One of the great pleasures to have returned for many over the last year has been the live gig. There truly is nothing like it, a room full of people entranced collectively by their favourite artist, seemingly playing just for them, only a few feet away.
Soda Blonde, the band that emerged from Little Green Cars, will kick off their winter tour around Ireland in the Roisin on 25 November. Having started Little Green Cars in their early teens, Soda Blonde was born just before the pandemic - so the return to live gigs was very much welcomed by the foursome. We sat down for a chat with Adam O’Regan, 1/4 of Soda Blonde, on the run up to the show.
How have things been going since the release your debut album Small Talk?
Things have been great since the release of Small Talk. It came out in the middle of the pandemic, so our plans for touring and playing festivals unfortunately got put to one side. We ended up recording our second album over that time, a project we're really excited about. We're actually in the middle of making the album artwork now. No release date yet, but it will ideally be out next year. We released our first Soda Blonde album independently, but we'd prefer to have a label onboard for this one.
How was it for you all releasing that album independently?
In a way, doing it all on our own was extremely liberating and fun. Coming out of Little Green Cars, we just wanted to make the music we wanted to make. Doing it all independently allowed the four of us to exercise every part of our imaginations, which was a lot of fun, it was invigorating. But at the end of the day, of course you want your music to be reaching as many people as possible, which is harder to do alone.
It must feel very liberating to be able to gig properly again?
We're so happy to be back playing gigs again - we really missed it! Our last show with Little Green Cars was Christmas 2019 in Vicar St, and our next biggest headline as Soda Blonde is next month in Vicar St - it will be an emotional moment for us, knowing it has come full circle like that.
We played a small gig in Walshes in Stoneybatter at the end of October which was brilliant. It's (drummer ) Dylan’s local, and was a part of a night the arts council were able to get some funding for in an effort to bring social life back after Covid. We weren't sure what way we were going to do it initially, but in the end we just set it all up – amps, drums, everything - and went for it. It ended up being a very special night.
I'm not just saying this but we really do love the Roisin Dubh, it's one of our favourite venues to play in. That unconventionally shaped, triangular stage makes the room almost feels like it has amphitheater quality. All this energy comes from that corner and bounces all around the room. We love it. The locals are always so much fun.
What are your plans over the next year or so?
We're in the process of putting together all the pieces at the moment. One thing we really want to do soon is to reconnect with our American audience from the Little Green Cars days – hopefully we can plan a trip over there soon.
Who in the Irish music scene do you most admire currently?
There are so many to choose from, we could be here all day - but of course the likes of Kojaque, Junior Brother. We've also got some fantastic musicians playing with us on the tour - in Galway we'll have Neil Dexter (former member of Dublin band Spies ) who just released his debut solo album. Also the brilliant Shobsy and Ria Rua, all really exciting artists.
Another band I'm loving at the moment are called Really Good Time, who I got to see play at Irish Music Week. They’re a lot of fun, they have great stage presence and their jumpsuits give off a kind of Ghostbusters vibe. Well worth a look.
Get your tickets for Soda Blonde at www.roisindubh.net
