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Month: August 2018

Irish Artists Set for London’s Music Makers Festival

Music Makers is a 2-day London-based independent music festival, now in its second year. It’ll be taking place at The Half Moon, in the heart of Putney, on October 6th & 7th 2018 featuring Irish artists Jack O’Rourke, Declan Greene and Kim Hayden.

The festival is organised and curated with love, by the team behind musician Albert Man. Their ethos remains the same as last year – showcase the talents of some amazing independent artists.

Music Makers celebrates other fellow musicians that both Albert and his manager, Manoja, have had the pleasure of getting to know over the years, during their time in the business. After the success of last year’s festival, which had a brilliant line up of singer-songwriters including Michele Stodart (The Magic Numbers) and a surprise guest appearance from Gavin James, Albert and Manoja couldn’t wait to start planning this year’s event.

The festival is going to have the same calibre of talent we saw last year, showcasing 14 artists/bands over 2 days with 7 unique performances each day.

The line-up includes AKA GeorgeKim HaydenTreetop Flyers (acoustic, stripped-back duo), Michele StodartAlbert ManHoward RoseJacko HooperDanni NichollsTwo Ways HomeMidéJack O’ RourkeDeclan GreeneHopeLucy May Walker.

Early bird tickets for the 2 days are available in limited numbers as well as day tickets for either Saturday or Sunday.

Website: www.musicmakersfestival.com
Tickets: www.musicmakersfestival.com/tickets
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/285791085306821
Facebook: /musicmakersfest
Twitter: /musicmakersfest
Instagram: /musicmakersfest

#MusicMakers2018

IMRO Christie Hennessy Song Contest 2018 Announced

Entries are now open for the IMRO Christie Hennessy Song Competition 2018 which takes place in memory of one of Tralee’s most famous sons. Songwriters are invited to submit an audio link for their entry by email to membership@nullimro.ie before the deadline of Friday 21st September (NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL AUDIO FILE ATTACHMENTS).

Ten finalists will be selected to perform their song at the live final of the contest on Saturday 3rd November in The Ashe Hotel, Tralee, Co. Kerry, with the winning songwriter being presented with a cheque for €1,000 courtesy of IMRO. A runner up prize of €300 will also be presented on the night.

A Tralee native, Christie Hennessy began his music career at a young age when he moved to London, playing in clubs by night and working on building sites during the day. He started writing songs at the age of 23 and went on to release numerous platinum selling albums.

Christie’s songs were later recorded by artists such as Christy Moore (“Don’t Forget Your Shovel”), Frances Black (“All The Lies That You Told Me”), Moya Brennan (“Oh Jealous Heart”) and Nizlopi, who reached Christmas Number 1 in UK and Ireland in 2005 with their hit “JCB Song”, sampling Christie’s lyrics from “Don’t Forget Your Shovel”.

Previous winners of the IMRO Christie Hennessy Song Contest include Curtis Walsh, Paul McDonnell, Dave Molloy, Alan Kavanagh, Enda Reilly / Christine Deady, Míde Houlihan and Katie O’Connor.

The deadline for entries is Friday 21st September.

IMRO CHRISTIE HENNESSY SONG COMPETITION 2018

RULES OF ENTRY

1. The lyrics and music must be the original work of the songwriter(s).
2. The competition is open to all types of song, in any style – ballad, country, pop, rock etc.
3. Songs may be entered in either the English or Irish language.
4. The competition is open to national and international songwriters.
5. Songwriters may only enter one song for consideration.
6. Entries will not be returned – all songwriters should retain a copy of their song submission.
7. Entries can be submitted via an online link to your song to membership@nullimro.ie (NOTE: Please do not email audio file attachments) or on a CD by post to the address below. All entries must be accompanied by a copy of the lyrics; typed or clearly written.
8. Finalists will be notified by Monday 8th October 2018.
9. The provisional adjudication will be on the basis of the tracks submitted, from which 10 finalists will be chosen.
10. Each of the 10 finalists will be invited to take part in a live concert in Tralee on Saturday 3rd November 2018. Backing tracks are not permitted for this performance.
11. Each songwriter will be responsible for providing the singer and/or group for his/her entry in the final at his/her own expense.
12. A first prize of €1,000 will be presented to the winning songwriter on the night of the final. A runner-up prize of €300 will be presented to the second placed finalist.
13. Final adjudication will be on the night of the final. Decisions of the adjudication panel will be final.
14. Entry for the contest implies acceptance of all the rules.
15. Postal entries should be sent to:

IMRO Christie Hennessy Song Contest 2018
C/o Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO)
Copyright House
Pembroke Row
Lower Baggot Street
D02 HW59
Ireland

Delorentos Presented with IMRO Award for ‘True Surrender’

In recognition of their Independent number one album ‘True Surrender’, IMRO were delighted to take the opportunity to present Delorentos with an IMRO Award this week.

The IMRO Number 1 Award was introduced to acknowledge IMRO members who reach number 1 in the album charts here in Ireland.

Released in late April 2018, ‘True Surrender’ is Delorentos’ 5th studio album to date. It’s been a while coming and its testament to the resilience of the band that True Surrender exists at all!

While on tour in the autumn of 2015 the band were lent a small studio in a Vineyard in Northern Spain and set about recording the bones of a new album. They recorded 15 songs but, on returning home, weren’t happy that the songs reflected the band’s current creative space – they were too close to what the band had done before and not a true reflection of the band’s collective feeling. They began to question their way of writing, their dynamic, and what they wanted to achieve with their songs. They realised they were looking for more soul, more honesty, and a level of openness and intimacy that they’d never felt comfortable revealing before. The Vineyard album was scrapped and they surrendered completely to what gradually became an entirely new way of working.

‘True Surrender’ was written, arranged, recorded, mixed and honed over a chaotic three year period of bilocation, the birth of children and a heightened level of personal and professional anxiety – not to mention all of the usual trials and tribulations of the creative process and the artistic battles that are par for the course. Songs were written, stripped back to their core and rebuilt with new instrumentation, new meaning and a constant, fervent desire to pour their hearts and souls into every bar of music.

Preceded by the singles ‘In Darkness We Feel Our Way’ (the only survivor from the Vineyard album) and ‘In The Moment’, which only scratch the surface of the musical endeavour in the album, ‘True Surrender’ is Delorentos’ proudest achievement to date. Melodic tunes infused with electronic warmth; soaring, mellifluous melodies encasing lyrics that tug at the heart strings, rant and rail in defiance and, ultimately, offer a brand-new insight into a band of four school-friends who have grown together and grown apart before cohering again with a whole new shape, understanding and vision.

The process has been aided, abetted and emboldened by a new openness to collaboration and external criticism in the writing (for instance with Richie Egan (Jape) on ‘In Darkness’) and the recording process (in the sensitive hands of Tommy McLaughlin (Attica Audio, Donegal)) while the mixing was undertaken by the inspirational Ross Dowling (Darklight Studios, Dublin) – and Adrian Garry (Keelys Lane Studio, Oldcastle) on ‘SOS’.

Ultimately ‘True Surrender’ is the band’s most evolved, emotive and affecting collection of songs so far. The tell-tale sound of a classic 4-piece guitar band is still there in parts, but that sound has been developed, mixed, melded and transmogrified into a brand new, edgy beast that is a force to be reckoned with!

Delorentos’ determined rise has been a wonderful (and, at times, tortuous) chaos – break-ups, labels collapsing, reformations and critical awards, worldwide tours and packed houses from Mexico City to Moscow. In a world where so much emphasis is placed on “brand new” they continue to revel in writing albums and playing live shows that are ever more passionate, raw and exciting!

www.delorentos.net

Villagers Announce Irish Dates

Villagers today announce some new Irish dates for December which will see gigs in the Empire Music Hall, Belfast on 10th | Dolans, Limerick on 12th | Black Box, Galway on 13th and The Set Theatre, Kilkenny on 14th.

Ahead of that Villagers will perform at Other Voices Ballina in September and headline Metropolis Festival on 27th October.

Villagers’ new album ‘The Art of Pretending to Swim’ will be released on 21st September and was written, produced, mixed and primarily performed by Conor O’Brien in his Dublin studio.

The new single ‘Fool’ was released last week, watch the video directed by Bob Gallagher here.

Watch the previously shared video for ‘A Trick Of The Light’ here.

Following the exquisitely sparse, intimate aura of 2015’s ‘Darling Arithmetic’, Conor O’Brien’s new record reconnects with the multi-faceted approach of Villagers’ 2010 album debut ‘Becoming A Jackal’ and 2013’s ‘{Awayland}’ while adding a new-found soulfulness, rhythmic nous and dazzling panoply of sonic detail, both analogue and digital, creating feverish moods while writing effortlessly accessible tunes. Balanced with subtle aspects and lyrical themes that embrace existential fears and hopes in this desperate, technologically-centred dystopian age, ‘The Art Of Pretending To Swim’ is the most brilliantly realised Villagers album to date.

O’Brien has a string of accolades under his belt including two Ivor Novello Awards (the most recent being 2016’s Album Award for ‘Darling Arithmeti’c), two Mercury Music Prize nominations and is also a previous winner of Ireland’s Choice Music Prize.

Additionally, Villagers’ music recently featured in the high profile HBO drama ‘Big Little Lies’, Conor has collaborated with the composer Nico Muhly (that track featuring in the forthcoming Paulo Sorrentino Berlusconi biopic ‘Loro 2’) and Villagers’ Spotify session of ‘Nothing Arrived’ has hit over 100 million streams.

Villagers Irish Dates

28-29th September – Other Voices, Ballina
27th October – Metropolis Festival, Dublin
Mon 10th December – Empire Music Hall, Belfast
Wednesday 12th December – Dolans, Limerick
Thursday 13th December – Black Box, Galway
Friday 14th December – Set Theatre, Kilkenny

Tickets www.wearevillagers.com/live

‘The Art Of Pretending To Swim’ is available to pre-order on Domino Mart-exclusive deluxe LP (includes 10” of a 12-minute version of ‘Ada’ and B-side ‘This Is The Art Of Pretending To Swim’ plus signed lyric booklet), Deluxe LP (includes ‘Ada’/’ This Is The Art Of Pretending To Swim’ 10”), Standard LP, CD and Digitally. Pre-order: Dom Mart | Digital

Villagers Online:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

SIIGHTS Share Latest Release ‘DANCE’

Dublin/Glaswegian duo, SIIGHTS, have been quietly sitting pretty in the Irish AirPlay charts with their summer single ‘Got It’. It’s time to unleash their cracking follow up single ‘Dance’ on the airwaves of radio everywhere! Mia &Toni, get used to their names as these girls are set to be the fresh face of Irish music.

The music video for ‘DANCE’ is centred around the importance of self-expression and the motivational concept of finding the courage to do what you love & what makes you happy (despite your fears or judgments from others) because life is short.

The ‘DANCE’ music video was directed by Atlanta based director, Payne Lindsey – who’s created music videos for Def Jam Records artists including Naughty Boy – Home & Ride Out (Fast and Furious 7) – Kid Ink, Tyga, Wale, YG, Rich Homie & Quan to name a few. Payne loved the track and he shared the same vision as the girls for this video.

The concept is centred around the question ‘what is the meaning of life to you’, and it follows various people from all walks of life around America expressing their thoughts on living a happy life.

The video follows an African American dancer’s honest account of what dance means for him in today’s world…..stressing the important message that it’s not about being the best at something – it’s about being true to yourself and having the courage to try.

The other people featured in the video remind us that it’s important not to wish your life away but to make each and every day count.

The pair wrote the record in LA & was one of the first tracks they ever worked on together as SIIGHTS. It features hints of old school funk sounding guitar riffs with an accompanying gritty funk bass hook influenced by legendary players like the late Bernard Edwards.

The Big Lovin’ Announce New Single ‘Adiadiadio’ 

Taking up the call for change, shaman and charismatic frontman Levi Lovell along with his cohorts in The Big Lovin’ have announced their candidacy to run for “Best Band in the World”, with a pledge to “Make Pop Great Again”.

Debut single release ‘Adiadiadio’, released September 24, is bold, brazen and definitely not something to bring home to the parents. Full of an infectious sense of fun, the single heralds The Big Lovin’s arrival as musical saviours. Showcasing an irreverent playfulness that pays homage to the band’s notorious live show, the single is an invitation to the listener to crack a smile and let loose a laugh or two.

Spearheaded by his holiness Levi Lovell, The Big Lovin’ took flight in 2017 when he returned from a six-year journey of self-discovery in the Far East. Stealing songs from the locals he met on his travels, Levi amassed a deep repertoire of sure-fire hits, seeking to make a quick buck on the capitalist markets of the West. Aided by a crack team of musicians, he reorganised his followers into The Big Lovin’, and the band are now set out to conquer the known world by force.

Anchored by a massive groove courtesy of drummer Anto Noonan and bassist Colin Noone, the band’s explosive sound is made complete by multi-instrumental madmen Tony O’Donovan and Aengus Mac a Bhaird.

Live dates:
The Clonakilty International Guitar Festival – September 23rd
Cyprus Avenue, Cork – October 4th
Roisin Dubh, Galway – October 7th
The Mariner, Bantry – October 20th
De Barra’s, Clonakilty – TBC
The New Bar, UCC – TBC

We Cut Corners Share Album Release Details

Dublin duo We Cut Corners are very pleased to announce the forthcoming release of their 4th album, ‘Imposters’, which will be available on heavyweight vinyl, CD and streaming from Friday 12th October.

Following the release of the first single from the album, The Specialist’ earlier in the summer, We Cut Corners will release two further tracks from the record in the run-up to the album, Laughing Maniacally’ (5th Sept), and Original Sin’ (28th Sept). 

We Cut Corners are guitarist/vocalist John Duignan and drummer/vocalist Conall ÓBreachain. The duo have carved out a unique place in the Irish music scene with their eclectic mix of songs, ranging from angular pop and garage rock, to wistful indie-folk, consistently coupled with their unique lyrical deftness.  The result is weird and wonderful, abstract at times, and brilliant.  The dynamic drum/guitar combination, and the blending of powerful, unique vocal harmonies is principal to their success. 

We Cut Corners’ first three albums were all nominated for the Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year.

 The album is available to pre-order at the Delphi Label Store online at delphilabel.com/the-shop

The band play the Heineken Stage at Electric Picnic on Saturday 1st September and are pleased to announce the following dates to celebrate the release of the album.

Saturday 13th October – Whelans, Dublin
Saturday 20th October – Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Sunday 28th October – The Spirit Store, Dundalk
Friday 2nd November – The Monarch, London

Details of Galway date in mid-October also coming soon.

Tracklisting for the new album, IMPOSTORS:

1)   impostors
2)   Rainy Night In Slomo
3)   Original Sin
4)   The Specialist
5)   Stranded
6)   iimpostors
7)   Eke
8)   Laughing Maniacally
9)   Ten Sentences
10) Once In The Woods
11)  iiimpostors

WEBSITE: www.wecutcorners.net
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/wecutcorners
TWITTER: twitter.com/wecutcorners
DELPHI LABEL: www.delphilabel.com/home

King Kong Company Unleash ‘Killswitch’

Bolt down your speakers and apologise to the neighbours in advance, King Kong Company are about to unleash their second single of the summer, and this one’s got more thump than Paul O’Connell swinging a 30lb sledge.

For this belter KKC have teamed up with legendary producer Neil McLellan. Neil Mc has worked his magic on every Prodigy album since ‘Music For The Jilted Generation’, and you can hear his influence all over this one. The high energy shows that earned KKC a Best Live Act in Ireland award have cemented their legendary live status, and ‘Killswitch’, more than any other track the band have released, has captured the hard edged dynamic of a King Kong performance.

‘Killswitch’ explores the darker side of social media, taking a cue from Chamath Palihapitiya, former vice-president of user growth with Facebook, who publicly expressed regret for his part in building tools that destroy ‘the social fabric of how society works’. This song looks more at how social media uses us, rather than how we use it.

The band have been performing ‘Killswitch’ at festivals at home and abroad all summer and it’s fast becoming a highlight of their high-octane set. You can catch it live when King Kong Company make a triumphant return to Electric Picnic at the end of August (if it’s anything like last year, this should not be missed) or when they open the doors on their biggest headline show to date at The Olympia Theatre Dublin on October 13th (standing tickets are sold out, limited seated tickets still available).

A kickin’ new single, a big show at Electric Picnic and an even bigger show in The Olympia? The King Kong crew may occasionally act the monkey, but they mean business!

MY TRIBE YOUR TRIBE Share ‘Adrenalover’

‘Adrenalover’ adds another dimension to MY TRIBE YOUR TRIBE’s full band electro-pop sound, experimenting with soundscapes which appear to dance with the imagery of the video.

Having built MY TRIBE YOUR TRIBE’s live reputation through performances at Other Voices’ Music Trail, Electric Picnic’s Body and Soul Main stage, Hard Working Class Heroes, Body and Soul and more, George Mercer took a break from performing to write, produce & mix his debut album.

Initially inspired by the introspective electronic sounds of late-night Irish radio-playlisting, George began experimenting with electronic music and synthesizer sounds before embarking on a string of ethereal bedroom-style DIY EPs and singles which he would launch under his MY TRIBE YOUR TRIBE moniker. The latest album echoes those experiences, but boasts a more realised and confident sound.

‘Adrenalover’ is the first single from MY TRIBE YOUR TRIBE’s debut album due for release in early 2019. The recording process was an entirely DIY affair, recorded in a home-studio ‘The Brown Room’ in a side room of a family home in the countryside in Laois. Mercer spent a year recording and mixing everything himself.

Inspired by festival culture and more specifically Electric Picnic, the video – directed by 16 year old videographer Naoise Kettle (NDK) – was shot in Stradbally among the beautiful surroundings of the festival. Mercer explains that he wanted to ‘write a song that emulated the energy of being hyper-adrenalised as was the case most of the time due to intense social anxiety‘. The cracks in the stone portrayed in the video are representative of those fissures that often appear in the front we put up.

Mercer follows on from other male musicians writing upbeat songs about mental health (such as Daithi, Rubberbandits), explaining ‘I wanted to play with that kind of contradiction or duality in songwriting where the music is feel-good and almost technicoloured but there is an different, darker reality to the lyrics.’ He found that this was the trick to writing more honest lyrics. ‘Discovering that I could get away with writing upbeat and colourful music to self-deprecating lyrics let me put more of my actual reality into my songwriting and unlocked the door to the rest of the album’s songs.’

MY TRIBE YOUR TRIBE LIVE
SEPTEMBER 1 – ELECTRIC PICNIC, STRADBALLY – PLAY THE PICNIC STAGE 11PM
SEPTEMBER 22 – BELLO BAR – SINGLE LAUNCH

BODIES Launches ‘Limbs’ with Broken Wrist

On a Saturday night in July, David Anthony McGeown played his soon-to-be-released single ‘Limbs’ for the first time, testing it out on the ample crowd gathered in the Main Room at Whelan’s to watch his band BODIES perform as part of the venue’s Summer Watch 2018 showcase festival.

Having broken his wrist two days previously after a collision between his bike and a car, David managed the first two songs, but was feeling restricted as the audience grew. Never one to compromise, David ripped off his wrist brace halfway through the gig so that he could play ‘Limbs’ unrestrained – albeit with a broken wrist.

This ‘all or nothing’ approach is typical of the 27-year-old Dubliner who recorded all of the parts for for his upcoming album himself, laying them down meticulously in the studio, one-by-one, spending time cultivating his signature sound that draws influence from the likes of Radiohead, Muse, Manchester Orchestra & Sigur Ros.

Originally a solo project, BODIES has now expanded to a four-piece, with the addition of Nathan Maher (guitar), Danilo Ward (bass) and Scott Johnson (drums). The band has been busy all summer earning a name for themselves as a raucous live band with energetic performances that juxtapose the starker, more restrained studio sound of the album, ‘Drench’, which will be released later this year. ‘Drench’ is one of the most anticipated studio albums from an Irish artist this year, and features collaborations with members of some of Ireland’s most prominent bands such as Squarehead, Kid Karate, Blooms, Kodaline and Overhead the Albatross.

David Anthony McGeown says: “The lyrics of this song are very personal to me. I wrote it during a difficult time in my life when I was finding it hard to feel anything for anyone, or enjoy anything. It’s about going through the motions of life and hoping that things will change. Fortunately for me, writing music and lyrics has always helped me arrange my thoughts and feelings. Spending time trying to define a feeling as poignantly as possible in a few lines has been really cathartic for me. with ‘Limbs’, going through the writing process helped me remember that nothing stays the same; everything has an end. The song ends on a ‘maybe’ and it’s there to remind me to always have hope.

This Friday 24th February, at a headline gig at Bello Bar, Portobello, BODIES will officially launch ‘Limbs’, the first single from the upcoming album, ‘Drench’. Support on the night from Participant.

 

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