Author: Breffni Banks

Ian Bermingham has garnered a reputation for ploughing his own furrow, first as frontman of gypsy-folk powerhouse ‘The Eskies’ and now as a solo entity, under the nom de guerre ‘Old Sea Legs’ with a genre-bending, un-pigeonhole-able sound that defies both trend and tradition.

Swaggering along atop an unorthodox bed of clicks, thumps and rattles; his latest offering ‘These Old Bones’ is timeless and nomadic, dynamic and cinematic, instantly familiar and yet totally singular in exactly the way fans of Ian’s have come to expect.

Sonically, this is exciting new territory for the Dubliner; part-Morricone, part-Waits with a dash of latter-day Dylan, there is an enormous sense of space and scale, while also managing to occasionally pull you close to whisper in your ear.

Bermingham is no ordinary songwriter, Old Sea Legs no ordinary project,  and – true to form – These Old Bones is no ordinary bit of folk.

“These Old Bones is a song about being resigned to your fate, but making one last desperate plea to go out on your own terms. To be granted permission to at least go on and forge another path for yourself. To be given the chance to try again and be defined by something other than loss. If you are going to be turned loose, to be turned loose in some place that at least bears the possibility of new opportunities. I am excited to finally share it.” – OSL

Crawling with vivid imagery and colourful characters, a timeless tangle of tongue-twisting, brain-burrowing lyrics that can swing from breathless barrage to lilting lament – at times without a moments notice – ’Old Sea Legs’ is more than just a nom de guerre for songwriter and performer Ian Bermingham; it’s a window into a world entirely of his own creation.

Best known for his time as frontman of Dublin quintet ‘The Eskies’, known for their raucous live shows, acid wit and hectic touring schedule, appearances of note include main stage appearances at Glastonbury and Cambridge Folk Festival, Eurosonic Noordeslag, Celtic Connections, TV appearances on RTE’s Saturday Night Show  as well as several radio appearances on both RTÉ and BBC as well as a whole host of national and regional radio in Ireland, The UK and throughout Europe.

Ian Bermingham has developed a reputation as a truly singular writer and performer, with a sound that very often defies description. Folk, gypsy, shanty, vaudeville, alternative, noir, the list of attempts to describe could go on and on without ever fully doing justice to what truly is a completely unique artist, ploughing a furrow that defies both trend and tradition.

Displaying all of the storytelling nous and craft of the quintessential folk troubadour, the melodic ear of a pop pioneer and the lyrical largesse that has become so synonymous with Ian’s songwriting, ‘Old Sea Legs’ see’s the Dubliner push himself to new and exciting territory as a solo performer, with a sound that manages to be both expansive and intimate.

2021 saw Old Sea Legs squeeze in a 20 date UK Tour in association with Midnight Mango, and a sold out show in Whelans of Wexford Street. 2022 will see the release of his debut album ‘The Death Of Old Sea Legs’ on Jawdropper Records with worldwide distribution through INgrooves ‘The Eskies’ play a special gig in Whelans of Wexford Street on 19th Feb 2022 (sold out in 4 hours) and then Old Sea Legs embarks on another 20 date UK tour to promote his debut album which is due for release on April 29th.

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Dublin-based indie pop artist Cat Dowling will release ‘All That I Can Do’ on Feb 11th, the fourth single to be taken from  her recently released album ‘Animals’  via Forever In Financial Arrears Records (FIFA Records). ‘All That I Can Do’ while a dance song is also an intimate declaration of love. “All that I can do is give you my love” the songs opening line captures the meaning of this song. “Love is the greatest we can offer anyone and that includes ourselves” – Cat Dowling

‘Animals the 11-track long-player was produced by Gerry Horan with Dowling as co-producer, and mixed by Ger Mcdonnell (The Cure, U2, Van Morrison, Martha Wainwright, Shane McGowan, Sinead O’Connor), This album was partially recorded at Crossroads Studio in her native Kilkenny with support from Ireland’s Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sports and Media.

Lauded as one of the most wonderful and evocative vocalists in Irish contemporary music, Dowling’s beautifully dark pop songs and husky, achingly intimate vocals will grip you from the outset. The former Babelfish and Alphastates frontwoman creates well-crafted songs that inspire.

“I wrote Animals during a busy period of my life when to find those rare moments to write music meant I had to be a thief elsewhere. But it was these stolen moments that gave me oxygen and a beautiful almost supernatural energy,” says Cat Dowling.

Earlier, Dowling released the singles ‘Freedom’, a lush slice of soulful pop perfection with video by Alba Lahoz, featuring her three free-spirited children doing their thing on the beach. The video for the preceding single, ‘Trouble’, was created by BAFTA award-winning director Fergal Costello, recalling a dark, comedic and violent tale set outside of 1981 Belfast.

In 2013, Dowling debuted with ‘The Believer’ LP, ranked in numerous ‘Best of Year’ music polls, including The Sunday Times. The title track featured in the second series of ‘Banshee’, produced by Alan Ball (Six Feet Under, American Beauty, True Blood) and the ‘Witches of East End’ TV series, featuring Julia Ormond. The song ‘Somebody Else’ was also used in ‘My name is Emily’. Cat has also lent vocals on many collaborative projects, including for ABC’s ‘How To Get Away With Murder’ with Emmy-winning actress Viola Davis.

FIFA Records is a steadily expanding label, who have continuously worked with exciting new Irish talent (Fight Like Apes, One Morning in August, Klubber Lang, First Class & Coach, Dae Kim, Lorraine Nash), as well as releasing material from more established names on the Irish indie scene, such as The Frank & Walters, Emperor of Ice Cream, August Wells, Power of Dreams and Whipping Boy.

The singles ‘Freedom’, ‘Trouble’ and ‘Animals’ are currently available everywhere, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp.

As of January 28th, ‘Animals’ LP will be released on  all streaming platforms.

Today sees ‘The Yellowhead Project’ (aka Philip Gargan) release a new song called ‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams.’

Taken from his critically acclaimed debut album ‘Master The Monster’, ‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’ is a remarkable power pop anthem, which weaves interesting musical threads, and Queen-esque vocal harmony, around a poignant and often relatable story.

Composed and produced by long time TYP collaborator, and musical mentor Peter Eades, with lyrics by Kevin Molloy, ‘Boulevard Of Broken Dreams’ combines beautifully layered instrumentation, Gargan’s trademark stacked harmonies throughout, and the unmistakable Eades/Gargan arrangement style that has emerged on recent tracks such as ‘A Million Minds In Tune’ and ‘Strange World.’

Released Today, February 11th 2022

www.theyellowheadproject.ie

Last month Dublin’s Pillow Queens announced their sophomore album Leave The Light On, their first release on Royal Mountain Records (Wild Pink, Alvvays, US Girls), which is due out on April 1st.

The band have been quietly building momentum on their side of the Atlantic since the release of their 2017 debut EP Calm Girls, selling out shows in their native Ireland, supporting artists like IDLES, Pussy Riot and Future Islands, and earning enthusiastic support in the UK before they independently released their 2020 LP In Waiting. The album was a major breakthrough for the band, earning them an Irish Choice Album of The Year nomination, and a US national television appearance on the Late Late Show w/ James Corden.

Today, the band are sharing the second single from the new record, a track called “Hearts & Minds” that singer/guitarist Pamela Connolly describes as capturing the reoccurrence of teenage insecurities occasioned by the band’s rise to prominence and the imposter syndrome she experienced as a result.

“‘Hearts & Minds’ is about experiencing the feeling of being a teenager again,” explains Connolly. “The insecurities about body image and ability when it comes to being a musician that’s seeing themselves recorded and pictured, as well as commented on. It deals with the idea of imposter syndrome when it comes to an industry that favours the male form and the insecurity of not being able to be effortless with your movements.”

In support of the album the band will be playing their first ever US dates that will kick off next month at SXSW.

To make Leave the Light On, the second full-length album from Dublin’s Pillow Queens, the band looked towards introspection. It’s a lonely record, evoking feelings of late night drives on back roads where you digest the day and quietly change lanes. Make no mistake: loneliness doesn’t mean alone, necessarily. On Leave the Light On, the band’s first record with Royal Mountain, loneliness is a warm space to reflect, to meditate. To quote the writer Maggie Nelson in her experimental work of auto-theory Bluets: “When I was alive, I aimed to be a student not of longing but of light.” Leave the Light On is a record not of longing but of light. It glows in tungsten. It is a record of queer dream blues.

Leave the Light On comes at a time where things are rapidly accelerating for the band, which consists of Pamela Connolly, Sarah Corcoran, Rachel Lyons, and Cathy McGuinness. After the success of their first record, 2020’s In Waiting, Pillow Queens went on to play bigger venues, festivals, and played James Corden. Music became a full time occupation for the band. At a point where most artists would get less personal and inward, Pillow Queens did the opposite. Leave the Light On is their most inward-focused release to date. It’s also a record about exploring the unknown, and for yearning.

Just take a song like “Hearts and Minds,” as one such offering. It’s a song about being perceived, by yourself, and by everyone else around you. It’s about feeling like a teenager again. And it feels anthemic, tinged by C86 power pop and varicolored harmonies. “Well I’m not fixin to move/I’m atrophied from winning over all these hearts and minds,” sings Connolly in her pristine and muscular voice.

The record is also a sonic departure for the band. Leave the Light On sounds huge, but also soft and intimate. It encourages a sense of duality—it is a record you can blast and a record you can also listen to on headphones in a moment where you just need to be alone with your thoughts.“Well Kept Wife,” is sparse, with iridescent guitars and crystalline bass. It takes inspiration from the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop, and the appeal of the banal and the everyday. Meanwhile “My Body Moves,” feels like a heartbreaking spark, a lift, it makes you want to dance and hold on for dear life. “Is it cool if I hold onto/Every inch of you/Till my skin turns blue.”

Leave the Light On is an inherently collaborative piece of work. Recorded in the Spring of 2021, the band wrote over the course of three months, and then went into the studio to work with producer Tommy McLaughlin, who the band worked with on In Waiting. The record came together quickly and naturally, becoming the most realized Pillow Queens release to date.

Pre order the new album  https://pillowqueens.com/shop/pre-orders/

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Singer-songwriter Sarah Hickey has returned with her first release of the year, a single entitled “Looking for Trouble”. The song combines Sarah’s trademark indie-pop stylings with elements of roots and blues.

“I wanted to create an atmosphere that would reflect the lyrical content”, says the Cork native, “…night time, walking home, and all the feelings of fear and worry that come with it”. Although the release comes at a particularly poignant time in Ireland, the song is a hard hitting reminder of something which is unfortunately an ever present in our society. 

As well as perfectly capturing a mood, ‘Looking For Trouble’ shows Sarah’s growth as an artist. Having immersed herself in performance and songwriting over the last two years, her hard work is now paying off, this single being her third release, with much more to come.

The single, which comes out on February 10th, was recorded in Monique Studios, Cork, with Christian Best, who also played drums on the track. The ensemble was completed by Cork guitarist/producer, Kealan Kenny, and bassist, Chris McCarthy, all complementing Sarah’s distinct vocals.

Live appearances in venues such as Coughlans (Cork), Connolly’s of Leap, The Greyhound (Kilkee) and The Washerwoman (Tipperary) introduced Sarah Hickey to the live scene in Ireland, before a certain virus put things on hold. Sarah is now ready to pick up from where she left off, with Irish tour dates coming later this year.

The prolific songwriter is currently working on material for a new EP, as well as releasing two more singles in the coming months.

‘Looking For Trouble’ is officially released across all platforms on Thurs 10th February.

Website: https://sarahhickeymusic.wordpress.com/

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“I wrote this song in response to the tangible feeling of dread and anxiety I felt across Dublin city during my first few months living there. Increasingly hostile and violent evictions, police complicity in such acts, the housing crisis in general, among other factors seemed to cultivate a distrust of authority, particularly in the youth of the country. The day after a police-backed violent eviction of peaceful protestors from an abandoned house in North Frederick Street, Dublin, I stood with many others my age outside the empty house,and remarked upon seeing the photograph of the balaclava’d police next to the thugs dressed in all black that you couldn’t tell the goons from the guards. I joined the dots between this line of inquiry and the expectations of masculinity in society, which in turn led me around to posit the notion that a better society does not come quick, and before things change, this future must “wait like a woman”, in hope and frustration.”

An idiosyncratic, challenging and richly lyrical singer/ songwriter, Junior Brother is the pseudonym of Co. Kerry, Ireland singer Ronan Kealy. Following his acclaimed debut album Pull The Right Rope (a Choice Music Prize nominee for Irish Album of the Year), Junior Brother has whipped up a dedicated following thanks to unmissable live shows, and music both excitingly forward-looking and anciently evocative. His strange stories unfold with reckless abandon upon an idiosyncratic guitar and foot tambourine accompaniment, influenced as much by the avant-garde as music from the middle-ages and his home place in rural Ireland.

Spreading the good word in iconic venues such as The Beacon Theatre (New York), Blackpool Opera House (UK) and Vicar Street (Dublin), he has played support for a variety of like-minded acts such as The Proclaimers and Glen Hansard, the latter bringing him on a tour of the US East Coast in July 2019.

Pull The Right Rope, Junior Brother’s trailblazing debut album, was nominated for the Choice Music Prize Award for Irish Album of the Year. Two nominations were also earned at the 2019 RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards, for Best Folk Album and Best Emerging Folk Act. Vigorous approval from modern-day Irish figureheads such as the Rubberbandits and Cillian Murphy has furthered Junior Brother’s stock, the latter playing Junior Brother several times on his BBC6 Music Radio Show. Along-side further airplay in Ireland on all major national radio stations, his television performances include appearances on the Tommy Tiernan show, Other Voices and the Choice Music Prize Prize night in Vicar Street.

No Country For Young Men, the new single from Junior Brother is out on 9th February on Strange Brew. It will be available on all your digital yokeys, as well as limited edition gold 7” backed with a vinyl only exclusive B-Side.  Pre-order now from strangebrew.ie and juniorbrother.com

Junior Brother Tour Dates

16 April –  Spirit Store, Dundalk

22 April – Connolly’s Of Leap, Cork

23 April – Seachurch, Ballycotton

05 May – Button Factory, Dublin

14 May – Dolan’s Warehouse, Limerick

10 – June De Barra’s, Clonakilty

“In The Blue Of The Night” is the new single from Paddy Goodwin and The Holy Ghosts

The single features Paddy himself on Vocals, Bass and Guitars. Anthony Thistlethwaite (The Waterboys and The Saw Doctors) on Sax, Jim Lockhart of Horslips on Keyboards, Shane Power of The Guggenheim Grotto on Drums and Paul Brady on Vocals. Art work is by Tim Booth of Doctor Strangely Strange. The song was engineered and recorded by Jason Varley at the Shop Studio Carlingford.

The official launch is in McHugh’s Venue in Drogheda on Saturday the 26th of February when the Holy Ghosts will be doing a gig.

Paddy Goodwin has played with such renowned names as Horslips and Wayne Kramer from MC5. He played on and produced an album for Henry McCullough called Poor Man’s Moon in 2008. He is currently the guitar player in the well-known new wave band The Atrix renowned for songs such as “Treasure on the Wasteland” and “The Moon is Puce”.

Paddy’s band the Holy Ghosts has featured many guest artists over the years from Boxer Barry McGuigan to Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet Paul Muldoon.

Amongst the other people that have played as part of his Holy Ghosts collective are Paul Brady, Pat McCabe, Josh McClorey, Johnny Gallagher, Jack L, Mundy, Brush Shiels, Philip Donnelly, Henry McCullough, Victor McCullough, Neil Jordan, and Brian Downey from Thin Lizzy.

Rising Irish Pop Star Sophie Doyle Ryder is excited to release her first track of 2022 ‘Don’t Want No Boyfriend’ from her Debut EP “Beginners Luck” The 19Y/O Singer-Songwriter from Dublin has drawn comparisons to Rihanna, Ariana Grande and Anne Marie.

‘Don’t Want No Boyfriend’, is about drum roll please… not wanting a boyfriend! Written in Summer of 2021, it’s all about wanting to have fun and not falling for someone. It’s such a feel good tune, inspired by an exciting feeling of being free. We can all understand! Who doesn’t wanna be single and have fun? Sophie’s fun-loving and free personality is expressed in the writing.

Sophie knew she wanted a song that she could release around Valentine’s day, but not the generic love song, she wanted to do something to celebrate the single gals! Forget Valentines and enjoy Galentine’s Day. This is the ultimate Anti-Valentines, living in the moment song for all singletons not wanting to partner up.

Sophie is set to enjoy a major 2022 with being named RTÉ 2FMs Rising One To Watch list. She is releasing her debut E.P, shows and festivals in the U.K and Ireland and is currently signed with Paradigm Agency. (Billie Eilish, Take That).

Sophie’s debut EP “Beginner’s Luck” is full of chart- worthy hits. ‘Beginner’s Luck’ depicts a new chapter in Sophie’s life and ‘Don’t Want No Boyfriend’ reflects her spontaneous fun, in the moment and  lifestyle. She feels that ‘Beginner’s Luck’ really shows who she is an artist and it was written during a crazy time in her life. The debut EP gives a full 360 view on relationship situations for the young artist. “You can really feel the rollercoaster of emotions throughout”. ‘Beginner’s Luck’ is a timeline of the Summer of 2021 for Sophie and holds a special place in her heart. It is an expression of the transition period in life as the young singer finishes school and prepares for her future. “It feels like to perfect time to release this EP”.

Sophie’s previous releases have earned over 32 million Irish radio impacts and have peaked at no. 2 in the Irish Breakers Chart. She remains as ‘One To Watch’ by many. In addition to International Spotify playlist placements, she has received airplay in the UK, USA and Australia.

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Photo & Video credit: Ray Keogh

Beginner’s Luck EP was supported by First Music Contact MISC grant