Author: Breffni Banks

Dublin native Niall Jackson – AKA Swimmers Jackson – releases his 2nd solo single ‘Life’s Short (Embrace It)’ from an as yet untitled upcoming release produced by Darragh Nolan (Ailbhe Reddy, Conor Walsh, Winter Aid) at his Asta Kalapa Studios, Co. Wexford, Ireland in March 2017.

The first solo single ‘Summer’s Here’ (May 2017) received extensive radio airplay on Irish stations Newstalk, TodayFM, 8Radio, 2xm, and was awarded track of the day by both BBC’s Across the Line and Joe.ie, as well as track of the week on Wandsworth Radio in London.

While ‘Summer’s Here’ was a nostalgic look at summer days gone by, ‘Life’s Short (Embrace It)’  clocks in at  just over 100 seconds long and seeks to encourage people to embrace what is present and in front of them. Jackson wrote, sang and played all the instruments on this one and is certainly looking towards the future himself. Touring, writing, recording, progressing.

Formerly a 3 piece, Jackson released 2 EPs under the name ‘Swimmers’, (Swimmer’s Year 2013, This Burning Circus 2015). After moving to London in late 2015 with no bandmates, he was left reconfiguring Swimmer’s songs back into solo versions. A year of songwriting later, he leapt back onto the gig circuit with the help of a couple of friends in London’s alt-indie circles in 2017.

This new found confidence led to the recording of nine new songs in March of this year, many of which will feature on an as yet unnamed E.P later in 2017.

Jackson’s other act Bouts (www.gimmebouts.com) continue to enjoy success, touring North America, the UK and Europe, opening for the likes of Johnny Marr, Cloud Nothings, Yuck and P.U.S.A. and are due to record a new batch of songs in early 2018.

Bandcamp :: https://swimmersjackson.bandcamp.com
Spotify :: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6fgCqPLseTtoW658y6TOb7
Soundcloud :: https://soundcloud.com/swimmersjackson
Facebook :: https://m.facebook.com/pg/swimmersjackson
Twitter :: https://twitter.com/swimmersjackson

‘Waves’ is the debut single from Badhands, a new solo project from Dan Fitzpatrick, a Dublin based songwriter and musician known for his previous work with The Mighty Stef and The Last Tycoons. The track, which is taken from the forthcoming album ‘Predictable Boy’ is a dreamlike folk song which was largely inspired by the day Dan and his older brother Jamie swam out to sea to scatter their fathers ashes near their family home in Glasthule Co.Dublin. Just as Sylvia Plath did with ‘Full Fathom Five’ Fitzpatrick uses the example of the oceans infinite power to evoke and pay tribute to the memory of his father.

The record was produced by Tom Cosgrave (The Minutes) and features multi-instrumentalist, and former Last Tycoons bandmate, Aoife Ruth as well as Ken Mooney (The Urges) on drums. The debut album, as a whole, is a collection of vivid, textured songs that range in tone from dark and brooding to frantic and energetic with moments of genuine euphoria weaved into the mix. You can hear the influence of some of Dan’s heroes such as  Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Leonard Cohen, Villagers and Arcade Fire. The record is beautifully intimate but also has an accessibility that will quickly capture the imagination of the listener.

With over 2.5 million Spotify streams to date and huge critical acclaim Ailbhe Reddy returns with her brand new single ‘The Tube,’ released worldwide on 6^th October.

With a flawless vocal, subtle hook and clever, relatable lyrics, ‘The Tube’ is another slice of addictive folk/pop from the Irish singer songwriter, proving yet again that Ailbhe Reddy is one of the brightest new artists of 2017.

“The Tube is a song about having no explanation good enough for someone, so the only thing I had left to offer was the small gesture of walking them to the nearest tube station” says Ailbhe. “It’s a song about struggling to express yourself properly to someone, which I think is probably pretty universal.”

Dublin musician Ailbhe Reddy is a singer-songwriter whose “deeply personal heart-on-her-sleeve lyrics and a memorable voice lingers with you long after your first taste” (Record of the Day, UK). She first began to attract attention in 2014 when her first single, ‘Flesh & Blood’ garnered excellent reviews. Reddy has gone on to feature on every major festival line up in the UK and Ireland, such as Glastonbury, Latitude, The Great Escape, Cambridge Folk Festival, Electric Picnic and Body & Soul, with her live shows described as ‘euphoric’ and ‘ethereal’ by the likes of The Irish Times and Hot Press.

Since the independent release of Reddy’s hugely successful debut EP ‘Hollowed Out Sea’ in 2016, she has received excellent reviews and extensive radio play in Ireland, the UK and Germany.  She began 2017 by releasing critically acclaimed single, ‘Relent’ which was featured on Spotify’s ‘New Music Friday’ playlist, as well as features in Earmilk (NYC), Nialler9 (IRE) and The Line of Best Fit (UK). This was followed by her EP ‘Attach To Memory’ which gained more support from Line of Best Fit along with Clash, Wonderland and Music Week all singing her praises.

Ailbhe has also begun to break out internationally after signing a worldwide publishing deal with London-based publishing house, BDi Music.

‘Ailbhe Reddy stands head and shoulders above the folk mainstream’ – The Line of Best Fit

‘Haunting and breath taking’ – Wonderland Magazine

‘A songwriter with enormous promise’ – Clash

‘Ailbhe Reddy’s realness…is staggering’ – Earmilk

Catch Ailbhe live this autumn:

Oct 18 – Black Box Studio, Belfast
Oct 19 – Roisin Dubh, Galway
Oct 20 – Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Oct 21 – Whelans, Dublin
Oct 27 – Liverpool Philharmonic
Oct 28 –The Met, Bury
Oct 29 – Oporto, Leeds
Oct 30 – Henry Tudor House, Shrewsbury
Nov 01 – The Canteen, Bristol
Nov 02 – St Pancras Old Church, London

www.ailbhereddy.com

www.facebook.com/AilbheReddy

@ailbhereddy

New Irish band ‘Blind Poets’ have just released their first single ‘Arrows Shot’ and are making waves already.

Fresh out of the rehearsal room their first venture was a BalconyTV Cork performance which was picked by the international BalconyTV as ‘Editors pic’ and has now been included in a worldwide compilation album which will be released soon, featuring ten artists from all over the world. Not a bad start!

With Karen O’Doherty (Violinist with Mick Flannery) and Niamh Murphy (Foxglove and a previous ISC winner 2014) at the helm, Blind Poets are a new collaborative project also featuring the musical skills of Katie O’Neill, Leo Mullane and Tom Jordan.

Blind Poet’s music lies somewhere between a neo classical, contemporary celtic folk and contemporary world music sound; a music which entwines the traditional and the modern.

With an album in the works they plan to release their debut at the end of the year. Working with top producers such as Karl Odlum, Christian Best, Ronan McCann (Carried By Waves) and Quantum Thief Audio (Karen O’Doherty).

‘Arrows Shot’ is now available for download on all the usual sites.

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/blindpoets2

Website https://kazodoherty.wixsite.com/blindpoets

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

Wyvern Lingo keep on moving ahead of the pack with the release of ‘Out Of My Hands’, their most candid, politicized song to date. Karen from the band says:

“Out of My Hands” was inspired by a man I met in a pub, the night of the Home Sweet Home / Occupy Nama demonstration. He was completely cynical towards activism. I tried to get inside his head, that mistrust and negativity on the refugee crisis, homelessness in Ireland, and the Repeal the 8th movement.

As a wise old Irishman once said: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ‘Out Of My Hands’ challenges both apathy and skepticism, and asks some difficult questions about our daily engagement, both political and personal, with the world around us.

‘Out Of My Hands’ comes smokin’ hot on the trail of the stereotype challenging radio smash ‘I Love You, Sadie’, as Wyvern Lingo once again show themselves to be the sharp social commentators that you can get down and dance to.

Following their sold out gig at The Grand Social, Wyvern Lingo will play their first Dublin show of the new year on Friday 23rd February 2018 at Number Twenty Two on South Anne Street. Tickets for the gig – priced at €19.50 including booking fee – go on sale today (Friday 6th October) at midday from ticketmaster.ie

She wouldn’t give it a break, crying inequality
Oh the 8th and the state, she’s never happy
Then she said I had ‘no empathy’ towards those refugees
I said that I just can’t see them as a priority

The Sound of Belfast festival coordinated by the Oh Yeah Music Centre, returns for a forth year, with a dedicated showcase for local artists. The programme includes a mix of live gigs and talks, awards, conferences and music industry days as well as community programming and special events.

The Festival incorporates The Northern Ireland Music Prize in Association with Blue Moon. It will take place at the Mandela Hall on November 11^th and includes the presentation of an Oh Yeah Legend Award to Vivian Campbell followed by a full live set with his band Last In Line. The evening will also feature performances from three of this years NI Music Prize nominees, Arborist, Joshua Burnside and Robocobra Quartet.

Other highlights across the week include the launch of Native (Nov 4^th), a music mart for local artists. There’s an opportunity to get your vinyl signed by participating acts, and there will be live music on the day from artists Jealous of The Birds and Duke Special.

Oh Yeah has been celebrating ten years across 2017 and on November 4^th the centre will round things up with a dedicated party. Special guests from across the years will be announced through the month of October.

Over the ten days there are events at nine Belfast venues including The Limelight, The Empire, The Sunflower Bar, Voodoo, The MAC and the Black Box. Gigs will feature more than 60 acts, comprising Ricky Warwick and Damon Johnson, The Bonnevilles, Sister Ghost, Strange New Places, Leah McFall, Callum Stewart, Rory Neillis, Civil Simian, Burning Codes, No Oil Paintings, ROE, Wood Burning Savages, Mongol Gentelmen’s Club, The Tragedy of Dr Hannigan, Empty Lungs and many more acts to enjoy.

The Breaking Into Music Youth Conference returns to inspire and signpost young people towards creative careers, and the Music Cities afternoon is back for continued discussion with local and UK industry professionals. There’s a return to the Brexit debate, a focus on the success of Northern Irish songwriting and discussions on accessible spaces and places for musicians and fans.

Charlotte Dryden, of Oh Yeah says, “Sound of Belfast is about turning the spotlight up on local music. Belfast has an abundance of talent and there are gigs throughout the year, we want to promote and celebrate that. Our homegrown talent includes bands fresh out of their first practice through to internationally celebrated names. It’s a great opportunity to fully focus and check out new music, whet the appetite and return for more once you’ve been introduced and even reintroduced”.

Sound of Belfast also includes community event Urban Affinity, on November 8th. Delivered with the support of Belfast Harbour, this event gives young people from disadvantaged backgrounds an opportunity to access and participate in several music tasters across the day.

www.soundofbelfast.com

Rising Irish 4-piece The Academic have pulled off a first-of-its-kind Facebook Live performance of their latest single “Bear Claws,” using the audio/video time lag to create a cool visual loop pedal. See for yourself here:

Here’s how: The band rearranged each instrument on “Bear Claws” to fit Facebook Live’s delay, with each loop getting more complex, adding instruments, rhythms, and melodies. Additionally, by projecting the video live from a soundstage they created an infinite tunnel consisting of all the previously recorded loops.

Frontman Craig Fitzgerald says, “by ‘hacking’ Facebook Live we really tried to push our live performance to a different type of level. Everything had to be timed perfectly. From the musical loops to the choreography. ” We noticed a delay in Facebook live from the moment you go live, to the moment it actually shows up on people’s walls. This inspired us and we thought it’d be cool to turn that lag into a video and audio sampler.”

The Academic’s rise in the past year and half has been staggering – in that time they’ve sold out shows across Ireland, the UK and Europe, supported bands like The Strokes (at Hyde Park), Pixies and Noel Gallagher, racked up millions of Spotify plays – all independently and with just a 5-song EP to their name. Currently on a 25 date US Tour, The Academic play their only Irish headline show of 2017 at Vicar Street on November 4^th followed by a UK and European Tour. Their highly anticipated debut LP is out early next year. For more information check out www.theacademic.net

One of the key names in the ever growing and acclaimed Irish urban music scene, Super Silly are four musicians who first met playing gospel in their local church, bringing a rare sense of passion and fun to modern RnB. Tipped for great things in 2017 by the likes of Nialler9, Goldenplec and The Thin Air, the quartet of Whodis, Glory, Solbas and Grvz began a run of releases for in March with ‘Not Ready To Leave’, a track that mixed classic soul and RnB, modern hip-hop and the joyous energy of their gospel roots. It was accompanied by the band’s first ever music video, directed by Seán Clancy. The summer also saw them collaborate on a remix of ‘No Pressure’ with Australian producer Odd Mob for their first international release, hitting some of the key Spotify dance playlists and receiving radio support from the likes of Pete Tong in the UK and Triple J in Australia.

After appearing at some of Ireland’s key festivals the band return with ‘Mile High Club’ – produced by Dublin beat maker Plant Food. A track that sees them take yet another musical turn, it has already been played on by Jamz Supernova on BBC Radio 1Xtra, as well as RTE 2FM, Today FM, Spin1038 and 98FM amongst others at home.

The song acknowledges how hard it can be for a struggling musician when prospective partners are looking for a more stable, if not glamorous, lifestyle. It asks them to have a little faith, as one day soon they’ll be living the high life….

Upcoming Shows:  

21.10 Bray, Harbour Bar

11.11 Dublin, The Sugar Club

Super Silly on :  FACEBOOK  | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE

Dave Flynn’s Irish Memory Orchestra is a thrilling uniquely Irish phenomenon that has brought audiences to their feet at every concert they have played, from Dublin to Moscow,
The Word Premiere of Flynn’s Memory Symphony will be performed by an 80 piece orchestra at Dublin’s Christ Church Cathedral on 4th November. The world first will also feature special guest Máirtín O’Connor.

The Memory Symphony is the first symphony composed to be performed without sheet-music. Using a kaleidoscopic mix of ancient and modern instruments, some of Ireland’s best musicians will join to create an extraordinary sound like never heard before!

Tickets for the World Premiere are on sale now exclusively through Eventbrite.

Hermitage Green are set to release their hotly anticipated E.P. Gold & Rust on 20 October. The six track E.P. is produced by Matt Lawrence (Adele, Amy Winehouse, Mumford & Sons) and includes current single ‘Lions Share’.

Hermitage Green have also announced details for their massive winter tour including dates in Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, UK and Ireland with tickets for all dates on sale now.

The Limerick band has seen massive success over the past year, including the release of their debut album ‘Save Your Soul’ to performing on the main stages of festivals worldwide including Ireland’s Electric Picnic. They most recently celebrated a sold out headline show at King Johns Castle in their hometown of Limerick and performed their second headline show at Dublin’s Olympia Theatre last month.

An acoustic folk rock band, Hermitage Green have successfully built a dedicated legion of fans across the globe thanks to their captivating and unforgettable live sets. Playing gigs in South Africa, Australia, United States, Canada, Dubai, France, London and of course Ireland.

Hermitage Green’s unique arrangement of instruments includes the bodhrán, djembe, rhythmic guitar and banjo sets them apart.

‘Gold & Rust’ is available for download across all digital platforms from 20 October 2017.

Tracklisting

Lions Share
Overawed
Mountain
Shine
Insane
Bring it on Down

GOLD & RUST TOUR

October 14th – The Spiegeltent, Wexford
October 19th – Cork Opera House, Cork
October 20th – Treacys Hotel, Ennis,
October 21st – Lukers Bar, Shannonbridge
October 26th – McGettigans, Dubai
October 27th – McGettigans, Abu Dhabi
October 28th – McGettigans, Singapore
November 1st – Prince Bandroom, Melbourne
November 2nd – Finn McCools, Brisbane
November 3rd – Australian Music Week, Cronulla
November 4th – The Lair @ Metro Theatre, Sydney
November 5th – Badlands, Perth
November 24th – The Empire, Belfast
November 25th – Duke Street, Warrenpoint
November 30th – Liverpool O2 Academy
December 1st – London O2 Islington
December 2nd – Birmingham O2 Academy
December 4th – Glasgow O2 Academy
December 5th – Manchester Academy 3
December 15th – INEC, Killarney
December 22nd – The Set, Kilkenny
December 29th – The Roisin Dubh, Galway
December 30th – The Roisin Dubh, Galway

http://hermitagegreen.com/
http://www.facebook.com/hermitagegreen
https://www.instagram.com/hermitagegreen/
http://twitter.com/hermitagegreen
http://www.youtube.com/user/hermitagegreen