IRELAND MUSIC WEEK

Words: Damien Joyce

In the age of the algorithm, discovering new music through people is more important than ever. There is so much emotion invested in the creation of music; I believe it must be this way. Currently, there is such a vibrant wave of emerging Irish artists from a whole bunch of genres and from different pockets of the country, that just don’t get surfaced by algorithms.

To help these acts we need to get more people off the couch and support independent live music. That starts by becoming familiar with all the new emerging talent by taking charge of listening habits and continuing to reject the algorithmic curation of streaming platforms.

When it comes to music discovery, Ireland Music Week provides an excellent opportunity to experience so many of those exciting emerging and rising Irish bands, up close. The occasion reminds me of a line from the Seamus Heaney poem “Had I not been awake”;

“Alive and ticking like an electric fence: Had I not been awake I would have missed it”

There are so many bands/artists of interest playing across the city, but here are a few of the bands I’m particularly excited about catching live.

Bands that don’t conform to genres hold a special interest to me, I find them fascinating and a great example of that is Cork band Pebbledash who have this sublime blended mix of noise rock, dream pop and traditional Irish music. They create a gentle and at the same time loud, melodic soundscape that fully engages the listener. They continue pushing their sound in new directions, creating their own world of introspection, emotion, and catharsis. I caught up with band members Fionnbharr Hickey and Cormac Donovan O’Neill and asked them about playing the upcoming Ireland Music Week.

How do you feel about the showcase event, and do you enjoy playing in Dublin?

Fionnbharr: “It’s great to be playing at IMW. We’ve been trying now for two or three years to get onto it. It’s nice to finally break through and be a part of that because obviously, it’s a really important thing for Irish bands. It’s also great playing in Dublin; we nearly play there as much as we play in Cork at the moment. But it’s a nice chance to get in front of industry people and also to try to build a stronger fan base there as well. Every gig and the last few gigs we’ve been performing there have been really nice.”

Any particular venues you like playing in the city?

Fionnbharr: “I really like the Workmen’s Club. It’s a big enough room, but everyone’s still only a few feet away from you. That’s probably my favourite place to play in Dublin.

Cormac: “There’s a lot of great venues in Dublin. I’m a big fan of a small spot across the road from Whelan’s, called Anseo, which is a very kind of DIY setup in terms of putting on gigs there. There’s no PA; bands have to set that up themselves. But we’ve played there a couple of times with a couple of Dublin bands, CABL and Affection to Rent, we just had a great time there. I think like you’re saying with Workman’s, it’s just great to feel like you’re really up close to an audience. When you’re in Anseo, it’s like you’re in somebody’s living room; it’s great!”

Their debut EP ‘Four Portraits of the Same Ugly House’ was released via Blowtorch records in January 2025 and was followed up with their second EP ‘To Cast the Sea In Concrete’.

Incidentally, another Blowtorch Records artist appearing includes experimental noise punk band Nerves, but be warned they are LOUD, and not for the faint hearted. Richard Blowes, Founder and Owner of the Galway Independent Label Blowtorch Records made an interesting suggestion, when I asked for his comment on the showcase event.

“I’m not usually a fan of industry showcases — too much gassing and not enough action — but Ireland Music Week is different. Loads of our bands have played it and loved it; the format lends itself to being able to see multiple acts doing what they do best. One thing I’d say: it’s Ireland Music Week not Dublin Music Week so maybe they could head to the provinces for a night or two.”

WineMom are another to note. The four piece from Dublin create music in the spirit of the Seventies greats, such as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (they released a cover of their “Ohio” classic), Fleetwood Mac and the Doobie Brothers, with big ballads and disco jazz inspired tunes from Abba.

Singer Rosanna Harrington has such a booming voice, suited to multiple genres, and she is another of the crop of BIMM Music Institute graduates. “I learned a lot from BIMM where I had commercial songwriting and I learned how to edit, to cater to yourself and cater to an audience, I really value those lessons. I went to UCD, and I wasn’t with my people. They were nice, but when I was in my music hub, everyone wanted to do the same thing. It's just a whole melting pot of songwriters and performers”

WineMom has announced a new single “He Was So Kind” which will be released on streaming platforms on September 4th with a previous single “Blood Moon” on the b side. To celebrate the release of the new 7" single, they will be at Spindizzy Records for an in-store performance and signing on Thursday, September 10 and at OMG/Zhivago Records in Galway on Friday, September 18th.

Drummer Reese Martin mentioned it’s the most excited he’s been for a festival and also explained one of the frustrations of the modern musician, where you are always waiting on an email, especially after sending hundreds of prospective emails to touring bands, to try to land a support slot in the city.

For IMW he was keen to recommend Burglar, “We’re big friends with Burglar, I just love their music, they’re doing amazing right now. They played with us at a Workman's gig and have played with The Belair Lip Bombs.” Rosanna is really excited to see the band Adore,

“They’re so good. I saw them a year and a half ago at Workman’s, and she’s just got a brilliant stage presence, and it’s so strong. It was a bit aloof at the same time. It’s camp, I love it!”

Sei Green is Dublin-based music duo Adam Garrett and Ellen Sleator, that I came across through Instagram. Their blended dreamy, soul/funk/disco is not usually my bag as my radio show on Flirt FM, is very much guitar driven where I play genres such as indie, alternative, shoegaze, post rock, post punk, indie folk. So, these singles “Mountain” and “Bored of resting” just caught me off guard. The music is just so chilled and has this warm soulful groove which is perfect for a slow Sunday morning or for the late end of the week “wind down”, when cooling your jets.

I am looking forward to their performance to see if the warmth of their recordings can be brought to life on stage. I mentioned to Adam, one half of the duo, that their tracks sound so fresh, with an old school vibe at the same time?

Adam: “Well, yes, thank you. Ellen and I are huge fans of seventies music in particular and especially the production of that era. I love the way certain instruments sounded; the drums in the early seventies I felt were captured really nicely. So, I think between a combination of liking that production and songwriting, but then also listening to a lot of modern stuff as well, maybe that was a bit of a fuse moment that kind of naturally happened.

What about those grooving bass lines as well?

Adam: “We love to write melodic bass lines. There’s something about the bassline being in the back that doesn’t really work for us”

Are you looking forward to the event?

Adam: “I think it’s a good opportunity to see a collection of artists who are probably all in a similar place mentally about looking at music and how they approach showing themselves to the world. It’s also a good time point to be like, oh, let’s take a look at all these artists, and they’re in a position where they want to just show who they fully are. I think being able to see everyone else playing it, is a great opportunity as well.”

Are there other bands on the bill that you would recommend?

“Sell Everything are great and I would recommend Mount Pyrus and D_abdu. He is amazing, playing solo and with his three-piece and the songs, big and small, resonate so well.”

D_abdu is the moniker of Ethio/Irish musician Dara Abdurahman who used to play bass with BrickNasty, who are another intriguing band with such talented musicians. Dara commented “I’m really excited to show people this music I’ve been working on and to watch it find its niche.”

IMW 2026 is run by First Music Contact with support from Culture Ireland and the Arts council of Ireland. The day showcases will take place on Oct 1st & 2nd in The Grand Social. The night showcases will take place on Oct 1st & 2nd in Button Factory, The Grand Social and The Workman’s Club.

www.irelandmusicweek.com for all tickets and line up info.

Ireland Music Week

FAA Side Showcase