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Month: May 2020

The Wha Return With Stunning New Single

Irish rising indie stars The Wha have returned with stunning new single ‘Blue For You’.

‘Blue For You’ follows the acclaimed singles ’40 Odd Years’ and ‘Innocents’, two tracks which established the Kilkenny quartet’s confessional take on alternative foundations and drew support from the likes of BBC 6 Music, Radio X, DIY Magazine, Dork and more, placing them as one of indie’s brightest 2020 prospects. 

‘Blue For You’ takes their distinctive sound into exciting new territories, once again contrasting gorgeously jangling, meandering guitars against darker, emotive lyrics and vocals, whilst production from Stephen Street gives the track an instantly classic quality. The accompanying video directed by Cameron West draws inspiration from The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine and depicts the band in their hometown of Kilkenny. 

Speaking about ‘Blue For You’, vocalist Finn Cusack said: “I suppose ‘Blue For You’ is a bit of a shameless pop song. It has a feel good jingle-jangle vibe to it. Lyrically, it’s just a confused reflection. 

We really enjoyed making the video with Cameron West. We were inspired by The Beatles ‘Yellow Submarine’ but wanted to put our own twist on it. Initially it started off as just a lyric video and then we got a bit carried away and then we ended up as cartoons. Abe from the band is a great illustrator and some of his sketches of the band made it into the video amongst locations from our hometown of Kilkenny. Recording the track in London with Stephen Street was a boyhood dream come true. We’re big fans of his so it was a pleasure to work with him. We learnt a lot in a few days. We also enjoyed running around London like lost dogs for a week.” 

All aged just between 19-20 years old, The Wha are dual vocalists and guitarists Finn Cusack and Sam Cullen, joined by Marek Lech (bass) and Abe G. Harris (drums). Childhood friends Finn and Sam met in primary school, eventually forging a songwriting partnership aged just 15 years-old that would go on to form the nucleus of The Wha. 

Influenced by the evergreen greats – The Beatles, Brian Wilson, Bob Dylan – and contemporary auteurs like Julian Casablancas, Alex Turner and Father John Misty, as well as playwright Sarah Kane, satirist Flann O’Brien and novelist Jack Kerouac; The Wha find humour and understanding everywhere – piling it high alongside buoyant riffs, tempestuous rhythms, and Finn and Sam’s wry lyricism.

‘Blue For You’ is out now on Chess Club Records. 

KOBARA Releases Video For New Single ‘Your Heart is Your Home’

Kilkenny born producer KOBARA has just released the video for his latest single ‘Your Heart is Your Home’. The single is the first from his new EP, entitled ‘Five Lovely Poisons’ and is a rousing anthem for self-care and keeping the demons at bay. The EP is due to be released in June.

KOBARA (an acronym for Keith O Brien and Related Arts) has had a long history of music, the high-point of which include his many years as part of the Irish-language band Seo Linn. During the summers, KOBARA was hired by Colaiste Lurgan in Connemara to translate pop songs into Irish. It’s there that he and some  friends founded Seo Linn in 2012. Seo Linn has toured across the world and performed on a number of national television shows, including the Ray Darcy Show and The Late Late Show. 

Prior to Seo Linn, KOBARA had spent his formative years performing with trad group Comhaltas Éirinn , where he fell in love with traditional Irish music.. As well as playing with Comhaltas Éireann, KOBARA spent his years playing in punk-rock bands in  Kilkenny, until he got his first copy of  Pro Tools recording software, on which he began writing and producing his own material. 

Speaking ahead of the video’s release, KOBARA reveals the track’s true meaning, saying that “If you have demons in your heart your life is not going so well, but you should try treat your mind and your heart like you would a home, you keep the bad stuff out, it’s better to clear out the house, clear out heart, and move on.

The video itself carries with it a very DIY-indie aesthetic. The video was shot impressively with only a Samsung s9 and a steadicam, an ode to the practicalities of often underused technical advancements. “I was with my friends and we were talking about mobile phones and, after looking at the camera quality, we realised that mobile cameras are vastly under-appreciated as a film-making tool. We decided to shoot the video with the phone as a way of showcasing what’s possible with the most basic equipment and some imagination”. 

The theme of the EP, and the five tracks it is composed of, are an evaluation of KOBARA’s initial years as a professional musician. “Each track deals with something I struggled with during that time” KOBARA recalls “I refer to each track as a ‘Lovely Poison’ because when you’re in it, you relish it and it’s awesome, but those exact same things can be  having a very negative impact on your life.

With the new EP out in June, KOBARA is excited for what the future holds post-COVID-19. “I’m raring to go and get my work out there,” KOBARA laughs, with a glint in his eye. For now, he’s looking after his home just as he would his heart. 

‘Your Heart is Your Home’ is out now.

https://www.instagram.com/_kobara_/
https://www.facebook.com/KobaraOnTheBook
https://twitter.com/kobaramusic

Brian McGrane Releases New Single ‘Out of Control’

Having spent the last five years touring the world’s most iconic stages from the Sydney Opera House to Radio City New York, Dublin based musician Brian McGrane is set to return home to headline Whelan’s on Friday, November 6th.

With a wealth of international experience under his belt, the up and coming artist has written and produced tracks for some of the biggest names in the Irish industry, and performed with the likes of Gavin James, Celtic Woman, Phil Coulter and Sharon Corr. 

McGrane is now forging his own name in the music industry following the successful release of five tracks in 2019, including songs such as ‘Your Last Day’ and ‘Still With Me’. He has also supported award-winning artist Tom Walker for an intimate performance last September.

Speaking of his upcoming single, ‘Out of Control’, Brian reflects it is “a slightly different direction for me in comparison to any of my previous releases. The song was co-written with a great friend of mine named Liam Geddes, and as all of my songs to date have been lyrically very close and personal, we decided to take the attention away from me for just a moment. The song deals with an acquaintance that has been stuck in a rut and is spinning round and round in circles. When we finished writing this song I actually felt a sense of relief that for once I wasn’t putting my heart on the line and I was shedding light on somebody else.

The song was primarily produced by McGrane in the departure lounge of Orlando International Airport, but then went on to receive input from Robert Grace, a producer based in Kilkenny, and was later mixed by Billy Farell, a Malahide based producer and engineer.

His sound has been compared to the atmospheric melodic soundscapes of Coldplay mingled with the energetic, edgy synths of Jack Garratt. According to Brian, songwriting is used “to clear my head and put my thoughts on paper. In moments when things are not working out, writing is the only thing that really helps pull me out of a rut. I can do many other musical stunts, but songwriting is at the core of my creativity”. 

McGrane has orchestrated his live shows to incorporate multiple instruments including piano, guitar, synths and electronic percussion. He plans to embark on his first headline tour this year with a live show in Whelan’s on November 6th.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brianmcgranemusic/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianmcgranemusic/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/brianmcgmusic
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/brianmcg90
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7cG14PkDbsAQdbagq6duo6?si=TeXGPlOJQ82m0wGFvrS82A 
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/brianmcgranemusic

True Tides Announce Survive EP

3 brothers from Cork, True Tides have had a whirlwind 2019 having established themselves as a major buzz act in Ireland with their guitar driven synth pop brimming with hooks, soaring melodies and layers of intricate vocal harmonies.

With only 3 songs released to date, the brothers made their national television debut on the Late Late Show; had their first UK television synch with their track ‘The Answer’ appearing on E4’s ‘Made in Chelsea’; were playlisted on national + regional radio; hit almost half a million streams and featured on numerous Spotify playlists including New Music Friday; sold out a Cork City Hall headline show performing with a full orchestra; played their first headline tour of Ireland packing out venues across the country including Whelans, Róisín Dubh and Cyprus Avenue followed by numerous festival appearances such as Body & Soul and the main stage at Indiependence; performed on some of the biggest stages in Ireland to thousands at sold out shows while supporting acts such as Picture This at the INEC Arena, The Coronas at Independent Park Stadium, Galway Big Top and The Olympia, The Academic at Iveagh Gardens and many other venues including Ulster Hall in Belfast!

Having already made an explosive impact in 2019, True Tides look destined for a huge 2020 having released a new single ‘SURVIVE’ with Warner Music Ireland which very quickly went top 10 airplay within a few weeks of release – ‘Survive’ is another pop banger with a pumping guitar hook and a vocal melody that underscores the positive message behind the song.

Although you might get knocked down or pushed back, sometimes just trying to do your best and facing your fears head on can be enough to find your inner belief again. As the chorus states “Get up through all your fears, get up through all the nights, get up through your darkest moments, you will survive“.

Since release the track has racked up almost 100,000 streams on all DSP’s since release and the band have had over half a million views on some social media clips posted over the last few weeks – most notably an infamous ‘Sax Balcony’ video where Cian (lead singer) performed some old classics on his saxophone to fellow apartment dwellers. 

‘SURVIVE EP’ – TRACKLISTING

Survive
Survive (Acoustic)
Survive-Benza remix
Survive-Making of

PRE-SAVE the EP here – https://wmi.lnk.to/presavesurviveep

Sion Hill Claims Top 10 Spot at First European Song Contest

Mullingar native Sion Hill (Nate Johnston) represented Ireland on Saturday night performing his new single ‘Speak Up’ in the Free European Song Contest in front of a TV audience of 4 million viewers, finishing in the Top 10. ‘Speak Up’ has already broken into the Billboard Top 100 songs in Germany and the Shazam Top 200 charts following release last Friday. The music video for ‘Speak Up’ was shot in Berlin where he was quarantining for the last few weeks in order to be able to compete in the competition, which took place in Cologne. Sion Hill is signed to German record label Clouds Hill gmbh and has recently released two other singles, ‘Fuel Kids’ and ‘Last Minute’ with Warner Music Germany. 

Sion Hill was due to perform at a number of music festivals in Ireland this summer to build on his performance at All Together Now in August 2019 and his sold out headline show in the Sugar Club in December 2019. Following the disappointment of the postponements (all for understandable reasons!) he is hoping to perform ‘Speak Up’ on Irish TV soon and elsewhere around the world for his fans. 

The Free European Song Contest is a music competition in the Eurovision format that aired on German, Austrian and Swiss TV, organised by the German broadcaster ProSiebenSat Media and Stefan Raabs production company Brainpool TV. It served as an alternative for the Eurovision Song Contest 2020, which was planned to be held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was presented by Steven Gätjen and former Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst.

Written in London, a city, “that can make you feel lonely even though it’s full of people”, “Speak Up” is the shimmering anthem for a new age of self-care. A dangerously catchy tune about mustering the courage to tell your surroundings how you really feel. “I didn’t feel so good writing this song,” he says, “but I’m feeling fantastic playing it.” 

After leaving Ireland for Berlin, after leaving Berlin for Hamburg, and after leaving Hamburg for the murmuring vastness that is London, Nathan Johnston alias Sion Hill has carefully re-calibrated his musical palette. Again. While his lauded 2017 debut ‘Elephant’ was an eclectic soul-pop wonderland comfortably sitting between a room full of chairs somewhere in Berlin, his relationship with London is manifested in the globetrotters’ latest single, ‘Speak Up’. 

An uplifting, liberating song saying it’s okay not to feel okay, showcasing Sion Hill carefully going back to his roots. Three years after signing with Hamburg based indie connoisseurs Clouds Hill, after touring Europe with his new label mate Pete Doherty, a-ha or Alice Merton, the “biggest talent since Jeff Buckley” (Irish Times) has safely arrived in a new haven. 

Sion Hill’s new single ‘Speak Up’ is out now across all digital platforms.

Colm Mac Con Iomaire Announced for ‘Courage’

Other Voices ‘Courage’ has garnered a fantastic global response since it began on the 23rd of April, with 773,958 views to date. This Tuesday they return to the National Gallery of Ireland with a performance from celebrated fiddle player Colm Mac Con Iomaire. 

Colm Mac Con Iomaire is no stranger to Other Voices having featured in both the Austin and Derry additions of the show, he is a vertern of  the Irish music scene and is a founding  member of the iconic Irish bands Kíla and of The Frames. He has released three critically acclaimed solo albums and has composed scores for film and television. 

To date, ‘Courage’ live streams have featured performances from Ye Vagabonds, Sorcha Richardson, Caoimhín Ó’Raghallaigh, Rhiannon Giddens, Francesco Turrisi, Lisa Hannigan, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Steve Cooney and Denise Chaila. The project has gone from strength to strength, with over 500,000 tuning in worldwide to date.

THURSDAY 21ST MAY: 

Episode of three Other Voices ‘Courage’ TV series will air at 23:30 on RTÉ2 . Renowned Grammy nominated folk musician Rhiannon Giddens and her musical partner, multi-instrumentalist Franceso Turrisi stun with songs from their acclaimed 2019 album ‘There Is No Other’, recorded in Whelan’s Dublin. This is music for the heart and the head. Courage is a project that delivers inspiring performances from brilliant artists to the public during the COVID-19 crisis, supported by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Intel Ireland and RTÉ.

Laura Elizabeth Hughes Announces First Release of 2020

Laura Elizabeth Hughes has announced the release of her first single of 2020, ‘Pandemonium’, which will be released this Friday, 22nd May.

‘Pandemonium’ at its heart is an honest, stripped back to the bone, piano based folk track Recorded live in one-take at Dublin’s Camden Recording Studios, the song features Cork producer 1,000 Beasts on piano and takes its storytelling influence from artists such as Laura Marling, The Staves, Damien Rice and Regina Spektor. Although written before the Covid-19 pandemic engulfed the world, the song expresses that feeling we have all become so familiar with; being alone and the longing to see, hold and interact with our loved ones again, but that at the end of the day we’re all going to be ok. 

Global pandemic aside, the past year has been one of growth and creativity for Hughes. Her showcase at Ireland Music Week brought her to the attention of music industry delegates from around the world and led her to be named by IrishTimes.com as one of “10 acts to see before they are famous”.

The Dublin based songwriter followed that up with one of her biggest releases yet, the heart-warming ‘For You (Home)’. Written for the people that help to carry you in life, the song received amazing support at radio across Ireland including RTE Radio 1, 2FM, Today FM and BBC Radio Ulster and was recently announced in the Top 5 highest played independent releases on Northern Irish radio in the first quarter of 2020. In April, Hughes released the long awaited video for “For You (Home)”. Dedicating the video to Pieta House, the song’s visual representation depicts the struggle some find to let people in, even at times when we need them most.

On stage is where Laura feels most at home and truly connects with her audience. A headline show at The Sound House in April was set to be a marquee moment in the singer’s year before live events ground to a halt forcing the date to move to November 13th.

Laura will perform this Wednesday, 20th May at 6.30pm as part of the #IrelandPerforms series from Culture Ireland. Fans can watch the exclusive stream through Laura’s Instagram page or on the Culture Ireland Facebook page.

Lauraelizabethhughes.com

Listen on Spotify | Watch on YouTube

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Breaking Tunes | Bandcamp

Paul Casey Shares Brand new Single

In these strange times Derry guitarist/songwriter Paul Casey has written and produced this brand new song ‘St Jeannet’. It’s a song of yearning for past summer days. 

In 2012 Casey was invited to Nice, France by Claude Mariottini, heart surgeon and band leader of French band, ‘The Low Budget Men’.

Written at home during lockdown Casey pulled in his band mates to record their parts in their own homes and send back to him to produce. The song features Liam Bradley (Drums and Percussion), John McCullough (Piano/Hammond/Fender Rhodes) and Lauren Doherty (Backing Vocals).

The mayor of St Jeannet, France was so taken with the song he has invited Paul to perform a gig there as soon as we beat this Covid-19 virus.

Galway Busker and international touring folk artist, Paddy Mór releases a new summer song

Galway Busker and international touring folk artist, Paddy Mór, releases a new summer song with a little help from the man that gave the world Fisherman’s Blues.

Paddy Mór is back: bigger and better than ever! Just in time for summer…
There’s no busking to be had on his beloved Shop St, there’s no gigs to be had in the pubs of Irish-America, but there is one thing Paddy has – a message of hope: “Summer’s Coming Back Again!”

Summer’s Coming Back Again features The Waterboys’ very own Steve Wickham on the fiddle, a band of brothers from Laois – The Finns, on banjo and backing vocals, Eoin Shelly from supergroup Strings & Things on percussion, and fellow Galwegian Thomas Doherty from Black Shuck on bass.

Paddy Mór is a Galway native and busker who has performed in both Ireland and the USA. He has performed for the former Mayor of Boston and ambassador to the Holy See, Ray Flynn. In 2019, his single Probation was played on radio in the United States, on a station based out of Detroit, MI.

In early 2020, Paddy was the surprise musical guest for 3 Bucks Left, (a spin-off of RTE and Netflix’s Hardy Bucks) live in his hometown of Galway to a packed house. Gigs in March and April with KNEEPCAP and Rob Corcoran & The Necessary Evils in Galway were sadly cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.



“His multicultural background gives his music an authentic style” Galway City Tribune.
“Our good friend and talented man”3 Bucks Left.
“Be sure to add Paddy Mór to your playlist!”The Irish Emigrant.

Minister Josepha Madigan TD officiates at the National Famine Commemoration Ceremony

The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan T.D. is today, Sunday, officiating at the National Famine Commemoration in Dublin.

Today’s formal State ceremony will be held in St. Stephen’s Green, following the deferral until 2021 of the ceremony which was to have been held in Buncrana, Co. Donegal this month. As with the recent Easter and Arbour Hill Commemorations, the ceremony will be conducted in line with current health and safety guidelines and will not be open to the public. The ceremony will be available to view live nationally and internationally on RTÉ News Now, on www.rte.ie and on the RTÉ Player.

The ceremony will include military honours and a wreath laying ceremony in remembrance of all those who suffered or perished during the Famine. Wreaths will be laid by Minister Madigan on behalf of the Irish People and by the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps on behalf of the Diplomatic Community. Aimee Banks will sing Brendan Graham’s Crucán na bPáiste and the National Anthem will be performed by an Army Piper.

The Minister will also unveil a Plaque marking the first Annual Famine Commemoration held in the Custom House in 2008. This will be installed in the grounds of the Custom House later in the year.

Speaking today, Minister Madigan said: “In her poem Quarantine, the late Eavan Boland movingly evoked the efforts of a loving husband to support his wife with the last of his strength, when she said:

“She was sick with famine fever and could not keep up.

He lifted her and put her on his back.”

The heroes of the Famine that we honour today also sought to lift and carry those who fell or could not keep up. That same spirit of caring and self sacrifice that is embedded in the caring professions, is being seen again today as our health workers embrace the challenge of caring for those affected by Covid-19. We honour and respect these modern-day heroes and value their courage. Perhaps we can best show our appreciation for their work, and the efforts of their forebears during the Great Famine, by adhering to those small acts of heroism we are called upon to perform in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and to come though these testing times, just as our ancestors once did.”

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