Author: Charlie Byrne

Dublin Indie band Sack reissue a newly remastered 25th Anniversary remastered edition of their 2001 classic album, Adventura Majestica today, Friday, April,10th. The band’s third album was produced by Sack and Joe Chester (A Lazarus Soul, The Waterboys, Gemma Hayes) and originally came out on the band’s own Jetset Junta label. The record features their current set closer, the powerfully emotional Tag, which showcases one of singer Martin McCann’s most triumphant performances.

Available for the first time ever on a special edition transparent Orange vinyl pressing, it also includes a rare, never released, studio outtake, Spaghettification, while the CD edition includes eight bonus tracks of never before released demo’s, outtakes and rare B-sides relevant to the period. Liner notes come from lifelong Sack fan RTE 2FM’s Dan Hegarty who has championed the band at every possible opportunity throughout his broadcasting career.

‘Adventura Majestica’ will also get a foreign release later in the year through the German based record label GMO-The Label, who have just released Sack’s brand new album, Wake Up People! which is receiving great airplay in the region. Distribution will see the album available in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria (GSA) as well as Japan, Australia and the USA and will also be available on coloured Vinyl, CD and Digital Download on release.

Sack will celebrate this special anniversary release launch show at Dublin’s Button Factory on Friday, April 10th in collaboration with Singular Artists.

About Sack:

Sack’s first single ‘What Did the Christians Ever Do For Us?’ was single of the week in both the NME and Melody Maker. In 1993, they signed to UK Indie label Lemon Records, who released their first album ‘You Are What You Eat’.

This was followed by 1997’s’ ‘Butterfly Effect‘’ which was produced by Stereolab producer Paul Tipler and Garret ‘Jacknife’ Lee, U2/REM etc.  The album contained one of their most memorable tracks, “Laughter Lines”, a song Morrissey said, “should be Number One forever” and at Morrissey’s behest Sack opened for him on his 1999 Oye Esteban World Tour taking in mainland Europe, the UK & Ireland, and the USA. The former Smiths singer also included “Colorado Springs” (from ‘You Are What You Eat’) on his hand-picked NME CD “Songs to Save Your Life” before inviting the band to open for him again on a European tour in 2002.

2001 saw ‘Adventura Majestica’ come out on the band’s own Jetset Junta label and was the last official release from the band for twenty years. August 2021 saw the band return with their brand-new single “What A Way To Live” which received massive nationwide airplay in Ireland as well as many great accolades across the board including Newstalk’s Tom Dunne declaring it his ‘single of the year’. May 2022, saw the 25th Anniversary edition of their classic album ‘Butterfly Effect’ on vinyl for the first time ever to renewed acclaim for the album from fans and media alike, with The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess hosting one of his hugely popular Twitter Listening Parties for the newly reissued album.

In May 2024, Sack released the album’s title track – Wake Up People! –  as the first single and it quickly garnered radio play from Dan Hegarty, John Creedon, Cathal Murray, Keiron McGuinness and, most notably, Tom Dunne as he made it his single of the week, playing it twice in one night – the song which instigated his ‘Two From Tommy’ program sting (a la John Peel’s seminal Teenage Kicks broadcasting moment) – and played it every night for three weeks straight. The album ‘Wake Up People!’ received great reviews on release, while making many albums of the year accolades in the end of year charts compiled by journalists and DJ’s across the board.

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Mantle hit the ground running with a stunning debut that is both powerful and intimate with strong songwriting and a sound that feels both raw and refined.

After months in the studio developing their sound, all the while staking their claim as one of Dublin’s must-see live bands, Kildare natives Mantle have finally released their much anticipated debut single ‘Fall Apart‘. A powerful reflection on disappointment in a relationship that has come to ruins, juxtaposed against an instrumental that feels both invigorating and anthemic. Think the Stone Roses meets Wunderhorse. A stunning debut from a band set for big things in 2026.

Mantle are a four piece indie rock band from Co. Kildare, Ireland.

The band consists of four school friends, Shane Dowling on drums, Sean Wosser on Bass, Jake Burke on lead guitar and eclectic frontman, Sean Newman on vocals. Officially forming in 2024 after years of honing their individual crafts, Mantle have taken the Dublin underground scene by storm, playing renowned Dublin venues such as Whelan’s and The Workman’s Club, with their debut headliner leaving little to be desired from their growing fan base.

Taking inspiration from bands such as Radiohead, Wunderhorse, Pearl Jam and Jeff Buckley, their writing has been a melting pot of their influences, showcased with soaring guitar melody’s and Newman’s dynamic vocal performances. Set to make a lasting impact, the band are working on what is to be their debut project in 2026.

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‘Back To The Future III‘ is the third album from Dundalk based indie/alternative/lo-fi 4-piece The Future West. Produced and recorded by frontman and tunesmith, Francis Watters, ‘Back To The Future III’ is out on April 10th 2026 and is a collection of songs that, for some reason or other, never made it onto an official release.

Frontman Francis Watters relates: “The project started off as a completely different idea in the Summer of 2023. It was supposed to be four EPs of four songs each. The original idea was to just get all of this old music off of my hard drive and available publicly with the original title of ‘This Can’t Be For Nothing’. After recording it all the idea simply didn’t feel right so I split it into two albums, a dark and a light version. It was pretty clear to me after doing that, that I was subconsciously filtering out the songs that I genuinely didn’t believe were good enough to be released. The dark version is what has become ‘Back To The Future III’. Most of these songs were written in 2017. Some in 2021. And the oldest two in 2014. I’m really happy with it and even happier that these songs won’t be lost to the digital ether of a hard drive and that they’re getting the release I feel they deserve.”

After a wee rest, The Future West are back in the saddle and gearing up for a busy 2026. Picking up from where they left off from 2022’s album ‘Who Will Forgive All My Sins’, The Future West will return to the stage with the same ferocious energy they held before. Paired with a speaker full of beats, loops and samples and Watters’ witty, thought provoking and emotive lyrics, The Future West are a live act that have found their own unique balance of garage/alt rock mixed with synth-pop sensibilities.

2026 will see the band release their third album ‘Back To The Future III’ and take to the stage for a string of shows throughout the year starting in their hometown of Dundalk on April 12th in the Spirit Store. 

Connect with The Future West

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Fya Fox has released a live music video for her impassioned new pop single ‘Oversized Denim Jacket’.

The single has earned Track of the Week with RTÉ 2FM and SPIN, alongside being included in the RTÉ Radio 1 Recommends List for two consecutive weeks.

The Whelan’s Ones To Watch alumna and VIP Magazine ‘Rising Star’ enjoyed a welcome return to the music industry in January with heartfelt single ‘Sweet Goodbye’ earning RTÉ 2FM Track of the Week and support from Hot Press, BBC Radio Ulster, VOID Magazine, Red FM and more. The birth of her daughter and an unfortunate motor accident contributed to a break from releasing music, but the artist continues her fresh chapter in 2026 with second single ‘Oversized Denim Jacket’.
 

Whilst ‘Sweet Goodbye’ was a poignant tribute to lost loved ones, reflecting on grief, remembrance, and the bittersweet space between holding on and moving forward, ‘Oversized Denim Jacket’ shifts focus to the warmth and comfort found in relationships.
 

Fya says, “I was inspired by that feeling of coming home and putting on your partner’s jumper, or in this case, their oversized denim jacket and feeling a sense of calm, like a big hug with a familiar scent.”

After a whirlwind few years since becoming a mother, she explains how capturing this sense of peace became a way of “finding my balance and keeping it together, one step at a time.”

She continues, “I felt like I was trying to be in 100 different places all at the same time, adjusting to a new norm whilst trying to stay true to myself. I think this single captures that growth journey – the overwhelm, the reward and everything in between.”

An artist that has always thrived at the intersection of heart and sound, ‘Oversized Denim Jacket’, sees Fya Fox channel folk intimacy into an indie-pop sound, carved with longtime collaborator Matthew Weir.

Known for her earnest songwriting and powerful, soulful-tinted vocals, the release spotlights Fox’s talent for blending vulnerability with melodic sophistication, positioning her as a truly distinctive voice in Ireland’s pop music scene.

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Alternative solo-artist Whozyerman? has recently released new single, ‘Miles Away’ – a song dipped in youthful nostalgia and floating on alt-rock waves.

‘Miles Away’ has not been distributed to Spotify, as part of Whozyermans?’s boycott of the streaming service due to ethical reasons:

“In my opinion, Spotify is leading the charge in terms of a race to the bottom in its respect and value for music with its exploitive royalty structures and use of AI generated music. This, alongside their running of ads recruiting for ICE in America and their CEO investing in war-tech, has influenced my decision to remove my music from their service.”

The single is available to stream or for purchase on all other streaming services, including Bandcamp.

“You can argue that all streaming services are not ethical business models, but with previous cultural boycotts, what often works best is to collectively focus on exerting pressure on the market leader in order to move the dial back on the industry as a whole. Let’s not forget that these streaming services are given music to them for free in order to simply generate profit for investors, so artists can control this resource. But in doing so, artists have to make tough decisions in order to try to build better equitable relationships with these services. Right now, the best way to support new music is to buy it directly from the artist on Bandcamp.”

Originally introduced to audiences as a member of the Waterford-via-Cork outfit O Emperor, the group emerged as one of Ireland’s most distinctive bands of the 2010s. During an eight year period, the band released three critically lauded albums which garnered Choice Music Prize nominations and culminated in a win for their final album release, ‘Jason‘, in 2018.

Under the Whozyerman? moniker, Savage ventured into new sonic territory as a solo-artist with his 2022 debut album ‘Blink’ (4 stars, The Irish Times). The work embraced a more lo-fi electronic aesthetic, blending vibrant effluent textures around pulsing kosmishe beats. The album, inspired by the peculiarities of time and place drew comparisons to Air, Stereolab and Broadcast – all delivered through Savage’s acute lyricism to the here and now. 

Upcoming single ‘Miles Away’ is about nostalgically reminiscing the boredom of teenage years – days spent swaying in the breeze and mindlessly doodling away the summer malaise. But this reminiscing is also relational to how the older self now finds themself, perhaps also battling boredom but in a different way, now warped by technology: “And we’re falling again and again, Through those smudged screens, waiting for life to begin.”

Whozyerman? explains: “I see the song as a call back to a much loved and missed pursuit that was stepped away from – a need to play music and collaborate with fellow musicians in a shared space.”

In keeping with the theme of foggy teenage reveries, ‘Miles  Away’ bops along with a carefree skip akin to Pavement or Lambchop, imbued with harmonic vibrancy and a newfound urgency – the work of an artist rejuvenated by creative discovery. 

The song was one of the first that Savage brought to a jam session in 2023 with a group of new musicians, those of which would become his band for his forthcoming album: Matthew Houston (Guitar), Michael Liffey (Bass) and Daniel Nestor (Drums).

Whozyerman? will support Pádraig Cooney & Bedtime Now at Curveball, Dublin on Saturday, April 11th.

Connect with Whozyerman?

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Dublin-based rock band The Animal Gang return with their latest single ‘Neon Lights‘, a bold and electrifying release that continues to build momentum for the rising act. The track is already gaining strong support, with regular airplay on national radio stations, alongside praise from ‘Hot Press’ and ‘The Goo’ magazine.

The Animal Gang have also begun making waves internationally, with radio support across England, Scotland and Australia, as well as growing attention from online music blogs. Their recent single launch show at The Thomas House in Dublin marked another standout moment for the band, further cementing their reputation for powerful live performances. 

Denis O’Neill, who also works as a record producer for Kneecap and Aaron Rowe, serves as producer for the band. The lineup features Kris (vocals), Carl (guitar), Rafa (lead guitar), Shakey (bass), and Paul (drums).

Fresh from recording a new body of work at the iconic Windmill Lane Studios, the band have a wealth of material ready for release, with new music planned throughout 2026. Known for their high-energy live sets, The Animal Gang have shared stages with the likes of Bronagh Gallagher, Brian Downey’s Live and Dangerous (Thin Lizzy), Pat McManus (Mama’s Boys), and Mik Pyro.

Catch their live show supporting Thin Az Lizzy, June 6th at The Grand Social.

Connect with The Animal Gang

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Graceless is the project of Dublin singer-songwriter Grace Tooher, joined by guitarist Richie McNeill for live shows. Imagine Sinéad O’Connor had an indie-alt affair with CMAT and added a splash of Florence Welch, impulsive choices, poor decisions, and perfect timing.

Having cut her teeth fronting IMRO Other Voices-featured act Staring at Lakes, Grace relaunched under the Graceless name with a clarity of vision that was long overdue. The name started as a joke. She never felt polished enough, never good enough. But somewhere in that irony, something shifted.

“Graceless became something powerful. I was Grace, without a band, and I felt like less. But I came to realise: I am Grace. And I am enough. I just needed to own it and step out.” A quiet kind of defiance. A declaration.

Third single Underwater arrives 1st May 2026: a song about the particular masochism of choosing to stay submerged, feeding the dark dog rather than climbing out. It is the third of four singles forming a debut EP confronting the parts of Grace she usually hides, with one final track still to come.

Live dates at Whelan’s, Smock Alley Theatre, and The Works Festival, plus a sold-out hometown headline show at Nenagh Arts Centre, confirm the audience is catching up to where the music already was. Richie McNeill joins Grace on guitar for live shows, adding depth and fire to the Graceless sound.

UNDERWATER

There’s a particular darkness that isn’t inflicted, it’s chosen. The kind you return to because it’s familiar, because climbing out feels more uncertain than staying submerged.

That is the territory Underwater inhabits.

“It’s about masochism. Knowing you’re drowning and finding something almost seductive in it. The darkness becomes a habit. You stop fighting it because part of you stopped wanting to,” says Grace.

The production mirrors the subject with precision. The track opens in near-silence, building incrementally guitars layering like rising water, drums arriving with the dull inevitability of what’s long postponed. Richie McNeill’s guitar balances restraint and abandon, a perfect tension for a song about self-destruction and self-awareness.

Lyrically, Underwater is Grace at her most unflinching. Self-esteem becomes structural, quietly holding dreams back rather than passing like a mood. It is writing rooted in specificity, where Graceless has always shone. The song offers no tidy resolution. Near the close, a subtle counter-melody surfaces an acknowledgment of light, left entirely to the listener to take or leave.

Underwater is the third of four singles forming Graceless’ debut EP, preceded by The Raven and God’s Plan, and followed by the closing track, Pillow Talk. All four have been road-tested live, already claimed by audiences who have been showing up.

“This EP is me confronting the parts of myself I usually hide. It’s messy, but it’s real. It was never meant to be anything else,” Grace says.

Stay sassy. Stay classy. Stay Graceless.

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As the second single taken from their forthcoming album, ‘The Day Homo Sapiens Destroyed The Earth’ (out this Autumn), ‘My Country’s Like a Broken Pen’ offers another fierce taste of what’s to come.

What sounds like a full-scale band assault is, in reality, powered by duo Wasps vs Humans (WvHs), creating a thunderous, uncompromising wall of sound.

‘My Country’s Like A Broken Pen’, released Friday April 10th, is an anthemic state-of-the-nation rallying cry. Grinding post-punk electronics collide with driving rhythms and hard-hitting urgency. It’s uplifting yet confrontational, a soundtrack for a country unravelling; a failing government, where ordinary people are left behind. Progress has never felt so hollow; like the broken pen abandoned in a drawer, the system no longer works, yet we’re still expected to write our future with it.

With a reputation on the live circuit for their high-octane performances, punk/folk outfit WvHs are an anarchic mix of drums, bodhrán, whistles, punk poetry, songs and beats. A sonic assault, their brand of punk folk energy delivers a dark take on life’s expectations, dealing with disappointment, inner-city crime, and an obsessive, fame-craving culture, served with a huge dollop of desperation and humour.

Initially a solo project, WvHs punk poet/drummer, Carl Antony Plover has opened for the likes of John Cooper Clarke, Whipping Boy, and a daring opening set for Mark E Smith’s ‘The Fall’. He has released an album and single with 80’s Avant Garde band 4,000,000 Telephones, with critical acclaim in the UK national press and making the playlist on BBC radio’s John Peel show.

Having partnered up with musician wife Linda Plover since 2024, WvH’s are constantly expanding their sound, whilst their live shows continue to surge with intensity; electronic beats fuse with distorted guitars; poems are screamed straight into your face, alongside post-punk hooks that get under your skin. 

Connect With Wasps vs Humans

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Following on from the highly successful release of ‘Clementine‘ in March, the band return with new single ‘Auralux’. The title track from their much anticipated debut mini-album, released 7 May. Silk is the new project from Michael Smyth, songwriter/guitarist of the acclaimed but now defunct band Virgins.

Michael is the sole contributor to the project, taking on responsibilities for all the songwriting, performance and recording, which gives the project intense personal meaning for Michael.

Building on the success of 2025 which saw the release of three well received singles and Irish tours, including festival appearances at GazeFest supporting Whitelands and Sweet Sweet Noise. New single ‘Auralux’ opens with choirs of shimmering guitars then quickly gives way to a tsunami of fuzz, setting the tone for the remainder of the record. Lyrically the song cuts across themes of loss and acceptance, catharsis via volume and reverb. 

Speaking of the song and wider album Michael says, ‘There is no beauty in perfection, it feels fake and manufactured to me. I want the record to feel real, so this is the sound of visceral self-expression, of cooking valves, speakers pushing air and real drums straining under every hit.’ When the band play live Michael is joined by Cameron Leggat (guitar) and Shane McMullan (bass) who also play in Broncos with Michael, as well as ex-Virgins drummer Matthew McMullan.

Recording was done by Michael in the band’s practice space, giving him time and opportunity to add layers of guitars and build the tsunami of fuzz and euphoric guitars on the track. Mixed by AJ Das of Dublin emo-gazers Picture Postcard, Michael turned to AJ to mix given their shared love and understanding of the sound he was hoping to capture. The track was mastered by Dan Coutant of Sunroom Mastering.

You can catch the band live here:

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Concertina player Caroline Keane shares ‘Three Sisters‘, the first single from her forthcoming album Rise, a powerful musical tribute to women, place, and the living traditions of West Kerry.

Composed by Keane as part of a creative project supported by Ealaín na Gaeltachta, and featuring the artistry of Steve Cooney (guitar, bass, keyboard), the piece draws deeply from the musical heritage of Corca Dhuibhne, where Keane lives and is raising her family. Immersed in a landscape where traditional music is part of daily life, she weaves the rhythms, stories and local traditions of the region into this vibrant new work.

Rising above the Atlantic at the northwestern tip of the Dingle Peninsula, the Three Sisters, Binn Hanraí, Binn Meánach and Binn Diarmada, have long watched over generations of coastal communities. For Keane, they symbolise, qualities embodied by the women whose lives and labour uphold the cultural fabric of the region.

“The Three Sisters are always there. I love to think about how they have witnessed generations of women living, working and making music in this place,” Keane says. “For me they symbolise resilience, strength and continuity.”

“Steve Cooney has been a massive influence on my music over the years and I’m honored to have him contribute.”

A first glimpse of ‘Rise‘

The single introduces the central themes of Rise, an album shaped by motherhood, legacy, and the vital role of women in Irish traditional music. Dedicated to Keane’s mother and grandmother, the record honours the lineage of women whose resilience and creativity continue to carry the tradition forward.

Accompanying the single is a new film shot in the rugged landscapes of West Kerry, portraying three generations of sisters moving through the rhythms of everyday life. The film – directed by Keane with videography and editing by Michael Kelly – reflects the quiet continuity between past and present, where heritage, landscape and music shape each new generation. 

With Three Sisters, Keane offers a compelling first look at Rise, an album marking a defining moment in her artistic journey. Rooted in the traditions of Irish music yet guided by a confident contemporary voice, the record reflects a musician working with purpose, conviction and profound connection to place.

Speaking about the upcoming album, she says:

“Becoming a mother changed the way I hear music. It sharpened everything. It made me more urgent, more prolific, and more certain of my voice. This album feels like a turning point, not just creatively, but personally.

It’s dedicated to the women who shaped me, especially my Mam and my Granny. Their strength, resilience and quiet determination live in every note I play. As a female instrumentalist in traditional Irish music, I’m deeply aware of the shoulders I stand on, and of the responsibility to stand up and be counted myself.

I want this record to mark a moment, a celebration of motherhood, of working women, of female artists in our tradition, and of creating something that will outlive me.

I’m not interested in playing small. I’m here to make my mark and to create music that the next generation can grow up hearing as part of their inheritance.”

Connect with Caroline Keane

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Donegal singer-songwriter Maria McCormack returns with her deeply personal new single “Whiskey and Me”, released worldwide on April 17th, alongside an official music video. A soul-stirring blend of blues, country rock, and raw storytelling, “Whiskey and Me” cements McCormack’s reputation as one of Ireland’s most emotionally authentic voices.

Written in the quiet solitude of her back garden in Letterkenny, the song was born from heartbreak. Following the devastating loss of one of her closest friends, McCormack found herself grappling not only with grief, but with the role alcohol had played in that loss.

“Drink was always something I enjoyed, but suddenly it became the very thing that took my friend from me. I was afraid… afraid I might not be able to stop if I started”. That fear, pain, and reflection pour through every lyric.

Rooted in soulful blues and country rock influences, with echoes of Chris Stapleton, the track carries a haunting honesty, balanced by a powerful thread of faith that runs throughout.

Recorded at Jealoustown Studios and produced by Stuart Gray, the song came together in what McCormack describes as a moment of pure fate. Stuart has recorded some of Ireland’s finest artists including Ryan Sheridan, Dermot Kennedy and Aslan to name a few. 

After being selected to perform on the main stage at Lovestock Festival in summer 2025, she was awarded studio time with Gray. In a twist of timing, she was given a full uninterrupted day in the studio ,a rare opportunity that would shape the final recording. “It felt orchestrated by God. Stuart and I connected instantly. He was rehearsing for a ‘Tennessee Whiskey Ireland’ show at the time, and I just knew this was exactly the sound I had been searching for”. The result is a track that is both intimate and expansive, showcasing McCormack’s signature ability to cut straight to the heart.

Early praise for McCormack’s artistry has been widespread: “Maria McCormack is back with a brand new song that has No.1 written all over it – pure class”. Paul McDevitt, Highland Radio. “There is a song that hits you right between the ears… It’s a statement of intent. Great playing and a fine voice to go with it.” Brian Lally, RTÉ Radio 1. “Maria McCormack is an artist of genuine range… capable of being playful one moment, then emotionally devastating the next”. John Creedon, RTÉ Radio 1 (on earlier work) With “Whiskey and Me”, Maria McCormack delivers not just a song, but a testimony, one that speaks to loss, resilience, and the strength found in faith.

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