GALWAY BAND OF THE YEAR: The Amazing Apples
One of Galway's most popular bands, The Amazing Apples are also one of it's success stories. Ploughing the independent furrow, their indie-folk stylings and early releases won fans across Ireland, and that hard work paid off this year with the release of their debut album, A Little Sense, produced by Joe Chester (The Coronas, Ryan Sheridan ) which reached No 3 on the Official Irish Independent Charts and No 27 in the Official Irish Charts. They also played Electric Picnic in September.
While Rural Savage and Grounds For Invasion also had excellent years, 2015 is one The Amazing Apples can look back on with immense satisfaction.
GALWAY SOLO ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Tracy Bruen
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The multi-talented indie-folk singer-songwriter Tracy Bruen (pictured above in red jacket, with her band ) had a great 2015, playing the Body & Soul festival, as well as, more locally, Mná Mna, Citóg, and other events. Anyone who saw her will agree with what We Plug Good Music said: "A voice of husky, whispery, and sky-reaching heights is unapologetically Kate Bush-like and the blend of hill-walking candle-lit voyaging and blues guitar make it both timeless and fitting with the current music trend."
Tracy's music combines indie, folk, and blues; is infectious and rhythmic, while also being unapologetically quirky and left-field. A classically trained singer, she engages a wide vocal range to explore the elements of the voice as an instrument in her songs. Check out her music on Bandcamp and watch the video for new song 'Make Mama Proud':
