After a successful 2018 Sean and Conor Price have plenty of new music to bring to their fans in 2019. They have been working extremely hard in studio and recording and are now ready to cause a storm through the music scene.
They released their mini album ‘Dreamer’ in late 2018, which hit the charts and went straight in at #8 in the TOP 10 Irish National Charts. Sandwiched between the likes of George Ezra, Ed Sheeran and Dua Lipa, they were the only Independent act to get in the Top charts that week!
They have been working with producers and writers in London, Stockholm and Dublin. Their first single of 2019 is titled ‘Storm’ and will be available on all platforms from February 8th. On the Single, Sean and Conor have teamed up with Wild Youth band member Conor O’Donohoe to co-write the track. ‘Storm’ is a youthful pop song about a girl who is exciting but you know she is bad news, just like a ‘Storm’.
Sean and Conor will also be very busy with their 13 date 2019 Tour starting in Kilkenny on February 26th. They will play the Olympia Theatre Dublin on June 29th.
Link to venues and show dates below:
Kilkenny January Saturday 26th Watergate BUY NOW
Limerick March Saturday 2nd LimeTree BUY NOW
Drogheda April Tuesday 16th TL Theatre BUY NOW
Ennis April Wednesday 17th Glor BUY NOW
Thurles April Thursday 18th Source BUY NOW
Dublin June Saturday 29th The Olympia BUY NOW
Cork July Saturday 6th Everyman Theatre BUY NOW
Sligo July Tuesday 9th Hawkswell BUY NOW
Letterkenny July Friday 12th An Grianin BUY NOW
Dundalk July Saturday 13th An Tain BUY NOW
Wexford July Saturday 20th National Opera House BUY NOW
Belfast August Saturday 10th Waterfront Studio BUY NOW
Castlebar August Saturday 17th Royal Theatre BUY NOW
In his first release since his 2015 album ‘The Revolution’, Fiach Moriarty takes a new turn in his songwriting journey, echoing the sounds of the Roaring 20’s with ‘Everything Will Rhyme’.
Fiach has spent the past year touring Ireland and Europe as a member of groundbreaking nouveau trad acts ALDOC and Beoga.
It is Fiach’s songwriting talents that has earned him invitations to collaborate with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Paul Brady, Declan O’Rourke and Eddi Reader and appear as host and musician in the TV3 6-part musical travel show ‘Jingle Jangle’ alongside Fiachna Ó Braonáin (Hothouse Flowers) and Jim Lockhart (Horslips).
In the past year, Fiach has recorded with Damien Dempsey, Duke Special, Mundy, Steve Wall, Julie Feeney, Una Healy, Brian Kennedy, John Sheahan (Dubliners), Paddy Moloney (Chieftains), Ulaid, David Geraghty (Bell X1) and appeared on ‘Other Voices’ with the Grammy-nominated Beoga.
He has previously released two albums; ‘So I’ and ‘The Revolution’.
The shortlist for this year’s RTÉ Choice Music Prize, Irish Album of the Year 2018, in association with IMRO & IRMA, was announced today on RTÉ 2FM’s Tracy Clifford Show by Tony Clayton-Lea, chairman of the judging panel. The shortlist is as follows:
The Academic – Tales From The Backseat (ROOM6 Records) Delorentos – True Surrender (Delo Records) Just Mustard – Wednesday (Pizza Pizza Records) Kojaque – Deli Daydreams (Soft Boy Records) O Emperor – Jason (Big Skin Records) Lisa O’Neill – Heard A Long Gone Song (River Lea Recordings) Saint Sister – Shape Of Silence (Trout Records) Rejjie Snow – Dear Annie (BMG) Villagers – The Art Of Pretending To Swim (Domino Recording Co) Wyvern Lingo – Wyvern Lingo (Ruby Works)
As part of RTÉ’s continued commitment to promoting Irish music, RTÉ 2FM celebrates the announcement of the shortlist across its schedule throughout the day with All Irish Music All Day from 6am to midnight. Dave Fanning will also chat to Tony Clayton-Lea on his weekend show this Saturday about the album shortlist.
The winning album will be announced at the RTÉ Choice Music Prize live event, held inVicar Street, Dublin onThursday 7thMarch and broadcast live on RTÉ 2FM in a special four-hour extended show from 7-11pm. A special RTÉ2 TV programme of the event will be broadcast shortly afterwards.
The 14th annual RTÉ Choice Music Prize will once again celebrate the best in Irish recorded music. The Prize has become one of the music industry highlights of the year since its inception in 2005. The Irish Album of the Year award is chosen from a shortlist of ten albums by a panel of twelve Irish music media professionals and industry experts.
RAAP and Culture Ireland are also official project partners of the RTE Choice Music Prize.
This year RTÉ Choice Music Prize also partnered with Yangaroo Music Ireland who have provided all eligible artists with a simple, free method of instant delivery of a digital copy of their eligible album directly to the Irish Album of the Year judging panel. Yangaroo Music Ireland (http://www.yangaroomusic.ie) offer a professional digital delivery service for Labels and Artists to deliver their new music releases instantly to media, venues, festivals and promoters in Ireland.
Culture Ireland will fund the attendance of influential overseas Industry executives to attend the RTE Choice Music Prize Live Event on March 7th. First Music Contact (FMC), as part of their international profiling activity, will again advise on the selection of overseas delegates and oversee their integration into the individual mentoring sessions with the artists and the conference.
RTÉ Choice Music Prize “Conversations” will return and take place on the 7th.
Tickets for the Choice Music Prize live event are on sale now from all Ticketmaster outlets and from http://www.ticketmaster.ie priced €28.00 including booking fee.
Talos aka Eoin French from Cork will release his second album, ‘Far Out Dust’, on BMG on 8 February, 2019. The album’s latest song to be released is a brilliant, visceral track called ‘The Light Upon Us’.
Of the track, French says: “It’s called ‘The Light Upon Us’ but, the idea of the light… it’s not a positive light. It’s one that erases things. It’s blinding. Sometimes things have to be destroyed for something else to be created. An acceptance that things are supposed to die at some point. Everything has an end.”
‘The Light Upon Us’ follows the release of the first single ‘See Me’ which has been featured on a batch of influential playlists (New Music Friday UK, Chill Vibes, Sad Indie).
Following tours with Peter, Bjorn and John and Editors late last year, Talos will be returning to the US this winter supporting Aurora. The band also play an intimate launch party in Dublin’s Pepper Canister Church on February 9th. All tour dates are below.
‘Far Out Dust’ — a stunning blend of organic and electronic music with a gorgeous sense of discovery and wonder — was written and recorded all over the globe, including New York City, Los Angeles, London, Dublin, Cork, and Reykjavik. Where Talos’ acclaimed debut, ‘Wild Alee’, was a solitary affair about isolation and escape, ‘Far Out Dust’ finds Talos embarking on new journeys, drawing strength and comfort from lived experience and deep human connection. The result is both his most ambitious songwriting and most sophisticated studio work, a collection that radiates with creative confidence even as it wrestles with the pain of doubt and regret.
Part of that newfound confidence stemmed from the remarkable success of ‘Wild Alee’, which was met with such a rapturous critical and commercial response that French was able to leave his second life as an architect and university lecturer behind and devote himself to touring and recording full time. Hailed by the Irish Times as “a spectacularly assured debut,” the album was met with raves on both sides of the pond upon its release in 2017, with The Independent calling it “stunning” and the New York Times’ T Magazine praising the songs’ “taut, chilling complexity.” The record garnered love from BBC Radio 1, racked up more than 25 million streams on Spotify, made the shortlist for the prestigious RTÉ Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year.
For his next album, Talos knew he couldn’t rest on his laurels, and pushed himself to write some of his most expansive, exciting music to date. French and his longtime production partner Ross Dowling (James Vincent McMorrow, Bell X1) shouldered much of the instrumental load on the album, in addition to working with producers like Doug Schadt (Maggie Rogers, Wet), Valgeir Sigurðsson (Sigur Ros, Feist) and Damian Taylor (Bjork, Arcade Fire), who also contributed a number of mixes. They then handed over to mastering duties to Emily Lazar (Coldplay, Angel Olsen).
French’s conviction is apparent from the first moments of album opener ‘Boy Was I Wrong’, a soaring epic that builds from a falsetto whisper to an oceanic roar of layered synthesizers and powerful drums. Throughout the album, French conjures up vivid, cinematic scenes, utilizing a broad dynamic range to oscillate between hushed introspection and explosive ecstasy, often within the same song. The steamy ‘2AM’ captures the euphoric rush of a late-night physical connection, while the wistful ‘To Each His Own’ laments the revelation of unkind intention, and ‘The Light Upon Us’ juxtaposes the manic energy of madness and destruction with the eerily beautiful serenity that comes in its aftermath. In that sense, ‘Far Out Dust’ isn’t just an album written in transit between places, it’s an album written in transit between states: between darkness and light, between desperation and devotion, between death and life.
‘Far Out Dust’ Track List:
Boy Was I Wrong
The Light Upon Us
The Light Interlude
To Each His Own
See Me
The Flood
2AM
On And On
Let Go
Dawn, The Front
In The Fold
Far Out Dust
Pre-Save and Pre-order ‘Far Out Dust’ HERE with instant downloads of ‘See Me’ and ‘The Light Upon Us’.
Talos tour dates:
14/1 – Magnolia – Milan, Italy #
15/1 – Les Docks – Lausanne, Switzerland #
18/1 – Palladium – Warsaw, Poland #
19/1 – VEGA – Copenhagen, Denmark # 9th February – Dublin Headline Album Release Show / The Pepper Cannister Church 13/2 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom #
14/2 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox #
15/2 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom #
17/2 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom #
20/2 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre #
22/2 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park #
23/2 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar #
25/2 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater #
27/2 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue #
1/3 – Chicago, IL @ Metro #
2/3 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall #
3/3- Montreal, QB @ Corona Theatre #
5/3 – Boston, MA @ Royale #
7/3 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Steel #
9/3 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer #
10/3 – Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre #
Wild Youth, one of the hottest new bands in Ireland right now, have dropped the brand new music video for their current single ‘Making Me Dance’.
The single – released just last week on 4 Jan 2019 – is already setting Irish airwaves alight and breaking through internationally. The four piece are riding high after scoring a top ten spot on the much coveted New Music Friday UK playlist on Spotify and Apple Music’s Best Of The Week in the US whilst also being heralded as a band to watch by Brooke Reese on the Beats1 Chart Show.
Set to become one of the hottest acts of 2019 and beyond, Wild Youth embark on a nationwide tour across Ireland from 16 March 2019 to 6 April 2019, which will include their biggest ever headline show to date in the Olympia Theatre.
Wild Youth broke onto the scene in 2018 and have dominated the airwaves since, with massive hit single ‘Can’t Move On’ becoming the most played song by an Irish artist on Irish radio.
Nationwide Tour Dates Saturday, 16th March – Cyprus Avenue, Cork Saturday, 23rd March – Olympia Theatre, Dublin Thursday 4th April – McHugh’s, Belfast Friday 5th April – Roisin Dubh, Galway Saturday 6th April – Dolan’s, Limerick
The Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan T.D., today announced the appointment of five Cultural Ambassadors. The new positions will see high-profile figures from Ireland’s arts and culture community promote Ireland globally as part of the Government’s Global Ireland 2025 initiative.
Global Ireland 2025 is aiming to double Ireland’s footprint globally by 2025 though a mix of actions in the cultural, diplomatic, business, education and tourism areas. Ireland’s strong reputation for culture and creativity is central to the initiative, which proposes a number of actions to enhance the promotion of Ireland’s culture globally, including the appointment of Cultural Ambassadors.
Master musician and founding member of The Gloaming, Martin Hayes, leading architects, Shelly McNamara and Yvonne Farrell of Grafton Architects, awarding winning actress Ruth Negga and Pulitzer Prize winning poet Paul Muldoon have all accepted the role of Cultural Ambassador for a period of three years. The Cultural Ambassadors will endeavour to raise the public focus on arts and culture as a means of promoting Ireland globally, provide advice and input on strategic cultural initiatives and participate in key events and projects.
In announcing the appointment of the Cultural Ambassadors, Minister Madigan said: “Ireland’s artists have been outstanding ambassadors for the country, since the era of the creative genius of Shaw, O’Casey, Synge, Yeats and Beckett. The current generation of musicians, actors, architects, poets and other artists are continuing this invaluable work. They are the people that set our small island nation apart, the storytellers who convey Ireland’s story in a unique and memorable way, be it through word, music or design. We greatly appreciate each Cultural Ambassador’s acceptance of the role. In continuing to do what they do best, they will be among Ireland’s greatest representatives globally.”
“This Government understands the importance of culture and is committed to supporting it. This is why the Taoiseach has committed to doubling funding levels for culture, heritage and the Gaeltacht by 2025. The announcement of €1.2bn in capital funding for these areas last year and the significant increase for current funding for the arts in Budget 2019 are proof of this.”
The first event, which will be attended by a number of the Cultural Ambassadors, is a conference of cultural stakeholders being held in Dublin on 24 January which will discuss and debate how best to advance Ireland’s global visibility and strengthen global relationships.
Further appointments of Cultural Ambassadors may be made over time in line with the Government’s geographic and other priorities.
The Minister presented the four attending Cultural Ambassadors with a silver emblem by silversmith Seamus Gill to mark their appointment. The emblem is based on the treasured boat of the Broighter hoard held in the National Museum, on which the Culture Ireland logo is modelled. Paul Muldoon, who could not be present owing to the commitments in the US, will be presented with his award at the end of the week in the Irish Arts Centre in New York when the Minister visits the city.
The Irish Music Rights Organistation CLG (IMRO) announces a new partnership with song data hub Auddly.
Auddly, a Swedish start-up co-founded by former ABBA co-frontman Björn Ulvaeus and leading international songwriter/producer Max Martin, is an app and web-based tool that helps with the collection of music metadata to ensure the correct allocation of royalties owed to songwriters, publishers and performers.
The partnership will enable IMRO songwriter, composer and publisher members, to capture their song and composition data, including agreement on share splits at the point of creation, using a new tool powered by the Stockholm based tech start-up. Auddly users who are songwriter or publisher members of IMRO can verify their membership status and their unique international identification number (IPI/CAE number) at the point of registering on the Auddly platform.
Auddly’s aim is to facilitate the registration of more accurate data from the outset which will assist IMRO with royalty distributions to its members around the world. Auddly itself does not distribute royalties or deal with individual copyright issues.
Speaking about the announcement of the partnership IMRO Chief Executive Victor Finn said, “In recent years there has been the rapid explosion in the amount of data generated worldwide from public performances of music, particularly in relation online usages. Clarity with regard to song ownership is essential to ensure songwriters, composers and music publishers are correctly paid for the use of their works. Auddly is an important step forward for the music industry in the verification of song metadata and IMRO is delighted to be an early international partner with this pioneering company”.
Niclas Molinder, Founder and CEO, Auddly commented: “We are delighted to launch the partnership and the IPI Verification with IMRO in order to help their members to manage their metadata more efficiently. Capturing this data accurately and completely from the start enables PROs to allocate money to songwriters, so this is a significant step towards securing correct compensation. Early data identifiers are key in order to form a sustainable music industry and this is an important part of making Auddly the global reference point for all song metadata.”
The medieval hillside town of Castiglion Fiorentino, one hour from Florence/two hours from Rome by train, will host the March 17-24 Listening Room Retreat, held in the lovely Residence Le Santucce, with modern comforts and amenities within walls dating back to 1000 A.D. and a €70 discount for IMRO members) off the €595* price. (*Housing and meals booked separately to provide greater budget flexibility for participants).
Bouts are about to re-emerge after 5 years to release and tour their new album ‘Flow’ out 25.01.2019 and available for Pre-Order now on Wonky Karousel Records. Recorded by Fiachra McCarthy ( Squarehead, Shrug Life, Switzerland, The Run Ons ), mixed by Jesse Gander (Japandroids, White Lung, Sweat Threats ) and mastered by TJ Lipple ( Bats, Jogging,Fugazi, MGMT ), ‘Flow’ will also be released on all digital platforms.
The 9-track album will be available on a limited run of 100 vinyl records – half of which will be sold exclusively on their UK & Irish tour which kicks off in London with two shows (Lion Coffee + Records and The Finsbury) on Saturday 26th Jan. The tour then moves to Ireland for a series of five shows starting in Galway’s Roisin Dubh (Upstairs -Wed 30th), Limerick’s Pharmacia (Thurs 31st), Cork’s Roundy (Fri 1st Feb), Dublin’s Underground ( Sat 2nd), and finishes up in Belfast’s Menagerie (Sun 3rd).
Tour support comes from some of Ireland’s most exciting indie bands including: Silverbacks, Oh Boland, New Dad, Laurie Shaw, Any Joy, Monday Villains, Kayleigh O’ Brien, Feather Beds, Shrug Life and Hot Cops.
Bouts are Barry Bracken (singer and guitars), Daniel Flynn (drums, percussion), Colin Boylan (guitar and keys) and Niall Jackson (bass, vocals). Formed in 2011, Irish indie-rock quartet have grown musically and personally over the last eight years and are now making the most fulfilling music of their lives. It’s been quite a journey. In Summer 2014, a year after the release of their debut album, “Nothing Good Gets Away”, and a frenetic early period of activity, lead singer Bracken relocated to Asia, while their bassist Jackson, moved to the UK. With only two members remaining in Ireland, they still found a way to keep writing, recording and releasing music through 2015 and 2016. This harmony brought the group closer together as friends and resulted in a richer, more focused melody driven guitar-pop. They have been championed by BBC’s Lauren Laverne, Phily Taggart & Stephen McCauley. They’ve shared stages with Cloud Nothings, Yuck and Johnny Marr among others, and graced many the festival stage around the world along the way. Now based between Dublin, London and Amsterdam, the band include Built to Spill, The Breeders, The Cribs, Dinosaur Jr., Grandaddy, Pavement, Pixies, Death Cab for Cutie and (early!) Weezer amongst their influences. This lineage leads directly into the new Bouts record which has been recorded over the course of the last two years in London, Dublin and the west of Ireland. Their contagious take on indie-rock is ready to take off again in 2019 as they return to touring after almost 5 years.
“ It’s as cathartic as it is exciting, brimming with indie dancefloor elegance and pummelling exhilaration” – The Line of the Best Fit “An earworming masterstroke from the re-emerging four-piece… more potent and unapologetically unabashed than ever.” – Drowned in Sound “More infectious than a virus in a horror B-movie” – Phily Taggart BBC Radio 1
Ever prolific Blek is preparing for the release of his fourth solo studio album in as many years.
Entitled ‘Thistle & Thorn’ it was recorded between Clonakilty, Co. Cork and Louisville, Kentucky during the early part of 2018. It features numerous collaborations with longtime musical partners Brian Casey and Davie Ryan as well as the addition of the ethereal voice of Joan Shelley and melodious fingerstyle folk guitar of Nathan Salsburg. This is John’s most complete and ambitious work to date.
It is due for release on the 1st of February 2019 through John’s own imprint WARR. To be followed by a 22nd March release through K & F Records in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Available on CD, download and heavy weight gatefold vinyl.
‘Salt in the Water’ from Blek’s last album Catharsis Vol.1, was nominated for Song of the Year at the International Folk Music Awards 2018 at Folk Alliance International in Kansas City. It’s been a busy few years and it shows no sign of letting up. Endless tours and recording in Ireland, Europe, UK and USA keep the Irish troubadour busy.
He is a master storyteller and an inspiring live performer. His beautiful fingerstyle guitar and joyous vocal weave a tapestry that is as poignant as it is skilful. He is a true artist.
Ireland February/March Tour
Fri 1st Feb – Coughlan’s, Cork
Sat 2nd Feb – Inkwell Theatre, Minane Bridge
Fri 8th Feb – No Alibis, Belfast
Sat 9th Feb – Whelan’s, Dublin
Sun 10th Feb – Toal’s, Monaghan
Mon 11th Feb – Mick Murphy’s, Ballymore Eustace
Fri 1st Mar – The Greyhound, Kilkee
Thurs 7th Mar – Borris House, Carlow
Fri 8th Mar – The Washerwoman, Ballina
Sat 9th Mar – Ubh, Newbridge
Sun 10th Mar – The Black Gate Cultural Centre, Galway
Fri 29th Mar – Weir Folk Club, Midleton
Sun 31st Mar – Connolly’s, Leap
