Since their live debut in October 2022, “Passion Merchant” has been central to SPEARSIDE’S live set, easily recognisable to anyone who has seen the band over their first twelve months. Given the strong power pop thread running through the band’s releases to date, listeners tend to be surprised that Spearside’s live set features a lot of improvised jamming and psych undertones. “Passion Merchant”, to be released January 17th 2024, opens a new chapter in the ever expanding sonic world of Spearside.
Speaking ahead of the release, frontman Oisín Walsh said,
“The instrumental section developed slowly over a number of gigs. On the recording we tried to capture the best parts from various improvised jams we would go off on in the middle of playing Passion Merchant live. I recently moved to Rome, and most of the mid section was recorded the night before I left Ireland because I’ve never been one for deadlines. Passion Merchant will hopefully share a side of our band that to this point has been reserved for our live audiences.”
Running parallel to their punk, power-pop and garage rock tendencies are Spearside’s devotions to Can, Spiritualized, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and the many contemporary acts reimagining psych rock today. The band will return to Whelan’s upstairs for their final show of 2023 on Saturday 16th December with fellow Irish Psych act Thee UFO.
Sat 16 December DUBLIN Whelan’s (Upstairs)
SPEARSIDE Headline Show (Final Live Date of 2023)
Tickets: €12
Special Guests: Thee UFO
Spearside are a three-piece band lead by brothers Oisín Walsh (vocals/guitar) and Cian Walsh (vocals/bass), along with their friend Dylan Zovich (drums). The band produces all of their music from their own home-studio in Trim, Co. Meath.
The trio have released four singles “Bus Stop”, “Crack In Your Brain”, “Not Up To Much” and “Trendsetters” which have all helped build the buzz that has been circling the band in recent months and they plan to bring the noise to those willing to join their Christmas party.
Spearside are quickly carving out a space for themselves in the colourful world of guitar pop, among the guitar driven underground scene in Ireland. Drawing on influences such as Teenage Fanclub, Dinosaur Jr., Ride, Buzzcocks, Spacemen 3, Spiritualized, Johnny Thunders, QOTSA, MC5, Jay Reatard, Ty Segall and Brian Jonestown Massacre it’s hard to fit Spearside into a category cleanly, as they sound like everything and nothing you’ve heard before.
