THERE MAY be no exact consensus on how to categorise Raglans’ sound, but there is unanimous agreement that it is irresistible and that on-stage the band are phenomenal.
MTV USA described them as playing “fist pumping choruses, sweat drenched guitars solos, and anthemic moments”; Indirocks Mexico called them “indie folksters who certainly know their way around a pop hook”; while Gigwise.com said they are “mastering that fine line between pop and indie”.
The band’s own take on their sound was summed up by singer Stephen Kelly who said: “They’re the sort of songs we want people to play at parties, around the campfires, festivals, the lot.”
Last month the band released the single ‘White Lightning’, from their eponymous debut album, which reached No 5 in the Irish album charts. The song was produced by Jay Reynolds and an accompanying video was made by Finn Keenan.
“It’s about being away from someone and thinking a lot about it, how and where it began which is usually always the best part,” says Kelly. “It’s kind of a no nonsense pop song but we feel we’ve given it enough energy that it comes across as genuine.”
‘White Lightning’ follows the singles ‘Digging Holes’ and ‘(Lady ) Roll Back the Years’ which also had videos shot by Keenan. The singles enjoyed airplay in Britain, with BBC Radio 2’s Dermot O’Leary calling ‘Digging Holes’ “a great tune” and The Guardian admitting “we can’t get this song out of our heads”.
Raglans play Strange Brew at the Róisín Dubh on Thursday November 27 at 9pm as part of their current Irish tour. Tickets are available at www.roisindubh.net, the Ticket Desk at OMG Zhivago, Shop Street, and The Róisín Dubh.
