Author: Breffni Banks

Chart-topping artist John Gallen is set to captivate audiences once again with his highly anticipated second album, Rizla Smokes, Music & Wine. As a precursor to this much-anticipated release, Gallen has dropped the release of lead single, Miracle Without Shoes. This first taster further showcases Gallen’s distinctive songwriting skills, musical prowess, and original vocal style. The singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist garnered recognition with his debut album; ‘1970s’, which debuted at No.1 in the Independent Irish Album Chart & at No.5 in the official Irish Album Chart last year.

Speaking of the lead track from the new album, John says: “Miracle without Shoes is my take on those I’ve known in life who struggle on a fine line between genius and breakdown, it’s a message that says ‘mind yourself’. I’ve taken a new route with the upcoming second record and look forward to sharing it far and wide on record and through live shows.” With Rizla Smokes, Music & Wine, Gallen aims to further push the boundaries of his artistry, delivering a collection of a further twelve songs that embody authenticity, introspection, and sonic excellence. Produced by Billy Farrell & with a who’s who of session players on the album, including Gerry Leonard of David Bowie fame, you’re invited to join the next chapter of John’s musical journey.

Miracle Without Shoes is released today, September 1st.

The White Horse Guitar Club are a unique outfit based in Ballincollig, Co Cork. 11 Men, 11 Voices and 11 Guitars – they play the finest Americana fused with Irish roots. The band members come from all walks of life; one is a stonemason, another an engineer, a photographer, a teacher, but they all share a common bond in their passion for singing, playing and performing live.

In 2012, band member Joe Carey invited guitarists to join him at his renowned music venue, The White Horse in Ballincollig, with no set agenda other than gathering together and playing guitar. From a turnout of around 20, 11 musicians emerged, and they have been together ever since. Not only did they form a band, they forged close friendships with one another and strong connections with their audiences in Ireland and abroad.

It has been a busy year for the band, they played a sold out Irish tour in the spring, and now their autumn tour is headed the same way. Just back from hugely successful appearances on the Belonging Bandstand at All Together Now, and Hot Press, Trailer Park and Salty Dog stages at Electric Picnic. On Fri 1st Sept they released a new single from their album, ‘Live at The White Horse’ – the Buddy Miller track, ‘Wide River To Cross’. Buddy Miller is an award winning singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He has written and produced for artists including Dolly Parton, Robert Plant, Patty Griffin, Richard Thompson.

“The White Horse Guitar Club choose songs that allow them to delve into the depths of often unexplored emotions. Through the music and the songs they can confront feelings of loss, grief and despair which in everyday life might be hard to dwell on, balanced with songs of love, adventure and joy. Those songs include Townes Van Zandt ‘If I Needed You’, Sister Rosetta Thorpe ‘This Train Is Bound For Glory’, Louvin Brothers ‘Cash On The Barrelhead’ and their new release, Buddy Miller ‘Wide River To Cross’.”

Listen to it below:

Dublin indie alternative rock band Sun Mahshene has released their highly anticipated new single ‘Reverie’ on 1 September.

The upbeat shimmering track gives a taste of what is to come off the bands debut album ‘A Place We’ve Never Been’ which is set for release early next year.

Lead singer Nathan Henderson said the band are excited for people to hear their new material.
Nathan said: “Reverie came out of lockdown when no one knew what was going to happen.
“So we decided to write a song that would give us a purpose.” While guitarist Rob added: “Reverie is a great taster for the album as it’ll show people what we’ve been up to and where we are going next.”

The six-piece band’s sound, which is undeniably influenced by acts such as Ride and The War On Drugs, encapsulates softer songs driven by dreamy guitar lines as well as upbeat songs utilising synth and ambient elements.

Formed in 2018, the band have released a series of singles and EPs, culminating in the release of ‘Space Echoes: The EPs’ on vinyl in 2022, a limited run which sold out in a single day.

Sun Mahshene, who have performed at Electric Picnic, Ireland Music Week, and Whelan’s Ones to Watch, will celebrate the release of ‘Reverie’ at a special show on 31st August, at the Workman’s Club, Dublin 2.

‘Reverie’ is now available on all major streaming platforms.

Splitting her time between Dublin and one of the UK’s most vibrant music scenes in Glasgow ‘Bobbi
Arlo’ releases empathic new single ‘Ode To Ü’ which is also the start of a brand-new chapter for this
exciting new talent. It sparkles with romantic synths and, hard-hitting drum and bass type drums to
replicate the excitement of being in love with the right person.

Speaking on the single Bobbi explains: “’Ode To Ü’ is a love song full of longing promise and hope, written as an honest gesture of commitment no matter how far the distance between two lovers is. This song is the perfect deliverance of young love”.

Citing artists such as Tebi Rex, Shygirl and Sega Bodega as inspiration, her sound is vibrant and enigmatic as Bobbi airs beats that wouldn’t be out of place in a night club with soul baring lyrics. In such a short space of time Bobbi has captured the attention of the Irish music scene. Gaining plenty of playlist support including Irish sensation Niall Horan’s personal playlist. She is a unique and passionate songwriter which was only backed up by her anthemic song ‘Feel It’ placed in the running to be the prestigious RTE Song of the Year at their Choice Music Awards.

Bobbi has since went on to play sold out shows in her hometown of Dublin, countless airplay as well as many key festival appearances including Spain’s Primavera. Having now moved to a new country  and splitting her time between Dublin and Glasgow, Bobbi has assembled a new band of musicians who will soon be ready to take this fresh sound to the masses.

‘Ode to Ü’ is available on all major streaming platforms now.

SCANRA: Samhain at the Cellar is an immersive night of music, myth and storytelling celebrating the Irish origins of Samhain through the voices and mediums of modern creators. SCANRA, presented in collaboration with Workmná and The Thin Air, is coming to The Workman’s Cellar on Saturday, 4th November, 2023 at 7pm. Tickets are €15 euro plus fees.

The night will feature live performances from songwriter and pianist Clara Tracey, industrial-electronic artist Coolgirl (Lizzie Fitzpatrick, formerly of Bitch Falcon) and haunting acapella soundscapes from the Dulciana Vocal Ensemble—each set specially curated to evoke elements of the supernatural and the strange. As well as music, the event will feature pop-up storytelling from local spoken-word artists. SCANRA is not your average costume party. While dressing up is encouraged, attendees are invited to bring their curiosity, imaginations and their wits about them as the Cellar is transformed into a haunted tapestry of macabre. There are also rumours of one or two ghosts popping up amongst the crowd.

In recent years, there has been a significant rise in interest in Irish heritage—from language and storytelling, to traditional music and dance. Amongst this cultural upsurge has come an increased curiosity about our connection with Samhain. Ireland is the birthplace of Halloween, but in recent decades, our unique connection with this specific time of year has become diluted and commercialised. SCANRA will be a chance to come together and reconnect with our spooky heritage, listen to folktales of the past and also explore modern-day horror stories through performance and song.

Primarily female and/or LQBTQ+ performers have been selected for the launch of SCANRA. From tales of banshees, to the real-life Salem witch trials, superstition and folklore have, for centuries, been used to tell stories which often demonised the oppressed and othered, particularly women. As with many modern horrors, SCANRA as a platform wants to turn this outdated tradition on its head, and put the work of women and other less-represented artists on a pedestal.

Tickets are available to purchase here.

Mick Flannery releases his third single “Young,” an instinctive, soulful study of adolescence, free will and finding the energy to pick the important fights. The single follows the delicate “Morning Rain” and free-wheeling 70s inspired “Goodtime Charlie” – the title track from his forthcoming eighth studio album set for release on September 15th.

Speaking on the track Flannery says, “one of the ideas is that we don’t really have free will. You aren’t the author of your own thoughts. Also, I was taken by an interview of Tupac Shakur’s, which appears on a Kendrick Lamar album- to pick your fights when you’re young, when you have the energy.”

Mick announced his partnership with John Prines ‘Oh Boy Records’ last month, their first ever international signing. Speaking about the signing, Fiona Prine said:
“Oh Boy Records continues to be the home label for singer songwriters who are dedicated to their craft. The body of work created by my husband, John Prine, remains our North Star when making decisions about the artists we bring onto our label. Mick Flannery is arguably one of the best songwriters to emerge from Ireland’s long and storied history of writers, poets, and musicians. I couldn’t be more delighted to welcome Mick, as the first international signing, to our Oh Boy Records family. John was proud to be part of the music community on Ireland’s western coast and I know he would be proud of this new partnership with Mick and his team.”

Recorded in Cork with old friend, drummer and producer Christina Best, and featuring long time musical companions Alan Comerford on guitar and Mikey O’Connell on bass, upcoming album- Goodtime Charlie fluently expresses the layered aspects of the human condition, its flaws, triumphs, and uncertainty.

A string of North American and European tour dates in support of the album release have also been announced, including headline shows in New York City, Berlin, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, London, and Toronto. Mick opens Sounds from a Safe Harbour festival in Cork next week (7th Sept).

Listen to it below:

Greg Clifford’s latest offering is a hard-hitting post-punk number entitled ‘Shoot The Messenger’. The track, which was written during the Coronavirus Pandemic, considers the divisive and hostile nature of the world.

According to Clifford ‘during the pandemic there was a brief moment where positive change and true empathy for others and the world seemed obtainable. However, this pipe dream quickly dissipated and right and left wing politics and ideologies became more extreme and polarised. We live in the age of self-righteous self-appointed experts, which can propagate wild and threatening conspiracy theories. […] The barrage of moral panics, cynicism and short shelf-life imagery during this period nauseated me. Musing over this subject matter and writing the song offered me some semblance of solace and serenity during an extremely uncertain time”.

 The music video, which alludes to self-imposed imprisonment and blind ignorance, was filmed in Berlin by Stephen Golden and directed and edited by Clifford.

‘Berlin is synonymous with thought-provoking imagery and provocative graffiti so I felt an obligation and compulsion to include various street art and statements that piqued my interest around the city given the nature and subject matter of the song. I’ve always been fascinated by the concept and nuances of what constitutes good or evil and the vast spectrum and ambiguity that exists within it. It’s intriguing to witness those with entirely opposite opinions vehemently refute each other with great conviction and certainty. Ones way is truly a way among many’.

‘Shoot The Messenger’ was recorded by Lucrezia Gnagni in Sun Studios (Temple Bar, Dublin) and mixed and mastered by Ian ‘Werkhouse’ Flynn. Jay Bagnall, who drums with Paranoid Visions and Steve Ignorant, appears on the single.

Greg Clifford is a Berlin based independent musician and interdisciplinary artist from Ireland. Clifford’s style is an authentic amalgamation of alternative rock, modern pop, folk and classical guitar fingerpicking, as well as weaving subtle electronic elements into his body of work. His compositions exude honesty and purity in which he explores thought-provoking subject matters and astute musical textures.

The prolific songster, who holds a Masters in contemporary composition, has a number of releases under his belt including Why Can’t You See EP (2015), Quodlibet LP (2017), 20/20 Vision LP (2020) and Lines of Desire LP (2022).

Watch the video for ‘Shoot The Messenger’ below:

“Romantic Ireland” by Ian Ashford is the first song from the new album “The Tree” available to hear on Youtube. “The Tree” will be available across all digital platforms from the 23rd of September 2023.

Ian Ashford, son of the late Paul Ashford, grew up in Stillorgan, Dublin. His new album is a collection of 7 songs he has worked on since 2018. Romantic Ireland is a protest song against the ongoing evictions and grotesque inequalities which have emerged in Ireland during the last 20 years. Unchecked greed and exploitation of weak government policy by Landlords and Property Developers has brought people to their knees, wrecking communities, family life and running the Capital City Dublin into the ground. A lack of investment in the working communities around the city centre, which suits Developers and Landlords and helps them exploit weak policies and vulnerable tenants has made the city centre unsafe and unrecognisable.

Ian’s last album “Inheritance” was a collaboration project with The Solidarity Band in 2021. The new album “The Tree” was recorded and engineered at The Old Dream Studio during 2022.

The musicians involved are Ian Ashford, Simon O Reilly, Arthur Duburq, John Oldream, Meglena Tzaneva, Guillaume Latil and Camy French. The album was engineered and mixed by John Oldream and mastered by Francois Stoudmann. All artworks by Ian Ashford.

Listen to “Romantic Ireland” below:

Irish rising talent VJ Jaxson drops six-track sophomore EP Changes, baring his soul and offering profound self-reflections on his desire to evolve into a better version of himself.

Led by the introspective title track “Changes” embodying the album’s core essence through admirably candid lyricism, depicting his transformative journey V delivers messages of resilience, vulnerability, and unwavering pursuit of personal and spiritual growth.

Next, “Waiting On The Day” is an anthemic number that captures Jaxson’s everyday struggles, perseverance and relentless belief in his own potential, thus inspiring others to embrace their dreams, overcome obstacles, and remain focused on their well-deserved triumphs.

Deeply poignant production “Michigan” is rooted in heartfelt lyrics that pay homage to his late grandmother, evoking deep emotions, and capturing the universal experience of loss and intergenerational bonds.

The EP transitions with “No Problem”, a captivating, warm track that envelops listeners in a cocoon of unwavering support and love. The song radiates a sense of hope and optimism, narrating an unbreakable bond between two individuals who refuse to let any obstacle hinder their journey together

“No Friend In The Wild” is a gripping, introspective piece born from deep disappointment, betrayal, and the dissolution of a close friendship. In the song, VJ reflects on the moment of realization about his old pal’s true nature, as it further encapsulates the essence of human vulnerability while exploring the complexities of trust, loyalty, and the sometimes painful process of letting go.

The EP concludes with the captivating finale track ‘Cold Water’, which grasps the complexities of relationships within and serves as a poignant reminder of the transformative power of self-reflection and the necessity of open and honest communication in fostering a healthy and thriving partnership.

Emerging from Tallaght, Dublin, Ireland, VJ has established himself as a force to be reckoned with, with a powerful and transportive artistry framed by an unyielding determination to unleash his talents upon the world and leave an indelible mark on the music scene.

With a soulful glimpse of the emotionally charged six-track EP, VJ is all set to take us on a self-reflective journey of metamorphosis and evolution.

Prepare to be mesmerized by the electrifying presence of VJ Jaxson, the rising Irish sensation who ignites the stage with his enchanting fusion of soulful melodies, rousing rhythms, and exhilarating energy. With a powerful voice coming to life as a vessel of warmth and authenticity, Jaxson’s music effortlessly wraps heartfelt lyrics around infectious beats, delivering a sonic experience that penetrates the depths of our souls.

Listen to Changes below: