The Altered Hours are a rock group based in Cork City, Ireland. Their music explores vast psychedelic spaces, immediate post-punk tones, repetitive rhythms and propelling structures. The lyrics bind this wall of noise together, comfortably connecting the escapism of the abstract with the honestly of realism. This duality is played out in song and on stage by the male/female lead singers Elaine Howley & Cathal MacGabhann alongside Patrick Cullen on bass guitar/effects and Nora Lewon on drums. Continuing an ‘art-punk’ tradition while being influenced by artists such as The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Iceage, Lydia Lunch, Spacemen 3 & Stereolab.
The band most recently joined fellow Irish rockers Fontaines D.C on a major European tour, playing sold out venues such as Le Bataclan (Paris) & Paradiso (Amsterdam). The Altered Hours are now back in the studio putting the final touches to what will be their third full length album. The past few years the 5 piece have been headlining tours in the UK & Europe, creating what some journalists have described as a ‘cult-like’ status. Playing everywhere from ex-government buildings, deconsecrated churches, sheds, parties & anywhere else that will have them. Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre) invited them to record in his studio in Berlin in 2012 which resulted in a 10” vinyl being released on his label. The years ahead are set to be as exciting & energetic as ever for The Altered Hours with the group continuously carving out their own path in rock ‘n’ roll.
We are delighted to once again welcome the return of the Acoustic Forum to this years Guitar festival! This year’s AF will be composed of all the amazing musical experiences you have come to expect from this event however the one thing that may be unfamiliar is the venue. We’re delighted to team up with Scoil na mBuachailli to host this years event in their purpose built music room.
The Acoustic Forum is an eclectic event unlike anything else you’ve ever seen which sees a selection of artists from the festival playing in an intimate and informal concert in the round, with each artist staying onstage for the duration.
Guided by the guest host, each performer gives an insight into their craft and performs a short selection to whet the appetite for the weekend ahead.
It’s off the cuff, it’s friendly and it provides the listener with a varied and spontaneous night that never fails to surprise!
This year’s event will include host George Lowden & guests Gwenifer Raymond (WLS), Gemma Hayes (IRL), John Spillane (IRL) & Junior Brother (IRL)
In keeping with The Acoustic Forum tradition a portion of the tickets for this event will be available at a reduced rate for the unwaged.
This will be operated on an honour system so please be sound!
“There are very few musicians on the planet who can actually strike me speechless with the beauty and skill of their playing. Jon Gomm is one of those musicians.” – Randy Blythe (Lamb Of God)
Jon Gomm is a singer-songwriter and acoustic solo performer based in Yorkshire, UK, known for his once-seen-never-forgotten virtuoso guitar style. This involves slapping, tapping and retuning as he plays, producing a huge, multi-layered sound filled with bass, drums and near-orchestral depth and complexity, all from a single guitar.
His songs are often deeply emotive, whether with or without his soft, affecting voice. And his live performances are intimate and powerful, but always punctured by his natural North Of England wit and self-deprecation.
Jon is also a passionate advocate for mental health and neuro-diversity.
“Jon, you are a genius man, I LOVE your music and playing!” – Steve Lukather (Toto)
“Wonderful guitar playing. An all-round genius” – Stephen Fry (actor, writer) speaking about Jon Gomm on The One Show (BBC, UK)
“(Eoghan has) a creative streak on par with some of this country’s greatest-ever songwriters. The lyrics of The Deepest Breath are proof and testament to that. Incredibly powerful words which not unlike the great Liam Weldon, are words that belong to and represent the working people. Words of hope for the overlooked and hard done by.” – Myles O’Reilly
“Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin has a wondrously sonorous voice” – Irish News
“…once you hear his voice, you’re unlikely to forget it” – Folk Radio UK
EOGHAN Ó CEANNABHÁIN
Eoghan Ó Ceannabháin is a Dublin-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. His musical roots are in sean-nós singing – the style of his father – and he grew up listening to the likes of Sorcha Ní Ghuairim, Seán ‘ac Dhonncha, Colm Ó Caoidheáin and other greats from the tradition. He is also influenced by folk singers from the English language tradition such as Liam Weldon, Luke Kelly, Anne Briggs, Margaret Barry and Thomas McCarthy.
Eoghan has performed and recorded with a number of different bands, including Dublin-based Skipper’s Alley, Irish/Scottish/Manx Gaelic collaboration Aon Teanga: Un Chengey and folk/electronica band Jiggy. He also collaborates with Clare fiddle and viola player Ultan O’Brien. Their debut album Solas an Lae won best album at the RTÉ Folk Awards in 2021.
Over the past few years, Eoghan has come into his own as a solo artist and songwriter. His songs – written in both English and Irish – build on his sean-nós singing foundations but combine hard-hitting lyrics with other musical influences to create a rich, contemporary sound. He recently released his debut solo album, ‘The Deepest Breath’.
For this intimate live show, Eoghan will be joined by Ian Kinsella on guitar & vocals; and Kaitlin Cullen-Verhauz on cello & vocals.
In the spring of 2020, Aoife Nessa Frances packed up her things in Dublin and moved to rural County Clare on the west coast of Ireland. It was there, amidst the stillness, that she began to work on the songs that would become her second album, Protector: a personal, mystical journey of self-discovery through dislocation, transformation, and restoration. “I might have been running away from my problems,” she admits. “I was disconnected from myself and from nature, but I found peace far away from the city, where there were no distractions. I isolated myself with nothing to do but make music.”
Recording took place in a small house in County Kerry, at the foothills of the Annascaul, along with Brendan Jenkinson (producer, keys, bass, synth, clarinet) and Brendan Doherty (drums). “We’d wake up early every day and swim at Inch Beach before making music,” Frances describes. “This ritual was crucial for our process. There was an unexplainable joy happening between the three of us.” The arrangements grew with later contributions from Ailbhe Nic Oiroictaigh (strings), Meabh McKenna (harp), and Conor O’Brien (horns). No matter how it expanded in scope and involvement, Frances never let it stray from a central focus on deep truths. “For me, Protector acknowledges the part of myself that steers me towards a brighter path. The almost psychotropic power of nature gave me a connection I never felt before. As the countryside seeped into me and lines of communication opened up with my family, I developed an ability to perceive myself and my choices within an expanded world.”
Protector builds pastoral landscapes through light flourishes and open spaces. Songs float along effortlessly, remaining anchored by Frances’ deep voice. Contemplative tempos tug along atmospheric synths, minimal bass, and shimmering guitar notes, conveying a serenity like early morning. “Writing and recording this album was a spiritual experience,” Frances explains. “I experienced love for my family on a level I didn’t know existed, while slowly putting myself back together and watching the ‘protector’ in me grow much bigger.”
Gemma Hayes is a much loved and respected Irish singer songwriter. Her debut album, Night On My Side, was released in 2002, for which she won Best Female Artist at the Hot Press Awards and a Mercury Prize nomination. Since then she has released 4 critically acclaimed studio albums and a limited-edition live album. Gemma is constantly in demand for film and television placements – her version of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game, recorded for the US TV series Pretty Little Liars, is now close to 19 million streams on Spotify alone.
Gemma is currently working on a new album which she herself describes as deconstructed folk-pop. Gemma will be releasing a song called High and Low at the end of February with her new album coming in September 2023.
Join the Sister Ghost gang for an afternoon of herstory, creativity and zine-making activism! Suitable for beginners to advanced zine-makers, this workshop will be fun & hands-on, touching on topics within intersectional feminism, women in music and activism. You’ll learn about zine culture and have the opportunity to create your own zine with the band.’
This workshop is for female & non binary participants.
Molly O’Mahony has spent much of the last decade writing and performing with art-folk group Mongoose. She returned to her home place of west Cork in March of 2020, and against the backdrop of the unfolding pandemic, began work on her first solo collection of songs.
During lockdown, she bounced many ideas off her two musician siblings Matilda and Fiachra and collaborated on arranging a number of covers with them. This period of time and these collaborations greatly informed her own songs, which were recorded over the summer of 2021, and which her siblings played a crucial role in arranging and playing on.
Molly released two of these songs over the latter half of last year, Remember To Be Brave and Brother Blue.
As CIGF 21 reached its conclusion, the bard of the Lee, John Spillane sent a rapt audience out of Spillers Lane into in the dusk with his songs still ringing around the streets. It was an event so enchanting that we are returning to Spillers Lane at the height of summer with acclaimed and eclectic collective Dog Tail Soup.
This is going to be one of the most memorable events of the year as we enjoy one of west Cork’s best musical projects in the historic and atmospheric courtyard at the centre of our town.
Dogtail Soup is an eclectic and flavourful musical stew made by carefully simmering Camilla Griehsel (Swedish World Music diva) with Maurice Seezer (Twice Golden Globe nominated Film Music composer), adding a pinch of Paul Tiernan (International troubadour, pillar of West Cork’s favourite band, Interference), a sprinkling of Anthony Noonan (drummer for Roy Harper with extra dulcet tones), a cupful of John Fitzgerald (bass and all known instruments… last seen touring with Gilbert O’Sullivan) and an occasional splash of James O’Leary (founding member of Interference on electric guitar).
Marisa Anderson channels the history of the guitar and stretches the boundaries of tradition. Her deeply original work applies elements of minimalism, electronic music, drone and 20th century classical music to compositions based on blues, jazz, gospel and country music, re-imagining the landscape of American music.
The New Yorker calls Anderson ‘one of the most distinctive guitar players of her generation’, while NPR refers to her as among ‘this era’s most powerful players’ . Her work has been featured in Billboard, Rolling Stone, NPR, SPIN, Pitchfork, the BBC and The Wire. Festival appearances include Big Ears, Pitchfork Midwinter, Le Guess Who and the Copenhagen Jazz Festival.
Anderson’s discography includes five solo records and multiple collaborations. Her latest release, Lost Futures (2021), is a collaboration with guitarist William Tyler. In 2020 Anderson released The Quickening with drummer Jim White (Dirty Three, Xylouris White). Anderson is sought after as a collaborator and composer, contributing to recordings by Matmos, Tara Jane O’Neil, Beth Ditto, Sharon Van Etten and Circuit Des Yeux among others, as well as creating music for short films and soundtracks.
Classically trained, she honed her skills playing in country, jazz and circus bands. and currently tours extensively throughout Europe and North America.
