Author: Breffni Banks

King  Bones  are a  6-piece synth-punk group from Dublin city. With some serious tunes under their belt, like ‘Who’s Got The Drugs’, they return with the anthemic lead track ‘Party Animals’.

Party Animals is taken from their forthcoming release ‘My Best Friend’ EP- which will feature 3 tracks (Right There, John Coltrane, Party Animals – Radio Edit) Produced by Ger McDonnell (U2, Kasabian, Manic  Street Preachers), the EP was recorded in Beechpark, Rathcoole & The Mill, Swords.

‘We’ve worked non-stop, day and night to get the particular sound we want… We reckon we’ve nailed it with this EP ’ explains Keith Hughes, lead singer and band songwriter.

Consistently looking to create new and interesting videos for their tracks, the band worked with John Broe and Dara Munnis for the release of ‘Who’s Got The Drugs’, an ambitious video shot in just one single take and featuring Keith Hughes. For the video to accompany ‘Party Animals’, they turned to director Max Carpio. He created an epic 24 hours in the life of 2 best friends in Barcelona, shot entirely on mobile phones. The result is a heady and heartwarming adventure.

Keith says, “It was a busy summer of gigs last year and the response to these new tracks has been incredible, beyond any expectations we could possibly have had. People still stop us in the street to rave about what our shows at last year’s Electric Picnic meant to them. Our ‘My Best Friend’ EP is for them.”

The band have a slew of festival spots coming up this summer with festival appearances at Forbidden Fruit,Vantastival  &  Castlepalooza already locked in. First, however, the band will hit the stage at Dublin’s  Bello Bar  on Thurs May 31st to launch the EP, the follow-up to last year’s debut King Bones EP.

It’s going to be a belter!

KING BONES EP LAUNCH
BELLO BAR, Portobello, Dublin
THURSDAY, 31 MAY

Tickets : €10 here or on the door
Doors : 8pm
EPs for sale at venue

2nd June Dublin, RHK, Forbidden Fruit
2nd June, Louth, Drogheda, Vantastival Festival
5th Aug, Offaly, Tullamore, Castlepalooza

Spotify | Party Animals (radio edit)
Spotify | My Best Friend EP
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Irish act The Elation have announced the next single from their much awaited EP due out on June 1st.

‘Catch’, produced and recorded with multi-platinum selling London producer Andy Whitmore, reflects the bands classic pop sensibilities. With the bands signature floor filling blend of funk guitar, rock steady drum beats and electrifying synth hits, ‘Catch’ is three minutes of pure pop pleasure. Lyrically, the bands vocalist (Chris Cansdale) and guitarist (Billy Whelan) co wrote the idea for ‘Catch’. Billy had the idea for the verses and chorus and Chris took the pre chorus. The Co Writers took different approaches to the relationship song and merged them together.

The EP Clickbait features 5 songs including the single ‘XO’ which received lots of airplay and great reviews. The EP is available to pre-order now on CD and Downloads from www.top6.ie/theelation

Catch The Elation  this summer! The band are touring:

May 20th – Youghal – Homebirds Festival
June 1st – Cork – Poor Relation (EP LAUNCH)
June 2nd – Cork – MusicZone (instore)
June 2nd – Carrickmacross Street Festival
June 7th – UK – Manchester tbc
June 8th – UK – Liverpool tbc
June 9th – UK – London, The Claddagh Ring
June 19th – Dublin, Whelans
June 29th – Waterford, Shortts
July 14th – Listowell, Mike The Pies
July 20th – Townlands Carnival
July 29th – Waterford, Shortts
July 29th – Dublin, Indy City
August – Cork, Indiependence festival
August 11th – Galway, Monroes
September 27th – Galway, Monroes (supporting Wild Youth)

Dublin soul rockers The Hot Sprockets are back with a new video for ‘Imagine Us On The Sun’ taken from their new album ‘Dream Mover’ out now.

The video for ‘Imagine Us On The Sun’ – inspired by the original 60’s Star Trek series and the original TV series Monkey Magic – is a tongue-in-cheek parody following the interstellar adventures of the Sprockets as they blast through space in their Starship exploring alien planets. Along the way they get ambushed by primitive lifeforms, rogues and renegades.  Until, on one terrestrial planet, they encounter the vengeful Sun Queen and her minions, as she tries to steal all the energy from the sun – the source to all her powers.

Will this be the last stand for the Sprockets?  Find out in this hilarious video, that should equally entertain Mighty Boosh fans, as it will Sci-Fi enthusiasts. ‘Imagine Us On The Sun’ is taken from the band’s critically acclaimed third album ‘Dream Mover’, and is available from all digital platforms including their Bandcamp, Spotify, iTunes and Google Play.

‘Imagine Us On The Sun’  is a dreamy psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll love song taking hints of sound from music as diverse as Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Ariel Pink, and The Black Keys, yet with hallmark ‘Dream Mover’ sounds. Lyrically it looks to the sky for inspiration as love intertwines on a backdrop of the universal cycle – the sun, moon and stars – comparing the passion and fire of love to the unknown sky above.

Catch The Hot Sprockets live as they continue their nationwide tour following their sold out album launch at The Button Factory last month.

Be Cider Seaside, UK – 26 May
Cyprus Avenue, Cork  – 31 May 2018
Mike The Pies, Listowel – 1 June
Vantastival, Drogheda- 2 June
The Chalk Venue, Swords, Dublin – 8 June
Chagstock, UK – 21 June
Sea Sessions, Bundoran, Donegal –  22 June
Suberock, Spain – 6 July
Higher Fields, Chagford – 20 July
Knockanstockan, Wicklow – 28 July
Dogfest, UK – 26 August

Sinéad Murphy is a young singer songwriter from Athenry in County Galway who moved to Cork 5 years ago to begin her musical career. She is a graduate of the popular music degree in the prestigious Cork School of Music having specialised in vocal studies and songwriting. Sinéad has always had a love for music and began writing songs in her early teens. Accompanying herself on either guitar or piano Sinéad writes mainly in a folk soul style.

Sinéad is an experienced performer having performed in many venues around Galway and Cork over the past few years.

An online blog called “The Merch Perch” recently wrote a section on Sinéads performance at The Kino in Cork saying: “She played her heart out on the stage, channeling her experiences and stories out in the music and carrying us along with her. Songs such as ‘Old Church Street’ lifted us up on a cloud and took us to her home town of Athenry and demonstrated the love she has for the place.”

Sinéad released her debut single ‘Final Night’ back in April. The song features a variety of talented musicians from Cork. The song was recorded by Christian Best in Monique Studios in Cork. ‘Final Night’ is a folk song with a soulful twist.

This release is in anticipation for Sinéads upcoming debut EP ‘The Golden Book’ which will feature 4 separate songs. “The Golden Book” will be released this June!

You can buy ‘Final Night’ on iTunes, Apple Music and also stream it on Spotify. You can keep up to date with Sinead’s gigs and music releases on Facebook.

Wexford alt-folk five-piece Corner Boy are back with a new single ‘Goodbye Old Holy’ released 1 June 2018. 

Recorded at Grouse Lodge Studios by Grammy Award winning producer Ted Hutt (Old Crow Medicine Show, Dropkick Murphy’s) ’Goodbye Old Holy’ is relentless and raging – It is a powerful soundscape that lyrically explores place in a transitioning Ireland.

www.cornerboymusic.com
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In anticipation of a busy summer of festivals across Ireland, the UK, continental Europe, Dublin brothers Harry and Alfie Hudson Taylor release their new single ‘Easy Baby’ on Friday 18th May.

2018 is treating them very well. Back in January, Hudson Taylor’s UK and European tour was a sell out, and the brothers went on to complete their first US tour in the spring. While in America they also made their US TV debuts on WGN in Chicago and Good Day New York on Fox, as well as key sessions for Paste, Baeble Music in NYC and Balcony TV in LA.

Hudson Taylor’s debut EP for Rubyworks charted Top 5 in the Irish album charts, and their profile on streaming keeps going from strength to strength, with both ‘Run With Me’ and ‘Old Soul’ enjoying in excess of one million plays each on Spotify, with support peaking at one million monthly listeners. ‘Run With Me’ was their second Irish airplay Top 10 success following on from ‘Feel It Again’.

Irish fans can catch Hudson Taylor and their dazzling band of musicians at the following festivals.

Saturday 2nd June – Courtyard Festival, Leixlip
Sunday 3rd June – The West’s Awake Festival, Cashel
Thursday 21st June – Leopardstown Races, Dublin
Friday 22nd June – Sea Sessions, Bundoran
Saturday 4th August – Indiependence, Mitchelstown

For a full summary of Hudson Taylor’s summer festival appearances, visit hudsontaylormusic.com

Tupelo’s Kevin and James released their new album ‘The Heart’s Bloodline’ on the Crashed Records Label earlier this spring, to some wonderful comments and acclaim.

The band’s original album launch gig planned for the weekend of release had to be postponed due to the snow storms of early March, however, we are delighted to announce this has been rescheduled and will be held on Saturday September 8^that The Grand Social, on Dublin’s Liffey Street. Tickets priced €12 and €15 go on sale from tickets.ie on Friday May 18^th. Tickets for the original show, are still valid for the new date at The Grand Social.

On the back of guesting with Paddy Casey earlier this month Tupelo will play at the Chicago Irish Fest and the Tynesfest in Norway in July.

The Grand Social is the same location Tupelo teamed up with almost 90 members from The Line Up Choir later the same month to make two very special recordings from the album. They had a camera in place also to capture this special morning. One of the songs recorded was for the new single, ‘Joyous’. The second, is for the stunning ‘The Shriven Dust’, the lead single to the album’s release. Speaking of the track, the band says in following up to ‘Break Loose’ from 2017, and as the lead intro to the new album “We wanted to choose a track, the track we believed represented the album best in an artistic manner. We love every song on the album, but believe The Shriven Dust represents the album best in an artistic manner.” ‘The Shriven Dust’ recently featured on the Canadian CBC network TV series, Hello Goodbye.

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https://twitter.com/tupeloireland

Facebook:
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YouTube channel:
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‘Born In Love’ is the new single from Track Dogs, the Madrid based band featuring 2 Irish, 1 American and 1 UK musician.  Taken from their new album ‘Kansas City Out Groove’ which came out in April, ‘Born In Love’ displays the band’s distinct combination of harmonies, trumpet and cajón which has seen them winning fans so far this year at Costa Del Folk in Ibiza, on festival stages across the UK and at Trafalgar Square, London where they performed on St Patrick’s Day.

In August, Track Dogs will tour Ireland – starting on 25^th August at the Bridge Bar, Ramelton, Co Donegal, then they play the Ukulele Hooley, Dun Laoghaire on 26^th, followed by 28^th August at White Horse Sessions in Lahinch.  On 30^th August they headline the Sugar Club in Dublin, followed by an appearance at Electric Picnic’s Salty Dog Stage at 8pm on 31^st August and on 1^st September they will end the tour at First Fruits Arts Centre in Watergrasshill, Co Cork.

‘Kansas City Out Groove’ is their 4^th album to date and it features the band’s striking line-up of 4-part harmonies, acoustic guitar, ukulele and bass alongside cajón and trumpet with banjo and mandolin in the mix too. The new album is a progression in their sound to a more robust Latin, ‘south-of-the-border’ & Americana feel – “This is something we’ve almost unconsciously being moving towards for some years. Living in Spain and being surrounded by such a richness in musical diversity eventually seeps under the skin.”.  The album is available on all streaming outlets & trackdogsmusic.com

‘Kansas City Out Groove’ was recorded in Madrid at Playground Studios on an analog Studer A80, originally used in Abbey Road in the 1970’s on sessions for Pink Floyd and The Beatles. Working with co-producer and Latin Grammy nominee Germán Gutiérrez, Track Dogs have finally achieved the sound they’ve spend 10 years evolving.

IRISH TOUR:

25/8      Bridge Bar, Ramelton, CO DONEGAL
26/8      Ukulele Hooley, Dun Laoghaire, CO DUBLIN
28/8      White Horse Sessions, Lahinch, CO CLARE
30/8      SUGAR CLUB, 8 Lwr Leeson Street, DUBLIN 2 €15 Booking: 01 678 7188
31/8      ELECTRIC PICNIC – Salty Dog Stage 8pm
1/9       FIRST FRUITS ARTS CENTRE, Watergrasshill, CO CORK €20.00 Bookings: firstfruitsartscentre.ie

trackdogsmusic.com
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twitter.com/TrackDogsMusic

Dublin 4-piece Heroes in Hiding, an alternative rock band with a vibrant touch of electronics, will release their anticipated album ‘ACTOR’ on Friday 25 May.

The band have just released the video for ‘Berlin’ directed by Ciaran Dooley, produced by Banjoman Films and features actor Rob Malone. ‘Berlin’ is the second single taken from their debut full-length LP ACTOR and follows single ‘I Live For You’, view video here.

Speaking about the video, Heroes in Hiding say: “The theme of the song explores a want for change and a sense of belonging, or lack there of. The narrator has become fed up with their surroundings, and fantasises about a new life in Berlin. They are convinced that by moving away they will be able to throw off the shackles of their old life and start afresh, leaving the anxious surrounds of their current world behind. The video explores a ‘moment’ of uncertainty in life. A moment where we are cast in total doubt as to whether our actions were right or not; a moment where we have to decide between our future and our past”.

Heroes in Hiding’s ever-evolving, captivating sound and unique live performance is not to be missed. The band have announced an experiential and unique audiovisual show at the Tivoli Theatre on Friday 25 May to launch their debut album ‘ACTOR’.  Fans will be excited at this announcement having been blown away by their amazing 360-degree audiovisual show to launch their EP ‘Curtains’ in October 2016.

Heroes in Hiding toured Ireland extensively in 2017, playing unforgettable shows at Electric Picnic, Forbidden Fruit, Castlepalooza, Vantastival and to a sold-out crowd in the Olympia Theatre. The band spent most of the tail end of 2017 in the shadows writing their debut album.

Heroes in Hiding will release their first full-length album on 25 May. Written and produced by Heroes in Hiding, the album explores the idea of authenticity and belonging.

The band also have a busy live touring schedule for  2018 ahead with dates in Dublin, Cavan, Carlow an Offaly announced to date. More shows to be announced very soon.

UPCOMING LIVE DATES

25 May – Tivoli Theatre, Dublin (Album Launch – Audio Visual Event)
29 June – Origins, Cavan
6 July – Bare Festival 2018, Carlow
4 August – Castlepalooza, Offaly
26 August – The Bridge, Monaghan

www.heroesinhiding.ie
www.facebook.com/heroesinhiding
www.twitter.com/heroesinhiding
www.soundcloud.com/heroesinhiding
www.intsagram.com/heroesinhiding
Snapchat: HeroesInHiding

From the ‘No More Time’ EP, Damian McGinty now releases ‘You Should Know’. Based in LA for some years now, Damian co-wrote the track with good friend Ryan O’Shaughnessy, together with ​Eric McCarthy and Cian Sweeney. Damian also co-wrote the title track of his new EP (‘No More Time’) with Ryan.

Damian and Ryan were introduced by their mutual friend, producer and writer Cian Sweeney. In addition to this EP, the guys have written a number of other tracks together also, more of which will be on Damian’s new full-length album due for release later this year. The guys have become good mates, and Damian was chatting with both Ryan, and his writing partner on Ireland’s Eurovision entry ‘Together’, Mark Caplice, just this week wishing them luck for Saturday’s final.

The EP, ‘No More Time’, was released earlier this spring across all main digital platforms. The EP broke the Top 20 HeatSeakers chart in the US, while also debuting on iTunes US at No 9, next door to Taylor Swift. ‘Slow Dance’, the debut single from the EP, was premiered on Elvis Duran’s breakfast show, the biggest breakfast radio show in the US and the ‘No More Time’ EP, has also been picked up by college radio across the US.

‘No More Time’ is Irish singer/songwriter Damian McGinty’s first EP of original songs, recorded in Belfast. The lyrics and tunes were inspired by his ten years of touring, exploring cities all around the world, and meeting people from all walks of life.

Damian might be best known from his years with Celtic Thunder and Glee. Damien was part of the inaugural cast of touring male vocal group Celtic Thunder, and quickly became a fan favourite for his friendly charm and his deep baritone voice.

In 2011, Damian on his own dream big mantra decided to audition for the Oxygen Network’s The Glee Project. From 40,000 auditions, Damian was chosen to appear on the show with only eleven other hopefuls. Extreme dedication and an intense work ethic took him to the final four, and ultimately, he was chosen as one of two winners. As a winner of the project, Damian landed a guest star role in Fox’s hit television series Glee, as foreign exchange student Rory Flanagan. Initially slated to appear in just seven episodes, Damian was so popular his role was extended to finish out the rest of season three.

Later this year we may also see Damian on our screens again. In 2017 alongside recording his new EP, he was cast in the lead role of his first feature film, the family Christmas movie Santa Fake, to be released in November 2018. In Santa Fake, Damian is reunited with Glee co-star Heather Morris, and acts alongside Hollywood fan favourites Judd Nelson, John Rhys-Davis, Jeff Fahey, and more.

www.damianmcginty.com
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