A Weekend Away impress with EP
Review by Bobby Green A Weekend Away jumped onto the music scene during the Spring of 2013. Initially with 6 members, they were praised for mixing a jaw dropping punk sound with Indie influenced rhythm and lead guitar. In the Winter of 2016, pianist Patrick O’Shaughnessy and singer Josh Acosta parted ways with A Weekend Away due to other commitments. Singer/songwriter, Peader Storey stepped into the scene making A Weekend Away a 5-piece act. What followed were a string of exceptional live performances and the pressure was on to capture this energy in the recording studio. I love it when a band can translate a live feel and sound to tape, this is as much to the credit of the producer as the band, but ultimately if the songs are a bit shit in the first place then it’s up to the producer to polish a turd. With A Weekend Away EP I think producer, band, engineer and mastering guys have done a superb job by capturing a live feel in all its raw beauty and simply reproducing this for the EP. A Weekend Away’s debut EP contains 6 tracks recorded by Mike Gavin (Even Audio), Tony Monaghan (Music Generation) and Ciaran Woulfe (Woulfe) and was mastered by Richard Dowling of WAV Mastering. Speaking about the ep A Weekend Away said “I think this is really a bigger sounding song than any we’ve written before. When we heard it finished for the first time we were kinda taken aback a little. We were all packed into Patrick’s car listening to it at 3am following a 3 day rush to get a headline gig together, record 5 songs and print them as a demo. It was just the most surreal moment, it’s really when I started feeling that we could actually do this. We’ve been really busy the last couple of months but playing with the lads is one of the best things to do. Because of how busy we have been recently we’re like a well oiled machine. Over the past month we have been overflowing with gigs, events and production. Like winning UL Battle of the Bands was definitely a highlight but we have so much more in the pipeline. This really is a cracking ep stacked full of bluesy ball tickling rock n roll with an indie punkie...
Bobby Green takes at a look at the new single from The Felonies
Review by Bobby Green “Drunk (3am)” is the third single from Wicklow’s alternative rock groovers The Felonies, and they feel it’s their best song to date. One of the most exciting upcoming live bands on the Irish music scene for a while now building on blazing through 2015 with a string of great live sets and releasing their debut EP. 2016 saw them picking up the Searchlight Development Deal, where the band spent the next five months in live pre-production in The Button Factory, and recording new material in Temple Lane Studios. Now in 2017, with 2 Single’s under their belt so far, The Felonies look set to re-cement their position as one of Ireland’s most exciting bands with a tour to promote the release of “Drunk (3am)”. The single romps thorough 4 minutes of everything an Indie anthem needs, sing along chorus, chugging rhythms and a thunderous bass sounding like a finely tuned Ducati. Drop outs, solos but above all quality song writing. And I also tried it, it does sound amazing when you’re drunk at 3am. I know that might be ironic considering the single looks at alcoholism, but quality music will always sound good no matter what your surrounding influences are. Check out Felonies live.. You won’t regret it....
The Great Irish Beer Festival is back for its 2nd annual event this week at Cork City Hall
The Great Irish Beer Festival returns to Cork City Hall this week for the second annual event, taking place from Thursday August 24 – Saturday August 26. Following a hugely successful inaugural event, The Great Irish Beer Festival will feature 24 Irish craft brewers and one distillery; each bringing a unique flavour to the festival, as well as an excellent live music programme over the weekend that will see Stiff Little Fingers, Le Galaxie, Rebel Rebel – The David Bowie Experience, The Band Anna, Fire & Water and Audible Joes ensure each day ends with a suitable bang. The Great Irish Beer Festival will prove a treasure trove of information, food pairings and knowledge for aficionados and newcomers alike. Lectures will take place over the weekend at City Hall including ‘Learn How To Brew’ with the Lee Valley Brewing Club and discussions led by Chris O’Flynn of the Malting Company of Ireland among others. Run by the Franciscan Well Brewery in Cork in association with Tom Keating Presents, this year’s festival aims to build on the initial footprint and establish The Great Irish Beer festival as one of the country’s finest live music and brewing events – diverse in both its participants and audience. “We’re delighted to be welcoming these fantastic Irish brewers back to Cork again this year and equally as happy to be providing some great entertainment for festival goers over the weekend,” says Shane Long from The Franciscan Well. “Both professional and home Brewers will be onsite to show the public how to brew. We have also had a large number of enquiries from brewing enthusiasts from outside Ireland which is really encouraging and means the word about The Great Irish Beer Festival is spreading. We’d encourage people to purchase tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.” Advance day tickets are €13.50 for each day/evening from Tickets.ie or €15 on the door. Thursday August 24 Stiff Little Fingers Audible Joes Doors 7pm, Concert 7.30pm – 10pm Friday August 25 Le Galaxie The Band Anna Doors 4pm, Concert 6pm -10pm Saturday August 26 Rebel Rebel -The David Bowie Experience & Fire & Water Doors 12noon , Concert 6pm – 10pm...
Otherkin continue to rise with new single
Review by Bobby Green 2017 has certainly been Otherkin’s year, Playing with Dead Kennedys and Guns n Roses, championed by Metallica’s Lars Ulrich on his radio show but above all else being a kick ass live band who can transform that energy to the recording studio. With ‘Come on , Hello’ they give their fanbase a final teaser for their debut album OK due out in late September. OK was recorded in Ireland with David Prendergast, Jason Boland and the band at the controls. The tracks were mixed in London by Jolyon Thomas, best known for his work with Slaves and Royal Blood. To support the release of the album, Otherkin will be out on tour as both special guests of INHEAVEN in the UK and headlining their own gigs in fifteen European countries. They are also confirmed for the Leeds / Reading festival at the end of August. Their meteoric rise this year has impressed us all here at musician.ie because they have all the ingredients a band should have to succeed. A hard work attitude, great live presence a close connection with their fanbase and a killer ability to write fucking great songs. If you look around at the music scene in Ireland over the last few years there’s so much to be excited about with these young bands ‘killing’ everything that went before them, it’s how it’s meant to happen. But the respect shown to the old guard hasn’t gone unnoticed with old geezers like myself. It’s an exciting time to be a young adult who’s into music, there’s a quality out there that has been missing for a while, and I think if ‘OK’ is as great as its singles suggest then Otherkin could just be the band of the year. Tour dates: 15th December – Button Factory, Dublin,...
Bobby Green predicts big things for Limerick’s Nile St. James
Review by Bobby Green At this moment in time there’s only a handful of world class talent in Ireland that doesn’t have that ‘Irish’ sound. If you were to walk into any Irish city you’d be inundated with singers who could be considered world class, but they’d all have that sound. There’s nothing wrong with it, I love that sound and thankfully so do millions of others. But from time to time you’d get a singer whose soulful vocal could come from across the water on either side of this beautiful musical landscape of ours. And right now I honestly believe I’m listening to a brand new talent that is about to shine in that category. Nile St. James is a singer/songwriter hailing from Limerick City. With heavy influences rooted in folk and soul music, Nile has found his own authentic space within the music industry combining the two genres to create unique and exciting hybrid. His debut single ‘Fell For You’ is a joyous introduction to his vocal stylings. This sweet introduction has Nile singing with his band (The Vibes) bringing their funk / soul rhythms from their dynamic live performances to the recording studio. This is just the start for this young man, I can see his star rising into the intergalactic hemisphere. You can’t help but love this song, if he’s not a household name in a few years’ time there’s something seriously wrong… Fell For You is available for pre-order on August 11th 2017 via...
