Episodes
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Dublin singer-songwriter Daniel Anderson aka Anderson released his second album Some Rain Must Fall on November 1. It's nine years since he released debut album Patterns (2015), after going solo following his band The Rags.
Named after Karl Ove Knausgaard's book Some Rain Must Fall, Anderson says of the record: “This album was a long time in the making, perhaps these songs offer clues as to why. I’m an electrician by trade. That’s what I’m professionally qualified to do and what I worked as before I dedicated my life to music. Being a musician has taken up the majority of my adult life but I’d always had a feeling of imposter syndrome with it. In the back of my head I’d be thinking ‘I’m an electrician – I’m not supposed to be making art. But the dilemma triggered something in me and new songs and ideas started coming. I stopped obsessing on the career that music hadn’t given me and instead focused on how it had enriched my life. It wasn’t easy but everything I went through was captured in the songs and it’s all there on the record: work, worth, fear, pain, ageing, art, love, life and an understanding that into every life some rain must fall.”
Buy Some Rain Must Fall: https://andersonsongs.bigcartel.com/product/some-rain-must-fall-12-vinyl -
Cork artist Yenkee aka Graham Cooney released his long-awaited debut album Night Golf via Soft Boy Records on October 25. He talks about making the album, being inspired by labelmates Kojaque and Kean Kavanagh, life in London, the dream of owning a house, the housing crisis, songwriting, and lots more on this episode of TPOE.
Yenkee tour dates:
December 1: Upstairs at Whelan's, Dublin
December 10: Old Blue Last, London
December 15: Folklore Rooms, Brighton
December 21: City Hall, Cork
Buy Night Golf: https://yenkee.bandcamp.com/album/night-golf
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Press release:
Yenkee is now based in London, but it’s where he was raised on the Northside of Cork City in Ireland where he developed his admiration for simplicity and his love for music. “Being Irish, you are always brought up around music and song. It’s so ingrained, you can’t avoid it”. It’s this immersion that bred inspiration from a diverse array of artists. Arthur Russell’s versatility, Dolly Parton’s timeless songwriting, Manu Chao’s eclectic style, Talking Heads’ playful spirit and Fionn Regan’s graceful depictions of Ireland all play a role in who Yenkee is today.
His early projects, marked by an experimental spirit and a penchant for blending genres, laid the groundwork for what would become Yenkee. The transition to a solo career allowed him to fully explore his artistic vision, leading to a widely loved series of singles and EPs that garnered him placements on TV series’ Normal People and Conversations With Friends and finding fans in people like Florence Pugh.
Throughout these early days of Yenkee, ‘Night Golf’ would begin to develop. It all started with a throwaway tweet Yenkee had posted in 2014 that simply said “#NightGolf”. The phrase stuck with him for years, eventually guiding the whole album’s creation. “I had songs written but I just thought right, that’s the name of the album. How do I fit the music around that title?.” The name inspired a strong visual component and evoked an 80s musical awakening within, guiding Yenkee back to his love for that era’s music with Prefab Sprout, in particular, becoming a significant influence.
Yenkee recorded most of the album himself in various makeshift setups, but his best days were spent with others. Whether that was with producer Peter Brien in his Belfast studio, working with Adam Kaye in Hackney or knocking out single-session songs with Karma Kid in South London, it was these moments that solidified what the album would become. ‘Night Golf’ is a labour of love, a project born out of instinct rather than meticulous planning, designed more for dancing than deep contemplation. As Yenkee puts it, “It’s only music at the end of the day.” -
Missing episodes?
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HousePlants are Paul Noonan and Daithi. They released their second album Half Known Things on October 18 and talk about its creation on this episode of the TPOE podcast.
Buy Half Known Things: https://wearehouseplants.bandcamp.com/album/half-known-thingsh
HousePlants tour dates:
December 27: Roisin Dubh, Galway
December 28: Cyprus Avenue, Cork
January 11: Dolan's Warehouse, Limerick
January 30, 31: Button Factory, Dublin
Intro music: HousePlants - Swimming Pool
Outro music: HousePlants - Hope is a Hell of a Drug
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Press release: HousePlants have built a reputation for their electrifying live performances, from festivals like All Together Now and Beyond the Pale, to opening slots for legends such as Chic and Leftfield. Their unique combination of energetic rhythms and heart-on-sleeve storytelling has earned them a loyal following. With Half Known Things, the band promises to deliver more of the vibrant, feel-good energy that has become their hallmark, while venturing deeper into sonic experimentation and live band dynamics.
Paul Noonan reflects on the evolution from their debut: "This album was very much informed by playing shows with the first one, feeling what was connecting and creating those euphoric collective moments. With Dry Goods, we were sending each other parts from our respective bunkers. This time, we had the luxury of being in the same room for some of it and making decisions in the moment. Every decision, we asked, ‘Will it make the people move?’
The result is an album full of heart, heat, and groove, with distorted textures and vibrant beats driving the music forward. From the album opener “In The Right Light” to the seven-minute opus “No Pushover,” Half Known Things pulses with life, capturing the raw, raucous energy of their live performances.
Daithí shares his journey throughout the making of the album: "Half Known Things feels alive in a way I’ve never experienced before – we’ve tried to capture the wild energy of our live shows and bottle it into these nine tracks. It’s music that’s messy, human, and alive, which to me is the heart of what HousePlants is all about."
Standout tracks include 'Swimming Pool', an upbeat anthem that captures the messy joy of life, and 'My Love My Umbrella', a haunting ballad that draws inspiration from Irish writer John McGahern’s works. From start to finish, Half Known Things offers a sonic experience that is simultaneously introspective and celebratory, inviting listeners to lose themselves in the music, and most importantly, have fun. -
Cork singer-songwriter Stephanie Rainey has had an interesting year, appearing on America's Got Talent over the summer. She talks about that experience, why she felt like she wanted and needed to do it to shake things up, and her new EP The Highs and Lows of It All, due out next month.
Stephanie Rainey tour dates:
November 14: Button Factory, Dublin
December 18: Cork City Hall
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Press release: In 2015, Stephanie emerged onto the music scene with 'Please Don't Go,' a song born from the depths of her soul, dedicated to her one-year-old nephew, Fionn, who tragically lost his life to meningitis. At a time before ‘going viral’ was even coined, the single reached 5 Million people worldwide on YouTube and Facebook when it was first released. Almost 10 years since its first release ‘Please Don’t Go’ has found new audiences with over 8 million Spotify plays and a staggering 40 million combined views on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram since September 2023.
The recent resurgence of 'Please Don't Go' catapulted Stephanie to the top of the Singer-Songwriter Chart in Canada, claiming the number 1 spot, and reaching number 2 in the United States. Her heartfelt music also charted on the main iTunes Charts in Ireland, Australia (reaching number 16 on the Main Chart), and the UK (reaching number 31). The outpouring of support online underscores the song's profound impact, with countless messages attesting to its ability to guide individuals through grief and healing. The accompanying music video, a poignant tapestry of personal tributes, amplifies the song's universal message of love and loss.
As a result of this recent resurgence Stephanie travelled from Ireland to bring this heart stopping anthem to the America's Got Talent stage. This audition will air to an audience of 10 million viewers in America alone this June 25. Her new found TikTok fanbase, with over 27 million views, confirms her anthemic songwriting continues to inspire and resonate with audiences around the world, proving that music can be a force for healing and unity.
Often compared to the likes of Adele, Dermot Kennedy and Ed Sheeran, Stephanie Rainey possesses a unique voice that is both authentic and honest. Since her breakthrough, Stephanie has amassed over 70 million streams across all her social media platforms and has become one of Ireland's most played female artists on radio. Stephanie Rainey's success in 2021 and 2022, with hit singles like 'Ross & Rachel,' 'No Cowboy,' '13,' and ‘Remember Who Your Friends Are’ also showcased her appeal to a new generation of fans. ‘Remember Who Your Friends Are’ climbed to No.2 in the Irish Breakers Radio Chart and the top 20 Irish Homegrown Chart. These singles were playlisted across national radio stations such as 2FM, RTE Radio 1, iRadio, Beat 102-103, Cork's 96FM, Today FM, and Northern Ireland's Cool FM. Stephanie also made her Irish TV debut on Ireland's prestigious Late Late Show and The Heart of A Saturday Night. -
Cork producer Ruairi Lynch aka Bantum and Listowel-based rapper as Gaeilge Séamus Ó Súilleabháin aka Súil Amháin are the guests on this episode of the TPOE podcast. Bantum has just released his third solo album, which is self-titled, and he also produced, mixed, and mastered the debut album by Súil Amháin, which is called athPhORT. They talk about how they got together, collaborating, and the ideas behind some of their tracks - 'Aisling Fhéile' off athPhORT, for example, was inspired by the River Feale, but there's so much more underlying that. Bantum also talks about feeling particularly creative and creating his latest solo effort.
Buy Súil Amháin - athPhORT: https://suilamhain.bandcamp.com/album/athphort-2
Buy Bantum - Bantum: https://bantum.bandcamp.com/album/bantum
Intro music: Bantum - Bamboo, Súil Amháin - Viva Liobarnach
Outro music: Bantum - Carousel -
Gemma Hayes, from Tipperary and now living in West Cork, released her sixth studio album Blind Faith on September 27. It's her first album in 10 years - Gemma says she has reasons for the break: she simply lost the urge to write and was busy raising two children. We talk about all that - how she literally locked away her guitars and subsequently lost confidence in her ability to make music - in this interview. Produced by Hayes with Karl Odlum, David Odlum and Brian Casey from Wavefield Recording Studio in Clonakilty, Blind Faith features Lisa Hannigan on backing vocals on ‘Eye For An Eye’ and ‘Feed The Flames’, which she also co-wrote, while Paul Noonan duets with Gemma on ‘Another Love’.
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From the press release:
The youngest of eight children raised in the small village of Ballyporeen, Co Tipperary, Gemma Hayes’ introduced herself to the world with her 2002 debut Night On My Side. With its deft production, ambitious arrangements and Hayes’ dreamy, rock-leaning vocal delivery, the album was a critical and commercial success and was nominated for the Mercury Prize (now known as the Choice Music Prize).
Since then, she has released four critically acclaimed studio albums and a limited-edition live album, while her music is constantly in demand for film and TV placements. Her version of Chris Isaak’s 'Wicked Game', recorded for the US TV series Pretty Little Liars, now has over 24 million streams on Spotify alone, while she recently contributed to the soundtrack of the film adaptation of Roddy Doyle’s Greyhound of a Girl.
Buy Blind Faith: http://gemmahayes.com/ -
Susan O'Neill released her second album Now in a Minute on September 20. Recorded with brothers Cillian and Lorcan Byrne, it was produced by Christian Best at Monique Studios in Midleton, Co Cork, and follows the 2021 collaborative album In the Game with Mick Flannery. On this episode of the TPOE podcast, Susan talks about the past couple of years and touring with Mick, how she came back to focus on and create Now in a Minute, and we talk through some of the songs on the record.
Susan O'Neill tour dates:
October 10: Dolan's, Limerick
October 11: Glór, Ennis
October 12: Live at St Luke's, Cork
October 17: Whelan's, Dublin
October 18: Sandinos, Derry
October 19: Oh Yeah, Belfast
October 20: Spirit Store, Dundalk
October 24: The Sky and Ground, Wexford
October 25: Mermaid Arts Centre, Bray
October 26: Connolly's of Leap, Cork
October 27: INEC, Killarney
October 31: Hawkswell Theatre, Sligo
November 1: Róisín Dubh, Galway
November 2: Theatre Royal, Waterford
November 3: Set Theatre, Kilkenny
Songs played: Sign of the Times, Rewire, Tijuana (outro music) -
Landless are Lily Power, Méabh Meir, Ruth Clinton and Sinéad Lynch, a vocal quartet coming out of the same Dublin scene as Lankum, Lisa O'Neill and ØXN. They sing centuries old ballads as well as more recently penned folk songs. Lúireach (out now on Glitterbeat) is their second album and as with their acclaimed debut Bleaching Bones (2018), it was produced by John ‘Spud’ Murphy, known for his inspired work with artists such as Lankum and ØXN. Sometimes unaccompanied and at times with subtle instrumentation (including Lankum’s Cormac MacDiarmada on various instruments), their vocally rich music is dark and patient; spellbinding and gorgeous.
On this episode of the TPOE podcast, Méabh and Ruth talk through the 10 tracks that comprise Lúireach, what it was like working with Spud, how they create their harmonies, and lots more.
Buy Lúireach on Bandcamp: landless.bandcamp.com/album/l-ireach
Buy Ruth's book This Fearless Maid 2: marrowbone.ie/shop/this-fearless-maid
Listen to TPOE 105: Landless: open.spotify.com/episode/1oANsP8t…57d8a7b994fb412b -
Bill Shanley is a guitarist from Clonakilty, West Cork, who has played and made music with, among others, Gilbert O'Sullivan, Ray Davies, Mary Black, Eleanor McEvoy, and Paul Brady. He got lessons with Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix Experience as a youngster and ever since has had a fascinating career. We talk though as much of that career as we can - spoiler alert: it features the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony - in this interview recorded at Clonakilty International Guitar Festival 2023.
Clonakilty International Guitar Festival returns September 19-22, 2024 around the town. For more, see Clonguitarfest.com
On Garinish Island, West Cork, on September 20-22, Crosstown Drift is taking place. There will be free-to-attend walking tours as well as seated events with writers, poets, musicians and cultural creatives. Cormac Begley and Lisa Hannigan are playing evening concerts on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. I'll be chatting to various writers over the weekend including Toner Quinn from the Journal of Music, about his book, What Ireland Can Teach the World About Music. See https://thegoodroompresents.com/ -
Eoin French aka Talos passed away on Sunday, August 11. This is a repost of TPOE 56, our interview from 2017, around the release of his debut album Wild Alee.
Team Talos announced Eoin's death on social media with the following message:
It is with great sadness that we let you know that our friend Eoin French, known to many the world over as Talos, has passed away after a short illness.
Eoin passed peacefully in his sleep early on the morning of Sunday August 11 2024 in his native Cork, surrounded by his loved ones.
A beautiful soul, a true artist, a son, a husband, a father, and a friend. We are devastated by his passing.
As was his wish, there will be new music from Talos to share with you all in the future.
Music:
Talos - In Time (Wild Alee)
Talos - All Ours (Dear Chaos)
Outro: Collaboration at Sounds from a Safe Harbour 2023 (https://www.instagram.com/p/C6rQq5ysTXe/)
Picture: Bríd O'Donovan -
Waterford accordion player Seamas Hyland released his debut solo album Maidin Domhnaigh on May 20. A set dancer and traditional singer, Hyland also plays with Acid Granny and John Francis Flynn and has in the past been part of the Mary Wallopers live band. He talks about all these and more on today's episode, as well as where the ideas for the debut album came from, the influence of Waterford and accordion player Bobby Gardiner, and collaborating with RF Chaney.
Seamas says: In this recording, I wanted to stay true to the deep tradition of Irish music, but also to record music that doesn’t fall under the title of traditional music.
Buy Maidin Domhnaigh at https://seamashyland.bandcamp.com/album/maidin-domhnaigh
Outro music: Seamas Hyland - Cooley's Delight -
A Lazarus Soul released their latest album No Flowers Grow in Cement Gardens on July 5 via Bohemia Records. Frontman and lyricist Brian Brannigan talks though all of the 10 tracks that make up the record on this episode of the TPOE podcast.
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A Lazarus Soul tour dates
August 23: Coughlan's, Cork
August 24: Cleere's, Kilkenny
August 25: National Museum, Collins Barracks, Dublin (supporting The The)
October 26: Vicar Street, Dublin
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Press release: No Flowers Grow in Cement Gardens, (named after a line from The Fall’s 'Psykick Dancehall', aptly, as this line-up of A Lazarus Soul came together specifically for a 2011 tribute to that band) is a meditation on wilderness, nature and spirit.
Brannigan’s lyrics, written during long walks across the Bog of Allen and along the Royal canal, have never been more masterful, reaching new heights of visceral, unflinching song-writing. Brannigan is at the peak of his powers here, capable of turning from eviscerating fury to unexpected moments of tenderness and heartbreak in a single couplet. Songs of police brutality (Black Maria) sit side by side with loving portraits of Moore Street dealers (The Dealers) and thrilling blow-by-blow accounts of three-day benders, worthy of Flann O’Brien (Wildflowers). There is humanity at the heart of all of these songs, even the vicious teacher, meeting out physical abuse on his pupils finds some kind of understanding in Factory Fada.
Musically, No Flowers Grow in Cement Gardens, is the sound of a band on fire, unleashed after a long period of separation. It is the sound of a band relishing being together once more. Importantly, for a record about wildness, it is a fiercely honest record, made in an old-fashioned way with as little technological interference as possible. Like many of their favourite records, you can hear the mistakes. The approach pays off, especially on GIM, which blossomed from first hearing to the recorded version in just two hours. From the thrilling garage drums and bass of opener, 'Black Maria', to the sparkling electric guitar lines of 'The Flower I Flung Into Her Grave', 'The Dealers’ acoustic guitars and strings, the wild harmonium and bowed guitars of 'Wildflowers', to the dreamy 'Diver Walsh' and the Sonic Youth-meets-Richard Thompson 'Factory Fada', this is surely the band’s most musically ambitious record to date.
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Buy No Flowers Grow in Cement Gardens: https://alazarussoul.bandcamp.com/album/no-flowers-grow-in-cement-gardens-2 -
July 20, 2024, marks 10 years since Cork venue the Pavilion, run by Pat Conway, Stevie G and Joe Kelly, closed its doors. It left an indelible mark on me and so many music lovers. Friendships were formed there, ideas were hatched, bands were watched, and DJs filled the floors. On this episode of the TPOE podcast, a whole host of the people who loved the Pav recall the six years when the recession took hold of Ireland and the Pavilion opened its doors.
The first gig was Evan Dando and the Lemonheads in April 2008. The following year, Kanye West and the xx both graced its stage and the Pav was up and running. Theo Parrish, King Britt, the Pharcyde, Roy Ayers, Floating Points, Franz Ferdinand Eddie Reader, Lee Fields, Candi Staton, NASA, Theesatisfaction, Shabazz Palaces, Sly and Robbie, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Rakim are just some of the big international acts who played the Pav in that time. It also hosted and supported so many Irish acts, from Altered Hours to Hozier, Saint Yorda to Gilla Band. There were club nights like Go Deep, Sunday Times and Floating Joints which called the Pav home over the years. We hear about all of these and more over the course of this episode charting one of the best venues the country has ever seen.
Contributors:
Joe Kelly
Aoife Conway
Stevie G
Caoilian Sherlock
Fish Go Deep (Shane Johnson and Greg Dowling)
Gilbert Steele
Aisling O'Riordan
Bríd O'Donovan
Jack Collins
Brendan Canty
Cathal MacGabhann (Altered Hours)
For more, see https://tpoe.substack.com/ -
Niall Murphy is Oh Boland, from Tuam, Co Galway, and currently based in Dublin. They've released three albums since the band started over 10 years ago - third LP Western Leisure came out May 31. On this episode of the TPOE podcast, Niall talks through all the songs on the album, touring the US, and their journey as a band. Plus going country!
Oh Boland launch Western Leisure at Bello Bar, supported by Stupid Son, on Friday, July 5. Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/oh-boland-stupid-sonwestern-leisure-lp-launchbello-bar-tickets-922903117067
Buy Oh Boland - Western Leisure: https://ohboland.bandcamp.com/album/western-leisure
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Press release: Oh Boland’s sound has been described as having a “rare potency”, one that exists in their live shows and two records, their 2016 debut Spilt Milk which featured in Pitchfork’s “Best Underground Garage Punk Albums” of that year and its equally visceral successor, Cheap Things. Over the course of the Tuam-via-Dublin-based band’s lifespan, Oh Boland has existed in several guises and their forthcoming third record heralds a compelling new phase as the solo project of founding member, Niall Murphy. The self-produced Western Leisure (mixed and mastered by Mikey Young of Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Total Control) signifies an electrifying artistic evolution spurred by Murphy’s unwavering musical curiosity which hears him experiment with wistful Country motifs alongside Oh Boland’s synonymous noise-rock tendencies.
Written over a handful of years, many of which were spent in solitude, away from familiar recording practices and live performances, the making of this record presented Murphy with opportunities to wholeheartedly engage in musical and personal exploration. Following a shift in Oh Boland’s line-up in 2018 and a period of touring, Murphy worked alone to create demos that would eventually grow into these ten simultaneously invigorating and introspective compositions. Drawing from a number of influences such as Robert Wyatt’s 1974 LP Rock Bottom, Arthur Russell, and Pavement’s sprawling and ambitious Wowee Zowee, Murphy describes how Western Leisure was shaped by a renewed approach and process to songwriting. “I felt unencumbered when I was writing these songs. I suppose, there’s sometimes an insular nature to making music, to have the necessary headspace to write. During that time, I was alone with a lot of records, listening to some different things and found myself naturally drifting outside of the lines a little bit to what I was used to doing.”
Produced by Mark Chester
Recorded at Start Together, Belfast, September 2021
Mixed and Mastered by Mikey Young
Words and Music by Niall Murphy
Niall Murphy- Guitars, Drums, Piano, Organ, Rhodes, Steel Guitar, Vocals
Ross Hamer- Bass, Vocals
Artwork by Joe Casey
Digitised by Aoife Anna Mullan -
John Meagher returns to the show to talk about the latest list he's compiled for the Irish Independent: The best Irish songs of all time — ranked: the definitive top 50.
He talks about the work involved in putting it together, why there are three songs by Sinéad O'Connor in the top five, but no U2 in the top 10, why the Republic of Ireland team are in there with 'Put 'Em Under Pressure' but not Horslips, and why the Undertones' Teenage Kicks was the obvious polltopper, along with some other talking points about the list. John asked 50 people, including myself, to send in our top 10 and he put it all together - there's a lot of work involved, and no matter your anger or thoughts about the list, fair play to John for the work put into it.
Read 'The best Irish songs of all time — ranked: the definitive top 50': https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/the-best-irish-songs-of-all-time-ranked-the-definitive-top-50/a1314511932.html -
Dublin singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow released his seventh studio album Wide Open, Horses on June 14 and talks through its 13 songs on this track-by-track interview on the TPOE podcast.
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From the press release:
In 2023, he brought Wide Open, Horses to life—on stage. He booked two nights at The National Concert Hall in Dublin, recorded a handful of lo-fi demos, practiced the material for a week, and then hit the stage. Phones weren’t allowed, but James recorded it to “see what worked and what didn’t work.”
“I literally performed the album before it was recorded,” he smiles. “The whole point was to expose the flaws and also highlight the special little moments. It was an odd experiment, but it worked great. The notion is so simple, ‘Write songs and perform them live’. Without cameras, they were the best shows I’ve ever played—which is interesting because no one knew the music! Everyone was just experiencing it though. I had friends in the lobby talking to strangers. Who talks to strangers anymore? It was lovely. It was a heartening experience for everyone involved.”
Galvanized by this energy, he hit the studio and assembled Wide Open, Horses. The opener and single “Never Gone” hinges on finger-picked guitar, soft tambourine, and steady handclaps as he wonders, “Cuz what the fuck are any of us really doing here? Do we even exist at all?”
“It’s the anchor of the record,” he notes. “It sums up the whole album; you’re just trying to fight meaninglessness. I always felt like I’ve been trying to find meaning so I could be remembered. When you don’t find it, it doesn’t feel good. I got to a point where I was like, ‘I fucking love this. I don’t care. If my friends, family, and people who know me as a musician love it, then I’m happy’. I regretted missing so many beautiful moments, because I’d get off stage like, ‘What’s the next opportunity?’ I’ve come to terms with the fact that when I die, I’ll be forgotten, and it’s okay. We all will. It felt ridiculous to fight it. Embracing it was very freeing. ‘Never Gone’ is just about appreciating what’s here for you in the moment.
Fans got to preview the track earlier this week with a live video of McMorrow performing the track in the wilderness.
“To me, the album is about finding relief from the cycle of life’s pressure,” McMorrow continues. “I don’t think the theory ‘modernity equals better’ holds much water these days. The more technology we add, the more unhappy everyone seems to be. I don’t want to move backwards, but I felt a sense of nostalgia and happiness in the album. It would be grandiose of me to think I could offer you some profound release through words and lyrics, but maybe I can…The job is to make a record I love and hopefully offer a respite. Maybe we can all get back to a life where we aren’t so obsessed with trying to seek out meaning from absolutely everything.”
In the end, James Vincent McMorrow simply sounds alive on Wide Open, Horses.
“I’m grateful to be here,” he leaves off. “The whole process was rebuilding myself and my connection to music, who I am, and what I wanted to be when I was starting out at 20-years-old. I struggle like everyone else does, but I’m going to appreciate the fuck out of every moment I get now. When I play shows, I want them to be shows you talk about for years. Going through hardship, I’m back to a point where I can see myself very clearly in the music and I know what I can do.” -
Galway artist Niamh Regan released her second album Come As You Are on May 31. On this episode we talk through all 10 of its tracks, as well as a not-very-secret hidden track, plus some of the fun things that she's experienced since releasing debut album Hemet in 2020.
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From the press release: Since its release, Niamh has embarked on headline tours from Ireland, to UK, Australia, Spain + more. Pairing this with many festivals and a variety of support opportunities with artist such as CMAT, Villagers, John Grant, SOAK, Patrick Watson, Sam Amidon, Cormac Begley, and Sorcha Richardson.
In between her performances, Niamh began to write her second record in Attica Studios with producer Tommy McLaughlin. She says, ‘I arrived in Donegal to meet Tommy for the first time with a bunch of demos, half-baked ideas and feeling not ready, it was scary. But I’m so glad that I did it that way. Trusted the process and came into the studio with the intention of capturing exactly where I was with it all and Tommy helped me build from there.’
And here we are, with the release of that second album, titled ‘Come As You Are’. It’s an album full of acutely observed vulnerabilities and introspection. Its themes are the issues that many of us find loom large in the small hours: questions of self-doubt, uncertainty about your life’s direction, whether relationships are flourishing in the way you’d hoped and determining priorities.
“A lot of it is about being in your late twenties and kind of realising we’re all running out of time,” she ponders. “I’d have bouts of massive self-belief in the studio, and then in the next breath I would be like, ‘This is the worst piece of music I could have even imagined.’ It was a rollercoaster. But through that I found self-acceptance; this is where I’m at and making peace with that. That’s what the album essentially is, just making peace with where I’m at and being realistic with myself.”
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Niamh Regan tour dates:
June 13: Windmill Live Show w/James Vincent McMorrow, Dublin (solo)
June 16: Doolin Folk Festival (full band)
July 16: Galway International Arts Festival (full band)
July 25: Song Room, Wexford (solo)
August 2: All Together Now
August 12: Kilkenny Arts Festival (solo)
August 17: Electric Picnic (solo)
November 14: Cyprus Avenue, Cork (full band)
November 15: Liberty Hall Theatre, Dublin (full band)
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Buy Niamh Regan - Come As You Are: https://niamhregan.bandcamp.com/album/come-as-you-are -
San Francisco-based Irish musician Shane Culloty aka Winter Aid released his second album under the moniker, titled Pull the Sky Inside, on May 17. He talks through all 15 songs on the record on this episode of the TPOE podcast.
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The 15-song collection, produced with Larry Crane (Elliott Smith, The Decemberists) and Chuck Johnson (Daniel Bachman, Claire Rousay), finds Culloty stretching the extremities as to what is sonically expected from a collection of Winter Aid songs, weaving in electronic sonic strands and new percussive elements.
Having uprooted from Dublin to San Francisco with his wife, assimilating to life in a new city and country shortly led into the pandemic and lockdown. The songs that came out of this gestation period finds Culloty fully exploring his new surroundings. It’s an urban pastoral record, full of flickering images, still lifes from once bustling streets, and a world suddenly torn in different directions. Upheaval, inequality, fear and uncertainty, all captured within the beauty of life, love and a fragile environment in need of nurture.
The title track, 'Pull The Sky Inside', was written in the midst of the pandemic, a period of struggle in a new city, far away from family. “I would spend a lot of time watching the sun go down over San Francisco,” notes Culloty. "I was struck by the idea of pulling the sunset sky indoors to preserve it and fall asleep in it. It seemed like a good solution to the darkness I was experiencing and once I finally recorded the line and finished the song, things felt a lot easier.”
Ultimately Pull The Sky Inside captures that sense of displacement: feeling a bit unmoored and out of place, but constantly trying to explore new scenery. It's a record with one foot in Culloty’s home back in Ireland, while very much a reflection of his new surroundings, attempting to make sense of everything going on around him.
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Buy Pull the Sky Inside on Bandcamp: https://winteraid.bandcamp.com/album/pull-the-sky-inside -
Conor O'Brien aka Villagers released their sixth studio album That Golden Time on May 10 via Domino Records and talks through its 10 tracks on this episode of the TPOE podcast.
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From the press release: After the band-centred sessions of its predecessor Fever Dreams, That Golden Time’s solo-centric core was not forced on O’Brien by lockdown. “For me, That Golden Time has an internalised voice, so much so that I almost found it impossible to let anyone else in,” he says. “It’s probably the most vulnerable album I’ve made. I played and recorded everything in my apartment, and finally, towards the end, invited people in.” Aside from Dónal Lunny, the album features American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Peter Broderick on violin, David Tapley of Dublin band Tandem Felix on pedal steel guitar, and a group of players that O’Brien had first seen performing in a tribute to one of his great loves, Italian composer Ennio Morricone, who added soprano vocal, viola and cello.
The understated poetry within That Golden Time is effortlessly carried by gorgeous melodies and sublime instrumentation. Inspired by philosophers, poets, playwrights and singer-songwriters that had seeped into O’Brien’s consciousness: namechecks this time go to Friedrich Nietzsche (his Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future is quoted in the album’s accompanying booklet), Dory Previn, Marcus Aurelius, Fintan O’Toole, Lorraine Hansberry, Chet Baker, Joan Didion, PJ Harvey and post-classical beauties Rachel’s.
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Villagers Irish tour dates:
June 29: Trinity College Dublin
December 3: Cork Opera House
December 4: Dolan's Warehouse, Limerick
December 5: INEC Club, Killarney
December 7: Mandela Hall, Belfast
December 11: Set Theatre, Kilkenny
December 12: Leisureland, Galway
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Passing a Message
Passing a Message contains the lyrics to over 80 songs, with artwork and photographs, along with previously unseen notebook lyric drafts and drawings curated by Conor for his musical project, Villagers. Presented as a full-colour hardback book, with a unique glow-in-the-dark cover, there will also be a limited deluxe edition which comes with a 7" vinyl featuring an exclusive unreleased track 'Pictures of the Floating World' (featuring Rachael Lavelle). Both editions are now available for preorder for release on September 12 on Faber
Links and info: https://linktr.ee/passingamessage
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Villagers Substack: https://villagersofficial.substack.com/ -
Dublin dance duo Robbie G and Bissett aka Belters Only are one of the hottest acts in the country. With tunes like 'Make Me Feel Good' to their name and having co-produced the Ivor Novello-nominated 'Giving Me' with Jazzy, they sold out the 3Arena in Dublin in less than 30 minutes in 2023. Over the June bank holiday weekend, they're putting on their own festival at Punchestown, featuring MK, Dom Dolla, NewEra, Conor Coates, Jen Payne Obskür, Route 94, and of course Jazzy. Belters Only also play Ormeau Park, Belfast, June 14; Virgin Media Park, Cork, June 21; and Galway Airport August 11. On today's show they talk about their journey, making 'Giving Me' with Jazzy, closing hours in Ireland, and what's next.
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