Following years of writing, recording and time on the road. Lisa McHugh decided to take some time out, reflect on what her next move is and spend some over-due time in the studio.
During this time out from the public eye,
people became very curious as to why she wasn’t so available. As time passed,
rumours started to be thrown about and became more and more scandalous! People
reached out asking if any of these elaborate rumours were true, and at this
point all Lisa could do was laugh and put pen to paper.
‘The Scandal’ addresses the many rumours that
were swirling around.
Having spent some time in Nashville and
inspired by the rich musical culture there, Lisa discovered the sound she
wanted to develop in her forthcoming new music. This time away from the public
eye she spent re-crafting and nurturing her new sound.
Lisa co-wrote the single with collaborators Katrina Burgoyne and Jake Anderson and the track was produced by Philip Magee.
Keep an eye out as ‘The Scandal’ unfolds and for all Lisa news follow her social media accounts.
CATCH LISA PERFORM ‘THE SCANDAL’ ON TONIGHT’S LATE LATE SHOW
ELKIN have 20/20 vision and they’re starting this year with a banger with the release of ‘Win Win’.
“We’ve both had our fair share of break-ups, be it romantic relationships or break down of a friendship. They never seem to get easier, and sometimes you have to convince yourself that breaking up is the best for both of you, even though you know you’re putting yourself first. The lyrics of ‘Win Win’ are super vulnerable – we wanted to mix that honesty with the fierceness we’ve achieved in our other songs.“
Ellen and Carla were writing and singing together from the age of 15 before taking their music to a new level as ELKIN. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Joni Mitchell, the duo began writing and performing folk-pop, backed by a 3 piece band of bass, electric guitar and live drums. It wasn’t until the duo began working with producer lullahush (AE Mak) that they blended their love of thought-provoking folk lyrics with fierce alt-pop production.
2019 was a busy year for the self-managed duo, with ELKIN releasing 3 singles ‘(Green Eyes’, ‘Cut My Tongue’ and ‘DIY’) and 1 collaboration (with producer 1000 Beasts), as well as playing at showcases such as Whelan’s Ones to Watch (January), Music Cork (May) and Ireland Music Week (October). On top of this, ELKIN also began their monthly podcast ‘I Can’t Believe They’re Not Sisters’ in November 2019.
2020 will see O’Mahony and Ryan continue this momentum with an EP showcasing their new-found self assured style, set for release in September. This will be preceded by a string of singles from February – May.
Acclaimed Irish singer and actress Lisa Lambe releases ‘Hunter’s Moon’ on 21st February, the second single from her forthcoming album ‘Juniper’. ‘Hunter’s Moon’ is inspired by nature at night, written on the night of a full hunter’s moon, in the countryside and far away from the glare of city lights. Lisa explains, “The Hunter’s Moon becomes the compass, lights our way, shines on all we feel, a tribute to the pagan goddess who reminds us, love lights the path to home.”
Described by the Irish Times as the finest singer and actor of her generation, Lisa is now poised to attract a global audience with her forthcoming album, ‘Juniper’.
She embarked on her latest album, ‘Juniper’ with Karl Odlum (The Frames) as producer in 2019 and it is her most ambitious project yet. This, her second solo album was written in the west of Ireland and recorded at the remote Attica Studios in County Donegal. Lisa describes the eleven-songs as “a love letter to nature”. Her songwriting, although inspired by the Irish landscape and surroundings is also thoroughly universal, modern and international.
It’s no surprise that Lisa’s new songs conjure moods and visions: She graduated Trinity College Dublin with distinction as an actor, working with Ireland’s National Theatre and starring in many smash hit plays, including most recently “Jimmy’s Hall.” She is a frequent guest on national radio and television in Ireland and has appeared at world renowned venues including Radio City Music Hall in New York City, Nokia Live in Los Angeles, Red Rocks in Colorado, as lead singer with Celtic Woman. As a solo artist, Lisa has performed globally including Celtic Connections Scotland, Glastonbury UK as well as The Irish Arts Centres in London, Paris and New York.
Hot Press called Lisa’s voice “sumptuous;” RTE described her as a “national treasure,” and the Irish Times labelled Lisa’s first album ‘Hiding Away’ recorded in Nashville in 2015 as “pure gold.”
Lisa is touring in support of her album with confirmed dates as follows:
March 17th with Horslips, Olympia Theatre March 29th Mountains to Sea with Paul Muldoon, Pavilion Theatre April 3rdJuniper album Launch in Sugar Club, Dublin May 16th Amharchlann Ghaoth Dobhair, Donegal May 22nd St John’s Church Listowel, Kerry June 4th Glastonbury Festival, The Chalice Well June 6th Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith, London June 12th Áras Éanna, Inis Oírr, Aran Islands
‘Charlie’s Song’ marks the second release from Perlee and will feature on their upcoming EP ‘Slow Creature’. ‘Charlie’s Song’ offers a lush glimpse into the Perlee sound world. The bones of this song were recorded to tape at Analogue Catalogue studios by Julie McLarnon (Lankum/ Yorkston/Thorne/Khan) in Newry early last year. Then in the spring, Perlee made a trip to London, to Urchin Studios, to work with Matt Ingram (Laura Marling, The Staves) who has mixed the track and also features on drums.
Stereogum’s Ryan Leas had this to say of Perlee’s debut ‘Chain of Coral’, which was released last October: “The duo’s melody weaves in and out of focus initially, like tips of flames moving in unpredictable yet still natural arcs. The song becomes entrancing in the same ways as the images Leech evokes, drawing you in with one flare, one faded hook, before encouraging you to get lost in its currents. It’s a sighing, beautiful composition.” Read the full article here. (The duo recently changed the spelling of their name from Pearly to Perlee)
In 2017 Cormac O’Keeffe and Saramai Leech moved to Berlin from the remote Irish countryside of Co. Meath. The fruits of gigging frequently and embedding themselves into the Berlin music scene are evidenced in their honed and unique songwriting. “Though we moved to Berlin with a trove of songs, the bulk of the EP was written after we arrived in Germany. The Berlin scene has pushed us in ways we don’t even fully realise yet. There’s been a great freedom in living in such a big city. Mostly it’s the space and time to experiment and the fact that you can gig often to different audiences.” says Cormac.
‘Charlie’s Song’ will be released on Greenbay Records February 21st via the usual digital platforms. 12 inch Vinyl, CD and digital EP release to follow March 27th.
Live Dates February 25th – IRL Dublin, The Ruby Sessions February 28th – IRL Navan, Solstice Arts Centre February 29th – IRL Manorhamilton, The Glens Centre March 7th – DE Berlin, Bar Bobu April 3rd – IRL Waterford, St. Patrick’s Gateway Centre April 4th – IRL Cork, Live at St. Lukes April 5th – IRL Limerick, Dolans April 12th – DE Berlin, Urban Spree
Dublin based musician Clifford spent much of 2019 working on his latest album ‘Lines Of Desire’. The title and concept is inspired by desire lines, which appear in nature whereby one follows their own path and abandons paradigms and conventional routes. For Clifford, who doesn’t mince his words, “this is a concept that greatly appeals to me. I’ve been creating music in an array of genres for years and been involved in the industry game and circus for a long time. There’s a number of moochers and cannibals who are too consumed by the more contrived facets of the industry away from the music, which at this stage of my life I find simply nauseating. This album is about creating work that is true to me and appeals to me regardless of how it’s received or how much traction it gets. This aesthetic represents my desire to embrace the styles that have inspired me throughout my musical journey. This album is all about responding to impulse and trusting intuition’“
‘Open Fire’, which is an intimate and brutally honest song engineered and mixed by Ian Flynn, is the first track to be released off the songsters forthcoming LP. According to Clifford, “with great sadness comes the great potential for creation. People are complex, love even more so. Tragedy is ubiquities so having music as an outlet to express myself and understand the world I occupy is imperative when attempting to pull myself out of the darkness.”
The video was filmed by Greg’s father Dave in Sun Studio (Temple Bar, Dublin). Greg and Dave go by the name Clifford Clifford Productions and create videos regularly for musicians and spoken word artists, as well as having a number of corporate clients. Their biggest project to date was the Back to Basics Tour Documentary (released Nov 2018) that tells the story of Greg, Barry Jay Hughes and Ian N Brennan embarking on a self funded and booked DIY tour of Ireland. During the tour the musicians took on 17 shows in 21 days. The documentary is an authentic insight into being an unsigned and independent artist in Ireland battling against the stress and strain of the unsustainable music industry. The documentary is available to stream on YouTube.
1000 Beasts is an electronic producer & musician from Cork City who focuses on collaboration and creativity in all his works. Starting off producing electronic pop songs in 2017 and achieving great critical success, with frequent spins from stations such as Today FM, 2FM, CoolFM (NI) and even BBC Radio 1, including a live RTE Studio 8 session with Jenny Greene at 2FM.
2018/2019 saw 1000 Beasts achieve heavy Spotify playlisting with releases making New Music Friday, Pop Revolution and Fresh Finds: Hiptronix as well as featuring on hit TV shows such as Made In Chelsea.
1000 Beasts decided to retreat into the studio halfway through 2019 to formulate exactly what his sound should be & develop a live show.
He emerges with a debut double EP, due for split release in 2020, and drawing influences from artists such as Mr Jukes, Tom Misch, Flume & Kaytranada and a hi-tech live show that combines live looping, triggering and sampling with live vocals unlike anything in Ireland at present.
The first single to be released from the double EP, ‘Is This Love, was released on Valentine’s Day and proves that this songwriter, producer and collaborator is just hitting his stride.
The first release from 1000 Beasts anticipated double EP, ‘Is This Love’ lays down a marker on what to expect from this young Irish producer in 2020. ‘Is This Love?’ boasts a soulful bed of house/jazz chords which are contrasted with a swinging groove all interwoven with manipulated vocal samples in both Portuguese & English. For fans of Kaytranada, Tom Misch & Mr Jukes.
LIVE
We-Bloom : 1000 Beasts,
Erica Coady, Leila Jane, Lost Lane Dublin, 02/03/20
Following on from BARQ being one of 13 Irish acts in RTE2FM’s 100 most played acts of 2016, TodayFM’s PLAYIRISH Artist of The Week, as well as encouraging radio play on Newstalk, 8Radio, FM104, 98FM, Spin 103.8, Radio Nova, and many more – 2020 has gotten off to a bright start with BARQ’s previous single ‘I’m Blaming You’ featuring on Audi’s current television and radio ad campaign.
For their upcoming single ‘Not Touching (Can’t Get Mad)’, released 5th March, the combination of BARQ’s unique musical style with the skills of Diffusion Lab producer Marcin Ciszczon (Jafaris, Soulé, Mango x Mathman) has created a mesmerising sound that brings to the fore the influence of artists like Anderson .Paak, Thundercat, and The Internet. The perfect foundation for a song about desire, sex, and the need to move from the fantastical into a place of real love.
Expect more music and more BARQ in your life over the coming months.
Leo Dynamic1 is an award winning Songwriter and Producer from Dublin Ireland. He is also known as ‘The Punching Producer’ as he is a 2 times National Boxing Champion. Leo Dynamic1 fought in Ireland, U.K & USA, also he shared the boxing ring with 3 World Champions.
2019 was a very successful year. February 2019 ‘Let Me Love You’ went straight to Number 1 on The Dutch Dance Top 40 Chart on Spotify and has currently over 242,000 streams. He performed the track onstage at the Pride Festival (August 2019) Amsterdam in Rembrandt Square and played to a crowd of over 10,000 people.
Leo has produced 2 tracks with DJ Shog and Sony Music Germany, ‘Sing Forever’ and ‘Like I Do’ which reached Top 10 on the German charts.
In July 2019 he released ‘Mango’ with currently over 200,000 streams. The track was added to over 30 playlists on Spotify while also receiving Radio play back home In Ireland.
August 2019 ‘Wildfire’ was released with Laura Leighe in Los Angeles. With currently over 150,000 streams across Spotify/YouTube/Soundcloud. ‘Wildfire’ was used in the premier video to promote the Hawaiian Imua Color Music Festival 2019 and also received radio play in Ireland.
In November 19 ‘Fly Again’ was released and immediately added to over 30 Playlists on Spotify, Ithit No. 9 on The Dutch Dance Top 40 Chart with over 184,000 streams.
Leo also writes music for TV and has had placements on MTV USA on shows such as Catfish. In July 2018 he signed a global distribution agreement with Kobalt/AWAL Music group.
Leo Dynamic1’s plans for 2020 proves he is certainly ‘Dynamic’. He has plans to collab with Hip Hop Artists and an International Award Winning Soprano.
Irish alt-folk collective FIELDS have announced the release of their debut album ‘The Silence Of Staying In’ – a 12-track offering which will be released via Owl Boy Records on April 17th.
The band’s next single, titled ‘Death And The Early House,’ comes out on Friday, February 28th.
The
album is the culmination of three years of sessions, in which the band roamed
between the remote environs of Loughrea, Galway and Glencolumbkille, Co.
Donegal and the Dublin Mountains, home to Hellfire Studio, where most of the
final record was recorded and produced.
FIELDS will be embarking on an Irish tour this April, to mark the release of the record which can be pre-ordered now via Owl Boy Records.
“Death And The Early House’ is a reflection on this country’s intrinsic relationship with pub culture, particularly in the heartland areas and rural parts of the country. It interrogates spiritual notions and the influence of faith alongside the role of ‘the cure.’ The song itself was directly inspired by a visit to an ‘early house’ – a pub which opens its doors at 7.00 am – and the array of characters who were there, injecting life and colour to the place.“
FIELDS play the Co Club at Crean’s Bar, in Oldcastle, Co. Meath on Friday, February 28th. April tour dates to be announced.
FIELDS – The Silence Of Staying In (Out April 17th)
1 Post 2 St. Andrew’s Parish 3 Death and the Early House 4 Get Worse 5 Northern Flower 6 Berlin 7 To Rule 8 To Reconcile 9 Lincoln 10 Border Boys 11 Novelty 12 Shame
Fresh from winning “Best Festival Tech Team” at the 2020 IMRO Awards – Sea Sessions Surf & Music Festival have just announced the day breakdown for their heavy hitting headliners with Versatile on Friday 19 June, Gavin James on Saturday 20 June and Sigrid on Sunday 21 June 2020.
Just added to the stellar line up for Sea Sessions Surf & Music Festival are a host of acts including Hannah Wants, Ejeca, Elvana, The Sugarhill Gang & Furious 5 Ft. Grandmaster Melle Mel & Scorpio, Regard, The 2 Johnnies, Biig Piig, Fabio and Grooverider, Jerry Fish, Somebody’s Child, Mango X Mathman, Malaki, Aaron Smith, Aimee, Hak Baker, Vulpynes, Alex Gough, True Tides, Saarloos, Lavengro, Zen Arcade, Pontious Pilate & The Naildrivers, Isaac Butler, Yasmin Gardezi, Bobbi Arlo, Uppbeat, Colin Perkins, Lucid, Initial DJs, Bedlam DJs and Madison Front. The new acts join headliners Versatile, Gavin James and Sigrid alongside Eats Everything, Inhaler, KNEECAP, Ziggy Alberts, Lyra, Thumper, Joel Corry, Mark Blair, The Revenge and Koko with many more to be announced.
Versatile are now firmly established as Irelands number 1 Rap Act. They’ve sold out the 13,000 Capacity 3 Arena and they’re touring the UK with the likes of Snoop Dogg. Their dynamic high energy live shows are unmissable. Needing little introduction, festival favourite Gavin James is set to return to Bundoran this summer after a busy worldwide touring schedule. Gavin is currently one of the biggest acts in the country and his sets have always gone down a storm at the festival. Last but certainly not least, the trio of headliners is completed with Norwegian superstar Sigrid. Known for her incredible live performances filled with hits such as ‘Strangers’ and ‘Don’t Feel Like Crying’, her performance is sure to be one of the highlights of the weekend.
Festival Director Ray O’Donoghue says “We’re thrilled to
announce so many more amazing acts and some really great up and coming acts
too. There are so many good Irish acts that even picking the ones we’ve booked
was a difficult task.The future is very bright indeed!”
From humble beginnings in 2008, Sea Sessions Surf & Music Festival has grown into one of Ireland’s top music festivals and the only festival in Ireland to truly embrace the surfing lifestyle. The Festival has hosted some of the biggest artists in the world including Dizzee Rascal, Paul Weller, Clean Bandit, Dermot Kennedy, Tinie Tempah and loads more. It’s also the only festival in the country to bring together Music, Surfing, Skateboarding, BMX, Graffiti and much much more.
“It might
just be the best festival in Ireland”RTE.IE
“Still
buzzing from that set at Sea Sessions. It felt so special.” Dermot
Kennedy
Day and Weekend tickets on sale now from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide and on www.ticketmaster.ie. Tickets are priced from €119.90 for 3 days and €149.90 to include 4 nights camping. There are also limited single day tickets available from €59.90. Check out www.seasessions.com for more details.
