“Oh my gosh, you are all so rad, you sound great,” That is how American singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten described The Kates. Formed with a mission to highlight the need for more women in music, exciting five-piece The Kates, from West Cork, are due to release their upcoming debut EP Pictures Here Of Dreams at CIGF this September.
Preston Reed
Internationally recognised as one of the world’s most influential guitarists and a ground-breaking innovator, Preston Reed revolutionised acoustic guitar playing in the 1980’s and 90’s. His invention of integrated percussive guitar playing – an approach that incorporates a live percussive groove on the guitar neck and body with other techniques – continues to captivate audiences and inspire new generations of musicians around the world.
Reed’s evocative compositions – from driving rhythmic grooves to intimate blues to melodic ballads – are as compelling in live performance as his eye-opening guitar techniques. Rock, folk, metal, jazz, funk, country, bluegrass, world music and classical styles all come into play in creating Reed’s signature sonic landscape that tells stories without words.
Since the launch of his first album Acoustic Guitar in 1979, Preston Reed has released seventeen critically-acclaimed albums of original music and performed on six continents.
He has taught a master class at Berkeley College of Music. Participants in his summer guitar workshops at his home in Scotland have included Ed Sheeran. His live performances, including his 2012 performance at TEDGlobal with Usman Riaz, have had millions of internet views, and his music has received numerous awards and accolades over a career spanning six decades.
“Widely thought of as the world’s most gifted acoustic guitarist” Total Guitar
“Spectacular…the best one-man show this reviewer has seen since Bruce Springsteen…” The Irish Independent
Stanley Super 800 are a four-piece indie-rock band from Cork. The band formed in 2003 and toured all over Ireland, the UK and Europe until 2010. During that time, they released 4 records including ‘Louder & Clearer’ which was nominated for a Choice Music Prize, for Irish Album of the year in 2007.
Since 2010, the 4 members have all been busy working on other musical projects but have decided to dust down the gear and reform for the Clonakilty International Guitar Festival, where SS800 featured in the lineup for the inaugural festival back in 2005.
Méabh Ní Bheaglaoich (accordion,vocals), Nicole Ní Dhubhshláine (concertina, flute), Niamh Varian-Barry (fiddle, viola, vocals), and Kyle Macaulay (guitar, bouzouki), came together in early 2023 to form Cuas, a collective that performs and celebrates the wild and diverse musical traditions of West Kerry. Inspired by the emotive songs and the vibrant dance traditions of the area, the group puts the intrinsic link between listener and performer at the heart of the performance.
Steve Ryan is a songwriter, guitar player and educator. A founding member of Giveamanakick and currently of Windings, Steve has also collaborated with the Rusangano Family, Denise Chaila and Naive Ted among many others. Steve is currently Course Director of the MA Songwriting in the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick.
the next new low
everything is nearly always falling apart when the next new low play, but somehow the well-crafted songs save us and we all leave with a comfortable glow.
the next new low refers to the journey from a terminal diagnosis to its inevitable end. alot of the songs directly reference this journey and its aftermath but don’t be misled, the music is a celebration of life, with humor, pathos and wit abound.
the next new low have been busy recording in 2024 and played National Concert Hall as part of the Metronome series and appear on RTE’s Music from Ireland series.
“They’ve got the precision of Vulfpeck, the coolness of Parliament and the energy of James Brown” HotPress Magazine
Grooveline: one of Ireland’s most dynamic and exciting upcoming bands. The 6 piece style bending band rooted in funk blend (High energy Funk, Groove, hip-hop, Rock ,Jazz and trad) to make a completely refreshing sound that is “unlike anything in the Irish music scene “ (Rua media)
This captivating sound comes together with their raw and explosive energy to create an “exhilarating live show” (HotPress) and with the ability to “encapsulate the crowd into an immersive bubble of ultimate fun” (TradFest).
Grooveline are becoming one Dublins most electric and saught after acts. Since December 2022 they have sold out headline shows in Whelans, the workman’s club and the Róisín dubh, the Grand Social, Supported Kíla in the National Stadium. Won Dublin battle of the bands, played at Whelans Ones to watch and played at the St Patrick’s day Festival Dublin, went on a festival tour around Ireland and headlined Dublin culture night in temple bar.
Search Results are a three-piece alternative rock band based in Dublin. Fionn, Jack and Adam formed Search Results after moving to Dublin in 2019. They bonded over their love for punk, garage rock and folk, emulating the energy of bands such as Parquet Courts and The Velvet Underground. ‘Information Blip’, the band’s debut album, was released to streaming and vinyl in September ‘23 in partnership with ‘Blowtorch Records’.
Infatuating live energy on stage has delivered sold out local headline shows and support slots with Sweeping Promises (US), Haru Nemuri (JPN), Jeffrey Lewis (US) and Pissed Jeans (US). In January of this year, they played their first UK dates supporting Lawn Chair (DE) in the Windmill Brixton, and returned in March for their first London headline show in the Shacklewell Arms (@badvibesuk)
Recently included in ‘Protomartyr’s Joe Casey tells us about his Top 11 Albums of 2023’ on Brooklyn Vegan – Joe says ‘Search Results demand your attention. What I hear is a great band untethered to specific genre chains, which in this time of mood playlists and the like, is a wonderful thing.’
‘Each member tilts on their own axis, yet share in a singular language that embodies the indie rock ideal at its very best’ – Stevie Lennox, The Thin Air.
Do You Believe In The Power Of Rock & Roll?
An afternoon Of Spoken Word With John Robb
This is a brand new spoken word show currently on tour. John Robb talks about a life in music, his best selling book ‘The Art Of Darkness/The History Of Goth’, being the first person to interview Nirvana, coining Britpop, his adventures on the post punk frontline and so much more.
JOHN ROBB:
John Robb is a many-faceted creature.
Not just a well known face from TV but also a best selling author, musician, journalist, presenter and pundit, music website boss, publisher, festival boss, spoken word artist and frontman of The Membranes/Goldblade.
John Robb is all these things and more.
His recently released book ‘The Art Of Darkness – The History Of Goth’ is a worldwide pop culture best seller.
He grew up in Blackpool before punk rock came along and saved his life and he formed The Membranes – the highly influential post punk band whose current albums keep pushing forward with added choirs and textures and are critically acclaimed.
He was one of the leading post punk fanzine writers in the UK with ‘Rox’ before he went on to write for the rock press with Sounds in the 80s. He was the first person to interview Nirvana, and coined the expression Britpop and was instrumental in kick starting and documenting the Madchester scene with his writing.
His music and culture website louderthanwar.com is currently the 5th most read music and culture sites in the UK and at the front of diverse modern culture.
He is a constant on TV and radio commenting on music, culture and politics and one of the UK’s leading in conversation hosts who has his own successful youtube channel and his own books & music festival in Manchester every year called ‘Louder Than Words’.
He has written many books such as best sellers ‘Punk Rock – an Oral History’ and ‘The Stone Roses and the Resurrection of British Pop’ and in 2021 wrote a book about the leading eco energy boss Dale Vince from Ecotricity called ‘Manifesto’.
Current projects include a new book with Alan McGee as well as his own autobiography and a collected works of journalism (Do You Believe In The Power Of Rock & Roll?).
Do You Believe In The Power Of Rock & Roll? is a history of alternative rock from John Robb, with the music still ringing in his ears. This collection follows John’s journey from the late 1970s, when he was first caught up in punk’s high-octane thrill, to the present day, via the early days of the rave scene, the birth of electronic and techno, and myriad bands that spun off on their own idiosyncratic paths.
John was the first person to write about Nirvana, he coined the term Britpop, and he documented the Stone Roses’ rise out of Manchester before anyone else was interested. He was at every pivotal gig, and has interviewed every key player in the business, including Jordan, the queen of punk, founding father of new American rock Steve Albini, goth-rock guitarist Daniel Ash, infamous Oasis co-founder Noel Gallagher, and music greats like Lemmy and Poly Styrene.
Few others have witnessed first-hand so many important moments of the last forty years of rock history. Here, they come together to form the essential history of a personal quest to document the ever-changing soundtrack of the modern world.
Tara Breen, Pádraig Rynne and Jim Murray are a trio composed of musicians at the forefront of our tradition.
Tara Breen has numerous All Ireland titles on the fiddle and tours regularly with The Chieftains, Stockton’s wing and as a solo performer. Pádraig Rynne is considered a leading figure in Irish music and is founding member of well-known bands such as NOTIFY and Guidewires. Jim has been one of the most sought after and busiest musicians of his generation over the past two decades recording and touring with some of the best known folk musicians in the world. Their 2021 release “Nasc” is regarded as one of the finest albums in recent years from an Irish Traditional outfit and was winner of the best traditional album in the 2022 American Celtic listener supported radio awards.
“Sure-footed, engaging and joyful music from a dynamic Clare duo. Expert musicianship, courageous creativity and sweetness of melody” – Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, RTÉ Radió na Gaeltachta
Expect a performance from the gentle to the rhythmical and everything in-between. Embark on an odyssey of wonder, joyfulness and upbeat music as three incredibly talented and creative folk musicians shape melodies from past and present into something dynamic and irresistible.
BIOS:
Described as “one of the freshest sounds in Irish music” by fRoots, Pádraig Rynne is a virtuoso musician, prolific composer and is regarded as the finest concertina player in Irish music today. With an MA in Music Technology and with a passion for experimenting in diverse genres Pádraig is recognized for his re-freshing explorations into the Irish tradition and for his ground-breaking band NOTIFY, described by the New York Echo as “cinematic in scope”.
A worthy description as “a musical wizard” by Music Network, Tara Breen is the fiddler with the legendary band, The Chieftains. She is an all-round extraordinary musician who has 11 solo All-Ireland titles. Tara is also the winner of both the coveted Fiddler of Dooney and Michael Coleman Fiddle competitions and was invited to perform at Dublin Castle for the Queen of England during her State visit to Ireland. Tara has numerous recording credits to her name and regularly guests with artists such as Carlos Nunez, Stockton’s wing and the Trí Tones.
Jim Murray has been touring the world full time as a professional musician since the age of eighteen. Jim is considered Sharon Shannon’s “right hand man” having recorded and toured with her over five continents. He also released two critically acclaimed albums with long term partner Seamus Begley in 2001 and 2008 which collectively scooped many prestigious awards such as The Irish Times and Hotpress Traditional Irish Music Album of the Year. Since Jim’s arrival on the world stage, he has gained the respect of both national and international musicians and has performed and recorded with artists such as Sinead O’Connor, Steve Earl, Shane McGowan, Altan and Mary Black to mention but a few.
“Rynne and Breen have fabulous chemistry together and have found backing musicians who are more than mere accompanists but who are stakeholders in the game” – Dan Neely, The Irish Echo, New York