Michael McGovern is a 25 year old singer / songwriter from Glasgow, Scotland. From picking up the guitar as a child and writing songs from an early age, Michael has defined his folk sound in the thriving music scene in his hometown.
His forthcoming debut album, ‘Highfield Suite’, is a summation of his work since he began writing songs as a teenager. The music mirrors this period of life, focusing primarily on friendship, love, regret and reconciling with your mistakes.
The album prominently features a nylon string fingerpicking guitar, and expansive vocal harmonies. Tipping its hat to some of Michaels great inspirations from Leonard Cohen, to Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Springsteen and Fleet Foxes.
In 2019 Michael released a live single “The Harbour”, with his folk duo Between Brothers.He went on to play four sold out shows in Glasgow, including at the prestigious Celtic Connections festival as a debutant, as well as a Sofar Sounds performance. Michael then went on to perform at Maui Waui Festival in Suffolk, and along with regular weekly performances is building up a loyal following.
Since the pandemic brought an end to live performance, Michael spent much of 2020 in isolation recording this album. The majority being recorded into a single microphone in a small wooden cabin in Ireland.
AnTara is a unique duo comprised of Tommy Hayes & Matthew Noone that explores the spaces in-between the traditions of Irish and Indian Classical music. Both regarded as pioneers on their chosen instruments and fearlessly inventive, they create a diverse yet cohesive musical experience.
Tommy plays bodhran, bones, spoons, marimba, bells, mbira, jews harp, silk worm cocoons and goats toe nails.
Matthew plays the 23 stringed North Indian lute called sarode. He also makes loops and drones.
Daragh Lynch is best-known as a member of Lankum, the award-winning folk group who won the Choice Music Prize in 2019 for their album The Livelong Day. Signed to Geoff Travis’ Rough Trade Records, the band are at the vanguard of the current Irish folk renaissance.
Merpire, the moniker of Melbourne-based artist Rhiannon Atkinson-Howatt writes music living somewhere between the rom-com and horror movie sections of her mind. This is evident not only in her music but her videos too. The teenage-bedroom inspired video for her song ‘Dinosaur’ was quickly added to ABC’s Rage – a teenage dream for Merpire.
A year on from co-founding the online streaming festival ISOL-AID as a reaction to the pandemic in 2020, Merpire has just released her debut record, ‘Simulation Ride’, co-produced with James Seymour, via ADA Records – a record about looking for positivity in anxiety. It landed the feature album spot on Double J and SYN radio, winning hearts around the country. Overseas, lead single ‘Brain Cells’ was featured on BBC Radio 1’s Jack Saunders’ Future Artists, ‘Village’ on NPR and La Blogothèque as well as features in CLASH magazine, NME, Atwood magazine and more. Double J has continued to play three songs from the record every day since its release.
As Merpire goes from strength to strength, so too does her fanbase and their loyalty to her, her music and her live show. Merpire’s captivating and predominantly female band has landed her a slew of Australian festivals (A festival called PANAMA, Brunswick Music Fest and featuring with RAT!hammock at Laneway) and supports with the likes of Julia Jacklin, Paul Dempsey, Angie Mcmahon. With powerful, versatile performances that are an emotional roller coaster to behold, It is no wonder her album launch sold out in a matter of days before having to be postponed due to a 6th lockdown in Melbourne. With funding from Creative Victoria, and Merpire’s defined themes, it is sure to be a show like no other and her fans know it.
The Shaker Hymn craft sharp and thoughtful pop songs, reminiscent of the lush and warm guitar music of the late 60’s such as The Byrds and Pink Floyd blended with the cavalier approach of acts like Supergrass, Cass McCombs and Kurt Vile. There is a lyrical wit and a bite that is distinctly recognisable from their hometown of Cork. Their third album ‘The Last Concorde’ was released in June 2022, a classic powerful glam rock inspired guitar album infused with hypercosmic sonic flavours. The group began recording their latest album over five years ago with producer Brendan Fennessy and released a single, ‘Dead Trees’ the following year in anticipation of the new record and live shows to accompany. Unexpectedly, drummer Shane Murphy became seriously ill and a routine procedure in the summer of 2018 turned into a distressing ordeal which left him in critical condition for a number of weeks. During a tumultuous 2018 and 2019 he worked himself back to strength while plans for the band decidedly took a back seat until, during the more tempered months of lockdown of 2020, the band was able to finish recording their long awaited third album. The band, which began making rudimentary teenage noise back in 2005, and matured into The Shaker Hymn during a two-month American excursion early in 2012 have released two albums to date. 2014’s `Rascal’s Antique’ and 2016’s ‘Do You Think You’re Clever’ as well as a five track EP ‘The Shape Of The Sea’ were all filled with deft hooks, acute observations and compelling songwriting. The group have toured Ireland extensively including festivals; Body & Soul, Hard Working Class Heroes and Knockanstockan as well as touring the UK and Belgium. Their single ‘Sucking It Out’ appeared on the soundtrack to breakout Irish film ‘Handsome Devil’. * STEREOGUM “Gorgeous retro pop-rock”
* LouderThanWar “Big sounds, big ideas, great production and lots of charm”
Eoin Stan O’Sullivan has had a colourful life in music. From a youth spent immersed in traditional music to punk rock and from guitars and synths to bass and the fiddle. He’s back at the CIGF bringing new life to the music of his beloved Sliabh Luachra. It’s Dessert Blues meets Mountain Music or a whole new genre that Stan calls “Bog Jazz” 🙂
Gerron is an Irish singer-songwriter making melonchonic alt-pop which explores imagined storylines through complex arrangements characterised by rich harmonies and intricate rhythms.
With the unavoidable inspiration of growing up homeschooled in a musical household, she first started composing instrumentals at the age of eight, bouncing from genre to genre for fun.
Molly Buchan is a multifaceted Indie-Folk musician from Clonakilty who is currently based in Dublin. Previously released singles such as ‘Strawberry Perfume’ and ‘Tell Me’ bear the familiar emotional weight of young love, exploring various emotions from denial and anger to grief and reminiscence in her writing, making them ultimately relatable to a wide variety of listeners.
Signed to boutique indie label, Pop Cautious Records, Molly is currently working on her debut EP alongside GANZY, a collective featuring several independent artists from BIMM Dublin.
“The Clonakilty International guitar festival would be a great opportunity to spread my platform to a wider audience, especially in my hometown and we would greatly appreciate consideration for the international guitar festival.” Molly Buchan
KIT (aka Katie Wighton) is the guitarist/vocalist in ARIA-award winning folk outfit All Our Exes Live in Texas.
In 2017 All Our Exes Live in Texas won the ARIA award for Best Blues & Roots Album for their critically acclaimed debut, “When We Fall”. All Our Exes Live in Texas is a fantasy draft of Australia’s finest singer-songwriters – Elana Stone, Katie Wighton, Hannah Crofts and Georgia Mooney – combining in four-part indie-folk harmony heaven.They have toured across the globe with The Backstreet Boys, Midnight Oil and Passenger to name a few.
They also provided backing vocals for Kesha’s platinum single, Praying.In 2019 Katie began work on her debut solo EP, You Act Like A Child. Her first single Good Guy “ a powerhouse of a track that will appeal to fans of Alex Lahey or Ruby Fields.”
KIT’s second single, King Size Bed was written with Jenny Owen-Youngs (Panic! At The Disco) and Jake Sinclair(Panic! At The Disco, Taylor Swift, Weezer) in LA in 2018.
“A BIG hell yeah!” Clare Mooney, jjj
“a joyous emotional rollercoaster” The AU Review of KIT’s EP, including her latest single You Act Like A Child, is out now on all platforms.
“You Act Like a Child” is a heartfelt exploration of vulnerability wrapped up in bold indie rock goodness. All Our Exes first performed at The Clonakilty Guitar Festival in 2016. “You could barely move, like. IN THE AFTERNOON. TO A BAND WHO ALMOST NOBODY IN THE ROOM (bar their parents, obviously) HAD HEARD BEFORE. It’s that sort of festival.” The Point of Everything.
A heady blend of blues, rock and americana, McHale’s Permanent Brew is made up of vocalist/guitarist Paul McHale, vocalist/guitarist Frank McHale, Stephen Houghton on Bass, Simon Lemax on keyboards and Chris Orrell on drums.