Month: October 2018

Gavin James will celebrate his 2nd album release ‘Only Ticket Home’ visiting record stores performing songs from the album, meeting fans and signing copies of ‘Only Ticket Home’

Gavin will be appearing in the following shops;

Thursday October 25^th – Tower Records, Dawson Street at 9pm
Saturday October 27^th – Golden Discs, Dundrum at 1pm
Sunday October 28^th – Golden Discs, Newbridge at 2pm
Thursday November 1^st – Cleere’s with Rollercoaster Records, Kilkenny at 2pm

Gavin’s current single ‘Glow’ which is taken from ‘Only Ticket Home’ is the 2^nd most played track on Irish radio & follows up from previously release ‘Always’ (over 25 MILLION streams to date) and up-tempo hit ‘Hearts On Fire’ (13 million streams to date) – Both of which feature on ‘Only Ticket Home’

“’Glow’ was one of the first songs I recorded for the album and set the mood for every other song on the album after that sonically so as people listen to the album, there is a natural flow to the album.”

On the track ‘Glow’, Gavin says “’Glow’ is a song about modern day relationships.  It’s the feeling you get when you know you’re in love with someone and it scares you at the same time.  It’s pretty much about not giving up on something that could be amazing just out of fear and then ultimately regretting it if you let go.”

To accompany the release of ‘Glow’, Gavin released a music video shot in and around his hometown of Dublin, featuring iconic locations that kick-started Gavin’s career and featuring several cameo’s including his parents and famous musicians.

With over 800M streams across Gavin James catalogue to date, 2M singles sold, 50 multi-platinum records from Ireland all the way to Brazil and having performed to over 3 million people around the world so far, ‘Only Ticket Home’ looks set to emulate the success of Gavin’s debut album ‘Bitter Pill’ .

‘Only Ticket Home’ is available to pre-order now – http://www.gavinjamesmusic.com

Only Ticket Home (Album Track-listing)

1. Start Again
2. Glow
3. Always
4. Faces
5. Hearts On Fire
6. Cigarette Break
7. The Middle
8. Strangers
9. Easy
10. Tired
11. Only Ticket Home
12. Put You Back Together
13. Hard To Do
14. Last Year (Live)

See Gavin live in Ireland when he plays the following dates;

Friday December 28th – INEC Killarney

Saturday December 29th – Royal Theater Castlebar

Gavin has also announced the start of a major world tour for 2018 taking in the U.K., Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands and will call back in to one of his favourite Dublin venues, The Olympia Theatre with more countries/dates to be added along the way – the dates are;

Fri 25 Jan 2019        United Kingdom       Glasgow        Oran Mor
Sat 26 Jan 2019       United Kingdom       Birmingham   Institute 2
Sun 27 Jan 2019      United Kingdom       Manchester   Gorilla
Thu 31 Jan 2019      United Kingdom       London           Electric Ballroom
Tue 05 Feb 2019     Switzerland               Lausanne      Les Docks
Wed 06 Feb 2019    Switzerland               Bern                Bierhübeli
Fri 08 Feb 2019        Switzerland   Zürich             Dynamo
Sat 09 Feb 2019      Germany        Munich           Hansa 39
Sun 10 Feb 2019     Germany        Frankfurt        Zoom
Mon 11 Feb 2019     Germany        Hamburg        Knust
Wed 13 Feb 2019    Sweden          Gothenburg   Pustervik
Thu 14 Feb 2019     Norway          Oslo                Rockerfeller
Sat 16 Feb 2019      Sweden          Stockholm     Kagelbanan
Sun 17 Feb 2019     Denmark        Copenhagen Pumpehuset
Mon 18 Feb 2019     Germany        Berlin              Lido
Wed 20 Feb 2019    Germany        Koln                Luxor
Thu 21 Feb 2019     France            Paris               Elysee Montmartre
Sat 23 Feb 2019      Netherlands  Amsterdam    AFAS Live

The Lost Brothers, Oisin Leech from Navan and Mark McCausland from Omagh, have released a new video and single entitled ‘Come Tomorrow’ ahead of their upcoming Irish Theatre Tour this December. The song is taken from their 2018 album ‘Halfway Towards A Healing’ which has been nominated for Album Of The Year at the upcoming RTE Folk Awards and has received widespread critical acclaim since its release including making The Irish Times’ Best Albums Of 2018. The band will be playing at the awards in Vicar St next Thursday, 25th Oct.

The video is by Tyrone video maker James Coyle, who has combined tour footage filmed on the road with a montage of 1950s TV and B movies which keep the band entertained while they travel from gig to gig.

“This is the third video James has done for us” says Mark. “He is a busy cat. He could be in the depths of New Orleans making a documentary on moonshiners, or halfway across the Atlantic Ocean drinking brandy. It captures the song and frames it inside a battered TV from the 50s, like a lost mind frantically flicking through the static, stumbling in and out of consciousness, walking the thin line between dreams and reality. We are sure it means something. We just don’t know what. We love it” says Mark from The Lost Brothers.

The song was produced by Howe Gelb in Tucson is partly inspired by hearing Tim Rose’s self -titled 1967 album which was recommended by a pal Sheffield musician Richard Hawley.

“The song was probably the last addition to ‘Halfway Towards A Healing’” remembers Oisin. “The Tim Rose album was a massive influence and the lyrics were written while walking the countryside up around Omagh in the Gortin Glen in County Tyrone. We also had Johnny Cash’s mysterious 1963 Irish Tour in mind when writing the song. We had often been told about this tour and we hear that they recently found the tapes. James, who made the video, added some old 1950s TV footage to some tour footage we had filmed so as to make sure things don’t get too serious.”

The Lost Brothers will Tour Canada in February next and return to Australia in  April 2019.

The Lost Brothers December Irish Theatre tour dates are as follows…
Dec 13 An Grianan Theatre Letterkenny Co. Donegal.
Dec 14 Strule Arts Theatre, Omagh Co. Tyrone.
Dec 15 Backstage Theatre, Longford Co. Longford.
Dec 21 Live At St Luke’s Cork City Co. Cork
Dec 22 Town Hall Theatre Westport Co. Mayo
Dec 23 Solstice Arts Theatre Navan Co. Meath
Jan 23 2019 St. Michans Church Dublin.

All tickets available from www.thelostbrothersband.com

‘The Last Goodbye’ – a collection of Christie Hennessy’s beautifully crafted hits, re-recorded with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra is set for release on 2nd November.

This one-disc collection will feature 10 classic titles including the timeless version of ‘Messenger Boy’ sung in that unique delicate Kerry voice taken from his first ever LP. ‘Oh Jealous Heart’ and ‘Soho Square’ both get new treatment with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra creating that effortless and exhilarating accompaniment. The record also features some of his most beautifully penned songs including ‘Remember Me’ and not forgetting the country influenced ‘All The Lies That You Told Me’ (which had been a huge success as a single for Frances Black).

The album also includes two beautiful duets with daughter Hermione on ‘Every Time A Star Falls’ featured on “A Friend of Mine” and ‘If  You Were To Fall (And I Was To Fall In Love With You)’ taken from his multi-platinum selling album ‘A Year In The Life’.

Christie Hennessy has been at the forefront of Irish music and folk music, his career spanning over 30 years and now fans will get to hear his wonderful songs and marvellous lyrics as the colourful legend lives on. Family always mattered hugely to Christie and his children Hermione, Tim and Amber became an increasingly central part of the story. They were all singers and musicians and they loved the creative interplay with him. Hermione recalls of her father “he took people on an emotional journey – from every high of happiness, through great, side-splitting laughter, to every touching piece of sadness… but as always with a sense of possibility and renewal.”

The RTÉ Concert Orchestra were conducted on the album by Gavin Maloney who has worked with Ulster Orchestra, Crash Ensemble and National Chamber Choir. Gavin Moloney teamed up along-side Christie’s son Tim Hennessy orchestrator, producer and mix engineer for the album. Carrying on his father’s legacy and fulfilling his Dad’s dream to hear his songs performed by an orchestra. One of Christie’s very favourite albums was Harry Neilssen’s A Little Touch of Schmillson in the night…. and here it is realised…. but with his beautiful songs.

The Last Goodbye is released November 2^nd through Universal Music Ireland.

Tracklisting as follows:

1. Messenger Boy
2. Maybe
3. Oh Jealous Heart
4. Remember Me (And I Will Be With You)
5. The Actor
6. All The Lies That You Told Me
7. Soho Square
8. If You Were To Fall (And I Was To Fall In Love With You) with Hermione Hennessy
9. Every Time A Star Falls
10. Roll Back The Clouds (I Am A Star)

To finish off the year with an almighty bang, Dublin singer songwriter ELLYD is set to release her highly anticipated new single ‘Sorge’.

Following on from her successful single ‘Close’ during the summer, which received massive airplay on national radio, the alternative pop artist’s latest offering is sure to follow suit when it’s released on Monday, November 5.

The guitar driven stomper, which combines ambient vibes and catchy singalong lyrics, will be hitting the airwaves ahead of the singer’s intimate gig in The Vintage Room at Dublin’s Workman’s Club on Friday November 23.

As well as performing her new single on the night, she will also be playing a number of previous favourites including songs from her debut EP ‘Rise’ which reached number 8 in the iTunes charts.

The singer, whose voice has been compared to the sultry haunting vocals of Gemma Hayes & Skye Edwards, first honed her talent by touring across Europe while also becoming a regular on the Irish music circuit playing festivals and top venues including Electric Picnic, Indiependence, The Button Factory, Whelan’s and The Workman’s Club.

-Today FM presenter Ed Smith: “Absolutely love her voice. She has a big future ahead of her, absolutely no doubt.”

Spies release the new video for their current single ‘Broadstone’, directed by Sam Edwards. The band will play the Button Factory in Dublin on December 14th to celebrate the release of their long awaited debut LP, ‘Constancy’. ‘Constancy’ will be released in full on November 23rd through Dublin independent label Trout Records. The band have begun taking pre-orders for the record which will be pressed on limited edition 180gm heavyweight vinyl.

In 2016, Spies followed the release of their acclaimed ‘Sea Creature EP’ with an extensive tour including several dates with Wolf Alice. After a two year absence from social media and live performances, the band unexpectedly returned with singles ‘Young Dad’, ‘Uriah’ and ‘Ho  Chi Minh’ earlier this year. Their new electronic sound received praise from both from UK and Irish press (DIY, Line of Best Fit, Nialler9, The Thin Air, etc.). The summer of 2018 saw them play sold out shows in Dublin and London while also making an appearance at Electric Picnic.

New single ‘Broadstone’ shows a side to Spies unlike anything they’ve produced before. Like many of the songs on ‘Constancy’, ‘Broadstone’ began life in Inch, Co. Kerry during a writing trip. Returning to Dublin, the song came into its own as the band began experimenting with new sounds. With upbeat guitar riffs and Brazilian percussion, Spies combined their synth-rock sound with samba rhythms, paying homage in equal parts to Quincy Jones and James Murphy.

Singer Michael Broderick penned the song as a love letter to the area of Dublin City he’s been living in over the last few years – “’Broadstone’ is one of the 3 neighbourhoods that make up present day Phibsboro. It’s where I was living during the writing of ‘Constancy’,  it’s really the setting of the album for me. I was living with Morgan from Saint Sister and her boyfriend Rory who’s a documentary maker, so our flat was a hotbed of creativity. I wanted to capture a snapshot of that time in a song.”

Gig Tix: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/spies-at-the-button-factory-constancy-album-launch-tickets-50442335383

Album Pre-Order: https://www.musicglue.com/spies/shop

Constancy Tracklisting:

Ho Chi Minh
Young Dad
Uriah
Broadstone
Airport Inquests
Strange Fast
Watchman
Constancy
Red Oak
Love is a Dream

Stolen City have shared their excitement, following securing one of their biggest headline shows to date.

The Dublin-based band took their social media to announce the gig, which will take place in the Academy, on the 1st of December this year.

This announcement comes following a jam-packed year for the young trio.

The band made their first international appearance at German festival, Rock an der Eider, in August.

The summer also saw them take to the Play The Picnic stage at Electric Picnic, with the support of 2FM and IMRO.

The band have played a host of other events across the country this year, in a bid to secure their reputation as one of the top up-and-coming bands.

Speaking of the announcement, lead singer Seán McGrath said: “We’ve had an absolutely mental year, with great performances – I think it’s fitting that we will be ending the year on a high note in our hometown. The Academy is such an incredible venue and we’re beyond excited for another headline show.”

Tickets will go on sale October 19th.

On  Friday October 26th rising Galway singer Ultan Conlon will play the 3 Arena in Dublin as special guest of  former Creedance Clearwater Revival singer John Fogerty at his Blues Fest concert with Steve Miller band.

2018 has been hugely successful for Ultan Conlon who has toured Ireland and the UK with Eddi Reader and The Stunning, sold out a headline show at Whelan’s in Dublin in April to launch his new album in April and   played his most high-profile show to date at the Trinity College Summer Series as special guest of Bryan Ferry.

Ultan Conlon’s third studio album ‘Last Days of The Night Owl’, which was mixed by Grammy award winning producer Collin Dupuis in Nashville TN, was chosen Album of the Week by RTE Radio 1 with the lead single ‘The Measure’ sitting at No.1 on the Radio One airplay chart for four weeks in April / May. Ultan Conlon has just released a second single from the album, a brilliant duet with Mary Coughlan of his song ‘A Weak Heart Like Mine’.

Ultan Conlon has a special ability at capturing the human spirit through his lyrics, which have been honed over  almost two decades of writing and performing. The quality of his songwriting is equally matched by his powerful yet fragile voice that critics have likened to the great Roy Orbison.

Ultan Conlon toured the west coast of US last year and as guest of the Watkins Family Hour performed with  Jackson Browne, Shelby Lynne and Benmont Tench of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers fame at the famous  Largo club in Los Angeles. Ultan  Conlon has also performed with Glen Hansard and John Martyn who has recorded one of Ultan’s earlier songs ‘Really Gone’.

Participant is Stephen Tiernan, a songwriter and producer from Dublin, Ireland. Having experimented with ambient textures, sampling and live instrumentation across 2 EP’s and several singles, Tiernan now finds himself stripping back the layers and demonstrating a more nuanced and immediate approach to his songwriting.

‘Coast’, (Released Oct 10) is the first single taken from his new EP, ‘Modern Retelling’, due for release in 2019. ‘Coast’, is a folk-inspired rumination on mortality, doubt and nervousness. Recorded in his home studio in Dublin, ‘Coast’ features Tiernan’s intimate vocal and pulsing fingerpicked acoustic guitar, eventually making way for swelling strings by Éna Brennan – aka Dowry.

Fittingly, Participant and Dowry embark on a Double Headline Irish Tour this November with UK and European Shows in the works for early 2019.

Nov 15 – BelloBar – Dublin
Nov 16 – Brewery Corner – Kilkenny
Nov 22 – The Record Room – Limerick
Nov 23 – The Roundy – Cork

Speaking about writing ‘Coast’ Tiernan had this to say –

‘When I was writing Coast I was attempting to rationalise feelings of fear and doubt and capture the inner voice during these moments. Those few long seconds before you realise everything is actually ok, you can relax.’

Facebook / Twitter / Bandcamp / Soundcloud / Instagram / Spotify /

Youth Work Ireland’s Irish Youth Music Awards (IYMAs) is very excited to celebrate the release of IYMAs volume 11 which you can listen to or purchase here with tracks featured on this album from Youth Work Ireland Galway’s representing team, as they are the recipient region of the IYMAs programme for a third year in a row, along with Róise McHugh from Youth Action Northern Ireland Belfast who was selected as the IYMAs Lil Red songwriter award recipient.

This year IYMAs featured a special track dedicated to Sean Hughes (aka Lil Red) who was involved in the IYMAs for the last few years through his IYMAs hub in Finglas Youth Resource Centre and who passed away early this year. This track was recorded by his friends Newkind and features Beyond the Beat FYRC and is called ‘Friday Morning.’

This album was produced in Herbert Place Studios giving the young musicians the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Muse, Kodaline and Hozier who finished a recording session there just before IYMAs Volume 11 was recorded. The album was mastered in Wav mastering who have worked with David Bowie, The Foo Fighters and Damien Rice.

Last year’s album stormed the charts entering at number three! To mark the album launch, an all ages concert in the Róisín Dubh in Galway with seven acts performing  was held on Sunday October 14th.

Release date: October 12th, 2018

(Digitally Worldwide), CD available OMG Zhivago (Galway)

Track listing:

1. 60 Watt Girl – Will You
2. 60 Watt Girl – Coloured
3. Sorcha Carrick – Barbed – Wire – Benevolence
4. Aoibheann Flanagan Gill – Jealousy
5. WiNG – A Strong Dose of You
6. Jasmine F Murray – Thoughts (Featuring Sorcha Carrick)
7. Newkind – Friday Morning (Featuring Beyond The Beat FYRC)
8. Róise McHugh – Underlie