Carefully pushing the boundaries of what modern Irish folk can look and sound like, Junior Brother is an idiosyncratic, challenging, and richly lyrical singer/songwriter from Co. Kerry. With Junior Brother’s newest single, ‘Take Guilt’, the fearless artistry for which he is admired reaches exciting new heights, with thrilling clarity and shattering power. One of Junior Brother’s most powerful statements to date, ‘Take Guilt’ is out now (September 18th) accompanied by a Lyric Video by Dylan Gomery, and a music video to follow starring Éanna Hardwicke by Ellius Grace on October 4th.
Junior shifts in his seat slightly, before laying out his stall; “Things in the world are hard to ignore. Some things are almost impossible to forget. Privilege is reaching the end of the article and closing the paper – guts wrenched, heartbroken and everything forgotten by dinner time. Modernity unburdens itself, desperately trying to progress past history’s horrors – but horrors that used faces as currency will forever look back at us in the mirror’s reflection.
Small disgraces face minorities closer to home every day. I’m white and male and I have done nothing, but the crimes and horrors done in my face’s name requires me to take guilt. I’ll bring this guilt with me to escape hate, as the news of morning clears into the long dead day.”
Born Ronan Kealy, Junior Brother’s debut album ‘Pull the Right Rope’ earned a Choice Music Prize nomination for Irish Album of the Year, and similarly lauded sophomore LP ‘The Great Irish Famine’ claimed another Album of the Year nomination at the RTÉ Folk Music Awards, along with glowing press from The Guardian, MOJO Magazine, and The Irish Times to name just a few.
Building upon a debut album described as “Raw and stark – but very beautiful” (Hot Press Magazine), and the “Truly unforgettable” (MOJO Magazine) second, ‘The Great Irish Famine’, Junior Brother has whipped up a dedicated following, thanks to unmissable live shows, and music both excitingly forward-looking and anciently evocative. Thrilling appearances in iconic venues worldwide have left crowds spellbound, from the East Coast of the U.S. to Eastern Europe. He has played support for a variety of like-minded acts such as The Proclaimers (U.K. & IE), The Murder Capital (Europe) and Glen Hansard, the latter personally choosing Junior as the opening act for his 2019 US Tour.
Following the “wry songs of anxiety and frustration” (The Guardian) of ‘The Great Irish Famine’, Junior is currently at work on album number three, with famed producer John “Spud” Murphy (black midi, Lankum) at the helm. Junior Brother “makes mincemeat out of every other structured singer-songwriter you can think of” (The Irish Times) – and his incredible journey has only just begun.
LIVE DATES:
To celebrate this new single, Junior Brother will perform a special intimate show at Bello Bar October 19th, with Peter Mc Gann on support and DJs playing til late. Limited tickets will be made available. For priority access, sign up to Junior Brother’s mailing list at: https://junior-brother.ck.page/6dbb50fac9
The first 25 people signed up to the newsletter will get FREE entry +1 until 11:59pm this Thursday19th September. Limited Tickets will then be on sale from Friday at 10am.
Junior Brother embarks on a UK tour in October and will round out the year performing at The Pogues’ 40th Anniversary Performance of Red Roses for Me, at the 3 Arena, Dublin, Tuesday 17th December. Fellow special guests also joining on the night include: Grian Chatten and Tom Coll from Fontaines D.C., Nadine Shah, John Francis Flynn, Ian and Daragh Lynch from Lankum, Kojaque, Iona Zajac, + Stick in The Wheel.
2024
19.10 – DUBLIN, Bello Bar
22.10 – LIVERPOOL Kazimier Stockroom
23.10 – LONDON Omeara
24.10 – BRIGHTON Prince Albert
26.10 – EDINBURGH Voodoo Rooms (Speakeasy)
17.12 – DUBLIN, The 3 Arena (The Pogues ‘Red Roses for Me’ 40th Anniversary Celebration)
2025
20.03 – CORK, Live at St. Luke’s
22.03 – BELFAST, Black Box
Tickets available at: https://www.juniorbrother.com/tour
“[An] unfiltered acoustic mix of neuroses, loss of innocence and religious oppression… Truly unforgettable.” – MOJO Magazine
“He thinks in ways that not only make him extraordinarily different but also virtually everything on ‘The Great Irish Famine’ remarkable.” – Tony Clayton-Lea, The Irish Times
“Junior Brother has all but single-handedly upended the conception of experimental folk on these shores” – Brian Coney, The Thin Air
