Fresh from supporting Kingfishr on their Irish tour, the Waterford folk artist today releases his debut EP on Limited Edition Vinyl.
“This is quite an excellent song… There’s something sort of very poetic about it. What an epic war time song it is.” – Kieran McGuinness, Radio Nova on ‘Frank Edwards’
“I was blown away with it. His storytelling in this is absolutely phenomenal.” – Nessy Monaghan, RTÉ 2XM on ‘Frank Edwards’
“Tadhg is a poet who conjures songs both humorous and moving, rich in humanity.” – Junior Brother
“Catchy and relatable.” – Claire Beck, Today FM on ‘Nixer’
Following a bumper year including a sold out show in the Cobblestone, Dublin, supporting Kingfishr on their Irish tour, and critical acclaim for his previous releases throughout the year, Tadhg’s long-awaited debut EP ‘This Record is a Nixer’, on limited edition vinyl, is finally here. The release is accompanied by headline shows upstairs in Whelan’s on Saturday 7 December and in Luca Records, Waterford on Friday 13 December.
“I feel like this EP has been a long time coming. Things get in the way – money, jobs, life – I feel like this EP now is an accumulation of my early twenties. I always wanted to take some of my songs and record them acoustically, with an added bit of texture in piano and strings. There’s more life in these songs yet, I’m not done with them. But this felt like an appropriate first step.”
The cover art features Williams’ grandfather, Alan Morrissey, as an 11-year-old on the beach in Waterford. “There’s so much joy in that photograph. The innocence and freedom of childhood. Given the songs on the EP are very much about the different mental challenges of your early adulthood – being financially independent; trying to understand and being frustrated with politics, religion; heartbreak; and the simple difficulty of how to enjoy life – I felt that picture was a perfect juxtaposition. While we navigate all these different challenges, that kid is still inside us all.”
“I try to keep that image of my grandfather in my head at all times as a reminder that while life has its challenges, it is in itself utter joy.”
Speaking about the limited edition vinyl release of the record, Williams said: “‘I’m a total vinyl nerd. To be honest, I wanted to press vinyl of this EP for myself rather than for any other reason. This is my first proper collection of music. It felt appropriate to have a physical representation of it. And to have my grandfather’s face on the front of a record feels very special as well.”
Tadhg Williams is a folk songwriter from Waterford but has lived in Dublin for six years. Described as “a luminary in the contemporary folk music landscape” by Pure M Magazine, he has earned widespread critical acclaim for his most recent singles, including plays on RTÉ Radio 1, Today FM, FM104, Beat 102 103, iRadio and Radio Nova, and articles in RTÉ and Hot Press Magazine.
Since Williams released ‘The Summer Song’ in 2021, he has worked to develop his stage craft, supporting a variety of acts from Mary Black and The Stunning to Kingfishr and Niamh Regan, and has completed an undergraduate degree in history – a huge source of inspiration for his songwriting.
In 2023, a small Irish tour road-tested new songs alongside a band, before going into the studio with producer, Geoff Warner-Clayton (Gavin James, Kingfishr, Driven Snow), to further develop these songs. They have been mastered by iconic producer John Reynolds (Sinéad O’Connor, Damien Dempsey).
TRACK LIST
Nixer
Faith of Old
Endgame
Frank Edwards
Hole in the Wall
UPCOMING LIVE DATES
Luca Records, Waterford – Friday 13 December (Tickets)
