Tag Archives: Interviews

A Chat With, Interviews, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

A Chat With : Shiv

I caught up with Kildare-raised singer-songwriter Shiv to talk about her recently released debut EP ‘Me 2 Me’. Shiv who is now back in Ireland for Christmas tells me how she crafts her songs, what sparked her to venture into a career in music and her new found joy for the family chaos Christmas brings.

“I think everyone’s really looking forward to the craziness because it’s been such a dead year, and coming up to Christmas you have time to relax, but it can also be fairly stressful and busy but I think it’s a welcome busyness this time around for a lot of people.”

Shiv has released her debut EP ‘Me 2 Me’. She wrote, produced and recorded her six-track debut EP during a year of self-discovery. However for Shiv the crafting and sculpting of this EP was more nerve-racking than the process of releasing it into the world.

“I think I had all my nerves when I was making it, if that makes sense. While I was doing it I was really apprehensive and really anxious and overthinking every lyric, every chord. But once I made the decision to release it and once I had the first single out of the way, I was happy. I’m happy with the EP and, obviously, I want people to like it but I was comfortable in the fact that I was happy with it myself. So I think that really helped, taking the time to sit with it way before the release.”

The EP is a great collection of tracks saturated in R&B and Soul with tropical elements peppered on top. Shiv explained being exposed to various genres has helped craft her sound.

“My dad used to play such a variety of stuff when we were growing up so I think that’s where the influence comes from musically. In terms of songwriting process. I like to come up with lyrics first.I try to write poetry as much as I can and then sometimes those poems turn into songs, but usually if I have an idea I want to get down or if I hear a word that I think will be really cool or phrase that I think would be really nice in a song I try flesh it out. Then I get down to the piano, play a few chords, see what sits right, see what melodies come out. From there then, it kind of flows. I’m lucky enough that I do have an idea of production and it’s easy enough to translate the ideas that I have in my head into a real song so yeah that’s usually the way it goes.”

Shiv shows her deft lyrical capabilities within this EP. She presents intimate and honest, accounts on a variety of themes from anxiety and longing to loneliness. I wondered if this feels exposing, releasing these personal thoughts into the public and are these feelings and emotions just as raw performing the songs now.

“Yeah, absolutely. I think that was part of the struggle as well being so vulnerable and so honest is quite a scary thing. You’re letting people into your mind and letting people see your flaws and your insecurities. I suppose it’s just part of being human as well. I feel that’s the best way to connect with people, if you are your most authentic self that translates and that’s what makes people connect to whatever you’re doing, people can sense the authenticity. But yeah, it’s definitely a nerve-racking experience especially during the writing process. More than post writing. It can get easy being caught up in your head and be like, oh, should I really be saying this should I really be exposing this part of myself. But all in all it’s such a rewarding thing and such a freeing experience because you know you are being true to yourself and expressing yourself in the most honest way that you can.”

“I guess it’s a processing thing I suppose. If you write a song about something and sing about something it is kind of, a relief. It’s like you’ve freed yourself from that in a sense, and obviously it’s never going to be perfect and the emotions are still going to come up but I guess it’s a way of processing the emotions so they’re not as raw. You know when you’re kind of anxious about something or overthinking something and it’s always in the back of your mind and it’s never really resolved, I feel writing and releasing songs, for me anyway gives things like that a sense of resolve. Then performing them afterwards, I think it’s easy to go back into that frame of mind. I can put myself back to how I was feeling but it’s not something that is overwhelming it’s not bringing me down or bringing me back to that point. I can still feel free.”

The instrumentation Shiv uses is light, bright and almost bouncy which creates a wonderful contrast to the emotive lyrical content. Shiv’s songs unfold and blossom almost naturally.

“I find it hard to picture in my head, what exactly I want something to sound like. I follow a feeling, when I’m producing stuff so even from lyrics, that shapes what chords I’m gonna play. The chords shape the melody and then the melody shapes everything else, so it fits in together, not necessarily all at once. Each song encompasses the whole feeling of my emotion, if that makes sense. Each song is a representation of whatever feeling I was trying to convey, just in my own way.”

Shiv has a degree in psychology which has helped her understand her feelings and emotions. This has aided her to express a true and organic version of herself within her songs.

“Yeah I did. I was going into educational psychology and then when I didn’t use my degree I thought it was a waste, but psychology is one of those things… it’s people you know what I mean and that’s a lot of what life is about. It’s aided me in that sense for sure. I’m definitely, for being able to process emotions, being self aware and being able to be real with myself and talk through things with myself…which is what songwriting is for me, it’s the talking through things. That background in psychology has helped me understand feelings more and be able to translate them from just a vague abstract feeling in my brain to a physical manifestation of it via lyrics and music.”

I wondered if the change in career from psychology to music was a difficult decision. There is so much uncertainty within a career in music and to take that jump is a brave decision.

“It was a process. Music has always been a part of my life. Like I said, my dad used to play so much music for us growing up and my mom used to sing with my sister and I a lot. I sang all the way up through school, I was in choirs and I sang with a couple of my friends. It was always something that I had and something that I always came back to, but I never really thought of it seriously as a career, just because it seemed unattainable. It was one of those things that you know, only one in a million really makes it but I guess the model changed for the music industry and it became more of an achievable goal. I’m so lucky and grateful that I have a family that really does support,they are so supportive. It just made it easy then to see that goal as something that I could possibly slide into.”

“How I really got started was my sister was getting married, and I was her maid of honour. I was meant to make a speech for the wedding. Public speaking is just not really my thing. I was not very good at it so I said instead of that,I can write a song maybe and see how it goes. So I wrote her song, which I posted on YouTube and I ended up getting scouted by this management agency in Dublin. That gave me the drive to start seeing it as more of a concrete possibility. I started off timidly and I approached it as though it’s still a hobby and slowly it began becoming more real and more solid as I progressed and transitioned into being a full time musician, which is something I never really thought I would be doing. So it was just a process, it was something that’s always been with me and then just ended becoming more and more of a theme in my life .”

Shiv explains it wasn’t an automatic or spontaneous decision to change career and because of this, the change in career was easier to process.

“Exactly, yeah, it made it easier to digest and be serious about it and get used to the idea in my head that, I’m a singer now, you know. If I just made the switch I don’t think I would have been able to have as much time to figure out what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. I possibly would have ended up giving up before I could even get ahead because I wouldn’t have been secure in what I was doing.”

Choosing to sing at a wedding rather than deliver a speech is not the decision most people would make but Shiv was always comfortable with her own voice.

“It was something I always did. I was…I don’t know eight or nine, and there was this scene in my town it was called Shepherds Watch and it was basically a Christmas Carols sort of thing. I was singing, as part of a choir and then one of the organisers came up to me at the end of practice and was like ‘oh you should do the solo’. I was like what !, obviously I always enjoyed singing, my mom used to sing with us, as I said, and it was just something that I always had but I didn’t really think I was talented at. After I did that solo and I loved it so much, I loved the performance aspect of it. It developed into something more serious for me.I could recognise that it was something that I was good at and something that I really enjoyed doing.”

I was interested to know of Shiv’s experience with DJing and how this aided her production skills. She explains how DJing gave her the foundation she needed to produce her own songs.

“Yeah, absolutely. I did DJing for a while as it was a great way to make money. It was also a lovely way to be able to express myself in a musical form that’s not necessarily singing because I didn’t think that was a real option. So it was a really nice way to get a sideways door into the music world and made me feel I could teach myself or learn how to produce because that falls on the more technical end of music, I just played instruments, but I didn’t really know that much about production. DJing was definitely a nice stepping stone”

Shiv has also travelled quite a lot while she was creating this EP, travelling from Paris to Mozambique and this travel gave her the space and time she required to tap into her creativity. 

“Yeah I think so, when I went to Mozambique…my parents live over there and it was just around the time when I was starting to consider taking music seriously. I had written one or two songs but there was nothing that I felt confident enough to release. I was in Dublin and I was working as a waitress and doing the mid 20s thing of you know; working, going out and kind of the same thing over and over. So, my parents said take a break from work come stay with us and see what happens, give yourself six weeks, completely immerse yourself in music and just see what comes out. So I had the six week period of just writing…it wasn’t even necessarily a case of wanting to experience Mozambique or particularly to do with the country or where I was, but it was just the opportunity to get familiar with how I wanted to represent myself I guess musically. So yeah, that was that and then Paris. Yeah, Paris has definitely been an influence. I moved there last year and just having different environments and seeing different things and being around different people. It makes your brain, see things in a different way and think about things in a different way as well. I think it’s really important to take yourself out of your usual environment because it allows you to let different things come out. So yeah, I feel travelling definitely was an influence and driving factor”

The ‘Me 2 Me’ EP discusses anxiety, especially ‘Letting You Go’. It’s a personal note to Shiv to release the overwhelming grip of deep-rooted anxiety. I wondered if she had that anxiety travelling, and how she overcame it. 

“Yeah I did. I guess I’ve always been an anxious person. I do feel as a general rule our fast paced way of living doesn’t allow for you not to be anxious. After I’d released my first couple of songs, I hadn’t really been expecting anything to come from them and I was just excited and was like I just need someone else to hear them. They surprisingly got a really good reception, and that was amazing. But in another sense it was also crippling because before I was just writing for myself and I didn’t have any expectations. Whatever I put out was what I put out and it didn’t really matter because if no one heard it I’d be in the exact same position that I was before. But after I put out my first couple of tracks I felt a bit more pressure and I felt I had something to prove and that’s where it came out, when I tried to create….because I didn’t feel as free as I did before. I felt a bit more in my head about things and oh you know if I make this then it’s not really like this song that people seem to like, maybe I need to make more of that. So yeah, that’s where that came from. Writing the songs helped me work through that because I guess that’s what a lot of them are like, the EP is essentially a diary entry from me to me.”

I asked when we can finally get back to doing shows again, what can people expect from Shiv’s live performances.

“I’m still working on what I want to do. I do want to incorporate some live looping and stuff like that into my shows but at the moment, my setup is with the live band, which is great. It’s so lovely to have other people to bounce energy off as well.”

Shiv’s path to music is an intruiging one which has allowed her to indulge in her creativity and experience different countries and cultures. I wondered what advice she would give to anyone who wants to pursue a career in music.

“Take the time to familiarise yourself with the different technologies that exist. It’s so much more accessible now than it used to be a couple of years ago. Get familiar with GarageBand and that kind of production stuff, so that you can support yourself and move yourself through music without having to rely or depend on anyone else. Invest in a microphone so you can get your own demos going and mess around with stuff and just feel free to create. Also just be patient with yourself, that’s a big thing that I’ve taken away from this last year. Just be prepared that possibly not everything is going to be perfect, not everything is going to be amazing and that’s just part of the process. Be comfortable with failure and expect the failure and not to judge too much… try not to judge it and allow what’s going to come out, come out.”

Shiv has some exciting thing coming up next year so stay tuned to her socials

“Next year I have my first headline show, that’s going to be in April. I’m really looking forward to that and then I’m hoping for an album, that’s my aim. I’d love to have an album before the end of 2021. Hopefully when things get back to normal I’d love to be performing and possibly a tour but, who knows it’s difficult to say for sure what’s gonna happen in the next few months.”

Shiv creates deeply emotive and passionate tracks surrounded in lush tender soundscapes. Her ability to touch the soul with her silken voice and heartfelt lyrics is mesmerising and marks her as an artist to keep an eye on. Along with her charming persona and magnificent production skills there is something very special about Shiv. 

Stream ‘Me 2 Me’ below


Author : Danu

A Chat With, Interviews, New Music

A Chat With : Mal Tuohy from The Riptide Movement

I caught up with Mal Tuohy from The Riptide Movement to talk about their latest release ‘Turn on the Lights’ which is featured on the current Guinness campaign #KeepTheLightsOn. After some chat about our preparations for Christmas and the new vaccines being rolled out we discuss how the track was written and what brought about its use for the #KeepTheLightsOn campaign. 

‘‘We got contacted by someone from Guinness, they were telling us about the campaign that they had planned and that our song was perfect for it. They talked us through the campaign highlighting all the pubs and in particular the family pubs around the country that have been affected by the COVID restrictions and have been closed down.They wanted to do a campaign that was uplifting and they thought our song was perfect for it really, which we agreed with. The song itself, taps into that feeling that everybody has had this year where everything has been shut down and everybody’s at home and haven’t got to see their families and stuff and I think that whole message of turn on the lights, is a really uplifting message that was perfect for the Guinness campaign and perfect for the times we are in. It’s funny because we recorded that song four years ago and we released it this time four years ago. We all thought it would be a great Christmas song and it never really took off when we released it, not like other songs on that album, ‘Elephant In The Room’ really took off but ‘Turn On The Lights’ didn’t. I’m a big believer in timing and this song is more relevant today than it ever was, even the video for it is as well. The video was made around Christmas time four years ago. This time four years ago, it was shot around Dublin, and it highlights Dublin at Christmas in pre-COVID times. So it’s nostalgic to look at it now and it actually makes more sense now in a mad way than it did four years ago,”

The fact that ‘Turn on the Lights’ featured as part of the 2016 ‘Ghosts’ album shows how timeless the track is, as well as showcasing sometimes, all a great song needs is time to grow legs.  

“Definitely, yeah, and the great thing with that song is the journey it took as well because with the song there’s a few other writers involved, it was not only just the band. I was on a writer’s retreat five years ago with an English writer who invited me to it, Kat Williams ( Kathryn Williams ). Basically songwriters spend a week together and write songs and one of the songs Kat was showing me was this song called ‘Turn On The Lights’ and she was showing it to me on the phone. It was actually called ‘Same Time Every Year’, I think that was the original song and I thought it was great. We had kind of forgotten about it and then she came over to support us for a few gigs in Whelan’s back in December 2015 just before we went to Texas to record ‘Ghosts’. She showed us the song again and all the lads in the band loved it as well. When we were doing the album out in Texas, we were putting all our ideas together and the whole album was taking shape. Ted ( Ted Hutt ), our producer, asked us, had we any other ideas that could tie into the whole feel of the album, and we said we’ve got a song that was written by three other writers that we like. We showed him the phone recording, and he loved it. So what we did then is we rearranged it, and we added our own bit to it as well. So we kind of wrote it as well with them. So, all in all, there’s actually eight writers on the song. It’s brilliant, and it’s great because we’ve never done that before, had so many writers on one song, and it just happened organically and we had the Suso Gospel Choir sing on it. We recorded it all in Texas, and we got the choir to sing on it in Windmill Lane Studios when we got back from Texas. We put out the song four years ago and there was no real interest in it. Here we are four years later and it’s used in a Guinness ad. It’s great.”

The Riptide Movement are pretty good at Christmas songwriting. Last year the band released ‘All I Ever Wanted’, a heartfelt Christmas tune laced with luscious melodies. It’s not easy to write a Christmas song. It can be difficult to create the right recipe of atmosphere, heartwarming feeling, sense of sad/jolly undertones and inner reflection. However the band have achieved this. I wondered if they find it easy to write a Christmas song.

“No, not at all. With “Turn On The Lights”, it was definitely a Christmas song. The first original version of that song from the phone recording that was the idea – trying to make it home for Christmas because there’s a line ‘There was a place for me, an empty chair waiting for me to take it’ – so it’s that idea of trying to make it back for Christmas and if you don’t, there’s going to be an empty chair around the table at Christmas and then it’s that idea as well when we lose loved ones there’s always an empty chair around the table where, that loved one used to sit for Christmas dinner. That song was always like a Christmas song. We have to give credit for the lyrics to Kat Williams, Joel Sarakula and Josh Kumra, brilliant songwriters in their own right. They are singer songwriters so their craft is lyrics and they wrote a majority of the lyrics for the song.”

‘All I Ever Wanted’ it’s like a day in the life, kind of a song. It just happened to be on Christmas Eve on Grafton Street, it wasn’t set out to be a Christmas song. It was just depicting the day if that makes sense and it happened to be Christmas Eve. So we didn’t actually sit down to write Christmas songs, it just happens”

Everyone finds something different that hooks them into a song, whether it’s a melody, riff or beat and for me, with ‘Turn on the Lights’ it was how the band ended each line in the verse with a sort of dramatic dum dum part in the instrumentation.

” It was actually one of the toughest songs to record. When we were doing the whole album it took the most time because of the timing, it’s not a 4/4 timing, it’s an off beat time. Even where the vocals start and where they end, they come in at times where, for me anyway, where I would normally put the phrasing in, if that makes sense. A lot of that would come down to Ted, the producer because he had a vision for the way it should sound, and I think Ted should really take credit for the way it sounds and that’s really cool that your ear was drawn to that so he’s gonna be delighted to hear that.”

I wondered did Mal find it difficult to sing ‘Turn on the Lights’ considering the arrangement is not what he is used to.

” Usually a lot of our songs I would write them, so the phrasing, and where the vocal comes in and goes out would be my natural rhythm. The way I just naturally sing it or naturally come in at certain parts where it feels right. So, this song was a real challenge for me because it was on a different timing and it was the way Ted envisioned that it should be. When I was in the studio trying to drop the vocals it took a long time for me to drop them because my instincts were telling me to come in at different parts, and I had to restrain myself from doing it. I suppose when you’re making an album, writing an album, and recording it, you don’t really have the benefit of having played it live for three months or six months… so it did. The songs are new, and it takes time to find the flow of where everything is supposed to bed in.”

Last time I spoke to Mal he mentioned that next year will mark The Riptide Movement’s 15th year as a band. I was delighted to hear they have some big plans ahead with or without a vaccine.

“We’ll probably start planning for shows later in the summer, I imagine. In terms of playing live we have to base it around the vaccine being rolled out so we will probably play it by ear next year and see how that pans out instead of booking and that might not go ahead. But that’s only one part of it. We’re doing stuff with the National Symphony Orchestra so we’re gonna be releasing some of that next year…We’ve some cool ideas around the 15 year anniversary of the band being together.. As I say, we’ve done some stuff with the National Symphony Orchestra which sounds really cool and can’t wait for people to hear that. We’ve done two songs with them so far and they’re rearrangements of our songs with the Orchestra, it just sounds beautiful. So it’s stuff like that and releasing behind the scenes stuff from albums that we made over the years. It’s gonna be a lot of focus on that for next year. In terms of gigs that will come secondary based around how things are going to roll out next year and if we’re allowed to go back to the way gigs were.” 

We are all looking forward to the return of live shows but I couldn’t help but think there must be some consequences or casualties to this year. I asked Mal if he thought the industry will actually come back to the same level as it was pre- Covid. Will we have the same venues we had in previous years or will a few talented bands and artists not survive the strain of this year. 

“I’d say there will be to be honest, some bands and some artists might move out of the industry because it’s a tough industry to make a living in anyway. But in saying that you are always going to have art and you are always going to have artists and you are always going to have musicians that want to play, and want to release albums and the same for venues. I think the idea of a venue is going to change from this whole COVID experience. It’s not just going to be your standard venue – a stage, a large room and a bar. I think people want something more. I can see gigs moving into nice spaces like churches and heritage buildings and different venues that are exciting for the punter as well. But I imagine some venues won’t be here after all this, but other ones will open up and it will be an evolution of the whole industry.”

” I think once COVID goes away it will definitely go back to normal, go back to mosh pits and full rooms, there’d be no reason not to because there’d be no threat of people getting sick. I imagine next year, they’d be just rolling out the vaccines and we will still be practicing social distancing until we get past COVID but I reckon, maybe 2022 will be a throwback to the oldest type of gigs with packed rooms and mosh pits.”

‘Turn on the Lights’ is a heart-warming and passionate single that seems to have been written ahead of its time. It’s uplifting and tender message expressed through evocative lyrics makes the track a timeless Christmas gem.

Watch the video for ‘Turn on the Lights’ below


Author : Danu

A Chat With, Indie, Interviews, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

A Chat With : Moncrieff ‘Class Of 2020’ EP

Having been featured on a host of 2020 hot lists and named as one of Her.ie’s ‘Ones To Watch’ for 2020, Moncrieff has had a monumental year. Now he is set to release his second EP ‘The Class of 2020’, which is out on December 11th. I caught up with Chris Breheny aka Moncrieff to talk about the new EP and his slight shift in musical style. This EP, like all of Moncrieff’s collections to date, express his journey through life so far through the medium of music as he navigates being in his 20’s during Covid 19 while at the same time providing the listener with catchy, witty lyrics and showcasing deft musicianship in the process.

In true Breheny manner our chat meanders through many topics, from Christmas plans to EP track titles and then ventures into many tangents from there as we discuss how people are coping mentally with the Covid crises, the gym and the dangers of doing a workout beside the kitchen fridge.

“The first lockdown all the gyms were closed for however long so we just started doing runs and stuff like that.That was really good and then the gym’s opened back up, I did a bit in the gym. I stopped running. And now I’m just like, I’m just so unfit. I’m doing this circuit thing at home, I’ll do like 10 minutes and then I’ll do this pull up or push ups. It’s just not the same, when you go to the gym, you’re going somewhere to get something done. But here it’s like you’re in your kitchen. It’s close to the fridge.”

Breheny’s debut body of work ‘The Early Hurts’ EP featured lead track ‘Like I Do’, this debut radio single (released in Sept 2019) received extensive airplay across national radio racking up nearly 12 million audience impressions and 5 million streams. The success of the single and EP led to Moncrieff selling out his first headline show in Dublin in less than 3 hours. His growing reputation also landed support slots touring with headline Irish acts Picture This and Walking on Cars. His new EP ‘Class of 2020’ shows a different facet to Breheny as an artist. The EP was co-produced by Breheny and his friend Toby Scott who has a home studio in Brighton. The result is a collection of songs unconfined by genre that captures the zeitgeist of an ever changing musical and cultural landscape. However one theme that keeps popping up in Moncrieff’s lyrics is how Breheny is terrified to die. In ‘F*CK It – Dance’ (strong in the running for my favourite track on the EP) he contrasts an upbeat, vibrant soundscape with dark lyrical undertones. This mesmerising song is the result of a crazy lockdown.

“Basically, I had a very weird lockdown. I ended up getting close with a friend of mine. She’s a very good friend of mine and I was like, ‘this shouldn’t be a thing’ and she was in agreement. Then things just got really weird, she kind of, got feelings, I thought I had feelings…maybe just not as much as was on her level. Basically long story short, that song, I was right in the middle of it,..writing this song and was kind of, inspired by her.”

The lyrics in this EP are particularly well crafted, highlighting Breheny’s lyrical prowess and songwriting ability – phrases such as “this 2020 depression” can be interpreted many ways, for example, the obvious depressive mental state the world has experienced with isolation and loneliness due to Covid but also a financial depression for many people, especially musicians.

“They take time but the lyrics are always good lyrics. I always have certain phrases stuck in my head for weeks at a time. I have a couple of phrases running in my head and sometimes they’ll fit into a song. I was really worried about putting in 2020 depression because it then frames the song and that year. I’m like, ‘How will that feel in five years’ time when people listen to it?’… I was gonna put in something like “this 20 something depression”, but I just feel this year is such a weird year that it deserves to be named. Each song was written in 2020, and was written during lockdown. It’s been written about the year so there’s no better time to release the EP other than now.”

It all started this year with the release of ‘In My Room‘ however on ‘The Class of 2020’ EP ‘In My Room’ is the last track on the EP. 

” I just liked it as a demo. I always like having a demo at the end. It almost feels like, on CDs where the album the last track would be super long, you’d have to skip forward like a minute of silence and then there’d be the secret track. So yeah, it’s just that kind of idea.”

The songwriting is candid as Breheny expresses through his lyrics what he was going through emotionally and physically. Again in ‘imsadandhorny’ he places dark and honest lyrics into an upbeat and extremely catchy tune. 

” Yeah, both the last two tracks I produced myself so I wanted to make it like a Selena Gomez type record you know what I mean, like super pop. The melodies are all super pop, but I wanted to inject this overwhelming existential thing in there for the laugh”

“They do feel like singles. But, yeah, producing was painstaking because I’m so slow, but I had a lot of time to produce them”

The EP reflects on a difficult year through the eyes of Moncrieff as he ruminates on feelings and emotions a lot of people have had to cope with however within this EP he digs deep and finds himself looking at how he is living his life and spending his time, The experience has been an eye opener for him.

“Yeah, definitely to a certain degree, it should be an eye opener. If you let it go by, and it doesn’t teach you something about yourself, you certainly missed out. You realize what’s really important when your whole world is brought to a standstill. Anybody going to college doing a degree they have no idea why they are really doing it, they just did it because their parents thought it was a good idea, and not really living up to their own standards. When they realize you could be going to college for a job that could come to an absolute standstill just because of a virus, then you have to really look at how you’re spending your time and what sort of person you want to be.”

”Having none of those distractions (social media)  you really have to be cool with being on your own. It’s been a tough year but you should try use it as a learning experience to find out more about yourself and what’s important to you.”

I’ve met Breheny in person and he is a charming and charismatic person. I was surprised to hear how tough he is on himself at times on the EP. 

” I guess the side I put out in public is quite extroverted, upbeat and happy, but I don’t really talk. I need to be able to talk more when I’m having trouble and stuff. When I’m going through tough times I don’t bring it to anybody and that’s a really bad thing. My music is where I get it out, that’s where I need to get that kind of stuff out in some way.”

Each song on ‘The Class of 2020’ is catchy, vibrant and polished. When I first heard the EP as a whole I thought it would sit very well with an American audience. I wondered if Breheny had his sights set on America.

“Most of my fans on Spotify are from the States. I’ve 10 times as many followers on Spotify in America as I do in Ireland. The dream is to move to LA and be signed out there. I don’t want to go to LA and be like scraping and trying to like…I’m better doing what I have here. It’s going well and not like super super struggling, but if I go to LA without a proper deal or whatever things in place, it’s going to be a really difficult time. But America is the dream.”

Speaking of America our chat ventured onto the infectious The Fun Boys Three’s snippet of  “it ain’t what you do ( it’s the way that you do it)” in his track ‘AMERICA’ and how it made it’s way onto the song

“That actually wasn’t my idea. I write with a guy called Paul Harris, I had the actual instrumental made, which is the beat that I made. I brought that to my mate, and next thing I know, we’re like, we could do this, and…. it just turns into such a sarcastic, like, weird vibe, and it just worked out. If that song went to Imagine Dragons, that’d be a f*cking hit.”

Though the songs take a different slant on the Moncrieff style, Breheny maintains the velvety soul tone of his voice, especially in ‘AMERICA’. The satirical side is quirky and very witty but his vocals never compromise on quality and richness.

 ” It was a weird one, because you want it to sound laid back and kind of, weird and cool but you don’t want to rap at the same time, you’re still a singer, you know. At first, I’m using auto tune as a kind of effect like an artistic thing. Auto tune is kind of the done thing in pop now.”

With Covid and lack of shows the whole promotion of a new EP is different but Breheny is getting the hang of it and creating mesmerising content, although understandably he is missing gigging terribly. 

“Yeah, not ideal. I miss gigging. The songs are designed for when you’re allowed back into a venue without a mask without social distancing and you just want to let loose, having been deprived of a gig. When I do the songs live for the first time properly I’m just gonna go mad, just run down the venue for no reason. Promoting has been weird because, the fact the promoter can’t tour, can’t go into a radio station and then the fact that you can’t make any money from touring. All the videos I’ve done this year have been like 500 pounds ( Sterling ) or less. That is insanely cheap and they’re all independent, indie, low budget music videos. People haven’t gigged, all my money comes from gigs. People think ‘Moncrieff is getting radio play and stuff in Ireland” – that’s all cool – but at the end of the day, it’s me and my manager, no buffer, no label, no nothing, just music that people connect to and my own wallet.”

Breheny has suffered literal pain for his art creating videos where he is hanging upside down in ‘PLAYLOUD’ and hanging from a clothes rail in ‘AMERICA’

“Clothes rail was way worse than hanging upside down. I thought it was gonna be super chill,  I had to do the photo shoot and video shoot in one day.The video shoot was done in like an hour, whereas last year it was like three days and by the end of that hanging upside down, I felt really unwell.Then I had to do another shoot and my face is all pale and s**t. But the America one I didn’t think was gonna be that bad. It was just gonna be – get some rope, make a loop at the end of it, put myself into the loop and cut a hole at the back of my jacket and have the rope out through the back. I was going to get some towels or some sponges and wrap it around the rope so that when I hang out of it, it wouldn’t be that painful. But, oh my god ! – it was so f***ing painful. We couldn’t even do a full take of the song. We actually did it in 30 second stretches and put a box underneath me to stand on, in between. It was just so bad, so yeah no more hanging. Next time I’m just gonna sit down with a cup of tea.”

 I wondered what Breheny had planned for the coming months.

” I am back in Ireland right now so I’ll be at home writing. I’m looking forward to January to be honest because I have a writing camp scheduled. I’m going to be writing with Pat ( Walking on Cars ) and Conor O’Donohoe ( Wild Youth ), I’ve been writing some stuff with him lately and that’s been really cool. I want to get as many cool writers in Ireland as possible and then rent a house in Dingle for a week, and just go there, set up a camp and write during the day. Then just like, I don’t know, play Xbox at night. I’ve got a couple of live stream recording things. Then, I’m planning a load of tracks for release next year. I’ve got a bunch of tracks coming next year that I’m really excited about. I’m trying to save up my money to release those as well. I’m like, I gotta do a video for that song. I can’t get takeaway this weekend.” 

Breheny is a talented songwriter and musician. It’s exciting to see him push boundaries to create music that is universal, fun and honest. His deft melodic prowess and witty character make each track a joy to listen to. Moncrieff is one of the most exciting artists to watch as he develops his sound. Each release is more compelling than the last. ‘The Class Of 2020’ is set for release on 11th December but until then check out his recent single ‘AMERICA’ below


Author : Danu

A Chat With, Indie, Interviews, New Music

A Chat With : Suren from Bombay Bicycle Club

Bombay Bicycle Club have announced details of their new live album, ‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose – Live At Brixton’. The album was recorded on 8th November 2019 at the band’s sold out Brixton Academy show, celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut album. It will be released on 11th December via Mmm… Records + Caroline International. I caught up with drummer Suren de Saram to talk about the new live album, Bombay Bicycle Club’s  three year hiatus and the music wizard Jim Abbiss. 

‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose – Live At Brixton’ is set for release during a time when no one can see shows. It is quite a blessing to a lot of people. It’s a moment in time that people can remember how great it was as well as hopefully look forward to the return of shows. Suren explains it was a special moment for the band as well.

“We did play a very short run around the UK at the end of last year, celebrating the 10th anniversary of our debut album. We sometimes occasionally record our shows. We usually do, just to afterwards make notes to see how we can improve with that kind of stuff. I think we recorded a couple of nights on our tour, one of which was the Brixton gig. At the time we didn’t record it specifically with a view to putting out a live album, but it turned out to be a really special night for us. Listening to the recording afterwards we were all really happy with what it captured. It did capture exactly how we see ourselves as a live band, that kind of raw energy that personally, I’m not sure we’ve ever fully captured on one of our studio albums. So basically we were so happy with the recording and then, started talking about releasing it and you know with the way everything’s gone, this year, seems like a great time to be putting out a live recording to remind everyone what a gig actually is. That’s basically how it came about.”

Bombay Bicycle Club were due to embark on an extensive European and North American headline tour and numerous festival headline appearances this year. This live album is a really great way for fans to experience the bands wonderful sound. After returning from a three year hiatus the band were not expecting to have to take another year off.

“Yeah, absolutely. it’s been a difficult year. It’s been a super difficult year for literally everyone but I think it could have been worse. We came back from a few years hiatus towards the end of last year. We managed to do some gigs, end of last year and we managed to do a UK tour, at the start of this year, after we released the last album. It could have been worse, we could have just announced our comeback and then immediately, the pandemic and gone into lockdown right away so at least we managed to do some gigs. Yes, it is a real shame that the album campaign got cut short after two months.I think we were just getting to grips with exactly what was going on and I don’t think we were really in the right headspace to be writing new music but now we are getting our heads down and we figure the best way to use this time is just to start writing new material which hopefully we’ll be able to get out spring or summer next year. Then we’re trying to reschedule some festivals and the headline gigs that would have happened this year, for the end of next year, because we’re a bit hesitant to do it earlier than that. So, hopefully new music at some point next year to help propel those dates for a second offer next year.”

Upon its release in 2009, ‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose’ was met with acclaim and cemented a barely-out-of-school Bombay Bicycle Club as key players in a thriving indie music scene; an unpredictable new act and a rapidly rising one too. I wondered what comes to mind for Suren when he thinks back to that album and its making.

“When I think of that album I think of very hectic live shows, with our mates when we played in London obviously not so much around the rest of the country but we just had our mates jumping up on stage shaking tambourines completely out of time and essentially ruining the gig a little bit. I think of that time as being like a crazy ball of energy, I suppose and yeah obviously over the years, we’ve I suppose, refined ourselves a little bit, especially our live shows, it’s changed quite a lot. So yeah, I think of that time as just a little bit hectic. A lot of sweat. Just generally a little bit messy, you know, in a good way.”

The band have come a long way since then and yet tracks like  ‘Always Like This’ is still an undeniable live favourite, however the band never felt the pressure from that album’s success.

“It’s interesting because I don’t think we did at all. That album debut holds a special place in a lot of people’s hearts and I think people have come to really love that album, but upon releasing it, it’s not like it completely exploded. I don’t think any of us thought that was the album that sort of broke us, if you want to put it that way.The whole career of the band – album to album – has been like a gradual build. So, No, to be honest, we didn’t feel much or any pressure really to follow up that first album. We did quite a smart move releasing essentially an acoustic album as our second album. After releasing that no one really knew what to expect from us. We kind of gave ourselves, complete creative license to come on and do whatever we wanted after that. So, to answer your question, no it didn’t feel like any pressure. I see that first album as being a bit more of a slow burner and people have connected with it as time has gone on. “

The band had been developing and crafting their sound with each album release gaining momentum so when they decided to take a break it was quite a shock to people. It was a brave decision to just stop the band. I wondered if there was anxiety around what the consequences could be. Everyone’s mind can panic when you have been doing something for so long, the fear of being alone, trying to do something else or even that if you return to the band it won’t be the same.I wondered how Suren coped with this or if he had any worries at all.

“It was a mixture of things, there was definitely some anxiety for sure. Looking at it from the outside it probably looked like a very strange time to put a stop to the band temporarily. When we decided to go on a break we didn’t know what the future would be at that time, we had no plans to ever get back together again. For all we knew that was essentially it as far as the band was concerned. Yeah, looking at it from the outside, it probably seemed like quite a strange time to put that stop to it. The last album, before we went on a break, ‘So long, See You Tomorrow’, was nominated for Mercury Prize, Novello Awards, it definitely reached the biggest audience of any of our albums up to that point. It went to number one in the UK aswell.So, yeah, that album was amazing for us. But then, from the inside, we just needed time, we needed to experience life outside the band really once we finished touring that album. We started the band when we were in school. We went straight from finishing school into doing the band and the four of us had never really lived life without the band. So we thought it was really important for us to grow individually, a couple of the guys were clearly itching to release some of their own music, which they did. Personally, it took me a little time to adjust to the band not being there at the start of the hiatus because obviously you know it’s a big part of your life and identity so to suddenly not have that felt pretty strange. I eventually fell into the mode of working as a session musician playing with other artists which at the end of the hiatus can look back on that and think those years were super beneficial for me personally and I think it’s the same for everyone in the band, we definitely grew as individuals. We have come back, much more mature with a refound energy, enthusiasm and love for the band.”

The live album follows the release of the band’s fifth studio album, ‘Everything Else Has Gone Wrong’ earlier this year. The album peaked at #4 on the UK album chart and garnered widespread acclaim from fans and critics alike.‘Everything Else Has Gone Wrong’ is a great title especially for all the madness that has gone on this year however when you delve deep into the albums themes one realises the title is timeless. It reflects something everyone has experienced at one time or another, finding comfort in something when everything else has gone wrong.

“It was the title of one of the songs on the album and when we were brainstorming – it looks like a morbid album – to us it’s actually a very optimistic and positive title to do with having music as that kind of solace and escape from anything and everything really, whatever’s going on in someone’s life, or our lives collectively. It did turn out to be weirdly kind of prophetic, which is very relevant. Obviously we didn’t see any of this coming. We just liked the idea of music being that escape that we all have whenever sh*t hits the fan.”

Bombay Bicycle Club merge a lot of styles on ‘Everything Else Has Gone Wrong’ but what stood out to me is the album is a slight return to the more guitar heavy days with some electronic flurries. I wondered if revisiting ‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose’ influenced the creation of the new album in anyway

“It’s more to do with the album “So Long, See You Tomorrow”  Jack ( Jack Steadman ) he’s the main writer and singer in the band, a lot of the stuff that got introduced sees that kind of heavy use of sampling. Then if you go and listen to the album that Jack made as a solo artist under Mr Jukes. he really goes off in that direction. So I think Jack kind of got that out of his system so to speak with “So Long, See You Tomorrow” and with the Mr Jukes album. Then, when we regrouped, we started writing..and they were just naturally more kind of guitar focused. I think we quite like the idea of going back to our roots a little bit, we went off on various tangents over the years. Yeah, I quite like the idea of returning home, so to speak.”

Seen as it’s 10 years since the bands debut album. Suren tells me what advice he would give his younger self embarking on his journey with Bombay Bicycle Club

” I think we were quite smart in that we took our time with things. I know that sounds crazy because we recorded our debut when we were 18 and recorded EP, when we were kind of 16/17 but we consciously stayed grounded and did not allow ourselves get carried away. We waited to sign a record deal, until after we’d finished school when we were 18 and as I say, everything has just been sort of a gradual build at least that’s what it felt like to us over the years. There was never a moment where we signed a huge deal and were all looking at each other being like, ‘come on, this is it guys, like gonna smash it’. We’ve never had that moment, like never you know, had a number one single where we were like, ‘yeah, this is gonna break us’, Even “So Long, See You Tomorrow”  that got to number one in the album charts, we’ve just taken everything in our stride, and any success that’s come our way we’ve felt like we’ve earned it, I suppose, and very grateful for it.”

“So what advice would I give – I’d say just take your time. There’s no rush, stay grounded. Don’t get carried away. Don’t get caught up in your own hype. Just work on honing your craft, becoming the best musician you can be in terms of the instrument you’re playing, or in terms of songwriting. Some of the earliest recording sessions when we were working with Jim Abbiss, he’s the producer, he’d just done the debut Arctic Monkeys album, just after the time that we were with him when we were 16. That was a real learning curve.It was a really interesting experience. Our first day he was like ‘ What on Earth have I got myself into’ because we’d never been in the studio before. We kind of let nerves, get the better of us. But, yeah, in hindsight that was a very valuable learning experience. So, yeah just take your time to learn your craft and there’s no rush, basically.”

A lot of young bands when they’re starting off they think when they are going into a recording studio everything is going to be natural. To know that Bombay Bicycle Club were a bit nervous going in is something that will give budding artists a lot of comfort.

“Yeah, absolutely. I think we have those recordings lying around somewhere when we were 16 with Jim first. We set up in the room and we ran through a few songs, initially just to show them to him and…in the end they are like a complete mess. It’s four very over excited and nervous kids and he had to whip us into shape very quickly just in the space of a few days. Obviously in the space of a few days you don’t change drastically but yeah he really used that time to kind of kick us on, and to work on what we need to work on.”

‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose – Live At Brixton’ is a real gem which showcases a band without boundaries. Bombay Bicycle Club can take three years off and return fresher and more dynamic than ever. The album captures the magic and raw psychedelic indie sound of the band superbly. It the perfect album to tantalise the senses and ease the cravings until the next blast of Bombay Bicycle Club shows

‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose – Live At Brixton’ is set for release on  11th December

Author : Danu

A Chat With, Interviews, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

A Chat With : Rory & The Island

I caught up with Irish singer-songwriter Rory Gallagher aka Rory & The Island to talk about his new single ‘When The Lights Go Down (Valhalla)’, touring and those fun facebook live streams.

Presented through wonderfully rich and warm musicianship  ‘When The Lights Go Down (Valhalla)’ is a passionate track which talks about the battle of keeping a sustainable career as an artist in a difficult industry. This theme is relatable for so many artists at the moment, but for Rory the track talks about his feelings after finding an exciting new chapter of his live crushed by the pandemic. The opening of his new music venue ‘The Wildcat’ in Edinburgh never reached its official opening night on the 21st March. 

” Yeah, myself and my wife, we moved our family over from Donegal last year, because we got a lease on a music bar in Edinburgh city center. We were going to open up the Wildcat live music bar and we were really excited. We got it painted, got in a PA system, stage lights – we had everything all set, ready to go and right beside the King’s Theatre in city center as well so it was great location.Our opening date was for the middle of March of this year, and we never got to see it because of the pandemic outbreak but we kept paying the rent, it was being frozen held back and everything but we were trying to keep it going as long as possible and it just got to the point, in the summer where we went,this could be a year, a year and a half, at least. So we just handed the keys back. I remember we had to go in and collect a lot of our stuff and some personal things and just that thing of switching off the dimmer lights and looking back at the bar going “Damn it, you know, we were so close”. It’s never easy when the lights go down and it’s like a double meaning as well because it’s when you’re finished a gig in the theater or stage and the stage lights go down, just that feeling, that one second in particular, you know…We’re definitely not giving up yet and that’s the chorus of the song as well, ‘I see Valhalla in the distance’, you know which is like heaven for warriors, but I never actually say I’m going there. It’s in the destination but I’m not giving up.”

Rory takes a laid back 90’s vibe and vintage folk rock stance on the instrumentation which exudes a sense of comfort and warmth. I was intrigued by the slick guitar work on the track.

“Yeah, I just wrote the basic structure of the song – acoustic and vocal. It is very 90s. It has that Neil Finn almost vintage Crowded House warmth to it. I just felt that warmth was needed and there is a bit of Neil Young influence there as well. I thought I’ll just play the drums and bass and I’ll just multi-track to myself in the studio, put it down really basic at first, and then take it from there. There’s no point in getting involved in a big fancy production thing here just make it, as you say, kind of like vintage folk rock, and then it just seemed to suit so well. It’s funny you mention the guitar line because that’s the one thing I was thinking of dropping out of it because I thought it was non experimental. It’s just playing the actual vocal melody on the guitar. You’re always kind of like, ‘oh god has this been done to death’. But I decided it’s actually such a catchy little melody that works, you know. “

“It’s such a natural thing. We were gonna go much deeper into production when simplicity just seemed to be the way to go.”

Rory’s music writing process changes from song to song and he has experimented with his writing techniques to flesh out his style.

” One of the songs I wrote was about a New York/Donegal gangster called Mad Dog Coll ( Vincent ‘Mad Dog’ Coll ). It was based on true events from the 1920s during Prohibition in the USA. So I just sat down and wrote basically a poem about his life. That was one that I would have done the lyrics first but then other ones like this one I think I wrote that when I was tapping my knees. Sometimes it’s just so handy having a phone because you just grab the phone and hit record in the little audio section. I’ve got so many things with just 30 second splices like that. A lot of the time, I’ll come back to that 30 seconds maybe two weeks later and then, add to it and sometimes you get lucky that you get a complete song from it. That’s really the two ways that I would go – it’s either 30 seconds, or one minute, if I get lucky a burst of inspiration straight onto the phone and work on it later, or else I’ll sit and write, try and complete an entire lyric but that’s probably my plan B that’s much more difficult I find.”

Oozing folk and country tones Rory has a unique and diverse voice. However in ‘When The Lights Go Down (Valhalla)’ he exudes a more rock tone. Such confident vocal ability has not gone unnoticed, however he explains vocal confidence is something he built up over time.

” No, I’ve never been confident with my voice and even in the studio I hate hearing it back. I’ve always got a nice response from people and I’ve been doing the Facebook Live thing every Saturday night and it’s got good viewers and people just going ‘oh, I love when you sing this song’ so thank God those people are there because if they weren’t I probably would have stopped singing when I was 19. I just never felt comfortable with my own voice and I probably should have taken lessons but I never did and it’s probably that thing of craft you know when you’ve been doing it so long. I’ve been playing in the pub since I was 15, and for certain bands, you might have to learn a Nirvana song and then you’re playing in a bar and somebody at the bar’s favorite song is by Willie Nelson. That’s where all that would come from and it’s just you constantly learning different styles and hoping that you’ve maintained your own way of singing.I always try to keep my own accent and find my own meaning of the song. So I rarely would ever sing something that I don’t feel, you know. “

Rory has managed to break a world record by becoming the first solo artist to fill the entire eight-hour time slot given by Facebook live. 

” Yeah, well speaking of Wi-Fi, I tried it twice and the first time I got six hours into it the Wi-Fi cut out. Can you imagine that. So that was, like ‘operation don’t smash everything in the room’. But then the second time I tried it like two or three weeks later and managed to get through it and that was great. I didn’t actually end up as hoarse as I thought I would. I’d been doing the gigs for maybe 25 weeks in a row at that stage and just wanted to make it interesting and just start getting a little bit of a buzz going and kind of go right Facebook’s got an eight hour slot. I’m going to give it a go. And there’s that intriguing thing from your own point of view – you kind of go, ‘Am I gonna make it? So yeah it was great but the actual world record, the online world record I think is something mental like 24 hours of videos on YouTube and the actual solo gig was done by a French rapper/producer. I think he did it in Paris and that’s 28 hours, so they’re kind of untouchable swans.”

” You just make it interesting for yourself and you’re seeing people’s comments coming up on the screen as well so you’re interacting with that and sending stuff back to them and I wrote every song that I know. So, I think I wrote, like 210 songs and just put them all on sheets on the wall – the biggest set-list I ever wrote out. I just went through them all and I think I only repeated about six songs which is amazing.I actually enjoyed a lot of it. “

Rory was previously part of the band The Revs but independently earned himself 8 top 30s, 2 top 10s and a number 1 single in the Irish charts, as well as performing all over the UK and Ireland supporting the likes of Ocean Colour Scene, Feeder and Alabama 3. I wondered was it daunting going solo.

“It’s weird, after The Revs I moved to Lanzarote because I fell in love with a girl over there who is now my wife, that was in 2006, and I had no money. So, I had to go back and just start playing the pubs again. That was daunting you know where I’ve gone from like doing one hour sets in Europe, Australia and UK with The Revs and having to go into a three hour set of like 90% cover songs, and I had this fear that people down there will be shouting up failure and loser and, and it was probably even worse than that because nobody knew who I was. It was just basically starting from scratch again and built up a whole new thing and I always maintained that even from the age of 15 that I always tried to play my own music in the set, to the point where I’m playing 60% original music which is unheard of in Lanzarote, a holiday resort. So I ended up building up a completely new type of following and I went under the name Rory & The Island, so it was easier to Google, because going under the name Rory Gallagher was just a disaster with the blues legend. Florence + the Machine and Noah and the Whale were quite big at that time so I said well Rory & The Island is nice because I always liked the image of the island for escapism which it was for me. I liked the term Island from the book and from Island Records and when that was set up for Bob Marley. I just like the name Island basically. “

” What was probably daunting as well when you start up your Facebook page, you know, this was in 2010, and I had to start up Rory & The Island and it’s at zero. Then at the end of the week, you’ve got 81 followers and that stuff’s quite tough because you go ‘oh my god I had a top five album and I played Slane. How can I have 81 followers?’ – this goes on in your head with your ego, you know. So I just kept at it and every week grew it up and at the moment now it’s I think 27,000 after 10 years and a lot of them are so loyal it’s just brilliant. It’s very real as well because it just grew so natural but yeah there were a lot of daunting moments. I remember, Ocean Colour Scene and just thinking God I wish the two guys were here and we could play electrically, crank it up and really get this crowd going and then you’re just having to walk out with acoustic guitar in the Olympia before Ocean Colour Scene. Little moments like that, they were daunting. We had such a long slow wind down in The Revs like the last two years were just really tough because, we started off flying and we were doing Slane and Oxygen festivals and we got top 30 single in Australia, all in the first two years and then hit a brick wall and just started to decline. So in a way it was nice to break away for a while, to be honest.”

This allowed Rory to learn more about his own style of writing. It also allowed him to build and craft his own sound. 

” With The Revs, it was trying to make it as much of a democracy as possible so there was always that one third input from each member. You could arrive with a really good idea and after three hours it just wasn’t working with the other two guys and they would scrap that whereas, with the solo stuff it’s much easier, and probably much trickier in its own way because you’ve got enough rope to hang yourself. You can do whatever you want, you would release some of the stuff and then a month later you go ‘Oh my god ! Can I delete this from YouTube’ “

” Yeah, it’s nice to have yourself completely to blame for everything, if that makes sense. You can build up a lot of resentment, especially when you’re younger and there’s ego. You have enough rope to hang yourself so if you put something out, it’s a disaster, you put your own hands up and that’s it. So, yeah, there’s advantages and disadvantages to both things really. Rory & The Island project has been so much more acoustic based, a lot more percussion, bongos, kind of sunshine influence from Canary Islands, using small Spanish guitars and just trying to make it feel warm. Whereas The Revs was hard indie rock, so total contrast you know. That’s the thing after seven years in The Revs, you know even John (McIntyre) the electric guitar player, he hasn’t really played electric guitar much since. He plays with his wife Zoë Conway and they do brilliant interesting Trad Irish stuff. I think after a decade of really loud music and if you haven’t cracked it in the way Metallica or these guys have, you sometimes don’t really want to hear over-driven electric guitar for a long time. When you’ve heard it five nights a week in loads of different clubs all around the world, it’s just like a ringing. You get this ringing in your ear from electric distorted guitar and cymbals, and it’s just a relief to hear the natural sound of wood, acoustic guitars, things like that again. Then you can go full circle where after a couple of years of just acoustic you go ‘it’s time to plug in again’. “

2019 saw Rory return back to Ireland and extensively tour, filling out rooms around the UK and Ireland with his London show at The Dublin Castle selling out within 48 hours of going on sale. I wondered how he has been coping with this lull in shows.

“It’s been very weird. I’ve always suffered a little bit from anxiety. So, even though it was the worst in the world that hour before a gig, once I was 10 minutes into the gig, I was probably happier than I would ever be because I felt comfortable on stage and you could let loose. I was doing that five nights a week at minimum in Lanzarote so it was always there. You could have a bad day and you didn’t feel like the oxygen was flowing right in your system or whatever and then you would get that nervous thing at nine o’clock.Then you start at 10 o’clock, and you feel great at quarter past 10 and that carries through until the following afternoon. It’s weird to get into that addicted to applause type thing where you are just living for live music. For that to stop, for me, it was really difficult to be honest, especially losing the live music bar. So from recommendations of people that went ‘Why don’t you try the Facebook live gigs’ I started that and it’s been saving grace really every Saturday – something to look forward to. It’s not the same buzz at all, not the same energy because you just finish your song, and it’s like a musician’s nightmare. You play the final chord and it’s just silence..You just get used to digital interaction. “ 

There is a lot of pressure on artists now and the music industry can be competitive at times which can be overwhelming but Rory has some words of wisdom for artists looking to pursue a career in the music industry.

” I would say hold on just to see how the vaccine is gonna work first. Let’s just take it from there first. Then after that I would say always try and keep the love of it and always make it fun. It can get very stressy and it can get accidentally competitive if you start competing against other bands in your city. If you’re going to get into music, you’re going to get into it because you’ve obviously built up a love from listening to it. Just keep that initial buzz. I remember, when I was 14 or whatever in your first band and we would complete something by Iron Maiden. We just all looked at each other and tried not to hug you know, just that amazing feeling of ‘that’s what music should do’. Even though most musicians always try and deny it, it’s a big thing – a lot of the time your music is there to lift the soul. If it’s not doing anything for your own soul it’s not going to do anything for anybody else’s so you always have to be wary of that as well. “

Very wise words indeed and very much appreciated.

Rory creates passionate tunes which ooze emotion. His charming, mesmerising persona radiates from each of his tracks through heartfelt songwriting and rich musicianship. If you want to hear more of the antics Rory gets up to on his facebook live streams they are on every Saturday. Rory plans to record more tunes in the New Year. I am very much looking forward to hearing more music from this talented artist

” I’m gonna maintain these Facebook Saturday night gigs to keep myself going anyway and I’ve started writing again and got a buzz from that.I’m recording another single in January and going to put that out, hopefully in February and take it from there.”

Stream ‘When The Lights Go Down (Valhalla)’ below 


Author : Danu

A Chat With, Indie, Interviews, New Music, Singer/Songwriter

A Chat With : AJ Wander

I caught up with London-based singer songwriter AJ Wander to chat about his debut single ‘Time Out’ and how he managed to turn his life around during the pandemic. We discussed how sometimes the Wi-Fi gods cannot be appeased, the relief that we no longer live in the times of Nokia 3310 and if we did there would be no hope.

‘Time Out’ is a passionate and captivating new single which introduces Wander’s pop songwriting magnificently. However Wander didn’t instantly know when writing the song that it would make for a fantastic debut single

”I didn’t, no. I wrote the song a while ago, maybe three years ago, perhaps. It was after the breakup with my first real love.I had no idea it would be the first song I would release. It was one of those songs that almost wrote itself. It was just there after an hour of sitting at the piano and it was complete.It was a very easy song to write and that probably means that it, you know, it really did come from the heart and it’s honest.”  

”So, yeah, in terms of deciding that it should be the song to release, I guess, it was just going through all of my back catalogue of tracks that I had and all the demos. I had a version of that from a few years ago, when we wrote the song and we sort of clicked with it straight away and were like, yeah this is where we need to start”   

‘Time out’ has a progressive cinematic soundscape. Warm guitars, elegant piano twinkles and lush harmonies on backing vocals build alongside pulsing beats. In the studio, Wander explains the creative process was an organic experience. 

”Yeah, I think it is an in the moment kind of thing. I didn’t know what I was gonna sound like going into the studio and it was an experiment. The song naturally lends itself to a certain sound whether you know or not, and you just have to find what that should be. Again that sound came together pretty quickly and naturally, and it seemed like it wouldn’t be right to fight and that’s just how it happened, It wasn’t premeditated at all. It just happened like the writing of the song did really.”    

‘Time Out’ is an emotional song written soon after an explosive breakup and Wander offers an intimate take on a universal topic – relationships. Writing such passionate songs can be therapeutic but I wondered is it difficult for Wander to hear or sing the song now – do all those emotions resurface?

”It’s sort of taken on a new meaning for me I guess. I suppose if I forced myself to get my head back in that space where I was when I wrote it can be painful. But I think you know naturally, we all move on, we all want to move on.”

”For me when I sing, it means something else and it’s more positive, When I wrote it I was trying to be positive and trying to put a spin on this breakup as in, it’s a new beginning…so I think I apply it to just looking onwards and upwards right now and again that meaning will probably change for me, as my frame of mind changes. I’m sure it’ll mean other things to other people too, but I try to make it positive and more uplifting.”   

Wander explains to me that he has plenty of songs written and how he plans to vary his songs and genres for his upcoming tracks

”Well, I think I might be covered for the next few, but in about six months time I might be panicking. I’m writing every day, and you naturally go through phases of not being able to write or not having as much to write about but then at times you’ve got too much to write about. So far, I haven’t struggled too much with writer’s block. I’ve managed to find things whether that be in my own life, or the people’s lives around me or just in the world around me and again in the studio.I think you’ll always find it, whether that does come naturally or not.”  

” I’ve been writing since I was 14/15. The ones that I wrote between 14 and 18, I’m not going to be playing them. I’ve tried to forget them. But, yes I have definitely kept a hold of all those songs and I still go back and look through them.I don’t necessarily use the whole song…I don’t know how many I’ve got – a fair few, and I dive in and sometimes tune in to a certain part…so it’s nice to have that sort of backlog of material that a lot of people starting out don’t, so I feel pretty lucky to have that for sure.”

”No artist wants to be a one trick pony. But it’s cool to at least stick with a theme for a little while, rather than just dipping your toe in and leaving it there. So at least topically it’s centered around relationships, love and the fallout from breakups etc for these first releases.”

”With respect to the mood of them ..there’s a range.They were written from very different places emotionally, and I hope that comes across in the songs”

The pandemic has been a productive time for Wander, he managed to turn his life around in this crazy time gaining signings with the US-based Elevation Group and UK-based BDi Music during the pandemic. I wondered did he see this time as an opportunity or was it all just a happy coincidence?

”I definitely did lots of drinking wine and eating for sure. But it was a conscious decision in terms of minutes. I’ve always been trying to do it and I’ve always been wanting to do it. Prior to the lockdown I drifted into playing piano bars, and hotels, etc for a living, to pay my rent, and that definitely started getting in the way of me actually throwing everything into my own music, and just being all on the line and saying ‘look, this is what I’m gonna do, I’m either in or I’m out’.”

”Yeah so it was a combination of always having that desire and that dream of doing it, and then lockdown sort of eliminating all the work that I was doing. It just made me reevaluate and reset and say in 10 years, if I look back and I didn’t give it my all then I know I’ll forever regret it.. It forced my hand into going all in and start to release music.”

A lot of artists when they release music they plan how they are going to perform the tracks live and Wander like many artists is craving the live setting. He has been performing for years and to be unable to see people react in real time and connect with his songs is difficult for him.

”It’s sort of craving nothing more than to get out and play the songs live and actually see people’s faces. So, yeah, I think about it all the time.”

”I’ve not done live streams, but I believe that is going to be coming very soon. I just need to get better Wi-Fi in and I’ll be out there live streaming to the world.” 

We have all become painfully aware of how one thing can affect work, entertainment and our nerves…. Wi-Fi. Live streams totally depend on this sometimes fickle creature

”I know, and it’s let me down this morning. But, yeah, it’s crazy the amount of time I spent on zoom in writing sessions, what a weird thing that is. I’m just glad that this happened now and not in 2002 when I had a Nokia 3310…Actually no, I didn’t…I was seven years old. What am I talking about, 2005 I got my first phone. Yeah, I think I’d be pretty bored of snake by now.”

Wander has been doing zoom writing sessions. I wondered can the mood and craft of songwriting really be captured in zoom with time lapses and glitches as well as that annoying inaudible moment when two people talk at the same time and they both stop and say nothing due to the awkwardness.

”Yeah, I think it’s very different. It’s less organic. It’s hard to cultivate this electric atmosphere that you often get in a room when you’re writing with people because you have to do your thing, you have to play your idea and then wait a minute, wait for the delay, and then wait to see what they think and then they’ll bounce back with another idea rather than it happening in the moment. So it can be a bit of a barrier for sure, but I guess it’s better than nothing. Some people love it. Some people hate it.I prefer being in person and being in the room, which we can actually do now, so hopefully I don’t have to experience another zoom writing session for a little while.” 

Wander’s lyrics are rich and filled with depth and emotion, however the goal of a poetic lyricist is not something he seeks out intentionally.

”Depends on what I am writing about I think.There are some songs where you’re writing about something that isn’t personal to you then, I think it puts more pressure on you to be more poetic and say something in a new way, that hasn’t been said before, because you’re observing something that other people can observe. But if it’s something personal. Then you just say how you feel. If it’s something about you and something you’re actually experiencing then I think there isn’t as much pressure to put a twist on it because I think you want to be honest.”

The music industry is a tricky business to navigate through. It can be difficult to learn your craft and focus on the music with so much going on. The rewards can be little. I asked Wander if he had any advice he would like to give to budding young artists. 

”I think just stick it out. It’s a long road.It doesn’t happen overnight and it hasn’t, you know..happened for me yet but I think you will never regret sticking it out and putting your all into it, and it’s easy to get distracted from it, responsibilities of life and living that responsible life but you’d never get more satisfaction than seeing your songs out there, and seeing how people react to them and knowing that you did what you’ve always dreamed of, which is to put the music out there, and give it your all.”

Hearing your song on the radio for the first time is a huge and special experience. I explained to him another artist I was in conversation with, when they were notified their song was going to be played on radio they actually went out and bought a radio for the occasion because they didn’t have one at the time. I was intrigued as to how Wander reacted the first time he heard ‘Time Out’ on the radio.

”I wish I bought a radio, that’s way cooler.I just put it on my phone. I think the first time it got played I was in the studio. Maybe I didn’t give it as much focus. I mean it’s definitely very cool.I think I’m a bit of a pessimist.I always find it hard to be like, oh that’s it, like I’ve done it, which I think is definitely not a good trait, because it is so cool and nice to be excited about achieving something in the moment, but I guess I’m always chasing the next thing. I think I’ve always found it hard to stand back and give myself a pat on the back for seeing something cool that I’ve done.But it was cool to hear it,and maybe I will buy a radio for the next one.”

So what can we expect from AJ Wander in the coming months ?

”Good question.I guess up until January, I’m going to be writing. I’ve got a host of writing sessions booked in, and in between those I’ll be writing by myself and hopefully get back in the studio with the songs that click with me most early next year. I’ve got a bunch of tracks that I recorded at the same time as I did ‘Time Out’, so I’ve got the next three tracks already lined up. Which, I’m actually a bit disappointed about because I love being in the studio and I wish I had a deadline to get something else recorded, because it’s my favorite place to be. But sadly, they’re already recorded. So I’m not sure when I will be back in the studio, hopefully next year and planning for the releases after this EP. But yeah, I think the next song to get released will be in early next year, maybe January/February.”

AJ Wander is a talented musician. His ability to capture emotion within his music is captivating. ‘Time out’ is a solid debut and a special gem to behold. I can not wait to hear more from him. Keep an eye on AJ Wander 

Stream ‘Time Out’ Below


Author : Danu

A Chat With, Interviews, New Music, Video Interviews

A Chat With : JyellowL

I caught up with JyellowL to have a chat about his upcoming debut album ‘2020 D|Vision’. We chatted about the themes and topics that drive his tunes, live shows and how he creates his clever lyrics. Between some device changes due to some technical difficulties JyellowL tells us how he crafted his wonderful debut album, ‘2020 D|vision’ which is set for release on 20th November 2020

Watch the interview below


Author : Danu

A Chat With, Indie, Indie Pop, Interviews, New Music

A Chat With : Bloxx

We caught up with lead singer, Ophelia (Fee) Booth from BLOXX to talk about the release of their debut album ‘Lie Out Loud’ and their huge UK tour scheduled for spring 2021.

‘Lie Out Loud’ has been a long time coming for the Uxbridge four piece, and follows a glorious ascent since BLOXX exploded onto the scene four years ago with their definitive brand of confessional, relatable indie pop. The album features the huge singles ‘Go Out With You’, ‘Coming Up Short’, ‘Thinking About Yourself’, ‘Off My Mind’, alongside a wealth of new material that showcases the band’s journey so far, which has seen them play huge shows, build an army of fans and amass over 30 million Spotify plays.

You guys have released your debut album Lie Out Loud. You guys burst onto the scene four years ago. Why did it take four years to bring out an album, were you crafting your sound, readying for this release to make it as cohesive as possible?

We really just wanted to build a bit of a name for ourselves with singles and Ep’s. Crafting an album can be a long thing when you’re brand new to the industry. It feels good to not have rushed it all.

Talk to us about the title, why did you choose to call the album ‘Lie Out Loud’?

It came as a bit of a shock when i said it out loud, and I didn’t actually think it made much sense until I dwelled on the idea that it actually does. We spend, as humans, a lot of time convincing ourselves that we’re being honest with ourselves, when we can just be lying. The act of lying out loud is the idea that we’re so unaware that we’re lying, we’re doing it out loud. A lot of the tracks on the record deal with personal things for me, and the feeling of the above. 

It’s an album of cracking energetic indie tunes with shredding guitars, driving rhythmic sections and oodles of energy. How did you guys approach the writing for this album?

I think it’s important for me to write as if I’m trying to write a song for the stage. I love the idea of a crowd in my mind when I’m writing. 

You have a wonderful knack with writing earworm melodies. Talk us through how you come up with these melodies. Do you spend time ruminating on them or does it just come naturally? 

A lot of it is patience, listening and feeling the music. But I am always singing to myself, sometimes around supermarkets I’ll have to grab my phone and record a melody that I’m singing. I listen back most of the time and it’s absolute nonsense.

To coincide with the album release, You have unveiled a new single ‘5000 Miles’. It’s an unconventional love song that perfectly encapsulates the feelings of love, lust and growing up in a British satellite town. Tell us about that song and what sparked you to write it?

It is about my girlfriend at the time whom I met in the US. When I left I was really upset and penned half of the lyrics for this tune on the flight whilst drinking red wine. The music came later in this case, which is unusual for me. 

Do you write your songs from personal experiences? If so do you ever feel anxious that the people you are singing about will know the song is about them? 

Yes sometimes but I usually send a text explaining that there’s no hard feelings. In some cases people think it’s about them when it’s not at all. I find that quite funny, but if the glass slipper fits I say! 

How did you choose which tracks you were going to put on the album?

It was a bit hard but most of them were no brainers. I rarely hate a song that I write. Except for ‘Lay Down’. Bin that one.

‘It Won’t Work Out’ is one of my favourite songs on the album. Tell us about that track and how you crafted it?

Oh right, amazing! Me and Steph Marziano spent a hot hot day in the studio just writing and this happened! The four on the floor really makes that tune for me, and the way it opens up with guitars in the second part. It’s a cool one.

Do you have a track that you are particularly proud of?

 I think it has to be ‘Coming Up Short’. We were totally able to completely capture my energy and my song writing style in that song. I’d love to think that’s my sound down to a T. 

Fee your vocals are strong and emotive while oozing attitude and swagger have you always been a confident singer?

Oh no, I used to be awful really. Confidence is so key to performance, and I didn’t have any, but I’ve taught myself that feeling strong makes you act stronger so I’m not nervous anymore.

You have constructed a solid reputation through touring extensively with the likes of indie giants Two Door Cinema Club and The Wombats, hitting up major festival stages and rapidly churning out anthemic crowd explosive tunes. I bet you were gutted that you haven’t been able to tour the album this year?

Yeah! We’ve been really lucky actually! We were really gutted yeah. Having to cancel loads of shows really hit us hard, and I’m sure it’s hit everyone! Just can’t wait to get back on the road.

What tips have you picked up playing these shows with Two Door Cinema Club, The Wombats and Sundara Karma, as well as the festivals like Reading, Leeds and The Great Escape?

I think it helped us grow up a lot. We got to live on the road for a bit and being away from home and family when you’re young is how you learn to be independent I think. All of the bands we’ve toured with have been amazing to us, and it’s been so great to learn things like etiquette and also how to perform better! 

You are set to celebrate the album’s release with a huge UK tour scheduled for spring 2021. What have you got planned for the shows?

So many great things. We want to make those shows the best we’ve ever played. Getting to play album tracks for the first time in front of people will be the best feeling. I penned some of these tunes to be live anthems, so we want to bring everything to the table next year for all the fans.

Do you have any advice for anyone watching who wants to start a band or career in music?

Keep going, write a load of music, stay true to your ideas and your sound, and never stop dreaming big. 

What’s next for you guys?

More music, more shows, energy and some cool surprises early next year!

‘Lie Out Loud’ is a tight, vigorous album and an impressive debut. BLOXX pack oodles of energy into these passionate tunes and the result is a hook laden album which evokes the raw energy of a live gig as well as providing a refined satisfying body of work locked and loaded for repeat listens. 

BLOXX are set to head out on tour in 2021. Check out the dates below 

APRIL

15 – The Rescue Rooms – Nottingham

18 – Riverside – Newcastle

19 – King Tuts – Glasgow

20 – Brudenell Social Club – Leeds

22 – Academy – Manchester

23 – The Bullingdon – Oxford

26 – Thekla – Bristol

27 – Heaven – London

Stream ‘Lie Out Loud’ below


Author : Danu

A Chat With, Alt Rock, Classic Rock, Indie, Interviews, New Music

A Chat With : Stevie Westwood From Bad Touch

BAD TOUCH / NORFOLK / Shot by Rob Blackham / www.blackhamimages.com

We caught up with Stevie Westwood frontman from classic rock band Bad Touch to talk about the bands fourth album ‘Kiss The Sky’ which was released this year, their writing process and recording in Rockfield Studios

You released your fourth album ‘Kiss The Sky’ this year. It is a powerful, swagger soaked collection of bangers. How do you guys keep your sound fresh four albums in?


We’ve always been and will always be Bad Touch. We play feel-good rock n roll for the soul. Our never ending mission to give you the night you’ll never forget; a break away from the monotony and tyranny of life, and to leave anybody who is awesome enough to come to a gig smiling from ear to ear. That’s our mantra. This album is 110% just that, this is a dancing round your bedroom, annoying your neighbours album; that we hope people will love any bit as much as we do.


Was your music writing process for this album different to the previous albums?


Not much has changed since the early days, we still write and rehearse in the same space we have since day one. We just write about emotions and situations we all feel and have experienced, in a hope that someone else feels the same way and can connect to our music. Our attitude towards writing remains true as well, we’re a melting pot of influences and ideas from every member, not bound by role. Quite often George (drums) will have a vocal line or guitar riff, just as often as I’ll have an idea for a drum beat… it keeps things fresh.


The tracks in the album are full of feel good powerful tunes with shredding guitars, pummeling drums and oodles of soul. Talk us through how you chose the songs for the album?


We took a lot more time, effort, sweat and tears when it came to this album from the get-go. Our attitude to songwriting was a lot more critical. If a song wasn’t cutting-the-mustard, we either changed it until it did, or chucked it in the bin and moved on. No compromises.


Your songs boast some pretty slick riffage. How do you guys come up with these gritty riffs?


When you have two riff-meisters like Rob and Seeks it just comes naturally haha


It’s a swagger drenched album laced in classic rock. I especially like ‘Strut’ it really does fill you with that prancing confidence. Tell us how you wrote and crafted that track?

‘Strut’ was one of the first songs we wrote for ‘Kiss The Sky.’ Seeks (guitar) had that biting riff, and George (drums) had the vocal melody for the chorus, so we took it from there. We always write together and everyone chips in, it’s a real fun way to write.


Do you have a track on the album that you are particularly proud of or enjoyed writing?

Speaking personally, I can hand-on-heart say that I am proud and love every track on ‘Kiss The Sky.’ This album has been the hardest one to write so far, for all the right reasons. We’ve put so much into this as individuals and collectively as a unit, and we’re super proud with the end result. It’s fun, it’s loud, it’s in-your-face, it’s everything that Bad Touch have always been, plus so much more.

You guys got to record the album in Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, It’s where Oasis created their masterpieces, where Bohemian Rhapsody came to life and where Coldplay’s journey into the musical stratosphere took off. A place with such history can do one of two things: fill you with awe and make you strive to bring out the best in your tunes or fill you with shattering expectations and pressure. Did you get an instant shot of inspiration or fear within the studio’s walls?


It was completely jaw-dropping-ly awe-inspiring. We are so privileged as a group of friends to have recorded in a place with such musical gravitas. It really did kick us up a notch as musicians, and just felt so right. Plus I got to sit at Freddie’s piano, the one he wrote ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ on, it doesn’t get much cooler than that.


Is it difficult to get the raw energy you guys bring to your live shows into the recording?

For that we owe a special mention to our producer, (who later became our friend), Nick “Brino” Brine… He deserves a serious pat on the back. Through many tireless hours, he’s managed to capture and refine that raw energy that we’ve always had, but always struggled to get down on recordings up until “Kiss The Sky,” so to him we owe tremendous thanks.


You have announced your March/April 2021 UK tour.The 14-date tour includes Norwich, Manchester, London, Cardiff and Glasgow. What have you got planned for the shows?

With the year that 2020 has been, we owe it to our fans and to ourselves to make this the most explosive and fun tour yet, and we plan to do just that. We can’t wait to reconnect with the Bad Touch Family and hopefully make some new friends along the way. (badtouchrocks.co.uk for full tour details)


You guys are known for your energetic and raw live shows. Are you missing the live show energy at the moment?


What a question! It’s like we’ve lost the best part of ourselves, to say we are missing it is a huge understatement. We cannot wait to be back on stage doing what we were born to do, but we won’t until it is safe to do so, for the sake of everyone. Stay safe everybody.


You’ve been doing Facebook videos called “The Isolation Sessions” to stay connected with your fans while everyone is at home.Have you felt pressure to make each one better than the last?

I like to think that some of the beauty of The Isolation Sessions was that it was just me and my guitar playing into my mobile phone. That’s it. It wasn’t about the production or the effects, it’s just me having a go at some songs that have influenced me as a singer. I did one a day for around fifty days, they’re on hiatus at the minute, but who knows, I may dust off the guitar soon!

Have you found time to write and relax during the lull in touring?


We’re still promoting ‘Kiss The Sky’ at the moment, but we’re always writing and looking to the future.


Do you have any advice for someone who wants to start a band?


Just do it, and don’t give up. If you’ve got a band you love, playing music you love, you can make it work, and everything else will fall in place around it. Trust me.

What have Bad Touch got planned for the rest of the year?

Sadly this year seems to be all but written off, nobody knows what’s around the corner at the minute, but know that we’ll be here to rock your socks off when we come out the other side. Stay safe you beautiful people.

Stream ‘Kiss The Sky’ below


Author : Danu