HamsandwicH have been one of Ireland’s most steady indie bands over the years as many music acts and trends have come and gone. Not only has HamsandwicH survived but has thrived as the band prepare to release their fifth album and their first Live album. One of Ireland’s most enthralling live acts in the last 20 years, Kells, Co. Meath band HamsandwicH are well known for their incendiary live performances which has established them as one of the top touring acts in the country. Featuring their signature calling card of Niamh Farrell’s powerful yet sweet vocal, Podge McNamee’s juxtaposing baritone, and Darcy’s soaring guitar riffs, if ever there was a band to feed off their audience it is HamsandwicH; melodic, hook-laden, and heart-warmingly charming.
Having previously sold-out Dublin’s prestigious 3Olympia Theatre three times, the band celebrated their 20th anniversary by returning to the legendary venue on October 21st, 2023. The band performed a career spanning set-list featuring songs from across their four studio albums “Carry the Meek” (2008), “White Fox” (2010), “Stories From The Surface” (2015), and “Magnify” (2023). The night was recorded by the band’s longtime soundman Darren Clarke and will be released as the band’s first live album on March 15th, 2024. The album will be available on digital platforms.
Niamh – “We are all so excited to finally get to release our very first proper LIVE album! It was such a pleasure to have a gig once again in such an iconic venue and we were delighted that we got such a good recording that we had to what it! I think we have managed to capture the party atmosphere and put it onto vinyl, we hope people will enjoy listening to it!”
Podge – “Some of my favourite albums of all time are live albums. Johnny Cash at Folsom prison and Radiohead live in Galway in the mid-90s have been on repeat. It’s something we always wanted to do as a band, and we’ve had countless people tell us we are better live than on record. Back at the start it would have been the complete reverse. I think this album encapsulates who we are as a band more than any studio album could ever do and captures us in our purest form, there’s an energy and even a childlike silliness we’ve had on stage from day one and it’s amazing to have that oozing out of speakers. It’s the closest I’ll get to seeing HamsandwicH live and I’m all in!”
HamsandwicH released their fourth album “Magnify” back on September 30th, 2023 and was their most critically acclaimed album to date. On “Magnify”, the band incorporated an array of fresh influences and electronic soundscapes whilst maintaining melodic motifs integral to their idiosyncratic style. Of their latest body of work, Niamh reflects, “We’re a band who have constantly evolved over the years and this is our biggest evolution yet.” Initial steps towards this evolution were made when the trio entered the studio in Autumn 2019. Immediately HamsandwicH embraced the concept of making music for themselves, unconcerned with commercial success. “We’re always happy to push ourselves and take risks because we have to keep it interesting. Since we didn’t put pressure on ourselves to write songs for the radio, we felt that we could really do whatever we wanted. ‘The Next Contender’, for example, has a few different movements within the arrangement. That was a really refreshing way to write music because it gave us a great sense of artistic release,” describes Darcy.
“Magnify” highlighted their ease of moving from propulsive rhythms to introspective and sweet soundscapes is effortless and a testament to their remarkable musicianship and unwavering chemistry as a band. Opening with a bang, ‘Electro Wave’ hears HamsandwicH embrace an infectious 80s synth-pop arrangement, the sonic setting immediately re-contextualises Farrell and McNamee’s synonymous vocal pairing. “Do you still feel like your life’s a Saturday night?” McNamee poses throughout the track. Throughout their career, HamsandwicH have never cowered in the corner. On Magnify, they’re the life and soul of the party. Their enthusiasm is infectious. Playing with the timbre and tempo of the arrangements ultimately informed the enveloping world of the songs, as Podge reveals. “We got really inspired by the sound of the music. Tonally, ‘Fired Up’ is really intense and angry; it drew out a lot of the feelings that steered the lyrics and it came together quickly.” Impassioned performances and exhilarating instrumentation lay a solid foundation for HamsandwicH’s future, yet nostalgia and a celebration of important personal connections are crucial to Magnify’s essence. Nestled in ‘Good Friday’s’ luminous synth-laden arrangement is a recording of Derek Nally, their former manager who passed away in 2010. “‘Good Friday’ is a little bow that ties everything together on the record,” says Niamh. “A lot of the themes across the album recognise different connections between people who have been friends for a very long time and the dynamic that creates within a friendship who are all musicians. Including the snippet of Derek Nally in the middle of the song felt like we were making a kind of love note to that period in our life and paying tribute to how important he was to us, as well.” Those connections extend to friends and family lending additional backing vocals on single ‘Le Soleil’ and McNamee’s school friend, the artist Derik Smith, creating the remarkably eye-catching album artwork. Magnify is a testament to HamsandwicH’s spirited and assured artistic voice, of their penchant to be daring with their music.
Back in April 2015 the band’s third album “Stories From The Surface” debuted straight into the number 1 spot on Ireland’s official album chart, the first time an independent and unsigned Irish act accomplished this feat. With producer Karl Odlum (who also produced “White Fox” and the band’s 2008 debut, “Carry the Meek”) at the helm again, the album was recorded throughout Dublin in 2014 in Westland Studios, Windmill Lane Studios, Bow Lane Studios as well as his own studio. Along with such a continuous thread stitched throughout the band’s existence is – as Podge has referenced – a quest to be different yet distinctive. “You want to aim for, achieve and retain these,” says Niamh, “so that people can listen to the new material and know it isn’t going to sound like previous albums, yet it’s still going to sound like HamsandwicH. You want, ideally, people to hear the song on the radio without the DJ or presenter introducing the band name, but the listener will know it’s us.”
Looking back on the band’s 2010 second album, Podge McNamee reflects “It’s good that the songs on “White Fox” are still loved; for such a short album it’s had a remarkably lengthy life, and to be honest, reworking “White Fox” through many gigs slowed down the writing for “Stories From The Surface”; in fact, we almost rewrote White Fox, and that was something we weren’t used to. Most bands will tell you that the real way to learn your material is to get out of your comfort zone and strip the songs down to the bare bones.” The “White Fox” album is featured in Irish Times’ writer Tony Clayton-Lea’s acclaimed book ‘101 Irish Records You Must Hear Before You Die’, describing it as a “masterclass in quality indie pop.”
Prior to the release of their debut album “Carry the Meek” in 2008, HamsandwicH were initially known as a singles-band with a successful run of independent and self-financed singles between 2005 to 2008 – “Sad Songs”, “St. Christopher”, “Words”, “Click…Click…Boom!”, “Keepsake”, “Never Talk”, and “Broken Glass”. The “Carry the Meek” album was released in early 2008 compiling these singles plus three addition songs. Following the album’s release, the band were presented with the Hope for 2008 Meteor Award as voted for by the listeners of RTE 2FM.
Acoustic Trio Tour – March 2024
1st – Spirit Store, Dundalk
8th – Cask, Limerick
9th – Bank Lane, Waterford
14th – Whelans, Dublin
22nd – Seachurch, Ballycotton, Cork
23rd – Cleere, Kilkenny
