THE FIRST three words of the opening lines of Pink Floyd's 'Echoes' are also the moniker for one of Ireland's most ambitious bands, whose music, like the Floyd's, is wide screen, cinematic in scope, heavily atmospheric, and epic.
Overhead, The Albatross - Luke Daly, Stevie Darragh, Vinny Casey (guitars ), Ben Garrett (drums ), David Prendergast (keyboards ), and Joe Panama (bass ) - have been on the crest of a rolling wave over the last year since the release of their debut album, Learning To Growl ("monumental - The Last Mixed Tape; "staggering sonic declarations" - The Irish Times ). This month they play the Galway International Arts Festival.
When I interviewd the band last year I asked Luke Daly why 'Echoes' opening line inspired the band's name, Luke notes: "Everybody in the band in a big Pink Floyd fan," he said. "Before the band was even formed Joe Panama had the name in his head, he liked the sound of it, but it's also a name that suits the kind of music we produce, but we're also heavily influenced by film scores and neo-classical composers.
"We get filed under Prog-Rock and Post-Rock. They're not something we would call ourselves, but I'm not going to fall out with anyone for calling us that. We prefer to be called instrumental rock, but there are Prog elements in there."
Overhead The Albatross play the Róisín Dubh on Thursday July 20 at 8pm for GIAF17. Tickets are available at www.roisindubh.net; the Ticket Desk at OMG@Zhivago, Shop Street; the Róisín Dubh; GIAF box office, Forster Street; and www.giaf.ie #GIAF17
