Author: Breffni Banks

Tim V. Smyth has been an active participant in the Irish music scene for many years under a variety of different monikers. His most recent musical endeavor was Hidden Highways, a dark and minimal folk/alt-country outfit inspired as much by “The Hired Hand” and “Return To Oz” as it was by Townes van Zandt and Gillian Welch. Unsurprisingly, then, the songs he penned for that project found their way into a number of film soundtracks.

However, despite his love for Americana, he has recently moved away from his alt-country roots to explore a darker, more glutinous sound in his latest self-produced work. This new body of work features a wide range of influences, from the solo guitar pieces of Loren Connors to the lo-fi electronica of John Maus. Tim utilizes a variety of tools, toys, and techniques to create a unique and textured sound. Test equipment, botched guitars, dictaphone vocals, broken bass synths, and wonky tape float together around lyrics dealing with the age-old subjects: life, death, and love.

The third single, “Love’s Not Through With You Yet,” will be available digitally on the 10th of November 2023.

About the song:

“Love’s Not Through…” started as a song with a beginning, middle, and end but ended up as a loop on the Zvex pedal, the Lo-Fi Loop Junky. I had been re-watching “The Harder They Fall,” a 50’s film with some less than complimentary portrayals of boxing when the vaguest of lyrics sprang to mind. I worked on it over the next couple of weeks, trying to match it to tunes that just wouldn’t wear it. Around that time, I had an opportunity to buy a Zvex Lo-Fi Loop Junky looper pedal. I say “opportunity” as they are prohibitively expensive, but this one was reasonably priced. It’s an odd beast – if you want to use it like a Boss looper, you’ll be hard-pressed! I believe it’s analog or analog-ish, utilizing a chip from old answering machines. Not surprisingly, there’s no quantization, smart start, or overdubbing. However, whatever is looped into it comes out like some old scratchy 78 record or a warbly cassette recording.

I recorded a few demos with just circular riffs into this machine and started to match lyrics to one. The boxing analogy for resilience is a tritely obvious one, but I thought I was pretty clever working a sport into a song. Pretty clever, that was, until I heard “When An Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease” by Roy Harper.

I did a first run of the song that evolved into an unsuitable synth-pop oddity and had to start from scratch using the loop itself as the track’s starting point. It was immediately clear that less was more for this track, and I added gentle chords from my Epiphone Dot Studio 335 copy and lush strings from a Korg SP-80s. The reverbs were from a Zoom MS-80CDR in my Tascam mixer’s send/return. A swimming feedback howl was recorded with the 335 copy and my favorite amp of all time – a Coron Live 10 mic’d with a Blue Hummingbird and used as you would a synth pad. The track still felt empty, and I left it alone for weeks, hoping something would come to me.

It wasn’t until after finding an LP copy of one of my favorite film scores, Gabriel Yared’s for “Betty Blue,” that I dug out my melodica to complete the track. Now maybe it’s harmonica on that score, maybe it’s a melodica – I’ve never been able to get a clear answer on that, but to me, it sounds more like a melodica. My own melodica is the cult classic Hohner Piano 26 models, and I’ve tried to incorporate many tracks, but it’s never made the cut. I had doubled or complemented its line with my Korg Poly 800, but these sounded intrusive when paired with it and were dropped. The melodica was mic’d again with the Blue Hummingbird, which is ideal for small spaces, and the mic itself sounds great.

Queen Bitch, Queen Mother. Bethsheba, the bird who held the heart of David, who brought the poet King to his knees before God, and we remember poor brave Uriah sacrificed in the name of mad infatuation. Wise, powerful and steadfast was she who guided the history of mankind, the bearer of wise rulers and saviours. She is the eye of the storm, the calm at the centre of the tempest raging around her. Lust, desire and thirst precedes chaos and ruin, in turn preceding rebirth and rebuild in her image. Temples are raised, riches gathered.

Queen Bitch, Queen of Hearts, and “reader of hearts’ ,’ like Mariana de Paredes whose feast day and death day falls on the birthday of our Queen Bitch. A mystic, healer, ascetic, who takes the pains of the world on her body, and transmutes it to music so that we might listen and become closer to the divine.

A voice that emanates with otherworldly authority, commanding all those who listen to her bidding, a siren song to lure, to destroy and create anew. Crashing percussion like desert wars, and stringed distortions that make atoms dance.

Graciously accept our Queen Bitch, bow reverently, take up your sword and go forth in her glory.

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Queen Bitch is a musical project by Irish artist Róisín Bohan. Through the genres of rock, blues, grunge and more, she explores the vastness of human experience, touching on trauma, toxic relationships, sexuality, doubt, pain and joy in her inimitable and powerful style.

A new voice to add to the rich lineage of fearless female bards like Patti Smith. PJ Harvey, Karen O and Siouxsie Sioux. Guitar in hand, she brings a regal air to the stage and stereo. Enter her Queendom and join her amassing army of loyal subjects!

Her first single ‘Bones’ from upcoming self titled album, ‘Queen Bitch’ is a fracturing frenzy of crashing guitars and cymbals. A ferocious wail heralds the powerful track to come, a song about healing, about strength and rebuilding, losing your trust before finding a great trust.

‘Bones’ was recorded at Beardfire Studios Dublin, featuring Al Quiff on drums, Rohan Healy on bass and Petri Visser on lead guitar. Produced by the Beardfire team, Rohan Healy, Al Quiff and David Virgin, who in their collective decades in the music industry have worked on stage and in studio with the likes of Nick Cave, INXS, RUNAH, Ailsha, All The Queen’s Horses, Patricia Lalor, Lloyd Cole, Leslie Dowdall and many more.

Don’t miss Queen Bitch’s rise as she conquers the rock scene with her powerful live shows and string of compelling releases into 2024 and beyond.

Socials:

Queen Bitch Instagram / Facebook

Beardfire Instagram / Facebook

Partland is the stage name of Galway based singer songwriter and artist Thomas McPartland. Partland has gigged in various countries such as Canada, Germany, France, Scotland and England over the years, including support slots with the likes of Damien Dempsey, Ham Sandwich, Picturehouse and Heathers.

His first album, ‘Sing Me to Shore’ was released in Summer ’16, and was featured as Internationally renowned songwriter Charlie McGettigan’s Album of the Month on his radio show. His most recent single ‘Don’t Shoot Me Those Baby Blues’ released in August 2022 and picked up support in HotPress, RTE Entertainment, InMusic, Near FM, Dublin South FM, Shannonisde FM, This Galway, Flirt FM and many more making the Galway native one to watch.

Forthcoming album ‘The Empty Atlantic’ will come with quite a unique feature, in that the songwriter has also created a music video for each song. This gives an extra cinematic dimension into the storytelling of each song, creating a visual world in addition to the listening experience.

Now with his new album on the horizon, Partland is now set out to make an even bigger name for himself.

Last Chance Hero is the third track from the Partland album ‘The Empty Atlantic’. It more than any of the songs on the album draws most from his main influences; from Simon and Garfunkel to Elliott Smith. This heartbreaking ballad tells the story of the helplessness felt at the breakdown of a relationship. The music video for the single interprets the title from a different angle; that of an aging superhero who is struggling with becoming old and the declining of his powers. He strives for one last heroic deed which may ultimately cost him his life. The music video was handcrafted by Partland singer and songwriter Thomas McPartland and the track was produced and recorded by Canadian producer Robert Kelly both in parts in Galway, Ireland and Newfoundland, Canada.

Connect with Partland

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Spotify

Brand new track ‘Defence’ sets the scene for Toshín’s upcoming album ‘I Own Everything’, marking the return of the rising talent and promising to make waves in the Irish music industry.

‘Defence’ is the result of Toshín’s creatively-fuelled hiatus during which she set out to discover her true sound. It comes loaded with high energy and unapologetic confidence, showcasing a dynamic musical style that draws inspiration from rock, pop & soul.

The new release is a reflection of Toshín’s musical journey to date which saw her open for Macy Gray and sell out iconic venues, while also marking the beginning of a new chapter for the self-expressive, genre-blending vocalist.

Toshín’s forthcoming single features the collaborative talents of Tosin Bankole, and Tosin Adebayo, written by Zapho with production by #2 Billboard charting songwriter and producer Liam Geddes. As part of her debut 10-track album, a fresh musical experience that is not to be missed.

Stay tuned for more details about the official release of ‘I Own Everything’, to which ‘Defence’ is a tasty introduction.

Upcoming Toshín Live Dates

Thursday, NOV 23RD: Bar Bobu, Berlin

Saturday, NOV 25TH: Monroes, Galway

Friday, DEC 1ST: The Sugar Club, Dublin

Thursday, DEC 14TH: ICC, London

Don’t miss these fantastic opportunities to see Toshín perform live!

https://toshinmusic.com/

After releasing just two tracks – ‘Born To Be Alive’ and ‘All The Boys’ – 19-year-old Bea and her Business has quickly established a reputation as one of the UK’s hottest new talents. She has exceeded 20 million streams, achieved her first Radio 1 airplay, made a huge scale live debut in front of 100,000 people in Oslo and now, Bea shares her debut EP ‘Introverted Extrovert’.

The songs on Introverted Extrovert’ capture the challenges and uncertainties of late teenage life, with Bea possessing the unguarded honesty and biting wit which calls out to the growing pains of her generation – all while sharing a “If only I had known this before” level of relatable wisdom. In contrast, her songs possess a timeless elegance far beyond her years while her voice shimmers with world class potential. It’s a voice full of longing and yearning, power and poise, and the confidence that comes with learned experience.

Bea says, “This EP is a representation of my past couple of teenage years. Being jealous of other girls and changing myself to be what was perceived as ‘cool’, getting sweet revenge and being immature as hell, fancying guys at parties who don’t fancy me back, getting far too invested in situationships (it never ends well) and after all of that happened realising that being single is fucking great, I don’t know why I didn’t try it earlier lol.

I think this EP gives an insight into my slightly dramatic, sarcastic, passive aggressive (at times) and blunt character whilst also showing you I’m not completely incapable of showing emotion!”

The EP is launched alongside the new focus track ‘Never Ever Love A Liar’. The piano-based ballad tells its story in its title, yet Bea’s words express the vulnerable and sometimes darkly comic truths of how she realised that message to be true as she sings, “He’s moving on quick guess he likes ready-made, cub I’m a chef’s kiss bitch couldn’t you taste.” But as her vocal soars into a towering crescendo, it’s clear that she’s channelling that lesson into her most powerful moment to date – and she has grown for the experience.

Bea adds, “This song is about a time I was feeling very sorry for myself after some guy I was dating got with one of his best girlfriends whilst he was on holiday. He stood for everything my mum told me to avoid, which is where ‘shoulda listened to my mother’ came from. I guess someone can give you as much advice as they want to but at the end of the day you have to live it to learn it. Now I use this song as a bit of a reminder to listen to my mum’s advice, despite the fact it might be unbelievably annoying sometimes, she does always know best – let’s face it!”

In addition to ‘Never Ever Love A Liar’, ‘Born To Be Alive’ and ‘All The Boys’, the EP is completed by two brand new tracks. ‘If I Was A God’ feels like a sequel to ‘Never Ever Love A Liar’, as Bea uses the tender beauty of her voice to plot her revenge to the love interest who wronged her. And ‘Smoking Lessons’ captures what Bea calls the “brutal education” of a tumultuous whirlwind of unrequited love, jealousy, misguided adventures and realising, just a bit too late, that compromising who you are never works out for the best

Bea will celebrate the release of ‘Introverted Extrovert’ by playing her debut London headline show at Omeara on November 16^th. Tickets here.

Bea started writing her own songs in childhood and she was particularly inspired by the scathing wit and insight of Lily Allen. Her writing used personal experience as its focal point, but her love for poetry and fiction proved an extra layer of eloquence, particularly Leonard Cohen’s ‘The Flame’ and Kate Bingham’s ‘Quicksand Beach’. A singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Bea first attracted fans with her heart-stopping covers of songs by Lana Del Rey and Tove Lo before made a stronger personal connection as she released her own originals into the world.

‘Introverted Extrovert’ tracklist:

1. ‘Smoking Lessons’
2. ‘All The Boys’
3. ‘Never Ever Love A Liar’
4. ‘If I Was A God’
5. ‘Born To Be Alive’

Follow Bea and her Business:

Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Website

Amble are a 3-piece ensemble of songwriters, formed over a mutual grá for the music they create. Hailing from the Midlands and West of Ireland, the trio have gained a strong following over the last 7 months, since their debut release ‘Mariner Boy.’

In a matter of only 7 months, Amble has currently over 40k monthly Spotify listeners and are fast approaching the 1,000,000 stream total, averaging 15,000 streams a day.

To date, Amble has sold out all Dublin headliners – The Workman’s Cellar in April 2023, The Sugar Club on November 30th 2023 ( Sold Out 5 months in advance), and now Whelan’s Main Room in March 2024 (also sold out 5 months in advance.) A second date has been added as well as other dates as part of their debut Tour (all Irish dates in association with MCD).

February 28th – Mike The Pies – Listowel

March 1st – Upstairs Dolans – Limerick – SOLD OUT

March 2nd – Cyprus Avenue – Cork (venue upgrade)

March 7th – Whelans – Dublin – (extra date added)

March 8th – Roisin Dubh – Galway – SOLD OUT

March 9th – Whelans – Dublin – SOLD OUT

March 21st – The Empire Music Hall – Belfast (venue upgrade)

March 23rd – The Waiting Room – London (low tickets)

March 28th – The Folklore Rooms – Brighton (low tickets)

March 30th – The Poetry Club – Glasgow (low tickets)

Riserfall, a 4-piece band based in Ireland, are the culmination of the legacy left behind by the impactful grunge scene of the 90s and the modern, innovative rock and metal scene that is flourishing worldwide.

With diverse influences that helped shape their sound (from Soundgarden to Tool, Alter Bridge to Metallica, amongst many others), you can hear that the band does not shy away from this melting pot of inspiration and instead embraces it as the cornerstone of their own mission and musical statement. Not content with following trends, the band set out to craft their own unique blend of rock and metal from atop the shoulders of these giants.

After spending the last two years tearing up every stage that would have them alongside some of the best rock and metal bands Ireland has to offer, honing their stagecraft, they are ready to take on new stages further afield in the new year.

Daniel O’hEidhin fronts the group, bringing with him his lifetime of experience as a musician, all the highs and lows, the pain and the joy, the many failures and the occasional win, and years of obsessive playing and composition that have conditioned the frontman to meet the challenge, and deliver their signature high energy, stadium rock sound. Music has been a constant in Daniel’s life, always embracing evolution and change, while steadfastly remaining committed to the purest, most raw form of rock music. Music, to Daniel, is medicine. A remedy, an outlet, and an old, constant friend.

Neel Thakur, lives and breathes rhythm. Originally from New Delhi, India he has extensive experience playing drums with numerous bands in various genres in front of many different audiences. Neel came to Ireland in 2017 in search of answers to life’s greater questions and has embraced every opportunity and challenge that has come his way since. He is the bedrock and heartbeat of the band on which all the layers of composition comfortably rest. His trademark grooves hold the entire fabric of the songs together, wrapping the melodies with an educated love for varying time signatures while still delivering that powerful smash-mouth delivery.

Ciaran Hurd is Riserfall’s master of low frequencies with his snarling and sometimes obnoxious driven bass tones. Originally from the east end of London, Ciaran found himself on the west coast of Ireland until moving to Dublin when he was 18. He has honed his innate ability through many musical projects over the years, and uses that to add extra colour and texture to even the most blistering rhythmic sections. He crossed paths with frontman Daniel when they were both young, playing in other projects, taking to festivals and stages all over Ireland. They have recombined once more as rhythmic brothers in arms, building that bridge between melody and percussion to drive the songs along.

New recruit, Dan O’Connor, hailing from Kildare, rounds out the lineup, and puts the finishing touches on the aural onslaught of the band. Guitar is Dan’s passion, with nearly two decades experience and has never lost his passion and drive for creating and performing. With blistering leads and frenetic energetic riffs in his playing he brings an urgency to the mix, which compliments the melodic quality of Riserfall’s songs. Bringing with him years of experience as a lead guitarist in multiple genres from Classic Rock to Death Metal his addition has elevated their performance to a new level.

Currently the band are recording and finishing up their latest material, with Claim The Kingdom leading the line. They are eagerly looking forward to a headline show in Dublin early next year (May 2024) where they can debut their new material in front of their hometown crowd before playing shows further afield.

Claim The Kingdom represents the feeling of utter disconnect and discontent between us and the institutions and structures that surround us, that are supposed to serve us, and which perpetually endure, almost unchanging. At its core, it’s a song focused on the loss of belief in everything, and the desire to take back some semblance of representation in the making of decisions that could bring about affirmative and positive change.

“Tell me how it feels.. there’s something to believe..”

The song details the inner turmoil and helplessness one feels following a multi-generational, steady usurpation of affirmative action, hopeful with its call-to-action that rather than descending into apathy we can one day crown our own kings, who represent us.

“Claim the kingdom, crown a king of our own..”

The track was Produced and Mixed by Mike O’Dowd at Lakeland studios, Ireland, and Mastered by the legendary Ted Jensen, Sterling Sound, Nashville (who mastered Hotel California and American idiot to name a couple, as well as recently working with Bring Me The Horizon, Alice In Chains, Gojira, Mastadon, Halestorm).

Connect with Riserfall

Twitter | Instagram | Spotify

BRIAN DILLON, aka THE LINE, SHARES 13 TRACK COLLABORATIVE RECORD ‘RED BLOOD CELLS & RIGHTEOUSNESS’

FEATURING SORCHA RICHARDSON, LOAH, FEHDAH, GODKNOWS, MURLI, DAN FOX (GILLA BAND), SARAH CORCORAN (PILLOW QUEENS), CAOI DE BARRA (WYVERN LINGO) + MANY MORE

OUT NOW, NOVEMBER 1^st, VIA STRANGE BREW – https://linktr.ee/briantheline

Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/album/7HV6ptSWKptfNDUfpmecIo?si=yT47sO4eTSOoJfsgNncArg

A line is a visual trail of energy that has been drawn across a surface and is a manifestation of the life energy of the person that made it.

The Line is the pseudonym of Brian Dillon, musician, sound artist, and member of Meltybrains? who shares his new record ‘Red Blood Cells & Righteousness’ today, Wednesday 1^st November, via Strange Brew. This communally created record features some of the most exciting names in Irish music: Godknows, Sorcha Richardson, Dan Fox (Gilla Band), Sarah Corcoran (Pillow Queens), Caoi de Barra (Wyvern Lingo), Lullahush, Loah, and many more.

Brian is a member of Meltybrains? and has worked with a range of Irish artists over the last 10 years, including Talos, Loah, Brídín, and Lilla Vargen among others. He has performed at many international festivals such as SXSW and Iceland Airwaves, and his music has previously been featured in Q Magazine, Boiler Room, and Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist.

In recent years he has gleaned a great deal of experience from collaborating with a range of musicians, as well as artists from a number of disparate disciplines, including JFDR, Anna B Savage, Emma Martin (choreographer), Ellius Grace (director), Emmet Kirwan (actor/writer), Mark McGuinness (photographer) and Kate Dunne (aerialist).

The wealth of collaborative experience has led to the basis for his new project. Red Blood Cells and Righteousness is a communally created record built on the creative endeavours of Brian and a number of friends from within the Irish music world.

The 13 track collaborative LP focuses on the importance of community and communal values. The intention of the record was for the creative process to reflect the themes and content. As a result, each song was a collaboration between Brian and some of his favourite Irish musicians, friends and most erstwhile collaborators:

TRACKLIST:

1. Nothing W/ Lullahush
2. Communion W/Loah & Fehdah
3. Earth Died Streaming W/Feel Bad Music Club
4. Hero of Coincidence W/Sarah Corcoran (Pillow Queens)
5. I Know This Is Water W/Eamonn Dillon
6. Everything We Know in An Instant W/ Lullahush
7. Patience of Saints W/Godknows and Murli
8. The World Told No Lies W/Dan Fox (Gilla Band) and Nevv
9. Fruit Peel Path W/Caoi de Barra (Wyvern Lingo)
10. A Trail, Thin but Beautiful W/Lullahush
11. Collar Bone W/Sorcha Richardson
12. Light Work W/Ben Bix and Micheál Quinn (Meltybrains)
13. A Crack Becomes a Crevice, A Foothold Becomes a Foundation W/ Eoin French (Talos)

The title for the album came from Julian Gough’s novel ‘Connect’. Throughout the book the writer discusses the idea that human beings are like blood cells – moving autonomously through a much larger ecosystem, serving a much larger power without ever realising that’s what they are doing. Reading this book and thinking about the ‘system of systems’ led Brian down a path of discovery that involved researching the likes of David Foster Wallace’s essays on postmodernism, James Lovelock’s Gaia Hypothesis, the panentheistic philosophy of GWF Hegel and Kae Tempest’s albums and ideas.

This research process led to a large-scale sound art piece called White Blood Cells, which discusses the importance of global supply chains and the lack of respect shown towards them by the average Westerner. It also led Brian to the ideas behind Red Blood Cells and Righteousness. Namely that community, connection, and collaboration are the most important things that we have in this life, and that ‘the myth of the individual’ and the pursuit of personal gain and adulation has caused us to forget this.

The sonic landscape of the album is varied, as each track came from a collaborative writing session. As a result, there are a multitude of reference points and influences. The influence of dream-pop acts such Beach House and Cocteau Twins, as well as noisier acts like My Bloody Valentine and Skunk Anansie is felt throughout. The song writing continually pays homage to greats of contemporary alternative song writing, including the likes of Sufjan Stevens, Frank Ocean, Phoebe Bridgers, Villagers, and Big Thief.

Speaking about the album, Brian says “This is an album built on personal relationships and communication, dedicated to playing a small but significant role as a part of a world so much bigger than any of us are willing to admit. After all, maybe we’re all just blood cells, swimming through the veins of the earth, serving a much higher function.”

In celebration of the release of Red Blood Cells and Righteousness, there will be a small Irish tour to launch the record –

Nov 18^th – Róisín Dubh, Galway

Nov 19^th – Maureen’s, Cork City (lunchtime gig)

Nov 19^th – Connolly’s of Leap, west Cork

Nov 25^th – The Sugar Club, Dublin (featuring special guests including Loah, Eoin French (Talos) + more tbc)

‘Red Blood Cells & Righteousness’ by The Line is out now on Strange Brew.

 To stream/buy the album, or to book tickets, visit: https://linktr.ee/briantheline

Website: http://briandillonmusic.weebly.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brian_The_Line

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brian_dillon_is_sound/

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0uoS5ZiwVkX4qPs3ryEU7s?si=z8n6zX1oR828k59Y64gTDQ

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theline8138

‘Neon Town’ was inspired by an overnight stay on a farm while crossing France in the summer of 2022.

The song was influenced by the midnight getaway of a horse the owner had on his land. This gallant horse had cleared the walls of the farm at nightfall and was found early the next morning a few kilometers away above the town in an old man’s front garden under a solitary tree.

“I had slept through all of the excitement,” David the Farm owner, a kind man,  recounted the story the next morning. It wasn’t until I reached my next destination that I realised how much this story had resonated with me. I tried to give this horse a voice through song, and so  ‘Neon Town’ came about.

‘Neon Town’ can be heard on Ian Ashford’s new album, ‘The Tree’ – available on all streaming services.