An idiosyncratic, challenging and richly lyrical singer/ songwriter, Junior Brother is the pseudonym of 24 year-old Co. Kerry, Ireland native Ronan Kealy. Fusing elements of Irish and English folk with a deeply unique sensibility, Kealy has steadily built a dedicated fanbase in his current residence of Dublin town, broadening his listenership further with each release. This new song ‘The Back Of Her Hand’ will be out later this week. (Video to follow by Myles O’ Reilly)
Born outside Killarney, Co. Kerry, Kealy developed a strong love of music from an early age, writing his first song at 9 years old after having taught himself guitar on a banged-up nylon acoustic. A short spell studying English in University College Cork helped Kealy to foster his unique and striking poetic voice, taking his Junior Brother moniker from a character in Jacobean play “The Revenger’s Tragedy”, a work Kealy studied there.
“There’s people around who walk up and down streets in order to be with themelves for a while – some stay longer than others. The dumb loners tend to be content and fight no inner battle to enjoy their own company. When walking with another replaces the long walks with yourself, and another’s whole being trumps the company of yourself, your own company is rendered useless. So when the person leaves, their company takes your company from you, leaving sweet dung-all to walk the street with. This purgatory is called the back of her”.
LIVE
Dec 8th – Vicar Street (opening for The Proclaimers)
Dec 16th – Róisín Dubh (opening for David Keenan)
Dec 21st – The Sound House, Dublin
Irish singer LAOISE returns with the new music video for an acoustic version of her hit single, ‘Again’, out now. The track is co-written and co-produced by Richey McCourt and Seán Behan, and is taken from her upcoming second EP, set for release in early 2019. The acoustic video was shot and directed by Eamonn McManus.
Completely stripped back, this version is a return to how the song sounded when it was originally written and brings a whole new dimension to the feel of the track, presenting LAOISE’s talent as a songwriter at the forefront. With her highly-anticipated second EP set for release in 2019, LAOISE wanted to put this song out into the world as a thank you to fans.
The original version of the single was released in September and has received praise from a wealth of online tastemakers, including the Independent with comparisons to pop royalty, Robyn. The track has also seen a lot of love on Spotify, appearing on New Music Friday as well as prolific playlists such as New Pop Revolution, Chilled Pop Hits and The Pop List.
Speaking of the track, LAOISE says, “I had been struggling to write at the beginning of the year actually. I was finding it hard to take in everything that was happening around me. Women’s health and our rights were being debated here in Ireland at every corner you turned, and some things weren’t very nice to hear.
Becoming 21 and understanding what it means to be a woman amidst all of this chaos was overwhelming, and the way I dealt with it was writing this song. I sat down at the piano and I wrote the bones of the song in about 15 minutes back in March, it just came pouring out of me as if it had been suppressed for too long. It was quietly confident, and we all worked to pull that confidence to the forefront. Listening back now, I can hear that it’s not just about other people deciphering what I’m worth, that’s for me to decide.”
21-year old LAOISE (pronounced Lee-sha) writes dreamy, ambitious and frank pop songs about relationships and heartbreak, often with darker, moodier, more introspective lyrics and juxtaposed with upbeat electro and synth production. ‘Again’ is a sign of exciting things to come from the Irish pop star; the track makes a statement, as does she. A world away from the usual Irish exports of singer-songwriters with guitars, LAOISE records, produces and releases her music completely independently. She totally commands her own brand of bold, glittering, gutsy electro-pop – paving the way for Irish-born pop music.
Originally from Galway in Ireland, LAOISE has spent the summer performing at a string of festivals, including opening the main stage at LIMF, as well as appearing at Longitude and Electric Picnic. Having tested out her new material over the summer, she has brought the energy from the crowds into studio to delve deep into who ‘LAOISE’ really is – Ireland’s newfound answer to pop.
Taking her cues from the silky production of acts like Tove Styrke, Troye Sivan and MO and incorporates elements of synth, indie and alternative. LAOISE’s music is deeply inspired by household names like Kate Bush and David Bowie, as well as the different musical personas of Taylor Swift.
Drawing from her combined influences, LAOISE thrives on being able to experiment with her music and the characters, concepts and emotions she’s able to portray with each release. She has created her own brand of glittering yet gritty electro-pop that she presents to us today.
Due to exceptional demand Jack Lukeman has just announced an intimate show at the Unitarian Church on 21 December 2018. The intimate show follows his sold out National Concert Hall performance last Sunday. Tickets for the extra date are on sale now from https://tinyurl.com/yckxp43r.
Jack Lukeman has been touring as special guest with The Proclaimers and Jools Holland on their UK tour dates since October 2018 but makes a highly anticipated return to Ireland this month with shows on Kildare, Dublin, Kilkenny, Wexford, Drogheda, Cork, Portlaoise, Dun Laoghaire, Donegal, Waterford, Newbridge, Carlow, Castlebar, Moate and Carrick On Shannon.
Jack Lukeman together with the National Children’s Choir and the Trinity String Orchestra came together for The Starman Project to release David Bowie’s iconic anthem ‘Starman’ last month. The single is available now digital platforms and was released to coincide with Science Week and the 50th anniversary of the Apollo missions.
A group of Irish students from Cork’s Educate Together overseen by CIT Blackrock Castle Observatory (BCO) have led the charge on The Starman Project that has seen young people from all over the country coming together to collaborate on a recording of David Bowie’s ‘Starman’ in conjunction with the Dublin Bowie Festival.
Speaking about the single BCO spokesperson Clair McSweeney said “The Apollo missions were an exercise in testing the limits of human ambition and cooperation that culminated in timeless events that unified and inspired a generation. The small step, before the giant leap. As the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission approaches in 2019, what better way to celebrate it than to undertake another ambitious project in that spirit of cooperation with students from across Ireland collaborating with Jack Lukeman and the National Children’s Choir on The Starman Project and the release of ‘Starman’ in aid of Lauralynn Children’s Hospice”.
The Starman video is inspired by the Earthrise image; the first image of planet Earth to capture the world’s imagination taken during the Apollo 8 mission on December 24, 1968 and by David Bowie’s love of Earth and Space, and appreciation of our duty of care to our only home. The video is set against a sweeping backdrop of Ireland’s Dark Sky sites, archeoastronomy sites and skyscapes such as Newgrange and the Boyne Valley where over 5,000 years ago Stone Age astronomers in Ireland built monuments to track the Sun.
‘Starman’, produced by Duncan Maitland, Ger Eaton and Jack Lukeman, was recorded at the Sound Training College by Jack Lukeman and is available for streaming/download across all digital platforms now.
JACK LUKEMAN – UPCOMING IRISH TOUR DATES
18 December – The Moat Theatre, Naas
21 December – Unitarian Church, Dublin
22 December – Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny
28 December – Wexford Church, Wexford Town
29 December – The Crescent Hall, Drogheda
31 December – Everyman Theatre, Cork
4 January – Dumamaise Theatre, Portlaoise
5 January – The Pavillion, Dun Laoghire
12 January – Balor Theatre, Donegal
19 January -Waterford Theatre Royal
25 January – Riverbank Arts Centre, Newbridge
26 January – Visual Theatre Carlow
31 January – Linen Hall CastleBar – Jack and Pat McCabe
1 February – Tuar Ard Arts Centre, Moate
2 February The Dock Carrick on Shannon – Jack and Pat McCabe
Tribal Dance have just released ‘And Then All That Was Left Was A Physician and A Silhouette’.
“Lyrically it’s about the moment you realise that you’re entering a cycle of depression and there’s nothing you can really do to stop it, sort of like a “oh here we go” kind of moment.” says singer Adam Smyth. “Not sleeping properly for a couple of months can make you think in a weird way which is why the lyrics are gloomy but kind of playful.”
There is an extremely limited run of 50 CDs (with a copy of the b side ‘Down And Something Down With Cowboys’, handwritten lyrics, official artwork by Nicole Byrne and a unique surprise in each) and t-shirts to accompany the release that is available through the Bad Soup Records website: https://badsouprecords.bandcamp.com/releases
The song was officially released on streaming platforms on Wednesday the 5th of December while the launch party for the single is in The Grand Social on the 7th of December; tickets are available for €8 through the Eventbrite link below.
Support on the night comes from jazz hip hop quintet Shy Mascot.
Squarehead are back after a mental-health break with new music. The new single ‘Always On’, which is taken from a forthcoming album due early 2019 on Strange Brew Records, sees the boys now men with crippling responsibilities and a feeling of bewilderment at the world around them. They’ve been largely quiet since 2013’s critically acclaimed ‘Respect’ LP. The new album was recorded by producer Leslie Keye at Arad Studios in Dublin and features sometime 4th member Ruadhan O’Meara of No Spill Blood/Magic Pockets on Keyboards/synth duties.
The video was directed by Daniel Martin.
Squarehead are – Roy Duffy / Ian McFarlane / Ruan Van Vilet
Multi-platinum international music sensation, Celtic Woman returns with the ultimate Christmas Gift: a collection of their very favourite Christmas songs.
The album features 20 holiday classics including the celebrated version of ‘Little Drummer Boy’. The album includes performances by many of the former Celtic Women, as well as the angelic voices of some of the current members.
Following its debut on PBS in 2005, the group has achieved massive success encompassing twelve chart-topping albums, eight DVDs and nine public television specials leading to sales of over ten million albums, with platinum success in nine countries. Each of its CDs – including 2016’s ‘Destiny’ which was also nominated for a Grammy – has debuted at #1 on Billboard’s World Albums chart. The group has been named Billboard Magazine’s #1 World Albums Artist six times.
As a touring powerhouse, the group has performed for over four million fans across 23 countries and six continents, with an especially devoted following in America. The show is renowned for its high-quality entertainment, exceptional musical performances and stunning visual productions, enthralling audiences of all ages.
Dublin musician Luke Clerkin is set to release a charity single in aid of Inner City Helping Homeless on the 14th of December. ‘Take Back The City’ was written during his experiences with the campaign of the same name earlier this year. Written to highlight the housing and homelessness crisis in Ireland at the moment, the main message and lyric of the song is ‘A hotel room is not a home’. Recorded with producer and friend Gavin Doyle at his studio in Templeogue, the pair wanted to bring the sound of a protest into the song. So Luke got the help of his classmates in Ballyfermot Rock School, and the college in house engineer Alan Kenny, and they made it happen. The track was then mastered by Aidan Foley of Masterlabs. ‘Take Back The City’ will be available online everywhere on December 14th with all proceeds going to Inner City Helping Homeless.
Inner City Helping Homeless was formed 5 years ago in response to the number of people sleeping rough around Dublin City Centre. 5 years later the ICHH office on Amiens St is operational 16 hours a day, 7 days a week offering advocacy and outreach supports to the 10,000 people impacted by homelessness in Ireland. ICHH has only 1 paid staff member in an admin role and 220 volunteers that keep the charity going week in and week out. ICHH outreach volunteers had 37,120 on street engagements in 2017 alone and are currently assisting up to 3 families a day that present to the office in need of support. As the crisis keep escalating the need for ICHH has increased and the charity has had to adapt to the increases in the number of homeless families and small children by creating a family friendly soft room in the office so children are comfortable when they come in for support. ICHH are not government funded and rely on the generosity of charity partnerships and fundraising events to raise the vital funds needed to keep the charity operational. ICHH is a registered charity and were recently awarded a European Citizen’s Prize from the European Parliament.
The Screen Composers Guild of Ireland has just announced a very special collaboration with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and IFTA award winning composer for screen Ray Harman on the recording of the soundtrack for a Christmas Special of the critically acclaimed TV series The Young Offenders.
The Screen Composers Guild of Ireland was established in July 2018 to promote and celebrate the work of Irish composers for film, TV, video games and advertising and to highlight the creation and performance of music which forms the soundtracks to our visual culture. Founding members of the guild include many of Ireland’s foremost composers for screen, providing original score for Irish and International productions. Music for film and TV forms an integral part of the storytelling process in visual content, guiding audiences through emotional narratives, time and eras, informing on geographic locations and helping to create humour, tension, fear, love and resolution.
Recording for the Christmas Special took place at Studio 1, Radio Centre, RTÉ, during November and December 2018 with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra conducted by Gavin Maloney. The original score is composed by Ray Harman who’s credits for Irish film and TV include RTÉ drama’s Taken Down, Love/Hate, and feature documentary The Farthest as well as Young Offenders Film and series.
Being able to record their compositions with one of our national orchestras the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, in the wonderful recording facility Studio 1, in RTÉ Radio Centre, is what most composers dream about, allowing the music to come alive and create a depth and resonance which goes far beyond the reach of the screen. The RTÉ CO’s own impressive film and TV credits include Stephen Rennicks’ score for the Oscar® and BAFTA-winning Room, Brian Byrne’s Golden Globe-nominated score to Albert Nobbs and his new theme to Nationwide.
The Young Offenders Christmas Special, filmed in Cork in October, is a Vico Films’ standalone special made for the BBC, in association with RTÉ. Peter Foott is the writer, director, and executive producer on the show and Martina Niland (Once, Sing Street) produced. The Christmas Special screens in December and follows on from hugely successful BBC series and smash hit feature film of the same name.
Creator of The Young Offenders Peter Foott commented, “We wanted something really memorable for the score in The Young Offenders Christmas Special. We’ve been so lucky to have Ray Harman on board to score the film and series in The Young Offenders, giving it his cinematic quality. But to have the RTÉ Concert Orchestra involved for this one off special, teaming up with Ray, is a dream come true. It will add so many extra layers and richness. The whole team is over the moon that the RTÉ Concert Orchestra was able to collaborate with us on this. We can’t wait for people to see and hear it, we’re very proud of this episode.”
‘Switzer’s Windows’ a beautiful, original Christmas song written by hit songwriter Brendan Graham and performed by Hollywood actor and singer Patrick Bergin will receive its debut performance this week at a special launch event in Brown Tomas, Dublin. This nostalgic song is inspired by Brendan Graham’s childhood memories of visiting Switzers to view the magical Christmas windows and is sure to become a future classic Christmas song. The single will be released on Friday, December 7th and will be on sale in all Brown Thomas stores and brownthomas.com for €5 with 100% of the proceeds going to Barnardos Children’s Charity, in Ireland.
Joining Patrick Bergin, the legendary John Sheahan from The Dubliners brings his own special magic to the song as does Paul Harrington on piano. Neil Martin from Belfast adds to the musical warmth with his wonderful cello playing, while The Kylemore School of Music Children’s Choir, directed by Lisa McGuinness, joyously add lots of Christmas cheer. All have generously donated their time, talent and royalties, to benefit the work done by Barnardos.
Speaking about the song, Brendan said “I dedicate this song to all the parents who throughout the years brought this magical piece of Christmas to countless thousands of children from all over the country and, in the process helped create wonder…at Switzer’s Windows, on Grafton Street”.
Mary Gamble Director of Fundraising at Barnardos added, “Barnardos is delighted to be the beneficiaries of the magical song Switzers Window. Over the years, the Christmas visit into town to gaze at the magical windows of Switzers was the highlight of the Barnardos Christmas calendar for many of the children we worked with. It’s a fitting nod to the past that this wonderful memory is now helping support the children and families of Barnardos today”.
“The heritage of the store and the memories we make for peoples Christmas experience is always paramount for Brown Thomas and we want to continue to capture people’s imagination and be a part of their Christmas experience. Brown Thomas is delighted to sponsor the production and distribution of the single” said John Redmond, Brown Thomas Creative Director.
The track will also be available in digital format on iTunes and Spotify with proceeds going to the charity.
‘Howling at the Moon’ is the first single from Rowlette, an indie-pop track inspired by those who go against the grain and stand up for themselves.
“I feel like in today’s world it can be so difficult to do what you want to and be yourself, so when I see someone doing their own thing I find it incredibly inspiring…this song was in thanks to all those people who aren’t afraid to live by their beliefs and influence others to do the same. I want my songs to be both vulnerable and empowering, and I think that HatM encapsulates that.”
Rowlette is the pseudonym for Sarah and her collaboraters. Sarah grew up in the countryside in the West of Ireland, just a few miles outside of a small town.
“There wasn’t much to do where I grew up…or many places to go! So I sang away in my room for years, writing songs but keeping them very much to myself…it took me a long time to share my music with anyone – probably because sharing your songs leaves you very exposed and vulnerable, which is a feeling we often try to avoid! Once I realised this, I tried to embrace it, so most of my songs are quite vulnerable now!”
It wasn’t until she began university in Dublin that she finally gained the courage to share them with a friend who happened to be studying music. Her friend was moved to tears, and Rowlette slowly began to share her songs with more friends and family. She then studied a Songwriting Diploma in BIMM Dublin, alongside her Business degree. Since then she has performed in New York, Greece and The Netherlands. She also performed at Electric Picnic in 2017 with her college a capella group “Trinity Belles”.
