Author: Breffni Banks

John Blek and The Rats are on the road this month with a few dates in venues throughout the country. As part of the tour, the guys will be showcasing some new material they are currently working on for album number two. John and Anna have just finished performing as a duo after being invited to open up for Simone Felice on his Irish tour and now the full band return to headline duties a series of dates.

 5/4 Workmans Club , Dublin                                    

16/4 Cobblestone Joes , Limerick  

17/4 De Barras , Clonakilty                       

20/4 Pine Lodge , Myrtleville

Further info on tour available here

Check out their live video for “Calling Out My Name”, taken from their debut album “Leave Your Love at the Door”, recently filmed in RTÉ by Colm Walsh.

http://johnblekandtherats.com/

Amongst the first glut of bands ever to play with Homebeat The Dirty 9s stood out for many reasons.

Immediate hooks, soaring choruses and delicate musicianship were their hallmark sound, but what made them special was the heart they played it all with and we were lucky to have them perform for us a number of times.

But sometimes, in art as in life, the light dims a little and you need to glimpse at each other through a new perspective.. life moves on, people move on, music moves on and bands move on…

Bell X1’s David Geraghty released his debut solo album ‘Kill Your Darlings’ in 2007, to critical and fan acclaim. The album was also nominated for a Choice Music Prize that year. 2009 saw Geraghty return with his second solo offering ‘The Victory Dance’. Both of these albums were written and recorded between stints in the hectic Bell X1 touring schedule.

Similarly, Dave’s new project, ‘Join Me in the Pines’ was written and recorded over a year and half while on and off the road. JMITP is a return to the somewhat isolated creative process under which his debut album was made. This time around the process benefits from a newly built home studio, (which was tried and tested on the demos for Bell X1’s “Chop Chop” album). “Finally there’s a place, other than their flight cases, where all these instruments can reside. Every musician’s dream is to have their own home studio. However, this dream is of the double-edged sword variety. Being a workaholic, it’s sometimes difficult to switch off knowing that the studio is attached to your living room.”

D.F.F. is one of the most exciting groups to emerge from Ireland in recent times with their African-tinged Chamber Pop Songs featuring glorious vocal harmonies and outstanding musicianship!

D.F.F. began in 2011 when Dave Flynn (guitar/vocals) had the desire to create a fresh sounding band. Flynn is best known for his work as a composer in the classical and traditional music worlds, particularly through his collaborations with Martin Hayes & Dennis Cahill (The Gloaming). However, there is another side to Flynn’s work which was set aside whilst he was concentrating on classical/traditional music. Long before he composed classical and traditional music he was a songwriter and electric guitarist. This project is a result of his yearning to return to the song-writing world where his music career began.

“I needed to find a home; I needed to build a home. That’s what Architect is about”.

With the release of her fourth album, Architect, Irish artist Wallis Bird marks another milestone in her career – a career that has been fought step by step; a career that has been built slowly but solidly, as her growing legions of fans will testify; and a career with as many ups as downs, but very few compromises. To build a house, you have to put the foundations in place first, and Architect represents the culmination of a long journey of self-discovery and reinvention.

Dublin-based five-piece, The Furious Haze, have just released their latest single, “I Remember You”, with all proceeds going to the Simon Community.

The band released their first single, “Crazy Jane the Hurricane”, last July, shortly followed by their EP, “Bring Me Up”, and their biggest performance to date at Electric Picnic. This summer, they will be taking the stage at The Westport Festival in June followed by another performance at Electric Picnic.

Before making the video, The Furious Haze spent some time talking to the homeless people who feature in the video, learning about their stories. They are hoping the single will raise much needed funds for the Simon Community. You can download “I Remember You” on iTunes .

For more see https://www.facebook.com/TheFuriousHaze and http://www.thefurioushaze.com/.