Month: October 2019

Award-winning songwriter and singer RuthAnne has just shared her incredible debut album ‘Matters Of The Heart’ – via independent record label, The Other Songs and distributed through AWAL. She will play at Green Room at The Academy next week, Thursday 10^th October.

RuthAnne also gives us the mesmerising live session of new song ‘Take What I Can Get’. Filmed and recorded with a full band and strings at the renowned Church Studios (Paul Epworth) in North London – the session was musically directed by Troy Miller (Amy Winehouse, Laura Mvula, Adele, Rag’n’Bone Man, Jamie Cullum, Gregory Porter).

Along with ‘Take What I Can Get’, the album includes wildly successful singles ‘The Vow’, ‘Take My Place’, ‘Liquid’, ‘It Is What It Is’, ‘Love Again’, ‘Superman’ and ‘Unrequited’, plus seven more exceptional new tracks. ‘The Vow’ was played during ITV 2’s huge TV show Love Island 2019 Final – it was shazamed fifteen thousand times within the hour and reached #1 in the main Irish iTunes chart and #37 in the UK chart. On release, ‘Love Again’ featured in 13 ‘New Music Friday’ Spotify playlists globally including UK and US.

RuthAnne’s material has now amassed over fourteen million streams so far. RuthAnne has received accolades from media including The Independent, New York Times, Paper Magazine, The Times, Billboard, Official Charts, Wonderland, Complex, Idolator, DIY and CLASH.

From having a sheltered life, growing up in Ireland to moving to the dazzling city of Los Angeles in her early 20s to pursue a career in songwriting, RuthAnne experienced many major ups and downs. The album illustrates her evolution into a strong, independent woman in both her personal and professional life; finally stepping from being the writer behind the hits to an all-encompassing recording artist with an effortless, powerhouse vocal. RuthAnne explains: “I wrote a lot of my album ‘Matters Of The Heart’ after living in LA for five years and returning to home, Ireland & London. The album is in three sections and it follows the timeline exactly of when each of the songs were written. It’s the journey through my 20s… first is ‘HEARTBREAK’, to ‘HOPE’, then to ‘LOVE’. Becoming a woman, learning the lessons from bad toxic ‘feckboy Hollywood’ relationships I got into in LA. It’s a growing up album and anyone who knows me as a person, knows I deal with matters of the heart in every encounter.”

‘Matters Of The Heart’ takes you through RuthAnne’s story, chapter by chapter, with production by Fraser T Smith (Adele, Tom Grennan, Stormzy), Malay (Lorde, Frank Ocean, ZAYN), Future Cut (Little Mix, Shakira), Noah Breakfast (Ty Dolla $ign, Christine And The Queens)  and Sonny J Mason (Kimbra). It blends the classic, authentic songwriting that she was raised on with the pop sensibilities of the artists she’s worked with, to her favourite Nineties R&B artists.

She continues: “I’m a deep person who secretly wants to be a therapist and is fascinated with human nature in relationship. Why we treat each other the way we do; why we hurt the ones we love sometimes; why we stay with the wrong person; why we are afraid to let go; why are we never satisfied and why we find it so hard to love ourselves. Throughout my album you see a growth from brokenness to strength, from naivety to wisdom from complicated to clarity all through the nostalgia of classic soul, R&B, pop songs.” 

RuthAnne’s outstanding career spans back to being 17-years-old, penning music for huge pop artists, including JoJo’s ‘Too Little Too Late,’ for which RuthAnne achieved the ASCAP Songwriters ‘Best Pop Song’ award. From then she wrote a string of massive records from Britney Spears’ RIAA platinum-certified ‘Work Bitch’ to One Direction’s ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go’, Pentatonix’s ‘Misbehavin’ and Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexha’s ‘In The Name Of Love’. In 2017 she co-wrote 5 songs on Niall Horan’s debut solo album ‘Flicker,’ including US #1 hit ‘Slow Hands’ – which she received a BMI award for – and as a songwriter her songs have been streamed over 4 billion times. She has also co-wrote Niall’s latest single ‘Nice To Meet Ya’.

She previously won ‘Woman Of The Year’ at the Irish Tatler Awards and was VEVO’s ‘Artist Of The Month’ last year. She also performed for MTV PUSH live event in London and was a part of global clothing brand Barbour International’s summer session series this year, which was hosted by James McVey (The Vamps).

RuthAnne has also supported Alanis Morrissette, Niall Horan, Third Story, X Ambassadors, Hozier and Keywest on tour. This year she headlined Blue Balls Festival (Switzerland) and shows in London and Ireland as well as performed at Live At Leeds, Liverpool Sound City, The Great Escape in the UK. She’s also performed at Kaleidoscope Festival (Ireland), Home Festival (Italy), Sziget Festival (Hungary) and sold-out an intimate show at The Hotel Café (Los Angeles, USA). RuthAnne is also set to perform at Tenement Trial Festival in October.

CATCH RUTHANNE LIVE AT GREEN ROOM AT THE ACADEMY OCTOBER 10th – TICKETS ON SALE HERE

TWITTER | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM

https://thisisruthanne.com

By popular demand Andy Irvine and Paul Brady are, in March 2020, touring their very successful live show that celebrates their now classic and iconic album of folk song and traditional music which was released in 1977. They will tour Kilkenny, Mayo, Dublin and Belfast. 

In May 2017 they decided, due to the albums’ still immense popularity, to do an Irish tour of live shows marking the 40^th anniversary of the albums’ release. It was so successful that it was repeated in 2018 taking it to sold out events in Ireland, London and Prague.

The show features songs and tunes from the album and many other musical masterpieces that Andy and Paul have performed throughout both of their illustrious careers and, as on the previous tours, they will be accompanied by Dónal Lunny and Kevin Burke both of whom were players on the original album recording, Dónal also acted as producer on the original recording.

14th March: Kilkenny TradFest, The Hub, Kilkenny
16th March: Royal Theatre, Castlebar, Co. Mayo
18th March: Vicar St., Dublin
19th March: Waterfront Hall, Belfast

Tickets €46.50 / £38.00 inclusive of booking fee, on sale Friday at 9AM

Since releasing their album, ‘Songs Of The Hollow’, and following a hectic 2018, cua have successfully toured Ireland, England and Scotland. Through the combination of great shows and hard work, cua played two sold out shows at the prestigious Celtic Connections festival in January, a fitting launch to what promises to be a big a year for the group in 2019. 

John Davidson, Shane Booth & Ros O’Meara bring together dynamic and contrasting instrumentation and vocal arrangements. The group have an expansive acoustic soundtrack blending guitars, fiddle, bouzouki, percussion and 3 part harmony arrangements to create a world music folk styling that the group call Atlantean. Soaring melody lines, dirgy, intense a capella vocals and complex rhythmic structures will have the blood pumping through even the coldest of auditoriums. The cua live experience has been compared to the melodic intricacies of Planxty combined with the harmony skills of Crosby, Stills and Nash.

cua truly pride themselves on their diversity, with subtle nods to many genres, whilst keeping a folk, world, roots and traditional line throughout. All members are multi-instrumentalists and are inspired by many aspects of the musical spectrum including roots, blues, gospel, jazz fusion, traditional, bluegrass and more. Their approach to music is inspired by the history, landscape and peoples of the Atlantic areas. 

cua have been recognised on a European and national level following their first two successful studio releases and are receiving national and local radio airplay in Scotland, England, Ireland, America, France, Holland, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany and the US. The group have shared the bill with Andy Irvine, The Furey’s, Hazel O’Connor, Paddy Casey and The 4 Of Us to name but a few.

The group have new albums in the pipeline, the first, ‘In Flight Off The Islands’ is due for release on 11th October, followed by a 3 week tour of the UK on the Brookfield Knights roster beginning on 27th November. cua are going from strength to strength with stunning live shows to back up their critically acclaimed recordings.

www.cuamusic.com

‘Bookies Pens & Loose Ends’ is the debut EP from Dublin rapper FYNCH, co-founder of eclectic record label, Burner Records. The project is set for release on Friday, October 11th.

The five-track EP deals with issues such as self-confidence, self-doubt, and post-academic angst in an ever-changing Ireland. Four of the EP’s tracks were produced by FYNCH’s frequent collaborator, Seabass. The EP’s final song was produced by FYNCH’s label mate, Marcus Woods. Production on the project takes inspiration from a variety of places, not least trap drums and a certain lo-fi aesthetic which FYNCH’s previous works are known for. 

 Providing cutting social commentary laced with self-deprecation coupled with braggadocio induced by hip-hop necessity, FYNCH is a Dublin-born hip-hop artist whose star is steadily on the rise. Starting his musical journey in the summer of 2017, FYNCH’s music is based in hip-hop, with influence ranging from the likes of The Streets, Republic of Loose, Nas, Outkast and Massive Attack.

“FYNCH, a smart writer who cares equally about what he says as how he says it.” – The Thin Air

“We’ve said this before, but from the first time ‘burner.’ landed in our inbox it was clear FYNCH had all of the things we love about Irish hip hop.” – District Magazine

Twitter // Facebook // Instagram

Femmepop will play her first ever Dublin gig upstairs in Whelan’s on Wednesday 9^th of October. Femmepop has been meaning to play the city for a while and is very excited to finally be able to perform live there. She is currently promoting her latest EP entitled ‘London’, and so far has played Urban Spree Berlin, Night & Day Café Manchester, Rough Trade Records Nottingham and will play Lion Coffee Records, London in November.  The ‘London’ is a 3 track electronic instrumental soundscape, inspired by the city of London and marks her most experimental release to date.

“The ‘London’ EP is a vast departure from the bulk of my previous work. Is it an EP of melodies, sounds and beats that I needed to get out of my system. I wanted to create a body of work without using my main instrument, my voice. I realise this is taking a gamble with my listeners but artistically I must do what feels right at the time. I wanted to experiment and branch out, as I feel I can do so much more than sticking to the one sound or genre. That is why, since I released my first song, my sound has always changed.’’

Whelan’s Upstairs
Wednesday 9th October, 8pm

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2253816528268973/

Visit Femmepop Here: 
www.femmepop.com
www.soundcloud.com/femmepop
www.femmepop.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/Femmepop
www.instagram.com/femmepop

Earlier this spring Emmett, Mark, Podge and Ross of Brave Giant teamed up with one of Ireland’s most respected musicians and producers Gavin Glass of Orphan Recording, to record this debut long play which sees a slight change in direction for the band. A sound Gavin (producer) affectionately refers to as… “it’s like David Guetta meets The War On Drugs”. 

Podge (lead singer) with Brave Giant says, “We can’t wait for you to hear our first album, and get your feedback.”

Emmett (percussion) continues, “We’ve explored new sounds and have drawn on influences from even more musical genres. Heavy synths, spacey guitars, driving drums and a mandolin like you’ve never heard before. 
The core elements which make Brave Giant what it is are still there, we’ve just added some magic, we hope!”

Peter Ashmore joined Gavin Glass on recording duties at Orphan Recording and Hellfire Studios in the picturesque Dublin mountains. Gavin also plays on part of the record. Additional production is by Brave Giant’s own Emmett Collum and the record is mastered by Stephen Ceresia at Stonyfield Mastering.

Emmett Collum (percussion), Mark Prunty (bass, guitar/vocals), Podge Gill (guitar/vocals), Ross McNerney (banjo/mandolin/keys), are Brave Giant. A band rooted in an inherited love for trad & folk, moulded, morphed and inspired by indie & alternative influences. Based in Longford the band released its first commercial track in April 2016, the still hugely popular ‘Lordy Lordy’.

In just three years, Brave Giant has gone from selling out two nights Upstairs at Whelan’s Live, Dublin to the band’s biggest headline show to date at The Olympia Theatre, Dublin on Saturday November 9^th, also going to sell out. Get your tickets fast, there are only a few remaining. 

The band has also seen it’s Spotify streams grow to over 2.5 million during the last year, and online video views in the same region. 

The first single ‘Decorate Your Mind’, described by Hot Press as “a powerhouse of a track, as anthemic and propulsive as it is dark and atmospheric.” stormed into the Top 3 on release in July. 

Of the current single, ‘Wizards And Witches’, Hot Press said, “An inspiring, cascading indie-rock song,” 

Brave Giant is delighted to be having the official album launch show on home ground. The Backstage Theatre, Longford town, on Sunday October 6^th. Tickets for this show sold out in less than a day last month.

If in Dublin this weekend you can catch the band at Tower Records on Dawson Street, Dublin 2 at 1pm on Saturday, October 5^th 

The band will also be at Dennistons, Longford at 5pm also on October 5^th

Some tunes may be sung, chats will be hand and both vinyl and CD copies of ‘White Pink + Blue’ will definitely be signed at both instore appearances!

The band’s headline ‘White Pink + Blue’ tour starts next Friday, October 11^th in Limerick. Tickets from venue sites and also *tickets.ie

Backstage Theatre, Longford – Sunday October 6^th –Sold Out 
Dolans, Limerick – Friday October 11^th* – Very limited tickets remain 
Roisin Dubh, Galway – Saturday October 12^th * 
Cyprus Avenue, Cork – Thursday October 17^th 
Acoustic Room INEC, Killarney – Friday October 18^th 
Festival Club @ Andersons Live, Sligo Live Festival – Saturday October 19^th 
Voodoo, Belfast – Saturday October 26^th ** 
The Stables (Smiddy’s), Mullingar – Sunday October 27^th * 
The Hub, Kilkenny – Friday November 1^st (with The Coronas) – Sold out 
The Hub, Kilkenny – Sunday November 3^rd (with The Coronas)– Sold Out 
Olympia Theatre, Dublin – Saturday November 9^th (very limited tickets remain from ticketmaster.ie) 

F. https://www.facebook.com/BraveGiantOfficial 
T. @BraveGiantBand 
Insta. Bravegiantofficial 
W. https://www.bravegiantofficial.ie 
YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=brave+giant
Spotify.https://open.spotify.com/artist/2J3Qnw4T7Pv6yYhpibR0Lh (artist) 

‘Empty Pockets’ is the first single to come from John Blek’s forthcoming album ‘The Embers’ (Due for release 7th February 2020).

The song reflects on the life of a homeless man who used to visit Blek when he worked in a guitar store in Cork City. A real character around the streets of Cork who would busk to make ends meet. His hobo catch phrase “I am following the sky,” inspired the song and the story of the simple pleasures depicted in ‘Empty Pockets’.

‘The Embers’, due for release on 7th February 2020, is the fifth solo long player from Cork’s John Blek. This time it was recorded in its entirety at Wavefield Recordings, Clonakilty with Brian Casey Producing/Engineering and musical contributions from Mick Flannery, Matthew Berrill (Ensemble Eriu) and Davie Ryan (Notify, Atlantic Arc Orchestra).

John Blek is much loved for his enthralling live show full of humour, pathos and his impassioned musical delivery. A master storyteller and a stunning fingerstyle guitar player. A must see act and a true artist.

‘The Embers’ will see widespread release in Europe and the UK via K&F Records and Hometown Caravan and in Ireland via John’s own imprint We Are Rats Recordings (WARR). Available on digital, CD and gatefold 180gram Vinyl.

Gigs:

17th Oct – Kenny’s, Lahinch
18th Oct – The Cobblestone, Dublin
19th Oct – Cleere’s Theatre, Kilkenny
20th Oct – DeBarra’s Folk Club, Clonakilty
7th Dec – Levis’ Corner House, Ballydehob

Website – https://johnblek.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/johnbleksolo/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/johnbleksolo
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/johnbleksolo/

Following the release of the acclaimed comeback single ‘Don’t Talk About It’, one of Ireland’s most promising talents Sorcha Richardson today returns with the new stunning new song ‘Honey’, the latest track to come from her debut LP, ‘First Prize Bravery’, due for release on 8th November 2019 via Faction Records.

Showing another side to her masterful talent, today’s track is a more meditative slow-burner than the razor sharp catchiness of ‘Don’t Talk About It’, as it exudes passion and a tender beauty, with her narrative songwriting continuing to connect with people who have shared similar tangled emotions. The resulting ‘Honey’ is staggering, creating a beautiful statement that lasts far longer in the memory than its short runtime.

‘Honey’ serves as the opening track to Sorcha’s debut album, a body of work long in the making – a collection of lyrical snapshots of life as a twentysomething, accompanied by the desires, doubts and developments that the decade delivers. 

Of the track, Sorcha says: “I wrote ‘Honey’ one night in the middle of winter, sitting at the upright piano in the house that I grew up in in Dublin.  It was one of the the first songs that I wrote after deciding that I was going to make an album, and it helped me figure out a lot about what the album would be. With this song in particular, it feels like the less I say about it, the better. But I guess it’s just my attempt to articulate how it feels when somebody new comes into your life, very unexpectedly, flips your world on its head. And you’re just scrambling in the wreckage of whatever that is, trying make sense of it all.”

Ahead of the album’s release, Sorcha will return to the UK, to support Honeyblood before making an appearance at Camden’s Mirrors Festival. To celebrate the debut LP, she’ll then return to Ireland for a handful of headline dates.

Please see below for all upcoming shows and further information about ‘First Prize Bravery’.

Upcoming tour dates: 

24th Oct | Glasgow, UK @ Queen Margaret Union*
25th Oct | Birmingham, UK @ The Castle & Falcon*
28th Oct | Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms*
31st Oct: London, UK @ The Garage*
2nd Nov: London, UK @ Mirrors Festival
20th Nov: Dublin, IE @ Whelan’s
21st Nov: Cork, IE @ Winthrop Avenue
22nd Nov: Galway, IE @ Róisín Dubh

* w/ Honeyblood

Tracklist:

1. Honey
2. Don’t Talk About It
3. Oh Oscillator
4. Driveway
5. Red Lion
6. First Prize Bravery
7. High In The Garden
8. False Alarm
9. Twisting The Knife
10. Honey Heavy