Following a sold out headline show in the Cobblestone on Sunday 9th June, and critical acclaim for his latest two singles, ‘Nixer’ and ‘Frank Edwards’, rising Waterford folk artist Tadhg Williams has released his next single ‘Endgame’.
“Endgame is a bit of a funny song in that it was actually a challenge. I was seeing a therapist at the time and I had experienced a break up. I found it hard to express myself after that break up. I couldn’t cry. I felt like stone. The therapist challenged me to write a song suggesting that it could act as the emotional release I needed. She was right – it kind of poured out of me and looking back on the lyrics now, three years later, it’s more of a song about loneliness and isolation. I think it’s probably the most honest song I’ve ever written.”
The cover art features Williams’ great-grandparents, James Morrissey and Mary Flavin. “When I was digging around for cover art for these tracks, I was looking through my own family photos and came across this one. They’re actually in their mid-50s in this photo, which is a bit mad given they both look about 70, but there’s a lot of character in the image. And I think it’s a nice antithesis to a song about loneliness and isolation, to have the cover art as two people who I personally know were together until the day they died.”
Recently described as “a luminary in the contemporary folk music landscape, poised to leave an indelible mark on Dublin’s vibrant cultural tapestry” by Pure M Magazine, Williams has earned widespread critical acclaim for his most recent two singles, including plays on RTÉ Radio 1, Today FM, FM104, Beat 102 103, iRadio and Radio Nova, and articles in RTÉ and Hot Press Magazine.
Since Williams released ‘The Summer Song’ in 2021, he has worked to develop his stage craft, supporting a variety of acts from Mary Black and The Stunning to Kingfishr and Niamh Regan, and has completed an undergraduate degree in history – a huge source of inspiration for his songwriting.
In 2023, a small Irish tour road-tested new songs alongside a band, before going into the studio with producer, Geoff Warner-Clayton (Gavin James, Kingfishr, Driven Snow), to further develop these songs. They have been mastered by iconic producer John Reynolds (Sinéad O’Connor, Damien Dempsey).
“This is quite an excellent song… There’s something sort of very poetic about it. What an epic war time song it is.” – Kieran McGuinness, Radio Nova on ‘Frank Edwards’
“I was blown away with it. His storytelling in this is absolutely phenomenal.” – Nessy Monaghan, RTÉ 2XM on ‘Frank Edwards’
“Tadhg is a poet who conjures songs both humorous and moving, rich in humanity.” – Junior Brother
“Catchy and relatable.” – Claire Beck, Today FM on ‘Nixer’
Credits:
Vocals & Guitar: Tadhg Williams
Piano: Gemma Cox
Cello: David Doyle
Production: Geoff Warner-Clayton
Mastering: John Reynolds
