Author: Breffni Banks

‘Automatic’ is the second single from True Tides and the first follow up to their debut on Faction Records (James Vincent McMorrow, All Tvvins, Jape).

The track was produced by Diffusion Labs (Jafaris, DAY_S, Flynn, Soulé) and the band, mixed by Ross Dowling (James Vincent McMorrow, Bellx1, & Talos) and mastered by Stuart Hawks at Metropolis in London.

Formed in 2017, True Tides is the indie pop project of Cian, Conor and Eoghan MacSweeny, three brothers from Cork, now living in Dublin. Through a reasonably simple set-up of drums, guitar, bass, electronics and vocals, they create bold and expressive music that’s at once shamelessly catchy and sneakily complex. Although the brothers have technically been making music together their whole lives, they played their first gig as True Tides in January 2018 at the arts and mental health festival, First Fortnight, on a bill curated by ALL TVVINS. The band are currently working towards their debut album due in 2019.

They play their first headline show in Soundhouse, Dublin on September 15th 2018.

A. Smyth continues his run of releases with his fourth single of 2018 with producer Darragh Nolan (Asta Kalapa) again at the helm.

Of ‘Second Moon’ A. Smyth explains “It’s a song I’ve tried to write for years, about the feelings we try to push away and how they tend to hang around the longest.”

The song itself feels like it lives in the veins of Tom Petty’s Wild Flowers & Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs.

‘Second Moon’ follows hot on the success of ‘Be There’, a track Nialler9 highlighted as one of his Irish songs of the week and which GoldenPlec applauded for its “shimmering folk sound reminiscent of Ryan Adams” and ‘Coming Back To You’ a track REMY commented with “A chap who is kind of killing it in the Irish Pop zone now”.

A. Smyth will take to the road this summer with festival appearances at Indiependence and Castlepalooza already in the diary and 2019 will see the release of his debut solo album.

A. Smyth’s last band, Vann Music, achieved notable success, appearing at Ireland’s biggest music festivals (Electric Picnic, Longitude), scoring a commercial radio hit (Tina), featuring on prestigious TV shows (Other Voices) and working with some of the biggest names in the music industry (Stephen Hague, producer – Pet Shop Boys, New Order, Robbie Williams). Smyth wanted to explore the impact these pressures were having on both him and his relationships with those around him, rather than feed these experiences.

As a result, his new songs delve into a shared experience – a sort of modern burnout.

‘Second Moon’ is his fourth release following ‘Coming Back To You’ in April, ‘Be There’ in February and debut single ‘Into The Darkness’, last January.  All four tracks were recorded in Dublin and Wexford with drummer Dennis Cassidy (Selk), bassist Dara Higgins (The Jimmy Cake) and producer Darragh Nolan (Asta Kalapa).

Live

Castlepalooza Festival, Laois – August 4th
Indiependence Festival, Cork – August 5th
Crowbar, Dublin – August 20th

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Sean OB has released the official music video for his latest single ‘Trouble’. The video, premiered on UK website Louder Than War earlier this week, was filmed in Phibsboro and Stoneybatter on Dublin’s north side and was directed and produced by collective Plainview.

‘Trouble’is the second single from Tallaght native Sean OB and follows the debut ‘Teacher’, released earlier this year. It was recorded with acclaimed producer Rob Kirwan (Hozier, PJ Harvey and The Horrors) in Westland Studios and Exchequer Studios and was mastered in Metropolis Studios in the UK.

Displaying remarkable skills as a song-writer and lyricist, Sean writes with a hard-hitting honesty. He counts stand-up comedians like Doug Stanhope and Bill Hicks as influences that are just as important as the likes of Hunter S. Thompson and John Lennon.

Backed up by his explosive band he is now striking out for much bigger things! See upcoming live tour dates:

03.08   Cork  Indiependence Festival
04.08   Bray  Beatyard

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Singer/songwriter George Hutton who has toured globally with ‘The Five Irish Tenors’, ‘Anúna’ and is set for a new 2019 tour ‘Songs of Ireland: A Celtic Celebration’ with Columbia Artists, has teamed up with Irish songwriter Kieran Brown to create ‘The Inside Out’.

Their debut single ‘Hold On’ will be released on the 28th July on all major digital platforms, with a full EP release coming in September. The song was produced by renowned singer/songwriter Paul Casey, featuring himself on guitar, Liam Bradley on drums and John McCullough on hammond.

Kieran and George are hoping to raise awareness for men’s mental health with the song that tells a powerful message.

‘As someone who has struggled with mental health issues in the past, I’ve been blessed to have good people and support around me. I think all men have at some point struggled mentally but have feared judgement if they talk about it. There’s a sense of machismo in society today, that it’s not cool to talk about your feelings or show emotion. We hope to spread a message that it’s alright to open up and talk about what’s on your mind.’ Said George

Joe.ie has described George’s voice as ‘Spine-tingling’, PureM Magazine says he’s ‘Vibrant…vivacious….powerful’, The Independent put it simply ‘He can sing, properly’ and the Chicago Tribune quotes his performances to be ‘Tender and Triumphant’

Pale Rivers announce the release of their self-titled debut EP which will be released on September 28^th.  Ahead of that, the third single from the EP ‘Icefield’ will be available digitally on Friday.

Following on from  the atmospheric ‘Montparnasse’ and the more immediate sound of ‘Don’t Worry About Me’, ‘Icefield’ is the third track off the forthcoming EP and will be out ahead of the band’s appearances at Whelan’s Summer Watch this week and Indiependence in August.

Based out of Cork and Tipperary, the band began playing their first shows around the country including slots at Hard Working Class Heroes, Whelans One’s To Watch and Electric Picnic, as well as some high profile supports for acts such as Teleman, British Sea Power and The Wedding Present.

EP Tracklist

1. Monparnasse
2. Don’t Worry About Me
3. Icefield
4. Caught In It

Tour Dates 

5^th August – Indiependence, Cork
24^th Aug – Roundy, Cork (supporting Cloud Castle Lake)

“We are Pale Rivers, a five-sided case study, sound vehicle. To speak of the past is, often times, erroneous at best. But to not share some details of how things came to pass would be wasteful, un-opportunistic and questionable”.

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A Ritual Sea formed in 2016 over a love of film, dream pop, shoegaze and all things esoteric. The four-piece from Dublin and Paris, released their debut single ‘Serpentine’ in late 2016, going on to support the likes of Manchester psych-folk artist, Jane Weaver and Berlin drone merchants, The Underground Youth, among others in 2017.

Their new single ‘Seasons (Like You)’ is the second track from their forthcoming debut album, due for release in early 2019. It explores the themes of fear, paranoia and falling in love, while the self-made video invokes a dream-like elemental state of colour and confusion.

The band will launch their new single on Thursday 9th of August, in Drop Dead Twice on Frances Street, Dublin 8 – FREE admission, alongside the fantastic Hostess (ex CAP PAS PCAP) and Father!

Event details at: https://www.facebook.com/events/830847220636961/

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IMRO took the opportunity to present Bray trio Wyvern Lingo with their IMRO Award, in recognition of their Independent number one self-titled debut album ahead of their guest appearance with Grace Jones in Dublin’s Trinity College.

The IMRO Number 1 Award was introduced to acknowledge IMRO members who reach number 1 in the album charts here in Ireland.

Released in February 2018, Wyvern Lingo recorded the album in Dublin with producer James Kelly, with additional work taking place in Donegal, London and Cologne.

The trio self-released their first EP – ‘The Widow Knows’ in 2014, which brought them to the attention of Irish independent label Rubyworks. Extensive international touring followed with James Vincent McMorrow and fellow-Bray native Hozier, and a second EP – ‘Letter To Willow’, followed in 2016.

“These songs are a collection of experiences both separate and shared. Experiences that shape how we view the world, and how we’ve come to terms with the way our lives have unfolded.” – Wyvern Lingo

The band have a summer filled with festival dates in Ireland, the UK and Germany before their own headline date in The Academy, Dublin, on 28^th September.

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He’s a proud Liverpool man, with a well-documented Irish ancestry. What many people don’t know, however, is that if it wasn’t for a chance sequence of events, Nathan Carter could well have been born and raised in America.

The family story is the subject of his latest single, ‘Winnie O`Neill’ which the singer has penned in tribute to his late great-grandparents.

It’s a fascinating tale of love, hope, heartbreak and survival, and it’s one Nathan says he’s proud to share in song: “Many years ago, my great-grandparents, Jimmy & Winnie O`Neill were a young, newly married couple living in Co Down. Like so many people at that time, they saved hard to set-off for a better life in America.

The first leg of their epic journey took them to Liverpool, where they were then due to board a boat for New York.  However, their plans were cut devastatingly short when their money was stolen and they were unable to travel any further. As a result, Winnie and Jimmy had no choice but to settle in Liverpool.

It’s a city they fell in love with and thankfully, made their life-long home, raising a family of ten children, one of whom was my grandmother, Anne O’Neill. Now affectionately known to us as ‘Nan’. She married a young man called John McCoy, my grandfather. Their daughter Noreen married Ian Carter – and they are my mum and dad!

The story of how my family came to live in Liverpool has always fascinated me and I often wondered how things could have been so different for all us, had they made it to America. I’m a proud Liverpool man, so I’m thankful they decided to stick around and make it work!   

As a family, we’re really proud of Winnie and Jimmy for how they turned things around and it’s a story we love to tell people. I’m delighted to be able to share this story in song and hope that people enjoy it as much as we do!”

‘Winnie O`Neill’ is now available to download on iTunes.

The Song Collector Sessions return to Cork this August to open The Fermoy Festival and The Glanmire Festival Weekend playing two intimate concerts featuring Irish music royalty!

Roy Buckley Music in association with the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO Ireland) bring this remarkable production featuring Aslan’s iconic frontman Christy Dignam and lead guitarist Joe Jewell back to Cork to play in both Fermoy and Glanmire on what promises to be an unforgettable night of Irish talent.

In addition, ticket holders will also enjoy a special performance from Stockton’s Wing celebrated songsmith Mike Hanrahan and well known Cork singer/songwriter Roy Buckley when the duo team up for a very rare performance together at this highly anticipated Song Collector Session.

Aslan are currently celebrating the 30th anniversary of their hugely successful ‘Feel No Shame’ album with a massive sell out nationwide tour, and along with the recent release of their new single ‘Now I Know’, fans are sure to be treated to a selection of gems from the extensive back catalogue of hits from Christy & Joe including classics such as ‘Crazy World’ and ‘This Is’ during this fan favourite spectacle of Irish music on August 22nd & 23rd.

With Mike and the rest of Stockton’s Wing recently celebrating an incredible 40th Anniversary tour with sold out dates across the country and were honoured for their contribution to music with a civic reception from their native Clare County Council, concert goers are guaranteed to hear such wonderful nostalgic hits as ‘Beautiful Affair’, ‘Walk Away’, as well as ‘We Had It All’.

Founder and creator of The Song Collector Sessions, Roy Buckley is set to release some new eagerly awaited studio recordings in the coming months and will perform a selection of new and previously recorded songs at these upcoming shows so the audience can expect a very special mix of classic hits and new releases from start to finish on Wednesday August 22nd at Fermoy’s incredible live music hub Cheers and on Thursday August 23rd at Glanmire’s most notorious live music venue, The Castle.

Both PJ Coogan and Ken Perrott of Cork’s 96FM will each host an event as special guest compère and will MC each evening from 8pm showtime.

As with all Song Collector Sessions, tickets for both these shows will be limited to allow for an intimate concert atmosphere in the company of these great Irish artists.

Since The Song Collector Sessions was established in the Summer of 2012, there has been a colossal response to the various productions all over Ireland with sell out shows in Cork, Kerry, Laois, Wicklow and Waterford… even Las Vegas, Nevada where The Song Collector Sessions participated in the breaking of a Guinness World record in 2014!

Some of the greatest Irish artists of all time have graced The Song Collector Sessions stage over the past six years including legendary household names and leading songwriters and performers such as Phil Coulter, Liam Reilly (Bagatelle), Christy Dignam (Aslan), John Spillane, Mike Hanrahan (Stockton’s Wing), The Black Donnellys, Leslie Dowdall (In Tua Nua) and Mickey Joe Harte among others, all performing on the acclaimed production.

Join us on August 22nd & 23rd for an up close and personal experience featuring wonderful songs and great music, with a few laughs and unpredictable anecdotes, on a night to remember in the charmingly unique and distinctly Irish atmosphere of a Song Collector Session…

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 22ND
Cheers,
Fermoy
(025) 51 699
Tickets €15
SHOWTIME 8PM

THURSDAY AUGUST 23RD
The Castle,
Glanmire
(021) 240 1105
Book online at www.eventbrite.ie
Tickets €18
SHOWTIME 8pm

(NOTE: Limited tickets available to allow for intimate concert setting, early booking advised)