Author: Breffni Banks

Niamh Regan is a critically acclaimed songwriter from county Galway. Following her studies at UL, Regan honed her craft as a songwriter by travelling between Ireland and California, writing about her experiences along the way. As a result, her songs seamlessly weave the intimacy of the Irish lyrical tradition with the expansive breadth of American songwriters such as Karen Dalton, Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell, but the resulting sound is entirely her own.

Her debut album Hemet announced her arrival as one of the most distinctive songwriters in Ireland today. Earning nominations for both the RTE Folk Awards and the Choice Awards album of the year, the album received soaring praise which led to performances on The Late Late Show, Other Voices, and La Blogothèque.

Ciaran Lavery grew up in Aghagallon in Northern Ireland’s County Antrim, he has strived to break free from the preconceptions surrounding Irish singer-songwriters. He listened to Thom Yorke’s ‘The Eraser’, Mitski’s ‘Be The Cowboy’, Bjork’s ‘Debut’, and that 90s-defining hip-hop album by the Beastie Boys, ‘Ill Communication’ – and his music sees a heightened energy, with percussion brought to the forefront.

He counts Zane Lowe as a fan, and in 2016 he was one of 30 artists hand-selected by Willie Nelson to play at his Luck ranch in Texas. With well over 120,000,000 plays on Spotify and 30,000 followers, the plaudits keep coming Ciaran’s way.

Regan and Lavery combine their talents on a new single, ‘Winter in Eden’, which features on Niamh’s forthcoming EP ‘In the Meantime’.

‘Winter in Eden’ was co-written between the two artists. Over lockdown the pair zoomed and workshopped ideas, emailing each other lyrics and snippets of works in progress. “It was interesting creating a whole song online”, Niamh explains, “collaborating via zoom and whatsapp was surprisingly lovely for creating this song. Sending fragments of melodies, lyrics, ideas and patching them together in our own time felt really easy and I’m proud of what came out of this”, and the result is a disarmingly poetic duet that encompasses the best of Ciaran’s conversational lyric style, with observations like “the sun is a bruised fruit” and “life is a knee graze that leaves a wholesome scar”, and the refraining “I’m a noble mechanic in a one horse town.”

Ciaran adds “Winter in Eden is a song about the quiet and content time in a relationship between two people. There’s something beautiful about that mundanity. Typically, songs tackle the tumultuous ending or frightful beginnings of a couple. This was really fun to discuss the in-between period for a change.”

Winter in Eden came to life in the studio with Alex Borwick (producer), Lina Andonvoska (flute, alto flute), and Jake Curran (baritone guitar and electric).

This is the third single Niamh shares from her upcoming EP, In the Meantime. Showcasing the very best of her intimate storytelling and remarkable knack for melody, Niamh describes the new EP as “exploring themes of acceptance, uncertainty, independence, family guilt, silence and ordinary acts of love.”

Pre-order ‘In the Meantime’ EP by Niamh Regan https://niamhregan.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-meantime-ep

See Niamh on tour in Ireland & the UK this Spring:

MARCH

• *EP LAUNCH with special guests, and support from Seba Safe* The Grand Social, Dublin | Friday 4th March
• The Green Note, London | Sunday 6th March

APRIL

• St John’s Priory, Kilkenny | Sunday 10th April
• The Royal Theatre Castlebar, Co. Mayo | Thursday 14th April
• The Attic at Hotel Doolin, Co. Clare | Friday 15th April
• Upstairs Dolans, Limerick |Saturday 16th April
• Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray | Thursday 21st April

MAY

• Levis Corner House, West Cork | Saturday 7th May
• Coughlans, Cork | Sunday 8th May

Spotify |Apple Music | Twitter / @niamhreganmusic |Facebook |Instagram | Bandcamp |http://niamhregan.com/

Robert John Ardiff and A. Smyth are delighted to present a first series of live shows as part of their “This Little Tour of Ours”.

The show will see both Smyth and Ardiff swap singing duties over the night, while also accompanying each other on their own songs and using the same backing band for each other’s sets.

The tour will take them to –

• Limerick, Record Rooms –  April 8th
• West Cork, Connolly’s of Leap –  April 9th
• Cork, Coughlans Live –  April 10th

Tickets €15 available via venue websites and Eventbrite

Singer-songwriter Robert John Ardiff is best known for his work in The Choice Music Prize nominated band Come On Live Long. His solo music has had over 10 million streams on Spotify and has featured on the Amazon original TV series, Modern Love. He has toured extensively around Ireland in addition to playing shows in Europe, The UK and The USA. His second album The Corridors of Love is out now.

Instagram | Spotify  |Twitter: @robertjardiff

A. Smyth‘s debut album Last Animals, released in 2021, was hailed by the Irish Times as the “First great debut of 2021′ as well as being named by Dave Fanning as his favourite Irish record of 2021. Picking up fans, such as Badly Drawn Boy and Robert Carlyle, along the way, his songs have collectively racked up over 1 million Spotify plays and received play on Irish radio stations RTE Radio 1 and Today FM, with support also from Huw Stephens at BBC 6Music, with two tracks featuring on Made In Chelsea’s soundtrack.  He has appeared at Other Voices, All Together Now, Electric Picnic, Primavera Pro & Fanning Live at Whelans. Aaron will play a headline show at the Grand Social, Dublin on 23^rd March (Jackie Beverly and Will Troy opening).

Instagram |Spotify |Twitter: @asmythmusic

It is no secret that performers and creatives around the country are buzzing with the idea of returning to the stage in a post-Covid world. This rings especially true for Cork City’s Naked Animals, who were known as a beacon of the Irish scene before the pandemic, and are ready to reclaim their place. When you listen to their music, you can hear why this reputation is justified, and their new single, ‘One More Time’ is a perfect example.

The indie-rock 5 piece is set to release the song across all platforms on Wednesday February 23rd. ‘One More Time’ is a melancholic, yet upbeat pop/rock song, which portrays an image of themes such as heartbreak, unfinished business and the realization that love isn’t always perfect or like a fairy tale.

While the song shows a more heartfelt, sombre side to the band, it still retains the energy that Naked Animals are known for, and is accompanied by an incredibly well put together stop-motion video, which captures the mood of the track perfectly, with just the right amount of light and shade.

“It’s a song that we’ve had up our sleeves for a while, and we’re really excited to get it out there”, says bass player, Ben Janning, “…it kind of feels like the start of the next chapter, new material, getting back on the road etc.”

The single was recorded in Cork, with well known producer, 1000 Beasts, and will be closely followed up by the bands long awaited return to the stage in a non-virtual setting.

Live appearances in venues such as Whelan’s (Dublin), Monroe’s (Galway) and Coughlan’s (Cork), are on the cards in April, giving fans the chance to once again experience Naked Animals’ high energy live show, as well as hearing new material, such as ‘One More Time’ in a live setting for the first time.

‘One More Time’ is officially released across all platforms on Wednesday February 23rd.

Official Site: https://www.nakedanimalsmusic.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NakedAnimals/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Naked_Animals

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nakedanimalsband/

Ahead of his performance at this year’s Choice Music Prize awards at Vicar St on March 3rd, Mick Flannery releases a 12 song chess album and companion NFT Collection called  ‘Night At The Opera’ with profits from both being shared with Effective Altruism.

The album which will be released initially to Bandcamp only is made up of 12 short songs that tell the story of 12 famous chess games and their players.  A new take on songwriting where the piece moves of famous historical chess games dictate the bass notes of a song. The song in turn tells the pieces when to move. The NFT collection is a selection of videos illustrating the marriage of chess game and song.  Mick collaborated with his sister Sarah Barthelet and her husband Luc Barthelet on the creation of the NFTs which were made using Unity

Speaking recently to Irish Tech news Mick said  “Money was always going to be digitized so the emergence of Bitcoin is not that unexpected. And even though there are energy concerns surrounding layer one blockchains, it’s hard for me to see a more important use of energy than the conservation of people’s time and work.”  A preview of the NFT Collection can be seen here alongside Mick walking through the different aspects of the collection.  The collection goes live on the Ethereum Blockchain and will launch at 7.30pm on February 22nd. More information on this project can be found via this discord group dedicated to the project.

The album and project initially inspired by Croatian chess player and youtuber ‘ Agatmators’ youtube channel,  Mick selected 12 different famous chess games to apply this songwriting method to, including games with Judit Polgar, Awonder Liang, Adolf Anderssen, Rashid Nezhmetdinov, Vassily Ivanchuk, Mikhail Tal, Bobby Fischer, Albert Einstein, Alexander Alekhine, Gary Kasparov and the album and NFT Collections namesake game ‘Night At The Opera’ which recalls the famous game that Paul Morphy played in 1858 at the Opera House in Paris.

Speaking more on the project Mick has said:

“A lockdown-induced chess-obsession was the inspiration for these songs. A chess piece e.g knight, pawn.. is given a corresponding musical chord, and thus the song structure follows the moves of a chosen (mostly famous) chess game. The lyrics of the songs deal primarily with the often complex lives of the  grandmasters. The audio will be widely available. The NFT idea is connected to videos where people (chess-nerds) can watch the chess game play out in time and harmony with the chords of the song. There’ll be 2D and 3D versions of these and they’ll be sold as digital tokens with 20% of all profits going to effective altruism”

Bog Bodies are a heavy folk outfit (often dubbed “Bog Rock” or “Druid Rock”) formed by Irish singer-songwriter and anthropologist Dan Maher.

Their genre-bending, high-energy folk sound is inspired by Dan’s close study and appreciation of ancient culture, pulling songs from the ether during visits to megalithic tombs and other ancient sites.

Bog Bodies are in perfect form on ‘Firelighters’ and the energy and innovation are both intoxicating and undeniable.

‘Firelighters’ is the first of a 3-single campaign that will pave the way to their debut album, RECLAIM THE RITUAL, out later in 2022.

Heavily influenced by Irish Mythology, the music video follows the journey of a body rising up out of the Bog, to carry a sacred fire to the mountain top. All the while showcasing the beautiful landscape of Ireland’s hidden heartlands of Offaly and Tipperary.

Instagram |Facebook |Youtube | Spotify | Apple Music | Bandcamp |

Photo credit: Kate Gibbs

Donegal alt-rockers Don’t Fear The Natives will be releasing their new single, to help raise awareness of new counselling services being offered to Mica-affected families.

‘We Don’t Wanna Hear A Thousand Reasons’ will be available from all global music platforms on 22^nd February via AWAL Distribution, and highlights the band’s glistening guitars and shimmering sound, underpinning the yearning vocals of Claire McDaid.

Recently featured in HOT PRESS and the IRISH MIRROR

“We’ve marched, and hit the media, but we reckon we can also open up another front in the battle by putting our campaign firmly in view of music followers, here in Ireland, Europe and across the world”, states front woman Claire McDaid, her own home slowly disintegrating.

The mental health and wellbeing of Mica homeowners is now top priority as many face an uncertain journey in the months and years to come, but there is a safety net of care available. More info:

https://inishowen.ie/ifan-group-offering-supports-for-mica-affected-families-in-inishowen/

Don’t Fear The Natives announced their arrival with a critically acclaimed debut, the Stupid Heart EP, which hit the iTunesIRL top 20 on its release. Along with the follow-up Catch A Wave, tracks from both have featured on the likes of iRadio, 2XM, BBC, and many community, regional and student radio playlists. Live sessions have included Stephen McCauley’s Electric Mainline, and a Firestone Stage headline slot at Vantastival.

‘Tief’ is the new single released by Femmepop on March 14th.

It is her first new work since 2020. The single will be released on all digital platforms by Independent label ‘Stranger Nights’.

Femmepop is currently in the process of writing and producing a new album which will be released on the Werra Foxma label in early 2023. You can hear some of Femmepop’s current inspiration from her mix’s at guest takeover’s at Resonance FM London, Refuge Radio Berlin, The Female Pressure Podcast, and soon to be RBL Berlin, and Dublin Digital Radio.

Femmepop will also be playing an intimate performance, at the beautiful venue and well kept secret that is, ‘Pearl’ in Hackney Wick, East London on March 12th to promote her new Single.

Visit Femmepop Here:

Soundcloud |Bandcamp |Facebook| Instagram

Limerick rapper Strange Boy performed his song ‘Sorrow’ on The Tommy Tiernan Show, RTE 1, over the weekend, backed by band members Seán O’Meara on guitar, Dermot Sheedy on bodhrán, Ted Kelly on banjo, and Conor Crimmins on flute.

Watch the performance here:

Blown away by the posted response to the show, Strange Boy tweeted: “Thank you @Tommedian for having me🙏 was a pleasure listening to each guest tell their story. Am only delighted to have had the chance to perform my song for you all. Big love to everyone supporting me, yere legends🙏❤️”

The song features on Strange Boy’s debut album ‘Holy/Unholy’ released last year. The album sees the young Limerick man combine Hip-Hop and Irish traditional music, old and new cultural influences dominant in this country, described by the Irish Times as “Irish hip-hop at its most culturally, intrinsically authentic”, and Totally Dublin saying Strange Boy “has taken his demons and transformed them into something intensely poetic.”

Strange Boy presents his full set of skills in 10 astonishing tracks which detail his personal story, a story that is unique, but relatable for many other young Irish people. The album features guest appearances from fellow Limerick rapper Hazey Haze, Strange Boy’s brother Seán McNally Kelly, and Grammy-winning star Moya Brennan. The music was composed and produced by Enda Gallery in Kilfenora, Co. Clare during lockdown.

“When I was working on this album and when Enda (Gallery) was brewing up the beats for me, I got a sort of anxious feeling like I wasn’t going to be able to do the concept we had justice. It was also the worst possible time for me to write an album as there was a lot of suffering going on within my family.

Eventually though, through me being at mental rock bottom, the album revealed itself and the entire thing was writing within a month or two. I wouldn’t say I’m proud of it, I’d say I’m proud despite it. There’s nothing honourable or romantic about being in a bad place so I’m just glad that this album is finished. Regardless of whoever likes it or doesn’t it’s 100% my experience and there’s not much else to it. Just another one in a long line of humans talking about some sh*t that happened. That’s all” -Strange Boy

‘Holy/Unholy’ by Strange Boy is available on all digital platforms now via the Welcome to the New World label.  https://found.ee/HolyUnholy

Strange Boy plans to tour Ireland May 2022, with details to be announced soon.

Social Links:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strange.boy.theweirdo/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/StrangeBoyWha / @strangeboywha

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4LXxi3hXUQ0TEeQtmuWLY4?si=OEwMBarbTn-d4p1P7WPAoQ

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/de/artist/strange-boy/1215627698?l=en

YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCmRNfYRfsyAbxkMRXErwlpg?feature=share