Tag: irish

#FeelGoodFriday: modernlove. – Follow You

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modernlove. are possibly one of the most exciting bands to come out of Ireland in recent years. With vibes similar to that of The 1975, the band have a sound that is both current and exciting, yet the vocals of singer, Barry Lally, are beautifully raspy and wonderfully powerful.

For this Feel-Good Friday, I couldn’t resist sharing their latest single, ‘Follow You’ – it’s upbeat, pure fun and has a massive, pop-fuelled chorus. It builds brilliantly throughout, to a clap-along breakdown before kicking back in to the catchy chorus. It is begging to be sung and danced to live at one of their shows…I just hope the band make their way to Brighton soon so I can catch one of their gigs!

As for the video – it perfectly encapsulates the song too, mirroring the fun nature of the song. It sees the band singing to the song in front of brightly-coloured backgrounds whilst focusing on a leading lady that is enjoying the song in her headphones, with the band performing behind her.

If you haven’t heard of modernlove. yet, you best get familiar with them as this song is surely going to propel them on to big things.

What are your thoughts of this up-and-coming Irish band? Do you have a #FeelGoodFriday track to recommend us? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment or via social media.

Matt – Muzik Speaks
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‘Follow You’ can be downloaded from iTunes now – https://music.apple.com/gb/album/follow-you/1605247195?i=1605247951

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#MuzikSpeaks: An Interview with John Gibbons

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I recently had the privilege of doing a Skype interview with Irish producer and remixer, John Gibbons, following the release of his latest single and cover of the massive 1994, ‘Hotstepper’.

We spoke all about how some of his cover versions came to be, who he’d most like to collaborate with, what his passions are outside of music and one of his most embarrassing moments on stage. It’s all here…

John Gibbons‘ releases are all available:

Enjoyed this? Check out some of our other interviews here:

Muzik Speaks Interviews

#ThrowbackThursday: B*Witched – ‘C’est La Vie’

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B*Witched are an Irish quartet, consisting of twins, Edele and Keavy Lynch, Lindsay Armaou and Sinéad O’Carroll, who burst onto the scene with their debut single, ‘C’est La Vie’, back in 1998.

The song was such a huge success with its unique brand of upbeat, Irish-themed pop and peaked at Number 1 in the UK Charts. The track was filled with a series of double entendres and in 2013, the girl group revealed that it was in fact about sex.

This song kicked off a hugely successful (albeit relatively short) career, with their next three singles all peaking at Number 1 in the UK Charts, and both their albums also reached inside the Top 5!

The music video was bright, vibrant, super cheesy and downright fun, featuring the girls’ iconic denim-on-denim style, which became a signature part of their branding.

What are your thoughts of this pop quartet’s Irish-flavoured, Number 1 hit? Did you love it first time around? Are you still a fan today? Got a #ThrowbackThursday track to recommend us? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment or via social media.

Matt – Muzik Speaks
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‘C’est La Vie’ can be downloaded off iTunes now – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/cest-la-vie/298026093?i=298026101

#EventSpeaks: Chicane @ Concorde 2, Brighton – 19/05/17

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On Friday 19th May 2017, Chicane came to Brighton to perform a full-band set (which is a very rare thing!) It was an absolutely incredible night, with support from Chris Hopkins, who did an hour and a half DJ set.

Chris Hopkins (DJ Set)

One of Nick’s friends, Chris Hopkins did a great DJ set to get the evening started, playing a range of dance anthems as well as some remixes of classic songs by Prince and others; it was non-stop tune after tune.

Highlight:

  • The dedication made to Robert Miles before playing ‘Children’ was touching and had the crowd cheering and dancing along.
  • Also playing a Chicane song (not on the set list), right before he took to the stage, was a great way to get the crowd going.

Chicane

Chicane took to the stage with the recent, ambient, ascending track ’38 Weeks’, accompanied by his band (Karlos Edwards on drums and Simon Small on guitar and bass) and singer, Rosalee O’Connell. The set was then packed with his biggest hits from the past 20 years, in celebration of his recent album, Twenty. I particularly enjoyed the live performances of ‘Poppiholla (Anniversary Remix)’, ‘Fibreglasses’, ‘Don’t Give Up’, ‘Nite On Shore’ and ‘Saltwater’.

The set was diverse, mixing his more upbeat, club anthems (which had the audience going wild; jumping up and down and singing along) and the more mellow, ambient tracks; at times joined by either of the two singers (Rosalee O’Connell or Gavin Conder) accompanying and others with just the musicians; it all flowed perfectly.

It was great to hear these tracks live and the combination of Nick’s synth tracks and keys alongside live instrumentation was a really unique way to experience his music.

The performance was about an hour and a half long and people loved every second of it (myself included); we could quite happily have gone on listening, watching and dancing all night. There was genuine disappointment when it came an end but an encore led to rapturous applause before closing the show with ‘Stoned In Love’, with Gavin Condor on vocals.

If you haven’t ever seen him play with a full band, you must! I’m already itching to catch him live again!!!

Highlights:

  • The set list was crammed full of hit after hit.
  • Nick mixed the sounds to perfection and whilst the quality sounded like the studio versions, the subtle changes to the track made them unique to that performance.
  • The bass sounds were so heavy and loud, you could feel them reverberate through your chest.
  • The guitarist was incredibly talented, particularly on the track, ‘Nite On Shore’ when he showed off some impressive acoustic guitar skills.
  • The superbly powerful vocals of both singers were stunning to witness.
  • The drummer’s use of both drum kit and samples pads added a diverse edge to the performance.

All of these excellent photos are credited to Elliot McRae.
Go on, give him a follow – @EMcraePhoto

 Setlist

38 Weeks
The Bridge
One Thousand Suns*
Poppiholla (Anniversary Remix)*
Saltwater (Kryder Remix)
Hiding All The Stars
Still With Me
Fibreglasses
Carry Me Home
Don’t Give Up*
Nite On Shore
Saltwater*

Encore
Stoned In Love

* These songs can be viewed in the YouTube playlist, below.

Finally, I want to say an absolutely HUGE thanks to Louis for organising this review and backstage interview (here) and also to Chicane (Nick) for putting on such an immense evening; I loved every minute of it.

Matt – Muzik Speaks
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#Two4Tunesday: Niall Horan – ‘Slow Hands’ & HAIM – ‘Want You Back

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Niall Horan – ‘Slow Hands’

Niall Horan is back with, ‘Slow Hands’, the follow-up to his 2016 debut solo single, ‘This Town‘ and it is awesome!

The song has a completely different sound to his debut single and his vocals on this track doesn’t sound like him in places, but this tune is catchy AF!

I love the broken vocal edits on the verses and the chorus just grips you and makes you want to belt it out loud. The guy is a true talent and this single is proof of that.

No video has been released yet, but I’m sure it won’t be long.

‘Slow Hands’ is on iTunes for downloading now! – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/slow-hands/id1230904573?i=1230904755

HAIM – ‘Want You Back

HAIM are back and gearing up to release their second album, Something To Tell You, later this year with the single ‘Want You Back’.

It’s brave to name a song after one of the biggest singles of all time but this track does well to make it’s own mark. It is a song which outlines one’s inner battle between the head and the heart with lyrics that beg for forgiveness from an ex, hoping to win them back into the empty space left in their heart.

It’s a cracking follow-up and sets good expectations for the upcoming album.

No video has emerged for this track yet either but we’ll keep you posted.

‘Want You Back’ can also be downloaded from iTunes now! – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/want-you-back/id1229700722?i=1229700978

Matt – Muzik Speaks
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#MellowMonday: Talos – ‘Odyssey’

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Irish singer-songwriter Talos is beginning to make big waves via his releases on Spotify and it’s clear to see why – his brand of atmospheric, melodic and even cinematic music is captivating to listen to.

‘Odyssey’ is a track that just seems to transcend to higher and higher places, the longer it runs. The music video, whilst possibly low in budget, is a work of art in itself – the resources he had have been utilised skilfully to craft something that is as equally bewitching to watch as the track is to listen to.

Undoubtedly, this artist will craft himself a lengthy career in music and go from strength to strength if this release is anything to go by – make sure you take the time to watch the video below. It’s stunning.

What are your thoughts of this talented singer-songwriter? Got a #MellowMonday track to recommend us? Please leave your thoughts or song suggestions in a comment or via social media.

Matt – Muzik Speaks
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‘Odyssey’ can be downloaded off iTunes now – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/odyssey/id1212267234?i=1212267618

#EventSpeaks: Walking On Cars @ Concorde 2, Brighton – 06/06/16

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In support of their debut album release, Everything This Way, at the beginning of the year, Walking On Cars have embarked on a UK tour to promote the album. Part of the tour saw the band come to Brighton to play a show at the Concorde 2, with support from Will Joseph Cook.

Will Joseph Cook

Will Joseph Cook took to the stage at 8pm and honestly kept me entertained throughout his entire performance…I know this as I didn’t check my phone once! Over the many years I’ve been attending shows, I’ve come to not expect too much from support acts, but Will really took me by surprise.

Hailing from Tunbridge Wells, Will has been crafting his sound and touring relentlessly. He’s got an interesting blend of indie, pop and synths to make for a great sound.

The band perform incredibly well too; they’re so tight and their harmonies are remarkable – I strongly recommend watching this guy perform, I knew none of his music before but am definitely going to be checking it out now!

Highlights: The incredible harmonies made by the band members, alongside Will’s unique voice and getting the chance to meet Will after the show.

Will Joseph Cook – ‘Streets Of Paris’

Walking On Cars

Walking On Cars really were quite something! I had heard the majority of their album prior to the evening and am already a fan, but attending their show made me realise just how much of a following they’ve been gathering.

The show was already upgraded to a bigger venue, to allow more people to get in and the passion and energy given off from the crowd was immense. Just about every lyric was chanted in unison with the band, but what made it all the more special, was the vast age range present – they truly are a band who have something to offer everyone.

One thing I realised, whilst watching them perform, is just how much lead singer, Patrick, sounds like Charlie Simpson…or is that just me?! Still, he has a fantastically diverse and powerful, yet effortless voice.

The band were super professional and polished; a real pleasure to behold! It felt like I was watching a band like The Script, Scouting For Girls or Coldplay in their earlier years, on the rise to uber fame! I hope these guys get there soon too; they deserve it!

Highlights:

  • The tight, in-sync performance of all the band members.
  • The fact that all the members offer vocals to the songs.
  • Patrick’s almost-cringey, yet captivating dancing.
  • Super-catchy songs!
  • The way they perform their songs, longer and with fan interaction…it made the crowd seem like a sixth member of the band!

Walking On Cars @ Concorde 2, Brighton – 06/06/16

This whole evening was just great fun – I left feeling elated and am grateful to have been able to attend!

Thanks so much to Walking On Cars and Kat for putting me on the guest list, so we could come and do this review! Keep up the great work guys; you guys are definitely destined for big things!

Matt – Muzik Speaks
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