Author: Breffni Banks

Irish band Search Party Animal release their new single, “Enemies” on July 21st 2017. The young band (an average age of 19), create a sound which transcends the sum of its parts. They are fronted by Dundrum native Adam Redmond, a multi instrumentalist and principal songwriter for the band. Search Party Animal have been playing together from the age of 14 and are becoming known for their energetic live shows.

The track, “Enemies” brings to mind early Foals, Django Django, and references the underground Irish post rock scene that the band were immersed in. The track was produced by the band and Vin McCreith (The Cast of Cheers, All Tvvins, Adebisi Shank) and mastered by Robin Schmidt (Two Door Cinema Club, The 1975).

The outfits previous single, ‘Evergreen’, received its premiere on Phil Taggart’s show on BBC Radio 1.

Search Party Animal release their new single “Enemies” via Faction Records, home of James Vincent McMorrow, Jape and Pleasure Beach.

With a debut headline show Upstairs at Whelan’s on August 25th, and a busy festival season to follow soon, there is much more to come from this exciting young five piece.

http://searchpartyanimal.ie/

Irish Indie-Pop five piece Penrose, with front man Darragh McGrane at the helm, have just releases the video for their latest single “Let’s Go Out”.

Described as ‘a solid Indie Pop band with catchy uplifting indie songs and anthems that have “attitude” and stick in your head’, their new single doesn’t fall off the mark. Mixing the ease & harmonies of The Beatles / ELO, the snarling vocals of Richard Ashcroft and the rhythmic acoustic guitars of great Brit Pop, Penrose are a truly powerful force…live and on record.

The band successfully unveiled their debut EP “Live for the Dream” which charted at NO.3 in the Irish charts to a sell out house of fans & media. Followed up by a critically acclaimed single ‘MELODY’ which charted at No. 10 in the Irish charts and was picked up by all Irish national radio stations such as Today FM, FM104 and RTE, with TV appearances to on RTE’s TwoTube, the band then followed this up with yet another sell out show to their home fans in Dublin’s Academy 2 venue. Penrose were invited to the UK by one of the industries most illuminated music managers Alan McGee – to play gigs as part of the ‘Musicians against Homelessness campaign’. The band supported one of their main influences Aslan, as part of the ‘Made in Dublin’ Revisited gigs in Vicar Street last December. With a brand new single on the horizon and s string of Summer Festival dates, it looks to be an exciting time for the band.

The band consists of Caolan Fitzsimons (rhythm guitar), Mark Bolger (bass), Benji Hayes (Keys) and drummer Donal Bowens complementing McGrane’s lead vocals and lead guitar.

http://www.penroseofficial.com
https://www.facebook.com/penroseofficial

Maria Doyle Kennedy, one of Ireland’s most gifted and versatile female artists will host two very special evening concerts at the world’s oldest intact operational lighthouse – Hook Lighthouse on August 25th and 26th.

Maria Doyle Kennedy has forged a name and held her own in diverse arenas from film and TV to her career as a singer-songwriter. She has spent the best part of 20 years performing live all over the world to audiences ranging from the many thousands who have enjoyed her show at festivals including Glastonbury, Oxegen, Cambridge Folk Festival to the more intimate theatre concerts. She has hosted sell out shows at Hook Liughthouse in the past and returns later this month to host two more magical perfomances in the 800 year old Lighthouse Tower. A limited number of tickets to this fully seated event are on sale at €30. Maria will perform many of her fans favourite songs along with some new songs from her upcoming album, which is set to be launched later this year.

This event will take place as part of one of the many happenings at Hook Lighthouse for National Heritage Week, which takes place from August 19th to 27th; enjoy a combination of events from Historial tours, Pirate Fun, Musical evenings and a Whale and Dolphin Group Day at the Lighthouse located on the Hook Peninsula in County Wexford.

Visit the the iconic landmark during Heritage Week as the tourguides along with a little help from the holograms of St. Dubhan and William Marshal recount its stories dating back some 800 years.

On Sunday August 20th a special Family Fun day will be on offer at the tower with free fun games taking place on the Lighthouse lawns. On Saturday August 26th the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group will host an information day at the Lighthouse, the group will tell visitors how best to spot the Minke and Humpback Whales which are frequently seen off the Peninsula, along with details on Dolphins, Porpoises, Seals and other sealife.

And to taking the Summer season to a close for the pesky Pirates on the Peninsula, they will be given free reign of the Lighthouse for just one day. Don’t miss the calamity on Sunday, August 27th as the Pirate cronies host their final Pirate Fling for the summer, all of their usual antics and mischief will be par for the course plus they plan to take the Lighthouse Manager to ransom and demand that ‘kids go free on tours all day’ on August 27th.

Hook Lighthouse is the oldest operational Ligthouse in the world. Hook Head Lighthouse has shone a protective beam for passing sailors for 800 years and remarkably, the original structure is still intact. This Irish lighthouse sits at the top of breathtaking Hook Head, rich in history, character and natural beauty. The Lighthouse is located in the south-western corner of county Wexford.

For further details on these heritage week events and tickets see www.hookheritage.ie

Sonically speaking Regina Spektor has dinner with Amy Winehouse and they all grab a cuppa with Frank Zappa; Great White Lies sound resides in the alley on the way back. Choral music, jazz, and funky soul permeate through their inventive sound, peppered with surreal imagery.

‘Sunday Shapes’ is the first single release from Great White Lies series of recent recordings with producer Comrade Hat. Following a busy period touring Ireland, Canada & Los Angeles the jazz/pop sextet are set to release new music to a growing international audience.

‘Sunday Shapes’ brings together elements of what the group have become known for. Hooky bass lines growl under dynamic vocals glittered with bursts of harmonies, powerful keys, brass and thumping percussion. These very elements have brought them comparisons to Prince and Regina Spektor.

Since the release of their self-titled debut ep they have performed live on RTE 1, Bloom in Phoenix Park, Stendhal Festival, won VAI song of the year and music featured in BBC NI documentary ‘Love In A Day’.

“Blast of summer sunshine” – GoldenPlec

“Lovely stuff…Great energy and inventiveness” The Late Show, BBC Radio Ulster

“Absolutely brilliant” – Darren Cleary, In Colour, 2XM

Tour dates:

15/07 Derry, The Alley Theatre, Strabane w/Lauren Bird

27/07 Dublin, The Workman’s Club, w/ The Vulture Collective

29/07 Donegal, Shindig Nights, Letterkenny

Great White Lies on Facebook

Great White Lies on Twitter 

Pursued By Dogs are a four piece from Dublin who make music with guitars, keys, bass, synths and computers.

‘Iceland’ is the second release from the band’s upcoming debut album, which was recorded by producer James Darkin at Temple Lane and Herbert Place Studios in the winter of 2016/2017. A band favourite and the newest of ten tracks demoed for the album, ‘Iceland’ began life as being rejected by James for being underdeveloped in comparison to the rest of the record. Two weeks of wound-licking and frantic re-writing by the band ensued, leading to a track that became slated for release as a single.

The band’s sound has been described as ‘indietronica’, but they prefer this description “…at the line between sad and blissful, a fuzzy end-of-the-night type of music that’s simultaneously affecting and rousing.”

Pursued By Dogs are Andrew Brennan – vocals, guitar; Ronan Marr – production; Suzanne Purcell – vocals, keys; Dave Sheehan – bass. The band previously played under the name DOGS, making a name for themselves on Ireland’s live circuit featuring at the likes of Castlepalooza, Indiependence and earning themselves a nomination for Best New Act at the Irish Festival Awards.

Iceland is released digitally on 17th July, with a video to follow from Vincent Snel.

Pursued By Dogs are gearing up to the release of their debut album with a series of EPs and gigs across summer / autumn 2017.

Following on from the worldwide airplay of ‘Idle Man’, ‘The Long Road’ is the second single taken from Buffalo Sunn’s recording session with multi Grammy award winning producer Joe Chiccarelli (Beck, My Morning Jacket, Jack White, and currently recording again with Morrissey ) last year in the renowned Sunset Sound studios, Los Angeles.

It’s a beautiful slice of Americana served up in just over 3 minutes with lush strings, gorgeous backing vocals and pedal steel guitar, and wouldn’t be out of place in David Lynch’s classic ‘Paris, Texas’.

Buffalo Sunn consists of two Paxton brothers, songwriter Daniel on vocals and guitar and younger brother Conor on bass, with Patrick McHugh on guitar and B/Vs, and Nathan Maher on guitar/keys and BVs, while guesting with the band on the LA recordings are Doug Pettibone on pedal steel, (John Mayer, Sting, Lucinda Williams etc), and drummer Victor Indrizzo, who has plays with the likes of Beck and Depeche Mode, Sheyrl Crow and Willie Nelson. The recordings are mixed by Maxime Leguil (Morrissey, Hans Zimmer).

Buffalo Sunn’s album, ‘By The Ocean By The Sea’ (produced by Grammy award winner Pat McCarthy – 5 R.E.M albums, Lou Reed and Madonna among many others) debuted in the Irish charts at No 14, and tracks from the album enjoyed significant airplay abroad too, being heavily rotated on stations such as Sacramento RADIO 94.7 in California and Portland, and the band played a very successful West Coast tour from Phoenix, Los Angeles through Portland to Seattle taking in radio stations along the way where they were invited to play live shows to invited audiences.

Grab a beer, kick your shoes off and settle down to the to the sounds of these Dublin boys with a taste for the Mid West.

Praise for Idle Man

Hot Press (IE)

“Stitching together a ‘Boys of Summer’-ish back-beat together with countrified pedal steel guitars, the sun-kissed number sees Buffalo Sunn in vintage form. It’s the perfect sonic tonic if you’ve got a dose of the winter blues.”

50Thirdand3rd (US)

“A fetching and sparkling Americana symphony obviously inspired, musically, by the sunlit place where it was recorded. So lively, so upbeat, and so richly colored with crystal-clear Byrds harmonies that you almost forget Idle Man isn’t a happy dude at all.”

Source Music (AUS)

“Lush production and intricate songwriting are hallmarks of Buffalo Sunn’s music and ‘Idle Man’ is no different.”

The Long Road will be released on August 26th.

http://www.facebook.com/Buffalosunn

“One of the few artists who can do no wrong whatsoever.”– BBC Radio 2

Ireland’s internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter Eleanor McEvoy announces her new album ‘The Thomas Moore Project’, released July 28th 2017. The album marks a significant first step in Eleanor’s lifelong journey discovering the wonderful songs and extraordinary life of Thomas Moore. Produced and arranged by Eleanor, who is best known for her songs ‘Sophie’ and the Irish standard ‘Only A Woman’s Heart’, which this year celebrates its 25thanniversary, the album more than pays homage to one of the Georgian era’s most beloved writers and entertainers. The Thomas Moore Project celebrates and revitalises some of the lesser and indeed well known material by the said luminary such as Oft In The Stilly Night, The Minstrel Boy and The Harp That Once Through Tara’s Halls.

Says Eleanor of the album: “I hope you will enjoy this and join me. My approach is intentionally different. I needed to go further than just pay homage so my arrangements for this choice of 11 songs are of this century. I’m not sure when I began my intriguing quest but I do remember singing Thomas Moore songs in a choir when I was around nine years of age. My fascination is not just with his music but also with his own place in history in a fantastic artistic period with contrasting social and political upheaval in Europe and Ireland. My journey continues.”

Eleanor performs vocals, guitars, strings and keyboards on the album and recruited Damon Butcher from The Beautiful South on keyboards, Eamonn Nolan from The RTE Concert Orchestra on flugelhorn, Eoghan O ‘Neill from Moving Hearts, Chris Rea and Riverdance on bass and Guy Rickerby from Riverdance, Duke Special and The RTE Concert Orchestra on drums and percussion. The musicianship on the album echoes throughout every verse and chorus along with McEvoy’s rich, lilting voice and beautiful playing.

Now based in Wexford, Dublin-born McEvoy’s career originally started as a session musician, which included a long stint with The Irish National Symphony Orchestra and with The Mary Black Band. McEvoy decided to develop her own career, and quickly had the title track on The Woman’s Heart compilation and a US record deal with Geffen Records. McEvoy was soon touring the world to promote her eponymous debut album for Geffen, which went on to sell 250,000 copies. At the same time, ‘A Woman’s Heart’ entered the Irish charts, selling over 750,000 copies – and remains one of Ireland’s biggest selling albums of all-time. These successes established McEvoy as one of Ireland’s biggest stars, launching a career that has since seen her release twelve studio albums and tour the world.

She has been on the road for 2 years with her show Naked…Live and this year has gone from being a long time Board member of IMRO to being its Chairman.

Upcoming Irish show listed below:

July 29th in The Theatre Royal, Waterford. (Performing songs from Naked Music Tour & album)

www.eleanormcevoy.com / www.twitter.com/eleanormcevoy

Editors notes on Album cover artwork:

Portrait of Thomas Moore by Sir Martin Archer Shee  (1769-1850)
National Gallery of Ireland Collection Photo © National Gallery of Ireland
Portrait of Eleanor McEvoy by Robert Ballagh. This portrait hangs in the John Field Room of the NCH

Having previously recorded an EP with punk legend and hellraiser Shane MacGowan , Candice Gordon is set to release her debut full length album ‘Garden of Beasts’ on the 8th of September 2017 via Proper Octopus Records . Today, 14th July sees the release of the flagship single ‘Nobody’.

Produced by labelmate A.S. Fanning , and mixed by Ingo Krauss ( Swans, Iggy and the Stooges ), the album was recorded in a country house in Ireland and at the legendary Funkhaus in Berlin. It presents a rich and brooding sonic landscape constructed using a variety of synthetic and natural instruments from Moogs to flutes, and Gordon even plays a one-string Kazakh instrument at times.

In her own words, Gordon describes the single ‘Nobody’: “Nobody is about bodily autonomy, dispossession, and dehumanisation. It’s an image of hedonistic youth culture that is preoccupied with consumption even to the extent of consuming other people and presenting oneself to be consumed. To have the sense that you are nobody, you have been totally dehumanised.”

Candice Gordon grew up in Dublin, Ireland and after some years pursuing a nomadic lifestyle, is now settled in Berlin. She has previously performed at Bestival , Body and Soul , Electric Picnic and Truck Festival , and supported and shared stages with the likes of Shane MacGowan, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds , The Horrors, and Kurt Vile and the Violators . She has toured extensively in Europe and the UK over the last few years and since the release of her debut singles “Smoking Like the Barrel of a Gun” and “Cannibal Love”.

“Dark Brilliance” DIY Magazine

“Agreeably bonkers slice of horror themed garage rock raucousness.” The Guardian

“Brooding atmospheric songwriting packed with ominous poetics and powerful vocals.” Clash

“The greatest song never to feature on the Twin Peaks soundtrack.” Hot Press

“Sweetly dark folk-tinged music, like ‘Murder Ballads’ era Bad Seeds.” Time Out London

“Candice Gordon’s new album is scintillating, sensual, smooth, mysterious and captivating, just like she is” – Shane MacGowan

Website: http://candicegordonmusic.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/candicegordonmusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/candicegordon
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/candice-gordon
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/candicegordon
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/candicegordonmusic/

‘Marrakech’ is the sophomore release of Irish virtuoso guitarist and composer Shane Hennessy. Among the wide variety of styles featured on the album, listeners can look forward to a mix of energetic tunes like the Nile Rodgers-inspired ‘Dance Tonight’ and the Chet Atkins-esque ‘Effervescent’. The concluding track ‘I’m Off Today’ shows off Hennessy’s efforts of capturing the modern Snarky Puppy-fusion sound in his style, and elements of global ethnic music traditions are heavily peppered throughout tracks such as ‘Marrakech’ (Arabian), ‘Quentão’ (Brazilian), ‘Cortadito’ (Cuban), and ‘Higher Love’ (reggae). More reflective and introspective tracks on the album include the melodic Knopfler-esque ballad ‘Sailing To Shore’, the gentle meditative ‘Koramantra’ and the Irish-infused ‘Through The Woods’. A feature in common to almost every track on the album, apart from Koramantra and Effervescent, is that they were written and arranged as songs prior to being arranged for solo guitar, hence the strong melodic and harmonic presence in the tunes.

Shane Hennessy is a guitarist and composer from Ireland, whose unique guitar playing style has amazed audiences all over the world. His guitar playing style and compositions have caught the attention of big names like guitar legend Tommy Emmanuel, who invited Hennessy to join him in July 2016 in the National Concert Hall, and super-producer Nile Rodgers (CHIC) who invited Shane to meet him privately in Dublin during CHIC’s European Tour in 2014 after discovering his music on Twitter. He also works as a songwriter, and is an in-demand session musician.​

At the young age of twenty-three, Shane has already been a featured performer in some of Ireland’s biggest music and arts festivals, including The Guitar Festival of Ireland (Headline Act, 2016), Electric Picnic (2012, 2013, and 2014), and Longitude (2014).

Having started out at age four as a concertina player, solely playing Irish traditional music, Shane discovered the guitar at age thirteen. Inspired to play by hearing the music of James Taylor, he developed an interest in solo acoustic guitar after being pointed in the direction of Tommy Emmanuel, and rapidly became an avid fan and player of the solo acoustic guitar style.

The core musical concept of his newest work ‘Marrakech’ revolves around ‘visual music‘ – music that transports its listener to a specific time or place. This album retains the melodic nature of Zephyrus (his 2015 début) while building on more complex harmonic structures and forms, as well as incorporating world and ethnic influences, cleverly playing against the natural strengths of the acoustic guitar at times. ‘Marrakech’ will be launched at the National Concert Hall on Thursday July 20th 2017, where Shane will perform the new album in its entirety, as well a selection of tunes from his 2015 release Zephyrus. Tickets are on sale now at http://nch.ie/Online/Shane-Hennessy-20Jul17