THE BEST indie bands - be they indie rock, indie pop, indie-electro, or indie-folk - in Ireland right now, and the best indie bands you have not yet heard of, will be on the stage in the Róisín Dubh for the Strange Brew Summer Shindig #14.
The Shindig takes place on Thursday August 2, starting at 7pm, and featuring Paddy Hanna, Oh Boland, Dott, Slow Place Like Home, and a host of others, and right now, Paddy Hanna, is the cult artist who has been creating a real buzz with his new album Frankly, I Mutate, out via Strange Brew Rekkids.
Odd, yet intelligent; challenging, yet accessible, Hanna is a left-of-centre talent whose music embraces chanson, country, late night ruminations, and odd-ball pop, with touches of Lee Hazlewood, Scott Walker, and Richard Hawley. Frankly, I Mutate was recently included in two articles in The Irish Times - 10 Best Irish Albums of the Year (so far ) and The 12 Best Overlooked Albums of 2018 (so far ).
In June, Galway indie-pop/garage rock band Dott released their long awaited second album Heart Swell (Graveface Records ). The album proved to be everything a listener wants a second to be, and everything they need it to be. This is more confident, more assured, more ambitious, retaining the sound with which they introduced themselves, yet finding scope to introduce new elements, which both complement and expand Dott's sonic template. Anna McCarthy and Co's finest hour to date.
Slow Place Like Home is centred around Donegal vocalist, composer, and producer Keith Mannion. This year they released their second album, When I See You... Ice Cream! (Strange Brew Rekkids ). Their music is rooted in electronica, but ranges from the upbeat and danceable to the ruminative and melancholy, while also incorporating elements of indie-rock, waltz times, choral elements, and Roxy Music.
Oh Boland are one of Galway's best loved bands. The Tuam pop-punk/garage trio of Niall Murphy, Eanna MacDonnchadha, and Simon McDonagh made one of the best Galway albums in years with Spilt Milk, showcasing their high energy, raucous, yet anthemic and melodic sound. A second album is recorded and highly anticipated.
Bob Skeleton call their music "midnight-pop" with late night grooves and melodies that "create a dynamic blend of West Coast cool and Mancunian mood". The band - Oisin Mod (guitar/vocals ), Rory Ryan (bass/vocals ) Jack Niland (drums ), Eoin Hynes (guitar ) - have released the EPs Shade and If This Isn’t Love.
Nialler9 has called Maija Sofia's music as "lo-fi singer-songwriter folk" by Nialler9; The Last Mixed Tape called it "subtle indie-folk"; while The Thin Air compared her to Mazzy Star and CocoRosie. Also playing are experimental singer songwriter Junior Brother, Proper Micro NV, Just Mustard, Elephant, PowPig, Bokotono, Gaze Is Ghost, Sinead White, Montauk Hotel, Cat Turner, and They Were A Loner (Alan Gray’s new band ).
Admission is €5 and includes a free Shindig cassette. See www.roisindubh.net
