentials with a pinch of salt.