Author: Breffni Banks

Following the acclaimed release of his track ‘Fr. Griffin Avenue’ and its mesmerising video, Connemara songwriter and visual artist Me Auld Flower releases ‘Electricity Comes to the Black Valley’ on 24th September 2021.

Me Auld Flower wrote and recorded the song in isolation during a nationwide lockdown in 2020 in a remote cottage on the west coast of Ireland. “It is inspired by the beauty and simplicity of country life, and references The Black Valley, which was one of the last places on the mainland to acquire domestic electricity in Ireland in the 1970s. The song is about living in a faraway metropolis and being homesick for Ireland. It’s a dream of tranquility”.

Challenging himself to write, produce and perform the entirety of the album himself, The Vaults of Consciousness, Volume II is nine songs of lyrical imagery, incident, and rich sonic texture. On its contrast to his debut album, he says: “Volume II was a completely different experience to the first. While I didn’t have the expertise of a band of amazing musicians, I found working to my own schedule really liberating, and experimenting with an array of different instruments allowed me to pull the sounds out of my mind and into the record, exactly as I imagined them.”

‘Electricity Comes to the Black Valley’ is accompanied by a panoramic music video which documents the west of Ireland wilderness, created by Me Auld Flower himself. Having finished the record last Autumn, he set about creating a visual accompaniment to the music and drew heavily from the majestic Connemara landscape and the crooked streets of the coastal town of Galway.

“Making the videos for these songs was a labour of love. It took an inordinate amount of time but it allowed me to be present in these magical spaces in a way I had never really been before. I was getting up at four in the morning for sunrises, and tracking the light throughout the day as it dipped behind clouds and mountains. It was about more than just the camera I was carrying. It was a joy to spend that time getting to know this land more intimately, particularly as there were very few people around due to the lockdown.”

“It was like having Disneyland to myself. I felt blessed to be living in a place with such splendour and solitude on my doorstep.”

The track is the second single from The Vaults of Consciousness, Volume II, which will be released this winter.

You can find Me Auld Flower and all his music through the below links:

meauldflower.net | Spotify | Youtube | Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook

Susan O’Neill and Mick Flannery share a new video ‘Freedom’, a song that features on their highly acclaimed recent album ‘In the Game’.

The album landed at #2 in the Official Irish Album Charts on release, and was hailed as a “seductive, beautiful, crafted album” by The Sunday Times, and “exquisite” by The Sunday Business Post.

The video was co-directed and edited by album videographer Christopher Luke, and filmed on location in Doolin, County Clare, on Ireland’s west coast by renowned underwater cameraman and director Kev. L Smith.

Speaking about the filming, Susan says “I tied weights to my waist, put on my dad’s suit and submerged myself in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Doolin. It was great working with Kev L Smith on this video. Thanks to Christopher Luke for his creative input and edit. This is on the new album with Mick Flannery. Freedom.  I hope ye enjoy.”

Mick Flannery, one of Ireland’s most acclaimed songwriters and singers, and newcomer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Susan O’Neill opened for Grammy nominated US singer Phoebe Bridgers this week outdoors at The Mann Centre, Philadelphia, to a roaring crowd of 7,000 people.

Bridgers tweeted her support of the album: https://twitter.com/phoebe_bridgers/status/1440698211589447686 )

Mick and Susan’s US tour of “In the Game” continues until September 29^th, they then return home for live shows across Ireland, the UK, and EU. Full tour dates and tickets can be found at www.inthegame.ie

Mick says “Thank you also to everyone who’s come to the gigs in America the past two weeks, it’s been a great experience.”

The highly anticipated collaboration album ‘In the Game’, From Mick Flannery and Susan O’Neill is out now on CD, vinyl and digital: https://smarturl.it/in-the-game

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Galia Arad delivers another heart-achingly beautiful single Love Past Him (23/09) written, recorded and produced in her Stoneybatter home, during one of the many Ireland lockdowns. The perfect follow up from recent successful single Lion’s Den – this new single is an emotionally-charged, powerful anthemic ballad, with hints of Britney Spears inspired pop writing.

Galia Arad made a welcome return to the Irish music scene earlier this year, and is a true Midwestern girl at heart. Being a recent guest on Panti Bliss’ iconic podcast ‘Pantisocracy’, as well as appearing in Irish Times ‘What’s Hot’ list, RTE 1’s Recommended Playlist as well as being selected as one of Today FM’s coveted #CeolForTheSoul spots – she is a truly talented performer and songwriter.

Although Galia feels weird writing a bio in the 3rd person, she’s heard that it looks more professional. Two of the best days of Galia’s life were playing Royal Albert Hall and Kew Gardens, doing support for Jools Holland, so you can be sure Galia has been also bragging about that. In 2018 alongside her Irish musical friends Bono, Cathy Davey, Loah and the rest of Street Lights, she recorded the Irish charity cover ‘Homeward Bound’ and is known for catching the attention of one of her music idols, Shane MacGowan (The Pogues), who wrote the liner notes for her sophomore album “Ooh La Baby“, and who also features throughout. She was raised in Bloomington, Indiana where her heart always is, but moved to Dublin in 2018 where her heart also is. (She has a big heart, or so she says to her three boyfriends.) She’s kidding about the boys – she thinks bio writing is awkward and just wants to break the ice by making jokes. Galia will change this bio tomorrow and learn to act more confident and professional, hopefully also by tomorrow.

Love Past Him is a sequel to the song I Must Have Misunderstood, a song about reckoning, and losing hope. Love Past Him is the step that comes after that, and contains vivid imagery that expresses how violent this stage of heartbreak can feel. Titled after a gorgeous typo in a friends whatsapp group, instead of typing “we are here to help you move past him.”, the friend wrote “we are here to help you love past him” – and thus the title was born.

Her performances are unforgettable, and she is truly an astounding performer as well as a “fucking good songwriter” (according to guitar legend Marc Ribot), which has taken her to great heights including past performances at Glastonbury Festival, Royal Albert Hall and Kew Gardens, as well as Irish staples at 3Arena and Convention Centre (opening for Jools Holland), National Concert Hall and Roisin Dubh (supporting Jack L), and Dublin’s infamous Ruby Sessions. Her music online has garnered nearly half a million streams, with little or no publicity team around her.

Off the back of her hilarious Hot Press Y&E series, and returning to live shows – don’t miss her headline show in Dublin’s Button Factory on Sep 28th (tickets nearing sold out…!)

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Tullamore’s Tolü Makay combines soulful pop with rhythmic hip-hop in her new single Behavin Like a Lil B**, skillfully produced by her long-time collaborator Enda Gallery.

“’Behavin Like a Lil B**’ is a song with attitude. It’s the song you need when you just have to call someone out. I also make reference to men who hit on women and can’t take no as an answer.
I was inspired by 90’s HipHop and a really cool artist I found called Kahlo. I’m enjoying incorporating more parts of my background into the production and lyrics, and having fun with the process of bringing this album to life. Here’s a song you can now play to someone thats ‘Behaving Like a Lil B**’.“ -Tolü Makay

Since her viral cover version of the The Saw Doctors’ classic ‘N17’ with the RTE Concert Orchestra in January of this year, the young Nigerian-born singer-songwriter has become one of the most exciting newcomer artists in Ireland. Tolü’a debut album is due early 2022.

Tolü has just announced a headline show at Vicar Street, Dublin, presented by Aiken Promotions, Friday 15^th October. Support on the night will be from Lucy McWilliams. Tickets are on sale now via ticketmaster.ie

TOUR DATES:

25th Sep – Hibernacle, Claregalway Castle

25th Sep – Hibernacle, Claregalway Castle

Tickets: https://www.hibernacle.ie/mmatc

15th Oct – Vicar Street Headline, Dublin

Support: Lucy McWilliams

Promoter: Aiken Promotions

Tickets: https://www.ticketmaster.ie/venueartist/198259/5317656

12th Nov – Grand Social, Dublin (sold out)

14th Nov – Grand Social, Dublin (sold out)

16th Nov – Grand Social, Dublin (sold out)

17th Nov – Cyprus Ave, Cork (Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/tolu-makay-tickets-138881601609 )

21st Nov – Roisin Dubh, Galway (Tickets: https://roisindubh.net/listings/tol%C3%BC-makay-2021-11-21-200000 )

7th March – 17th March Ireland In Music USA Tour with Hothouse Flowers, Enda gallery, Strange Boy

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ToluMakay

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

Spotify: http://spoti.fi/2Puk1SP

Apple Music: http://apple.co/3sHdIcL

YouTube Music: http://bit.ly/3qe7Upr

Last month, Villagers released their fifth album Fever Dreams; a paean to human connection, the transporting and hypnotic record hit the Top 20 in the UK charts and garnered praise from across the board. Villagers’ Conor O’Brien saw Fever Dreams as a way of bringing the real and the surreal together.

Ahead of Villagers’ UK & Irish tour next month, O’ Brien is happy to share a very special new video for “Circles In The Firing Line”. The 6-and-a-half-minute track is the perfect showcase of the music found on Fever Dreams, songs that twist and turn with the magical ambivalence of dreams. The accompanying video for “Circles In The Firing Line” is an animated odyssey that nods to surrealistic collage and retro computer games before dissolving into a more liminal, abstract space. It is at once playful whilst filled with sense of foreboding.

On “Circles In The Firing Line” Conor says: “I like Keats’ concept of “negative capability” which he defines as “when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason”. This is a song about when our negative capability fails us. I think the internet has a lot to answer for.”

The video director, Rosie Barrett, says: “It was such a joy to team up with Conor again for this brilliant song. From the very first listen I felt this piece really needed to live in another world, and that’s what we set out to do. Starting with a green screen process shot by the superb cinematographer, Albert Hooi while also working together with Conor on themes for this dystopian world of doom was a really interesting and fun process. “For the build, I had the pleasure of working collaboratively with the immensely talented motion designer Cian McKenna on the amazing visual world, accompanied by beautiful animation inside Conor’s brain by the brilliant ‘Eat the Danger’, while also having great fun bringing in my own design collage elements made by hand too.”

Alongside their upcoming UK & Irish live dates – which includes 4 dates at Dublin’s Vicar Street, Villagers have confirmed a European tour for January 2022.

2021 live dates

7^th October – Vicar Street, Dublin

12^th October – SWG3, Glasgow

13^th October – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

15^th October – Albert Hall, Manchester

16^th October – SWX, Bristol

17^th October – Junction, Cambridge

18^th October – The Glee Club, Birmingham

20^th October – Chalk, Brighton

21^st October – Roundhouse, London

2^nd November – Opera House, Cork

3^rd November – Set Theatre, Kilkenny – Sold out

4^th November – Dolans Warehouse, Limerick – Sold out

5^th November – Black Box, Galway – Sold out

7^th November – Empire Music Hall, Belfast – Sold out

11^th December – Vicar Street, Dublin – Sold out

12^th December – Vicar Street, Dublin – Sold out

13^th December – Vicar Street, Dublin

 2022 live dates

9^th January – Burgerweehuis, Deventer, NL

10^th January – Trix Zaal, Antwerp, BE

11^th January – La Gaîte Lyrique, Paris, FR

12^th January – Lantaren Venster, Rotterdam, NL

14^th January – Paradiso Noord, Amsterdam, NL

15^th January – Doornroosje, Nijmegen, NL

16^th January – Muziekgieterij, Maastricht, NL

18^th January – Fabrik, Hamburg, DE

19^th January – Metropol, Berlin, DE

21^st January – Technikum, Munich, DE

22^nd January – Bogen F, Zurich, CH

23^rd January – Kulturkirche, Cologne, DE

Tickets

Fever Dreams is available to buy on Dom Mart exclusive coloured vinyl (with one-sided 7” and signed 4 postcard set), indies exclusive coloured vinyl, Dinked Editions exclusive coloured vinyl (with flexi disc), Irish exclusive coloured vinyl, vinyl, CD and digitally. Buy: Dom Mart | Digital The initial press of all vinyl formats features a die cut sleeve with 4 interchangeable album covers.

Stream Fever Dreams here.

Villagers Online:

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Kildare singer songwriter Lisa Gorry is delighted to release her new single ‘It Was You (And Me)’ Sept 23rd and announces her second EP, of the same name, which will be released everywhere October 28th.

The 4 track pop-rock EP brings resolution to Gorry’s debut, ‘Is It Me?’ and is the first release with new manager, Lia Lieghio of One Productions. Where Gorry’s first EP asked questions, ‘It Was You (and Me)’ delivers answers and is almost jubilant in it’s assertion of the freedom that comes with them. This is aided by the wonderful musicians who helped bring these tracks to life, as arranged by Theodora Byrne: Maria Ryan on strings, Laura McCabe on cello, Shay Sweeney on drums and Jack Hussey on bass, as well as producer Kevin Brennan of Wavefarm Productions.

It will see the release of two singles which highlight a shift in self-understanding for Gorry, the first bearing the same name as the EP itself. The single ‘It Was You (and Me)’ brings attention to the importance of doing the work and being able to come into a new relationship with eyes and heart wide open. The second single, ‘Home’ illustrates the peace that can be found in being honest with both yourself and your partner and was written in the latter stages of lockdown with the aid of a songwriting circle prompt.

About the new single Gorry says “It Was You (and Me)’ was the last song to be written for the EP and it was written for the purpose of having a single with the EP’s name as I thought the message was important. This single, and the EP as a whole I suppose, is answering the title of the first EP, ‘Is It Me?’ and was a reminder to myself of the work that I had done in the wake of past relationships to become stronger and more self-reliant, and how, while it was helped along by a loving partner who sought to understand, it was me who had to put in the foundational work first to then be able to express myself and set boundaries within a new relationship. It was written in a couple of hours, and came together very naturally and in advisory tone that I hope listeners can hear and think, “this was written for me.”

Lisa Gorry is a Kildare singer-songwriter known for her poignant, relatable lyrics and tender yet powerful performance style. She released her first single, ‘Parts’ in August 2019 to a sellout launch party in the Vintage Rooms of The Workman’s Club and has been releasing consistently since then, with the debut of her first EP, ‘Is It Me?’ in October 2020.

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Ireland’s R&B queen Erica Cody is back with her new single entitled… well, ‘Queen’.

Cody’s brand of classic 90s vibes have seen support from leading tastemakers such as Ones To Watch (US) and Notion Magazine – with the Times (UK) naming her one of Ireland’s most promising artists in their coveted ‘30 under 30’ ranking. The singer exudes a confidence that has seen her perform at Primavera Pro, Ireland’s National Concert Hall, and share the stage with living legends like En Vogue. And, if being a leading figure in the Irish music scene wasn’t enough, the singer is also a prominent campaigner championing Irish female talent and issues around racism and equality in Ireland. In short, this woman is a boss; a sentiment that is affirmed with every soulful bar and stomping beat of ‘Queen’.

Cody’s previous single premiered with BBC radio and was credited as her “most confident release to date”, but that was before the world heard ‘Queen’. The track is delivered with a stunning vocal performance that just oozes a sense of poise and assurance, further testimony to this rising star’s artistic evolution. In the artist’s own words, ‘Queen’ is a love letter to her younger self – “Comparison is the thief of joy. Be you FOR you while unapologetically yourself. You control your own happiness, so make your happiness happen. Live your life for you, don’t pay attention to the bullshit, it’s a distraction. Your time is on the way, stay patient, persistent and authentic. Everything else will follow.”

‘Queen’ is taken from Cody’s forthcoming EP, coming in October. The artist is also an integral part of Irish Women In Harmony, a collaborative group that first released a version of The Cranberries’ ‘Dreams’ – orchestrated by Grammy nominated artist RuthAnne Cunningham. It saw 40 of Ireland’s leading female artists join forces to support Safe Ireland in an effort to end domestic abuse and coercive control in Ireland. The song has over 10 million plays across platforms and counting, it seems whatever Cody touches turns to gold. With a truly dazzling positive outlook and an unrivalled work ethic, Erica Cody’s rise looks destined to reach the heights of R&B royalty that she deserves.

‘Queen’ is out Friday September 24th.

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Eva Campbell is ready with a tameless voice and an uplifting message to embrace the nation.

The nineteen-year-old, raised in Skerries, Dublin has already been carving a name for herself on the pop boulevard with appearances on the Late Late Toy Show, Junior Eurovision, and most recently, The Voice UK in 2019.

Eva’s brand new single , Echo, will be available on all streaming platforms on Friday October 1 ^st, 2021.

Confident, fun, yet unashamedly emotional, she aligns herself to musical idols such as Florence & The Machine and The Cranberries. Eva wrote her first song when she was six years old with her dad and would perform it for friends, family, and locals while holidaying in Spain.

At sixteen years of age, Eva stepped onto the stage on  ITV’s The Voice and impressed judge Olly Murs with her cover of ‘Teardrop’ by Massive Attack.  Eva’s journey on the international TV show saw her progress from the Battle rounds, all the way to the knockout stages. “I’ve always had songwriting in me but never truly believed in my potential. Being on The Voice was a huge turning point for me because then I realised how determined I was to make music my future career,” Eva said.

During lockdown, Eva took the next step in her journey as a singer-songwriter and collaborated with Grammy-nominated music producer Billy Farrell (The Corrs, Bonnie Tyler). Through working with Billy and co-songwriters in Ireland, UK and Los Angeles, Eva composed a collection of original songs, all written and recorded in her bedroom. Although physically alone with her guitar and keyboard, Eva’s lockdown creations were perfected alongside a wealth of collaborators over Zoom with those final touches.

The first song from this digital alliance is the new single Echo. Echo is a song about self worth. It’s about personal growth and loving yourself, if you’re not getting it from a partner or friend, you can be your own first love.

“I wanted a song to dedicate to Dublin Pride, for all the partners who have been hidden away due to internalised homophobia. It is also written to empower those who’ve been through a breakup, or who haven’t got the love they deserve,”  Eva said.

Joining Eva on her upcoming releases are a collective of songwriters from around the globe, including LA-based Hannah Avison who co-wrote Echo, and Jonathan Brown, from Irish/English family pop-rock group The Rua.

Despite the limitations of kickstarting a music career during a global pandemic, Eva has been building a steady and growing fanbase across her social media channels. In the past year, Eva has accumulated thousands of views across Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, where she posts regular covers and sneak previews of her music.

Eva took to the virtual stage in April 2021 with a live performance from The Sound House for the Flutter-tone Monday Club, performing a mixture of covers and original songs.

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/evacampbellmusic/?hl=en

TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@evacampbellmusic

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

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/evacampbell_?lang=en

“When You’re Dreaming” is the new single from veteran Irish singer-songwriter Tommy Keyes, officially releasing on 1 October but available for immediate airplay.  It’s the fourth single from the forthcoming album Radio Days – the first three singles, “Any Other World”, “Radio Days” and “The Emigrants’ Blues”  all made no 1 in the iTunes singer-songwriter charts in Ireland and got hundreds of radio plays.

“When You’re Dreaming is a vibrant, humorous song driven by piano and saxophone, with backing vocals from Thomas Walsh of the legendary band Pugwash and a superbly melodic guitar solo.  It’s made for radio play!

The sixth album from Tommy Keyes, Radio Days , is his best yet.  It includes three singles which have already topped the iTunes singer-songwriter chart this year and between them received hundreds of plays on Irish radio – Any Other World, Radio Days and The Emigrants’ Blues.  The fourth single, When You’re Dreaming, comes out in tandem with the album on 1 October.

The album is inspired by radio, about radio and made for radio.  Tommy traces his musical life back to childhood days transferring the latest singles from the radio to cassette so he could learn them on the piano.  He sees radio as important now as it ever was, as the gateway to the wonderful world of music – an entertainer and an educator at the same time.

Listening to the album is like listening to an eclectic music radio station in the 1970s  which is the era in which all of Keyes’ music is firmly rooted.  With his gift for melodic hooks and evocative lyrics,  and the array of talented musicians and singers (including legendary names such as Thomas Walsh, Richie Buckley and Dick Farrelly) Keyes has created an album which is stuffed with gems for radio playlists.

Website: :  www.tommykeyes.com

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/tommykeyesmusic/