Month: March 2017

With the release of their clattering new single ‘Bad Advice’, Irish garage punks Otherkin are getting ready to take over 2017.

Formed in Dublin in 2014, united by a common love of The Clash, QOTSA, Ramones and Blur; the band cut their teeth playing house parties and dive bars before stepping up onto the Irish festival circuit – Longitude, Electric Picnic, Hard Working Class Heroes and Other Voices to name a few.

After a couple of hand-made, self-released tracks, Otherkin hit their stride with the rowdy grunge-pop single “AY AY”, which came to the attention of leading Irish indie label Rubyworks in early 2015.

The 201 EP – featuring “AY AY” and “Feel It” – a four-tracker of garage rock thumpers released to coincide with their UK festival debut at Reading / Leeds and their first full-length UK tour. Radio exposure came courtesy of Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1 and John Kennedy on Radio X, while MTV Rocks added videos for both songs into their new music playlists.

The follow up release – The New Vice EP – was a further statement of intent, attracting more attention from UK daytime radio and making inroads in continental Europe (their debut European show at Eurosonic was voted one of the five best shows of the festival by Dutch station 3FM).

The band built on this momentum with multiple knock out festival spots in the UK, Holland, France and Germany in summer 2016, getting rave reviews for their wild live shows from NME and The Guardian. They wrapped up their summer with a high-profile slot supporting the Red Hot Chili Peppers at a massive open-air concert in Belfast.

Otherkin rounded out 2016 in the Irish countryside putting the finishing touches to their eagerly awaited debut album.

Lead-off single ‘Bad Advice’ is out on Rubyworks on Thursday 9th March on all streaming and download platforms.

The single is produced by the band with David Prendergast and Jason Boland, and has been mixed in London by Jolyon Thomas (Slaves / Royal Blood / U2).

“Bad Advice is a song about the push and pull impulses of a chaotic relationship that should lead to self-destruct but somehow leads to the exact opposite.” – Otherkin.

Otherkin head out on a 16 date UK tour in March, including 8 shows with The Amazons this month.

http://www.otherkinok.com/

https://www.facebook.com/otherkinOK

Twitter @otherkino

‘We Rise’ is the second album from Morrissey & Marshall and will be released on 26 May 2017 through DJA Records. This whole collection is shot through with the shimmer and sunshine that evokes the very best harmony-driven acts from The Kinks, The Beach Boys, The Beatles and The Byrds, meshed with the guitar sound of Oasis and Cast and blended with an energy, bite and verve all of their own. Having supported Sinead O’Connor and won over Shane McGowan and Cillian Murphy, Morrissey & Marshall are the real deal.

Morrissey & Marshall are delighted to announce two special full band shows to mark the release of We Rise. Tickets go on sale at 0900 on Friday 10th March.

Wednesday May 24, Assembly, Camden, London
TicketLink: http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/event/FLP2405

Thursday May 25, Sugar Club, Dublin
TicketLink: http://www.ticketmaster.ie/venueartist/198345/1915604

Darren Morrissey said, “I can’t put into words how happy we are to finally be sharing these songs with the world. We wanted to make a ‘classic’ album. An album where you press play on track one and go on a journey. An album where you don’t have to skip to your favourite song, because they’re all your favourite songs. We wanted an album that really means something and you know what? I think we’ve done it. Having worked so hard on writing and recording We Rise, I can safely say, it’s time to celebrate, and we want everyone to come and join us at these two shows to celebrate and watch us recreate the album with our full band.”

Whatever happens next, the band are already owners of two of the biggest names in rock, a coincidence which prompted one wag to suggest that they might sound like “a heavily-amplified Smiths gig”. Morrissey smiles at the reference. “We have never pretended to be anyone other than Darren Morrissey and Greg Marshall. It’s who we really are.” With ‘We Rise’ already causing a stir, being themselves seems to be paying off.

http://www.morrisseyandmarshall.com/

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Arts Office invites applications for two Musicians in Residence.

The Arts Office is open to applications from individuals or groups and musicians working in all musical genres and at all career stages.
Applicants (including all members of a group) must live, work, be originally from or have studied music in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.
The residencies are envisaged as part-time residencies specifically for the development, creation and showcasing of new work.

Each residency will offer a fee and 20 rehearsal days in dlr LexIcon’s Studio (dates to be agreed at the start of the residency). As part of the residency the musician/s must engage in three performances in the LexIcon Studio or other suitable venues in the county.

The Musicians in Residence scheme is managed by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Arts Office and is grant-aided by the Arts Council.

For more information please go to http://www.dlrcoco.ie/en/arts/funding-opportunities/residencies/musicians-residence

Closing Date: 27th of April 2017 at 12 noon

Swords have just released “All These Hours”, the fourth single from their album ‘Tidal Waves’.

It is available now on Spotify, iTunes & Soundcloud.

Recently their independently released album Tidal Waves reached Number 3 in the full iTunes album charts, Number 1 in the alternative and entered the Top 40 in Ireland. It is available online on iTunes, Spotify and Google Play.

twitter @swordsband
facebook.com/swordsband
www.swordsband.com

Three-piece Bitch Falcon continue their Irish tour this month to mark the release of their newest single, “Clutch”, selling out venues across the country, including Dublin’s Workman’s Club, along the way.

Bitch Falcon are set to take flight for Canadian Music Week and other international events this year as well as releasing brand new material throughout 2017. Bitch Falcon stormed the stages of Body & Soul, Indiependence, Knockanstockan & Electric Picnic in 2016 and in their short time together, the trio have shared the stage with the likes of Fucked Up, Torche, The ZZZ’s, Glen Hansard, Les Butcherettes, No Spill Blood and Red Enemy, unapologetically stealing the spotlight at every turn.

Two years on from an initial explosive emergence, the Dublin-based three-piece haven’t so much discovered their voice as honed and refined it. They relish in frenetic declarations, their sound always moving forward while throwing occasional nods to the past.

The sonic aesthetic is raw, even a touch frenzied, yet manages to harness the strongest elements of rock, grunge, metal, hardcore and melodic electro-pop. Bitch Falcon’s end result is a distinctive, once-heard-not-forgotten voice.

Pulsating tracks like ‘Wolfstooth’, ‘Breed’ and ‘TMJ’ are indicative of a band unwilling to sit still and stay quiet. These are songs of punch, grit and verve. They make an even greater impact up close and personal as the band’s deserved reputation as one of Ireland’s most engaging live prospects comes alive.

Irish Tour dates:
March 10 – Connolly’s – Leap
March 11 – Cyprus Avenue – Cork
April 7 – Garbo’s – Castlebar (supporting Girl Band)
Additional dates to be announced

Bronagh’s acclaimed new album ‘Gather Your Greatness’ is her third album of original material. A strong personal statement and expressly honest, the record is the second of Bronagh’s to be self-produced, determined to make the sound of the recording live up to the emotional heart of the lyric.

Following a recent sold-out London Lexington album launch show, Bronagh will play a number of Irish and European shows in 2017. A masterclass demonstration of why Bronagh is rightly regarded as one of the great soul voices in Ireland, ‘Hand On My Heart’ finds her tipping her hat to Rod Stewart and The Faces with a blistering torch song. The track is accompanied by a stunning live version shot in Dublin’s Some Neck Guitars shop, which finds Bronagh’s burnished vocals perfectly matched by her band’s brass section. ‘Lonely Girls’ looks to the tribulations of others – “That song is about life long friends of mine that have found the whole relationship thing so disappointing in their lives. There are so many preconceptions in your youth that you’ll grow up to have the fairytale house and husband but for many they still look for their equal partner and live with a huge sense of lack and that they have failed in this area in their lives and I believe ‘Be proud of what you do have and look after your own mind and self, that’s the path’ ”.

Elsewhere, Maria McKee can be found singing guest vocals on the opening track ‘Can You Hear Me’ and Brian Eno singing BVs on the uplifting ‘Radio.’ As she finished the record, Bronagh also widened her perspective – making lyrical references to organised religion, greed and State-induced sources of anxiety on the final and closing track ‘Heal Me’. “I have the courage now to express my deep concern for where humanity is at and what we will leave behind… It stems from watching how we react on a personal level and global level in the many wars we still have raging… What is really going on behind the ruling headquarters with regards to the arms trade and human beings insatiable appetite for control and power over each other…”

“One of the purest, clearest talents I know – a fabulous singer, bursting with raw Irish soul. Striking and original songs and an effortlessly brilliant band”– Brian Eno

“Bronagh has always felt the music deeper than anyone I know, she also writes songs that are pitched at the same level of excellence and meaning. They sound instantly old world and yet vital and new. If you steep yourself in the good stuff for long enough you become a worthy channel, at least that’s what we all hope as songmakers. She cuts to the heart of what it is to be a singer. She’s a real star and always was.” – Glen Hansard

“Bronagh Gallagher’ is a superb recording artist. She nods repeatedly in the direction of the ‘60s and early ‘70s to marvellous effect with the band conjuring a delicious gospel feel under Gallagher’s gripping vocal. This suitably eponymous record is a triumph for Bronagh Gallagher herself.” – Jackie Hayden, Hot Press
“Swaggering like Carole King in her golden years” – *** Q

“A deep Irish Soul record full of passion and tunes” – Mail On Sunday

NEW LIVE DATES ANNOUNCED
March 16th, 2017 Ballina Arts Centre, Co. Mayo
March 25th, 2017 The Washerwoman, Ballina Co. Tipperary
April 1st, 2017 The Loft, Co. Galway
April 7th, 2017 Whelan’s, Co. Dublin
April 21st, 2017 Seamus Heaney Homeplace, Co.Derry

“I Got A Plan” is the latest original release from Stomptown Brass, Dublin’s very own 10-piece urban street funk band. The new single is accompanied by a brand new video featuring a performance from the Bernard Shaw that captures the feel-good essence of their live show.

The track bursts with good vibes and a groove made for bopping. Its gritty distorted vocals are reminiscent of the raw soul-filled voices of Motown. A swirling, swinging, upbeat blues riff drives the track, and occasionally explodes into a wild energy that only brass can create. There are hints of the gospel tradition in a group chorus of “Take that money, babe” with the song’s lyrics taking aim at the white-collar crooks who have done so much damage to our society.

After a whopper year of sold-out shows up and down the country, along with legendary festival sets at Electric Picnic, Longitude and Beatyard, Stomptown Brass are gearing up for their biggest Irish tour yet. Coinciding with the release of “I Got A Plan”, the band are hitting the road this March, and bringing their outrageously energetic live show with them. Anyone interested in hearing brand new original music played with passion and precision (or just having a deadly time dancing your ass off) needs to see Stomptown Brass.

Blending the sounds of funk and blues with a raucous cacophony of powerful driving rhythms, Stomptown Brass make the most of their impressive line-up: 3 drummers, 3 trombones, 2 trumpets, one saxophone and one big, dirty tuba.

“I Got A Plan” is available everywhere on March 31, and you can catch the band on tour on the following dates:

March 10 – Cyprus Avenue, Cork
March 11 – Connolly’s of Leap, West Cork
March 16 – Central Arts, Waterford
March 17 – Monroe’s Live, Galway
March 18 – Black Box, Belfast
March 25 – Dolan’s, Limerick
March 30 – Spirit Store, Dundalk
March 31 – Chocolate Factory, Dublin

Announcing the new single “Dark Mornings” from Joe Chester’s critically praised fifth studio album The Easter Vigil, available Friday 10th March. Gathering fans from a diverse range of media taste makers, the accomplished musician and producer’s fifth album is being hailed as his most accomplished to date. Joe joins August Wells for live dates in March and has just announced a solo headline show in Dublin’s Unitarian Church in April.

RTÉ LYRIC FM – MARTY WHELAN’S ALBUM OF THE WEEK
NEWSTALK – TOM DUNNE’S ALBUM OF THE WEEK
“Another beautifully produced collection. Recommended” – The Sunday Times
“Dark Mornings is melody incarnate” – The Sunday Business Post
“A hugely rewarding album” – Hot Press Magazine
“Deep, personal and intriguing” – The Evening Herald
“The Easter Vigil is his most profound and moving work yet” – RTÉ

LIVE DATES
March 9th – Cleere’s Kilkenny (support to August Wells)
March 11th – Workman’s Dublin (support to August Wells)
April 23rd – The Róisín Dubh, Galway
April 28th – The Unitarian Church, Dublin
May 4th – The Spirit Store, Dundalk

Tickets: http://www.joechester.com/tour-dates/

Montauk Hotel are a shimmer-pop act based in Dublin. Taking influence from the glimmer of early 80s indie-pop, Montauk Hotel have fused strong melodies with glistening guitars to create a sound that is their own.

Formed late last year, Montauk Hotel are made up of Claudia Verdecchia (vocals), Shell Dooley (guitars), Aoife Hester (bass) and Karima Dillon-El Touhky (drums).

Montauk Hotel made an impressive impact on the Dublin live music scene in 2016 with shows including The Last Mixed Tape’s Lost Tapes series, The Bowery, Whelan’s, The Sound House and Sin E and supporting acts such as Paddy Hanna, Beauty Sleep, Jem Mitchell and Slow Riot.

Their debut single ‘Black Dress’ was released in late January to critical acclaim. Montauk Hotel will release their self-titled E.P. on March 10th with a headline gig in Whelan’s Upstairs on the same night.

“Black Dress is an intro to a band who have already found their music and know exactly how to use it.”
The Last Mixed Tape

“Dripping in metallic guitar vibes and early ‘80s indie pop, ‘Black Dress’ is a charming melodic opening gambit”
Nialler9

“A gorgeous jangly pop noise”
Hot Press

New Irish Artist of the Week – Nialler9’s New Irish Music, The Irish Times

Praise for ‘Montauk Hotel’ E.P.
“…a highly stylised record filled with vivid flourishes of brilliance that set the four-piece apart… Leaving them in their own shimmer-pop milieu”
9/10, The Last Mixed Tape

SOCIAL MEDIA:
Twitter: @MontaukHotel
Facebook
Bandcamp
Soundcloud
Breaking Tunes

West Clare songsmith and European troubadour, David Hope is back with a new collection of heartfelt, raw, gritty songs. Hope is set to release his eagerly anticipated third studio album entitled ‘Tough Love’ on March 10th, 2017 on Swiss label, TOURBOmusic.

Produced by Christian Best at Monique studios, Cork / Ireland, ‘Tough Love’ is the follow up to the critically acclaimed ‘Scarecrow’, which was released in 2013 and enjoyed extensive radio play and successive tours both in Europe and Hope’s native Ireland.

‘Tough Love’ features a collection of ten new songs which showcase Hope’s finely wrought lyrics and impressive vocals. Hope’s language invites listeners to venture into his world of beauty, humour, darkness and disdain. Producer Christian Best features on percussion which has lifted Hope’s songs to a new level in terms of sound and focus, while internationally acclaimed composer, pianist and vocalist Michael Gallen has added rich texture and tone giving Hope’s music a broader presence and stride.

The ten-track album is a mix of full-band tracks which have the instantly recognizable and often jaunty feel of his earlier works, as well as a fresh vitality. It is, however, in the stripped-back, exposed solo recordings where the song-writing maturity Hope has found over the last few years really shows, cutting to the bone of a song and unearthing a poignant intimacy. Hard working and weather beaten by constant touring, this third studio album is a coming of age for the man from County Clare.

http://www.davidhope.ie/