Ireland’s rising stars Wild Youth have released a brand-new video to coincide with the release of ‘Long Time No See’ – available to stream / download here. The video, which is shot in various locations across Dublin, captures an emotional tale faced when bumping into an ex.
Following a busy weekend for the band, which included two shows in Croke Park supporting Westlife and performing at the sold-out Longitude Festival.
Continuing on from the massive success of Wild Youth’s EP ‘The Last Goodbye’, which debuted at #5 in the Irish Albums Charts, the Dublin pop-rock superstars went on to sell-out their first ever headline show in The Olympia Theatre, support The Script in London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall and perform to a packed-out house in London’s OMEARA, run by Mumford & Sons member Ben Lovett.
In addition to a string of live shows, their outrageously catchy song ‘Can’t Move On’ has earned them over 2 million streams and the song was the most played Irish song on Irish radio in 2018.
Recently, Wild Youth shared the stage with the likes of Mumford & Sons and Dermot Kennedy at this year’s Malahide Castle, and Clean Bandit and Jax Jones at Sea Sessions.
Wild Youth consists of David Whelan, Conor O’ Donohue, Ed Porter and Callum McAdam.
Every once in a while, a pop artist emerges with the whole package; talent, experienced songwriting, organic and raw vocals and true feeling. Welcome to the stage Moncrieff.
Having already received strong airplay from BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, and Beats 1, along with a 13 week stint on the European Border Breakers Chart with his first two opening singles, Moncrieff seems now set to be the next Irish artist to break through with the release of his first body of work ‘The Early Hurts’ EP this summer.
The lead single ‘Ghost’ is a perfect musical recipe of strong, soulful vocal delivery, raw yet hard-hitting production and a stunning visual to accompany it.
As the young talent explains about the track: “‘Ghost’ is the first single from my upcoming EP and tells the story of a break up with an ex-partner with brutal honesty and sincerity. It always feels promising and a relief to have that moment of clarity where you realise that the relationship is disintegrating right before your eyes and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. The person needed so much more from me than I was able to give at the time and I guess that’s what I was trying to own up to and write about in the song. Sometimes break up songs have a habit of being told with images and metaphors to help round off the edges and soften the blow a bit for the other person, but most of the time in real life it doesn’t work this way… in my experience and I’m sure in many others, when you break up, there’s tears, grit and angry words… there’s bitterness as well as care and love that hovers around and that’s what ‘Ghost’ captures: real feelings, bad times.”
To apply please send a cover letter outlining how you meet the criteria for the role, noting your salary expectation, along with your CV to internationaljobs@nullimro.ie by 5pm Friday, 12th July.
Job Description | One Year Fixed Term Contract Salary | Competitive + benefits + annual bonus
1. Purpose of Job
The International Executive provides a first-class customer service
experience to IMRO’s members and global affiliates while contributing to the achievement
of the International team’s revenue targets.
Crucial to
the success of this role will be identifying performances of IMRO member
repertoire throughout the world, raising claims, tracking activity, striving
for timely payments and following up on unpaid claims, ensuring accuracy at all
times.
This is a key role in enabling the International team to exceed challenging revenue targets and maintain customer service levels.
2. Organisation Chart
3. Job Context and Content
The job holder is an important member of an International Team of 4 people, reporting to the Commercial Director, Media Licensing
4. Principal Accountabilities
Provide administrative support to the International Team
Liaise with societies post-distribution to ensure IMRO repertoire
has been accurately distributed as per their policies, practices and
distribution schedule.
Provide overseas societies with full details of planned
performances and broadcasts of IMRO members’ music in their territory.
Collaborate with Membership and Marketing personnel in
identifying, notifying and tracking overseas activities by IMRO members, while
providing administrative support to the International Team on the reporting of
Tracked Receipts
Regular contact with society personnel in relation to queries and
International team projects. This may
require some travel.
Liaise with Distribution personnel and affiliated societies, to
obtain cue sheets and other supporting performance information and to ensure
IMRO repertoire is correctly documented.
Liaise with Distribution personnel, post-distribution, to
pro-actively identify issues arising from overseas distributions to IMRO.
Undertake such other duties as may be assigned by management, this
will include providing administration support to the wider Commercial Media teams
during busy periods or on specific projects.
5. Principal Working Contacts
Commercial Director, Media Licensing Regular contact to ensure objectives are met.
International Manager As required regarding overall international policies, practices, strategies and initiatives.
International Executive Daily regarding the International Department work flow and processes.
Distribution Personnel On a regular basis around both affiliate and IMRO member queries and notifications to and from affiliates.
Membership and Marketing Personnel On a regular basis regarding IMRO Member International queries and performance notifications.
Affiliate Societies & IMRO Members On an ad hoc basis to resolve inbound royalty queries.
6. Challenges Faced The job holder is required to be flexible in carrying out a variety of tasks, always achieving a high degree of accuracy and often against tight deadlines. The International Executive should have good communication skills, work well as part of a team, and be comfortable in performing routine tasks involving data. It is imperative that the successful candidate can manage their personal workload to ensure all key administrative tasks are completed accurately on time. The job holder will have a key role in overseas revenue generation through their day to day work and engagement in international projects.
7. Planning and Organising The overall planning and setting of priorities is agreed by the job holder with the International Team but will be expected to manage their schedule based on the priorities set. They will also have support from the International Manager and Commercial Director, Media Licensing on complex/escalated matters. Day to day managing of workload requires flexibility.
8. Direction Received The job holder will receive regular direction and support around their work and the team’s priorities from the International Team.
9. Knowledge and Experience The candidate will need the ability to manage varied and complex operational tasks, resolving conflicting priorities and resource constraints. The candidate will need an advanced knowledge of the suite of Microsoft Office packages. Experience with a CRM system is desirable. A good general knowledge of music, including Irish music, would be of benefit alongside a third level qualification in Commerce/Business Studies.
10. Review of Job Description This job description relates to the position as it exists in July 2019. It will be reviewed each year at the annual appraisal and a special review will be carried out during the year if it is deemed necessary as a result of changing circumstances.
“It is said that music lifts the spirit and this is so true on Gatehouse’s new album ‘Heather Down the Moor’. Garnering their repertoire from the North Connaught tradition, all the tracks are finely paced with the lovely choice of traditional songs in both English and in Gaelic, as in the title track; ‘Heather Down the Moor’, or the wonderful Connemara Sean-Nós song ‘Seán Bán’, interspersed with uplifting flings, hop jigs, a few reel selections, double jigs and barndances, all complimenting one another, making the whole recording a joy to listen to. The arrangements are sophisticated, but not overdone, which proves how good taste strengthens and enhances the tradition, when done well.” So says Mairead Ní Mhaonaigh about Roscommon based traditional group Gatehouse’s latest release.
Since the release of their critically acclaimed solo album ‘Tús Nua’ in 2016, the band has gone from strength to strength. Receiving a rare 5-star review from The Irish Times – the album was described as “an unerring gem” and “in that elusive ‘must have’ category for years to come”. Internationally famous fiddler Martin Hayes stated that ‘Tús Nua’ was “beautifully arranged and recorded. Everything happening here is authentic.”
On this, their second record, they have presented more intricate arrangements and augmented their attention to detail whilst supplementing their core sound with additional instruments, layers and colours, all adroitly guided by the hand of co-producer Dónal O’Connor. They have assembled some of Ireland’s finest musicians: John Joe Kelly on Bodhrán, Alan Kelly on Piano Accordion, Michael McCague on bouzouki and Conor & Paddy McEvoy on Fiddle & Piano. The band’s members John and Jacinta McEvoy, Rachel Garvey and John Wynne are steeped in traditional music and it’s no surprise that they are sought after to teach and mentor younger musicians at various summer schools all over the country. The Wynne/McEvoy partnership goes back a long while. “Myself and John McEvoy really enjoy playing together and have performed at many festivals and events over the years,” says John Wynne. “In the last couple of years we thought about expanding and developing our sound so we decided to put the group together. We didn’t have to look too far because in addition to myself and John, we had John’s wife Jacinta on guitar and concertina.” When it came to a singer for the group, John McEvoy says: “We asked a young singer called Rachel Garvey to join us. She is also from Roscommon and is an All-Ireland winner in both Irish and English songs.”
The album features new tune compositions from the band’s fiddler, John McEvoy which were created especially for this record. With the tune arrangements the band wished to create an ‘on the edge’ feel hence the new tune title ‘On the Edge’. “John’s compositions give us a unique sound and by osmosis, they seem to fit in the musical style of north Connacht,” Jacinta explains. “There’s a great lift, flow and rhythm to the music of Roscommon. There is great joy and heart in the musical style, I think.” Rachel adds “We chose some English and Scottish folk songs like Heather Down the Moor, The Cocks Are Crowing and The Death of Queen Jane as well as going back to the roots and the source of the singing tradition with the Connemara Sean-Nós songs ‘Mo Cheallaichín Fionn’ and ‘Seán Bhán’. With the Sean-Nós songs we really worked on presenting them in a new and fresh melodic way.”
Still just 18 years of age, and having amassed almost 10 million streams across all DSP’s on his first 3 singles to date, Curtis Walsh now releases his fourth single ‘Seven Seas’ and debut EP ‘Breathe’ on Paragon Records July 26th.
Curtis says of his next single and EP: “‘Seven Seas’ is a song I wrote about making a tough decision to part ways from an unhealthy relationship and how I felt throughout that whole process. The EP itself I called ‘Breathe’ as all the songs on the EP have similar themes based around pull-through or finding comfort after particularly difficult situations. I hope theyresonate with people.”
His first 3 singles to date have been added to several thousand playlists and are being supported on BBC Radio 2, Amazing Radio and several prominent Irish stations including RTE 2FM. Having supported artists such as Tom Walker, Omar Apollo, JC Stewart and James TW, Curtis now looks forward to playing some festivals this summer – including Indiependence and Electric Picnic along with his own headline shows in London and Dublin in November. From an early stage Curtis has been championed by outlets such as CLASH, KOALA and numerous other tastemakers internationally and the London date will be his first return to the city since appearances at Gold Dust and Sofar Sounds in recent months.
New Irish electronica act ‘Sidewalk Anecdotes’ will release single ‘Sundust’ on August 6th 2019.
The independent, unsigned Irish electronica project’s latest
digital offering follows two previous releases earlier this year ‘Dusk’ and
‘Skyline Avenue’.
Inspired by the scorching heat of California where Carlow born, Kildare based producer Hawk Jupiter spent some time composing earlier in the year, the slow burning electronic song features breezy, carefree vocals set to a backdrop of melodic, airy synths that linger softly amid mid-tempo drums. The track slowly nudges forward toward a lush and sensuous chorus that sweeps upon the listener like an unexpected summer breeze.
The track features no lyrics, yet there’s plenty of emotion in the ethereal vocals that invite the listener to get lost in world of synths and to create a story of their own. Released digitally as an independent release, the track will be available on iTunes, Spotify and all major streaming services. It’s currently available to hear on Soundcloud and YouTube.
Sidewalk Anecdotes is an electronica project by Irish producer Hawk Jupiter. Hawk Jupiter is the producer name of Eoin Mulvihill, who had previously released work with Indie band Cargo BPM.
Hawk regularly collaborates with songwriters and artists from around the world including artists from USA, Sweden, Germany, and Denmark. Much of his travels are documented through street photography, which is shared via the Sidewalk Anecdotes Instagram account.
The characters, places and stories captured by photo often act as jumping off points for the compositions. ‘Music essentially transports you to a different place, so a natural goal of mine is to create and refine a sense of place in my productions,’ says Hawk. ‘For me, street photography and music production are the Yin and Yang of my creative process. When I’m drained from producing, I try to travel somewhere, force myself to take some photos and then suddenly I find inspiration in the streets, or under a bridge, or in the glance of a stranger.’
‘Sundust’ is the third single to release through Sidewalk Anecdotes this year, with additional tracks in the pipeline. Previous releases include the house based ‘Dusk’ and 90s big-beat inspired ‘Skyline Avenue’, all currently available to stream.
Songs by IMRO member, Brendan Graham form study basis in Death within the Text – Social, Philosophical and Aesthetic Approaches to Literature Editor: Adriana Teodorescu: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, (2019).
The book tackles the challenging
theme of death as seen through the lens of literature and its connections with
history, the visual arts, anthropology, philosophy and other fields in
humanities. It offers original contributions to the field of death studies and
also to literary and cultural studies.
The collection of essays includes the chapter: ‘To
Keep the Heart Beating…when Really It Wants to Break’: Uses of Keening in
Irish Literature by E. Moore Quinn PhD – Professor of
Linguistic Anthropology, College of Charleston, SC, USA.
As part of Quinn’s paper she evaluates present-day
perceptions and representations of ‘Death’ and keening, in songs such as Crucán na bPáisteand Ochón an Gorta Mór, by IMRO member, Brendan
Graham.
In the Introduction Quinn talks of:- ‘Presenting the origins and characteristics of an caoineadh, anchoring the discussion in the genre’s function, structure and process’. She goes on to ‘consider the role of the mná caointe’, during An Gorta Mór ‘and how they sought to keep an caoineadh alive, in spite of clerical efforts at suppression’.
Quinn concludes the Introduction with:- ‘The chapter continues by examining keens written
by songwriter Brendan Graham, whose sensitive awareness of An Gorta Mór
(The Great Hunger) prompted him to compose songs which utilize an
caoineadh’s stylistic elements and formulaic features’
The chapter itself concludes with Quinn saying:- ‘Graham, like so many artists of an caoineadh before him, seems to have done what the chapter title suggests: createdlaments ‘’to keep the heart beating […] when really it wants to break’’ (Murray 2011, 18). In this way, a social order preserved but long denied can be restored.’
Graham’s songs Crucán na bPáisteand Ochón an Gorta
Mór, have previously been the focus of study by
Professor Quinn in academic papers presented at Oxford University “Walking the Path to the Unbaptized Children of Ireland:
A Case Study of Crucán na bPáiste.” Pilgrim Paths: Journeys ofTransformation – Oxford Interdisciplinary Press, 2015 and at the
American Anthropological Association Annual Conference.
His song The
Voice forms the Coda in Quinn’s book – Irish
American Folklore in New England and is further dealt with in the chapter “’She must have come steerage:’ in the book, The
Great Famine in New England Folk Memory – An Gorta Mór: Relief, Representation
and Remembrance: Ireland’s Great Hunger, Volume II, ed. David A. Valone, University
Press of America, 2010.
Case Study of an Irish Songwriter, Brendan Graham, formed part of the College of Charleston,
2016 Anthropology Syllabus – Peoples and
CuLtures of Ireland.
Quinn further contributed an in-depth linguistic analysis
of a number of Graham’s works, as part of the feature on the songwriter in the Hot Press Yearbook, 2018.
Hot on the heels of her new single ‘Out Of Town’, Eve Belle has released her second EP – ‘The Fine Line Between Brave and Stupid’ – on Rubyworks today, Friday the 5th July.
Eve will play her first Dublin headline show in over a year when she takes the stage upstairs at Whelans on Wednesday 24th July.
Eve says: “The Fine Line Between Brave and Stupid’ is a boundary we all navigate in seeking to seize opportunities and further our emotions, while risking heartbreak and loss with each new step.”
Recorded and produced in London with long-time Team Eve collaborator Fred Cox.
These new songs once again showcase Eve Belle’s natural gifts as a one of Ireland’s brightest new talents.
Track listing
1. Out Of Town 2. Hard To Love Me 3. One Foot 4. Please Don’t Check Your Messages 5. Cut-Throat (Eve solo version) 6. Jusqu’à je commence a rêver (French language version of ‘Til I Fall Asleep)
‘The Fine Line Between Brave and Stupid’ is released by Rubyworks on all digital platforms today, Friday 5th July.
Dublin based innovative queer pop artist Jack Rua and Dublin based producer LOGUOS have collaborated on this punchy pop song ‘Ego’ released today.
Written and produced by Jack Rua & LOGUOS, ‘Ego’ combines the performative talents of Jack Rua with the slick electronic production of LOGUOS to create an incredibly infectious summer dance floor filler.
Jack Rua is a pop artist from Dublin, Ireland. Stitched together from elements of glam-rock; dance-pop; folk and theatre, Jack has developed a brand of music that can dance across the entire pop spectrum, at once both emotionally confessional as well as mysterious and enigmatic. Heavily influenced by the glamorously gaudy stylings of Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Prince and Madonna, Jack is carving a space in the music industry, one where authenticity and depth can go hand in hand with artificiality and excess.
After graduating from BIMM Dublin in 2016, Jack moved
to New York City and immersed himself in the music, drag, burlesque and art
scenes of the city, absorbing them and allowing them to inform his own art.
Moving back to Dublin in 2018 he began to record with Chris Cahill (Porridge)
and Will Minnock (tenderhook.), and developing visuals with PureGrand (Luke
Faulkner).
In 2019 Jack Rua released his debut single: the dark and sexy ‘Scarlet A’. A dance-pop song with glam-rock influences and lyrics that contemplate the nature of human attraction and monogamy, ‘Scarlet A’ is the perfect statement of intent for an artist who seeks to differ from the norm and delve into the concealed. To date it has over 10,000 plays on Spotify, and has been played on Irish national radio stations RTE 2FM, Spin 1038, RTE 2XM and RTE Pulse to name a few.
LOGUOS is an electronic artist from
Dublin, Ireland. Some of his main influences include Disclosure, Disciples,
Calvin Harris and The Chemical Brothers.
‘LOGUOS’ released ‘Psychotic’ in 2018 to heavy
radio play in Ireland both nationally and regionally, with support from RTE
2FM, Spin1038, RTE Pulse, 98FM, WLRFM and on KCLRFM, LOGUOS has started gaining
traction within the local music scene in Ireland, and is currently preparing
future releases.
Psychotic was released on March 8th, 2019. It is a reflection of the recent changes the brand LOGUOS has undergone. It’s a bold step in a different direction, and one which marks the turning point in the LOGUOS journey.
A cliché has it
that you have to beware of the quiet ones, because most of the time their
voices speak sharper and with more range than the loudmouths. Every cliché,
however, has a grain of truth in it, and so it’s fair to say that while County
Cork singer-songwriter Mick Flannery is outwardly reserved, his songs are
fluent in expressing layered aspects of the human condition, its flaws,
triumphs, and general uncertainty.
An award-winning,
double-platinum selling artist, Mick Flannery’s self-titled sixth album, is out
now [FRIDAY 5TH JULY].
Mick began to
write songs as a teenager in his home of Blarney, County Cork. As musical
influences from albums by the likes of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell
and Tom Waits seeped into his creative DNA, Mick absorbed, learned and honed
the craft that would send him on his way into the world. The path was smoothed
somewhat when, at the age of 19, he became the first Irish songwriter to win
the Nashville-based International Songwriting Competition. By the time he
turned 21, he had signed to a major label and released his debut album.
With
his latest release, Mick touches on loose themes of ambition and the search for
a meaningful life in the context of a musician’s sometimes feckless and
dysfunctional lifestyle. The central character, he reveals, is someone like him, “although this person achieves
more notoriety than I have. He is properly famous, and he has to deal with
that.” The loose theme is just that, however. “I’m not going to hammer
it home. Facets of the theme are on the album, but the storyline itself isn’t
an overarching one – each song can stand on its own, and not need to be part of
a narrative.”
Songs on the album reference reputation and ego (‘Wasteland’), emotional search and rescue (‘Come Find Me’), socio-cultural intransigence (‘I’ve Been Right’), flawed or unreliable love (‘How I Miss You’, ‘Way Things Go‘), moral collapse (‘Light A Fire’) and loss of status (‘Star To Star’). Whether or not the listener locks onto the themes or topics is irrelevant, says Mick. “There are a few relationship songs on the album that don’t necessarily marry into anything; I see them as a background thing, although with value.”
Threading a line
throughout is Mick’s uncanny knack for blending melody with thought-provoking
lyrics. Now in his mid-30s, and somewhat reflective of the musician he sings
about on his self-titled album, Mick is fully aware of the internal struggles
that come with trying to balance ambitions with whatever life throws their way.
“What happens
to a person, sometimes, is that they attach self-worth to their career, and
once the career fails then self-worth also plummets. The more weight you put
into this persona you’re trying to be, you set yourself up for a bigger fall.
It’s the danger of having big ambitions that are based on the external, rather
than internal.”
Mick Flannery has,
of course, experienced and processed enough in the past fifteen years to know
what his views are. He smiles when he says that for the sake of the songs he
ever so slightly embroiders certain facts for creative effect.
“Obviously, I
don’t equate to the levels of conflict I’m describing in the songs. I know the
spectrum because of how reserved I am, and how – in my years of being in the
music industry, and through varying levels of being noticed – it can change
your life a bit. You’re not anonymous in certain places, and when that modifies
your behaviour things can happen to you that are unknown to the general public.
It’s a strange thing, a balancing act. Most of the time, however, I can go out
for a quiet night and not be recognised. I wouldn’t want to give up that
freedom.”
This self-titled
release is Mick’s sixth album – that is a sizeable back catalogue, a genuine
body of work. For live shows, he says, it’s comforting.
“I remember
feeling at the beginning of my performing career that I didn’t have an armoury
of material. If a gig wasn’t going well, I knew there was no cavalry of songs
coming over the hill to rescue it. Different songs call in different moods, and
at the start all I had was a handful.”
He has six times
that now, with decades ahead for many more, whatever his age. Mick has long
since disregarded the view that anyone over the age of 30 has little to write
about. “The outside perception is that the people who buy music are young,
that the music they buy is what gets played on the radio. There’s such a wealth
of experience in older people, however, that’s as valid as anything a young
songwriter brings.”
As a mature
songwriter, he reasons, he’s trying to hold on to what is essential to him, and
resigning himself to the fact that the naïve, passionate 20-something ‘Mick
Flannery’ is gone. What comes next, he contends, is much more interesting and
experienced. “You have a larger worldview and are more learned, each of
which combine to create something new.”
Mick Flannery’s self-titled album out now [FRIDAY 5TH JULY] via Warner Music Ireland. Order atwww.mickflannery.com
See Mick perform songs from his new
album at special Album Record Store events:
July 5th – Music Zone & Coughlan’s, Cork (2 shows) July 7th – Rollercoaster Records & Cleere’s Kilkenny (Lunchtime) July 7th – Golden Discs & The Sky & Ground, Wexford (Evening) July 10th – Zhivago OMG Records & The Black Gate Cultural Centre (Evening) July 11th – Steamboat & Kasbah Social (with Dolan’s Limerick)
And headline shows
at:
July 6th – Clonmel Junction Festival, IRE –Tickets July 19th – Dolan’s, Limerick, IRE –Tickets July 20th – Galway Arts Festival, IRE –Tickets July 21st – Claremorris Folk Festival, IRE –Tickets July 28th – Connolly’s of Leap, IRE –Tickets Aug 18th – The Blue Arrow, Glasgow, UK –Tickets Sept 5th – The Word Barn, Exeter, NH, USA –Tickets Sept 8th – Rockwood Music Hall, NYC, USA –Tickets Sept 26th – Cork Opera House, Cork, IRE –Tickets
