Love music? Love poetry and spoken word? Love comedy? Then you’ll really love this……
The Circle Sessions is a weekly open mic night in Dublin. You can find them in the basement of the International Bar on Wicklow Street from 8.00pm every Monday night. To celebrate some of the wonderful acts who have found their little slice of performance Heaven, they’re taking them out of the basement and showing them the light of the Sugar Club stage. It will be a night of music, words, laughs and much much more.
So, get yourself to the Sugar Club on the 26th of September at 7pm for a look at some of the best and brightest up and coming artists from Dublin and across the country. Tickets €10 (+ booking fee) available from the venue and online.
Sounding the Feminists (STF) is an Irish-based collective of composers, sound artists, performers, musicologists, educators, students, critics, promoters, industry professionals, organisations, and individuals committed to promoting and publicising the creative work of female musicians. STF champions the principles of equality, fairness, inclusivity, and diversity. STF affirm the need to take conscious steps to ensure that these principles inform Irish musical life. STF want audiences to hear the voices of those who continue to be marginalised due to their sex, gender identity, sexuality, race, and class.
STF recognises that contemporary attitudes, policies, and practices towards music and gender are often built on institutions and traditions that resist change. In solidarity with ground-breaking sister movements such as Waking the Feminists, the STF Working Group was established in 2017. Their aim is to take positive action to improve the representation of women across the Irish music sector and communities.
They seek to do so by working with partner groups on the following priority areas:
• To address gender balance issues / intersectional feminism issues across the music sector
• To create new systems to promote gender fairness across promoters / venues / funders / educators / curators / musicians
• To build a community where issues of gender can be discussed
• To organise and audit areas of the Irish music sector in relation to gender balance
• To liaise with educational organisations and institutions throughout the country
• To liaise with other international groups such as Fair Play and Sound pressure
• To encourage younger generations of musicians to become involved in these debates
STF has convened a Working Group who will lead the way to realising its collective goals.
Members of the STF Working Group:
Chair: Dr. Karen Power
Secretary: Dr. Jenny O’Connor-Madsen
Engagement Officer: Amanda Feery
Education Development Officer: Dr. Laura Watson
Events Officer: Jane Deasy
Projects Officer: Dr. Ann Cleare
This collective needs you and your voice to help alter and diversify the Irish music sector, so that gender and inclusivity moves beyond a topic and simply is a part of our culture.
IMRO continues its collaborative initiative with The Songwriting Collective with the next workshop confirmed to take place on Thursday 7th September (6.00 pm to 9.00 pm in IMRO, Copyright House, Pembroke Row, Dublin 2.
The workshop will conclude with a live performance of newly written co-writes in the Wellington Pub, Lower Baggot Street.
Each workshop provides an opportunity to showcase songs you have written, to discuss/explore the craft of songwriting, to co-write and to receive detailed feedback about one’s compositions. In addition, from time to time we have input from relevant specialists.
The workshops are facilitated by Tony Bardon (tonybardon.com) and Danai Kelleher, both of whom have extensive experience of running workshops in Ireland and in Europe, as a result of their involvement with EU-funded music projects.
Cormac O Caoimh released his 4th solo album “Shiny Silvery Things” in May of this year. It in charted in the official IRMA charts and was launched with a sold out show in the Triskel Christchurch, Cork. All 12 songs have already received airplay and the first single (his most successful to date) reached over 3 million listeners in Ireland. The song was played in over 23 stations in Ireland and many more in the UK (including the BBC) and Europe (Italy in particular has attracted a big following with Italian cities toping the spotify listener charts).
His intimate vocals, magical melodies and exquisite guitar playing has always attracted very favourable appeal to critics (with Mojo, The Irish Times, HotPress, R2, Americana UK, OndaRock in Italy and many more) always quick to point to his unique style as well as comparisons to acts varying from the dreamy pop of The Go Betweens, Badly Drawn Boy, Elliott Smith and Prefab Sprout to the introspective and more folk-oriented Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen and Paul Simon. But he sees himself as a pop song-writer. When pop was good.
Specialized alternative radio stations were always on his side. Every album has received airplay from radio stations and DJs who love music and who love uncovering hidden gems. But with this album Cormac has seemingly hit a pulse on the mainstream and has also been playlisted on daytime stations and shows reaching a far bigger audience than previously possible. His loyal and enthusiastic fanbase (CD sales are still important for this man..the budget of every album is strictly based on the previous album sales) is growing. Finally too in his home country of Ireland where up to now the majority of sales were outside of Ireland (in the UK , Europe and US).
The second single ‘Silence And Sound’ is due for release Sept 15th 2017.
This song has been played the most (apart from the first single) and is in keeping with his career long tradition of releasing his favourite song off an album second and not first. It also is (before release) his second most played song on Spotify. It has been noted previously than many of Cormac’s songs take something small and seemingly mundane and builds up a song from it that is deceptively bigger and more personal to listeners than one might think initially. They start small and work out. ‘Silence and Sound’ on the other hand starts big and seemingly tackles various big and universal topics but works inward culminating in the ambiguous ‘reminds me’ leaving it up the listener to decide what it reminds the singer (and more importantly the listener) of. An impressionistic painting in the verses becoming an abstract image in the verse all the while combining an intricate musicality where the goal is always maintaining a high standard of pop sensibility. The guitar playing is tricky and advanced but never sounds like it. The words are carefully constructed but sound effortless. The combination a song that works equally well in both camps he is compared to. The pop world of The Go Betweens and Badly Drawn Boy meet the introspection and more audible guitar guru of Nick Drake.
Irish four piece Wild Youth are delighted to announce a FREE headline show at Katy’s Bar, Belfast on Wednesday 27th September, 2017. The Dublin-based band are touring in support of debut single “All or Nothing” released May 2017.
Wild Youth consists of David Whelan (vocals/guitar), Conor O’Donohoe (keyboard/vocals), Ed Porter (guitar/vocals) and Callum McAdam (drums).
Best friends from childhood Conor and David have always been making music together but it wasn’t until they met Callum and Ed in early 2016 that Wild Youth was born. Aware of each other from many years of playing in different bands they were eventually drawn together by a mutual love of rock and pop in equal measures. Once together, they went straight into the studio and started working on their vision of creating songs that you’ll want to have with you throughout the day; at home, at work, in the club, in the pub.
2017, looks set to be a big year for Wild Youth as May 26th saw the worldwide release of their debut single “All or Nothing” followed by a summer of festivals.
“All or Nothing”, the debut single by Irish band Wild Youth was produced by Phillip Magee in The Mill Studio. The video, featuring Jay Duffy and Alexandra McKay and all creative assets for the single were directed by Mark William Logan and produced by Collective Dublin.
Following on the success, great reviews and widespread AirPlay of the Dublin Singer/Songwriter’s debut release ‘Landslide’ (Dublin Town) in December and 2nd release ‘Midnight’ in April, both receiving over 10,000+Facebook plays in the 1st 48hrs, Nousom Knots will release a 3rd single and video. The song is called ‘Horizons’.
Mixed and Co-produced by New York based Óisín O’Malley who has co-produced with the likes of Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads, this upbeat song about the unattainable pursuit of desire is accompanied by an exciting and thought provoking new video, filmed in Dublin.
People are hearing influences such as Bowie, Neil Young, Jeff Buckley, The Smiths and The Cure.
The video for ‘Horizons’ was released to the public on August 19th then the single will officially be released on August 26th and will be available in iTunes and all major digital distributors.
To back the release Nousom Knots will play a headline concert, with full backing band of some of Ireland’s and U.S. Finest musicians, in Whelan’s (upstairs) on Sat August 26th. Included in his lineup is the ex lead-guitarist for Enrique Iglesias and Mr. North.
I Have A Tribe Presents | We Are A Tribe | at Dublin Fringe Festival 2017
Chocolate Factory :: 16 & 17 September
“I Have A Tribe” presents “We Are a Tribe,” a show designed especially for Fringe ’17 to celebrate music as a powerful and universal language. The traditional gig format – audience watches band- is re-imagined into something more like a collaboration between the two. Songs are adapted and broken into parts shared out amongst the room: think impromptu choirs, built-on-the-spot percussion and audience participation.
Patrick O Laoghaire and his troupe of musicians (MaryKate Geraghty, Danny Snow, Philip Doran and Robbie Kitt) invite you to join the tribe as they play some songs For you and some songs With you.
At fifteen Con Murphy got his first guitar. At 19 he was in his first band and wrote his first song, and now, ready for his music career he is releasing his debut album to the world early next year. ‘Don’t Freak Out’ is the first single which has gone straight to No2 in the iTunes Singer/Songwriter Charts.
Con was told to build his live following first, ‘get a fanbase’ they said! So he cut his teeth and introduced his music by supporting Mundy, Paddy Casey, Damien Dempsey and Duke Special. Last year he travelled to Stöðvarfjörður (pronounced Stood-Var-Fjur-duur)) in Iceland to help a friend build a state of the art recording studio in an old disused fish factory that had been taken over by some very creative minded people. He ended up playing the launch, but little did he know he’d be playing alongside Iceland’s No.1 selling artist ‘Prins Polo’ as well as various other well renowned Icelandic musicians. Con was a big hit on the night. He’s been invited back over to tour Iceland, and now has a huge fanbase in a tiny town there, including former Icelandic football international Ivar Ingimarsson who played in the English Premier League for Reading FC, Con says ‘ you know you’ve made it when Ivar Ingimarsson’s son asks you for your autograph!!’
This wasn’t Con’s first brush with fame. Black Sabbath’s Tony Martin paid an unplanned visit to a small venue Con was performing recently. After sitting through the full set, Tony asked if he could join him for the last song of the night where he played a Whitesnake classic from his time spent with them. Tony encouraged Con to keep writing and releasing his music after hearing a snapshot of what Con could do!
Upcoming Live Shows:
Mondays – Mayo, Westport, The Towers (residency)
28th Oct – Galway, Headford, Campbells Tavern
2/3 Nov – United Arab Emirates, Dubai, Sharjah Wanderers
Dublin duo Hudson Taylor return with their brand new single – ‘Feel It Again’, the first fresh music from Alfie and Harry in two years.
Since the release of their debut album in 2015, the brothers have been busy touring around Europe, writing songs for their next record, and jamming and hanging out with musical pals both here and in the UK.
‘Feel It Again’ is the first track from a forthcoming EP release. It was produced by Ryan Hadlock, best known for his work with The Lumineers and Vance Joy, and mixed by Ruadhri Cushnan (Mumford & Sons, Ed Sheeran) in Dublin.
The Hudson Taylor boys are currently splitting their time between the studio, putting the finishing touches to their new recordings, and the summer festival circuit. They play the Electric Picnic in Stradbally on September 1st.
‘Feel It Again’ goes on-sale on Friday 25th August.
KARMS are a thundering indie rock 4 piece from Dublin made up of brothers Colm and Stephen O’Loughlin, and friends Danny Farrelly and Jay Maleney.
Following on from the success of their huge debut single ‘We Always Lose’, KARMS are back with the release of their much anticipated debut EP and massive lead single ‘River’.
Recorded at Attica Audio in Donegal with Scottish producer Tony Doogan (Mogwai, Belle and Sebastian), the EP combines bone crushing anthems like ‘River’, ‘We Always Lose’ and ‘She Said’ with the delicate ‘Beautiful Magic’ making this another tasty introduction to KARMS.
‘River’ is available for download and streaming from September 6th.
