Month: May 2018

Irish band Beoga release new single ‘We Don’t Have To Run’ today, with singer/songwriter Ryan McMullan guesting on lead vocals. Since signing with Spirit B-Unique Records, Beoga have been working hard on new music, collaborating with Foy Vance and Johnny McDaid amongst a host of other names. ‘We Don’t Have To Run’ is the first single to be taken from their forthcoming album.

Ryan McMullan, who originally hails from Portaferry in Co. Down, has been causing a stir in the industry for the last year, supporting acts like Ed Sheeran and Foy Vance as well as headlining his own sold out shows around the world. Seán Og Graham was the first member of Beoga to meet Ryan, in the studio in Antrim, and they forged an instant connection both musically and personally. As Eamon Murray says, “Being able to work with Ryan is an absolute pleasure. When people hear him in the flesh, they realise he’s got something really special.” The band already had the musical idea for ‘We Don’t Have To Run’ and when they played the bones of it to Ryan he came up with the chorus straight away. The resulting track is a powerful percussive tune with tight vocal harmonies swirling around a dynamic violin riff.

The video for ‘We Don’t Have To Run’ is directed by Alex Gill and produced by Michael Donnelly, and it depicts a situation that is all too familiar in modern Ireland: a mother and her daughter living in emergency accommodation due to homelessness. The young girl tries to escape the reality of her situation by creating a makebelieve world with her friend, full of fantasy, colour and fun; somewhere that represents the safe place that every child in this country has the right to.

Director Alex says, “From my point of view the song is about standing up for what you believe in. I suppose this could be interpreted in many different ways but I thought it would be a good opportunity to shine a light on a issue that is prevalent in Ireland right now.” Eamon agrees: “This song is about solidarity and how we shouldn’t run or hide from the issues that face us all. To be able to touch on the issue of homelessness in a sensitive way and to have our song as a backdrop for Alex and Michael’s work is an honour.”

Beoga (Irish for ‘lively’) have been in existence for fifteen years, and in that time they’ve produced five critically acclaimed albums, been shortlisted for a Grammy and performed with the Ulster Orchestra at the BBC Proms.  They are described by the Wall Street Journal as ‘the most exciting new traditional band to emerge from Ireland this century’.

2017, was something of a banner year for Beoga as they co-wrote the massive international hit ‘Galway Girl’ with Ed Sheeran and performed with him to 150,000 people at Glastonbury, taking them to a new audience and a new level. Ed has once again asked the band to support him and they are looking forward to being onstage at his Irish dates in May: Páirc Uí Chaoimh in Cork on 4^th, 5^th and 6^th May, Boucher Playing Fields in Belfast on 9^th May, Pearse Stadium in Galway on 12^th and 13^th May, and the Phoenix Park in Dublin on 16^th, 18^th and 19^th of May.

With an album release in the near future and more tour dates in the diary, 2018 looks set to be another hectic year for Beoga.

See Beoga opening for Ed Sheeran on his Irish Tour.

4, 5, 6 May                              Pairc Ui Chaoimh, Cork                   Supporting Ed Sheeran

9 May                                      Boucher Playing Fields, Belfast       Supporting Ed Sheeran

12 & 13 May                            Pearse Stadium, Galway                 Supporting Ed Sheeran

16, 18 & 19 May                      Phoenix Park, Dublin                       Supporting Ed Sheeran

Beoga’s September headline tour will go on sale at 9am on Tuesday 8^th May 

Thur. 20 September                The Empire, Belfast

Sat. 22 September                  Dolan’s, Limerick

Sun. 23 September                 Set Theatre, Kilkenny

Thurs. 27 September              Grand Social, Dublin

Fri 28 September                    Roisin Dubh, Galway

Sat. 29 September                  St Luke’s, Cork

http://www.beogamusic.com/

‘Wounds’ is the just released debut album from “electro-blues” duo Inner City Radio.

The album explores human issues of love, lust, heartache, despair and anxiety through electronic beats, and organic rock and blues sounds. Sean and Emily have been carving a name for themselves the past year having been tipped by Niall Byrne of The Irish Times, and 2FM’s Dan Hegarty. The duo have also performed live on Today FM’s Paul Mc Loone Sessions.

www.facebook.com/innercityradio

With the release of her debut single, Alice Lynskey has beckoned to the world, commanding our attention! Already a proven chart hitting songwriter (having written ‘Run and Hide’ for The Stunning) her voice is both engaging and haunting through each and every melodic turn.

‘Devil in Me’ was recorded at The Production Suite by Chris O’Brien and Graham Murphy. Alice describes it as pop with a dash of retro for good measure, saying she wrote it about that dark side within us all.  We can fight it, we can hide it but we know that its always there, just waiting for us to slip…..

Alice Lynskey’s songs range from country to pop and a fresh combination of the two, which is reflected in her influences. Having grown up in a house filled with many music styles, the varying sounds and vibes of Britney Spears, Aimee Mann, ABBA, Mary Black , Elvis, Queen, Carrie Underwood, Johnny Cash, Pink, The Beatles, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Albert Hammond and Florence an The Machine to name but a a few, are all mixed in with a definite Nashville influence.

To date Alice has played support to many great acts including The 4 of Us, The Don Baker and Rob Strong Band (whom she will again support in The Wexford Art Centre in June) and The Carole Nelson Trio, with many more gigs planned for the year ahead. She has also appeared and sung on RTÉ 2FM, East Coast Radio and her local South East Radio.

Alice is originally from Tallaght in Dublin and is now living in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford. Singing from a very young age her first taste of show biz was at age 6 having joined the Helen Jordan dance school. She appeared in the Olympia theatre showcase, dancing and wishing she could sing too.

Due to her nanny and grandad’s love of poetry and rhyme she began writing limericks in primary school, and then moved on to songs. She soon began entering school and local talent competitions and has since sung in the 3Arena, The Helix, Enniscorthy Castle, The Wexford Arts Centre and The Mermaid Centre Bray as well as on RTÉ TV.

Alice studied Pharmaceutical Science at DIT Cathal Brugha Street, and now works as an analyst in the pharma industry in Wicklow. She took classical voice training with the Deirdre Masterson School in Wexford.

Alice  has already penned her next release schedule for late summer, to be followed soon after by an EP.

Alice is a frequent performer at the Ri Sessions in The Olde Ship pub in Arklow. She also plays in Jack Nealons as part of the Tuesday Melt Sessions and at The Wexford Arts Centre as part of PwC Spotlight programme for emerging music artists. She will be playing “ The End of the Bar” sessions in An Uisce Beatha Bar Waterford in June.

“…. an assured singer with a confident stage presence…….melodic songs with a compelling lyrical maturity. Particularly striking was her ’Love to Heal’, about the pressures of being an outsider, as was the winning ‘Red Handed Woman’ with its narrative about a woman surviving an attempted rape to murder her assailant, before finishing with a taut version of her imminent debut single, Devil In Me” Jackie Hayden

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The Oh Yeah Music Centre has announced further details for this year’s Women’s Work Festival taking place from 5^th – 10^th June 2018.

Now in its third year Women’s Work is a unique event for Belfast that highlights the important contribution that women make to music. Inspired by a growing global movement across the music industry towards a more even playing field, the programme has become an annual celebration and promotion of not only new and existing female talent, but also for diversity and change.

The festival will take place across six days and nights and includes a range of activities that are open to all genders and include showcases, gigs, special events, panels, talks, and exhibitions.

2018 is a significant year for women. It marks the centenary of the Representation of The People Act 1918, an event that became a milestone in the fight for democratic equality, which is still being fought today. The festival will coincide with Processions, a mass participation artwork event that will take place on Sunday 10^th June and there are events within the programme that will reflect and tie into this event.

Charlotte Dryden of Oh Yeah said: “There is no doubt that the talent, determination and visibility of women across many sectors has been much more prevalent in recent years. This has been through a concerted movement of change across the world, and in terms of music and the wider creative and cultural landscape Women’s Work has worked hard to be part of that change in Belfast. It’s encouraging also that we can depend on supporters that share the vision, that’s why it’s with great pleasure we can welcome Help Musicians NI as our principal partner this year. We’re also delighted that our existing Live Music Partner, Blue Moon, with support from the Arts & Business Investment Programme has extended its commitment to supporting local music for our showcase event.”

The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Nuala McAllister who officially launched the festival said:

“Women’s Work festival is making an important contribution to the overall celebration of Belfast as a great music city. We exceed expectation due to the sheer amount of successful artists that come from our city and from the region. Singers such as Ruby Murray, who still holds the record for the most number of singles in the UK Top 20 at the same time, to the more modern and diverse artists like Kaz Hawkins, Roe, Soak and Ursula Burns show we have a wealth of female talent to share.”

“The Women’s Work campaign is global and forward thinking, and Belfast is delighted to be part of this international celebration. Particularly in this centenary year of the Representation of the People Act when women’s voices were successfully heard for the first time on the political stage – opening opportunities for women like me and others to make our voices sing across a wider audience.”

Keith Millar of Help Musician NI said: “Help Musicians NI is delighted to be principal partner with the Oh Yeah Music Centre for Women’s Work this year. In a year marking the centenary of the female vote in the UK, women have a more important role than ever at the core of activism and meaningful political change, with music as the backdrop for this change making. It is this positive social change which Help Musicians continues to contribute to, through our partnerships and our vital work to help and support those in need within the music industry.”

Members of the public can look forward to a number of events, including:

• What’s The Score – Exclusive Composition and Arrangement workshop with highly sought after musician and collaborator Charlotte Hatherley (Ash, Bat For Lashes, KT Tunstall, Bryan Ferry)
• Women’s Work showcase in Association with Blue Moon Craft Beer – with Bad Bones, Hiva Oa, Pillow Queens, Strange New Places, Cherym, Gaze is Ghost, Sister Ghost and special guest DJ Charlotte Hatherley.
• Exclusive rooftop performance from Irish singer songwriter and multi instrumentalist Brigid Mae Power.
• Open House Presents Sóley at The Strand Arts Centre – A welcome return to Belfast for the Icelandic artist whose last appearance was in support of John Grant at the Mandela Hall in 2016.
• Soundtrack of Our Lives – Five of Northern Ireland’s prominent female politicians in conversation about music and more with BBC’s Marie-Louise Muir. With Naomi Long, Claire Hanna, Carál Ní Chuilín, Clare Bailey and Paula Bradley.
• Suffragette for Sound – Julie McLarnon (Analogue Catalogue) and guest Caro C lead a unique workshop that incorporates the genius of electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire (creator of original Dr Who theme) Evening will follow with DJ set from Belfast Club Queens and defenders of the dance floor
• Joni’s Story – a celebration of Joni Mitchell, a musical icon and major influence on singer songwriters across the world. Festival closing event presented by Bird & Bramble with music from DANI, Amy Montgomery, Lauren Bird, Amanda St John and more.
• Panel discussions and workshops with Olga Fitzroy (producer Coldplay), Emma Edgar (Tour Manager, Placebo, Everything Everything, Wolf Alice), Claire Southwick (Primitive Management), Angela Dorgan (First Music Contact), Susan Breen (Film Producer, Requiem – BBC and Netflix).
• Belfast premiere of Here To Be Heard: The Story of the Slits at QFT in association with Girls Rock School NI and Belfast Film Festival.
• Music Is Dialogue with Luna Abu Nassar and Gani Tamir at Duncairn Arts centre.
• Launch of Fem-anarchy in NI – addition of the female punk story to the NI Music Exhibition at Oh Yeah.

Image: Charlotte Dryden (Oh Yeah Music Centre CEO) & Charlene Hegarty (Oh Yeah Music Centre) launch Women’s Work Festival 2018.

The third in her series of live video recordings, SÍOMHA’s ‘Cover Me’ comes live from the singer’s home studio in the aptly named Craic Cottage. ‘Cover Me’ is a bright and breezy ode to the early, heady days of love, with SÍOMHA’s soulful vocals perfectly capturing the euphoric feelings of that new, all consuming love. Her band are on top of their game, and you can hear their joy in playing together in their sublime grooves and intricate/playful breakdowns, all serving to further elevate SÍOMHA’s dulcet tones and sweet/melodic vocals.

Fresh from her recent tour tour opening for Irish music legend Paul Brady, SÍOMHA is set for a busy summer schedule including a main stage slot at Doolin Folk Festival on June 17th. Her last track ‘July Red Sky’, filmed live in The Burren gained over 1.7 million views online.

SÍOMHA and her band are on tour:

April 29th -The Gallery, Gort

May 3rd – Dolans, Limerick

May 11th – Connolly’s of Leap

June 3rd – King John’s Castle, Limerick (w/ Hermitage Green)

June 17th – Doolin Folk Festival

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Homebeat are delighted to announce the launch for renowned stalwart of the Irish electronic world Somadrone’s stunning new album ‘Wellpark Avenue’ in the very atmospheric and unique surrounds of The Dublin Conservative Club on Thursday 3rd May.

‘Wellpark Avenue’ is a game changer for Dublin Producer, Somadrone.

Gone are the drum machines and heavy synthesizer use from ‘Oracle’ (2015) and ‘The First Wave’ (2013) and now sees a return to traditional song and instruments akin to ‘Depth of Field’ (2010) – piano, drums, harpsichords and electronics. Dystopia, Psychedelia, LSD, Timothy Leary and TV Music of the 1970’s all contribute to the sound of ‘Wellpark Avenue’, a sound that references the likes of seminal British band Broadcast.

Dunk Murphy’s debut LP as Minced Oath ‘Supersede’ was released through Countersunk in August 2017.
The album was written, performed and recorded over two weeks in the summer of 2017 consisting of 15 tracks of ambient soundscapes. Using a collection of analogue synthesizers, vintage outboard effects and a simple mixing desk, each track was improvised and recorded straight to two track with no edits or composites. Sometimes serene, sometimes malevolent, ‘Supersede’ weaves through dense sonic peaks and troughs where the hum of electricity meets the texture of organic matter.

More recently, Dunk has been composing new Minced Oath work focusing on gentle resonant filter rhythms and harmonic drones.

DOORS 8pm
DJ set also on the night from Vital Signs
DOORS 8pm | FULL BAR ONSITE | €15 On Door.