POSTS TAGGED : Galants

Galants – ‘In Vein’

18057634_1937694843112685_3000110721745418047_n

Dublin shoegaze foursome, Galants marked their return with the release of new single ‘In Vain’, last month.

The track, out via Zen Ten Records, is the first to be taken from forthcoming EP ‘Follow’, set for release in the Autumn. Sonically speaking, it’s the distillation of parts The Jesus & Mary Chain, The Chameleons and Ride; a pretty tasty concoction if there ever was one. ‘In Vain’ whooshes by in a sea of hazy, mild distortion. Ethereal guitars soar, basslines snap and beats pulsate as lush melodies swell all around adding another layer of sweetness and warmth, accentuated by Kennedy‘s tender, reverb laden vocals. An elegant five-minute exploration of bright and shimmering worlds of ‘90s indie rock, shoegaze and dream pop filled with blissful sunshine, youthful yearning and glistening guitar lines.

Listen to ‘In Vein’ below:

Hard Working Class Heroes 2016 Preview: 8 Must See Acts

 

hwch2016

Hard Working Class Heroes takes place in venues across Dublin this week.

Running from Thursday, October 6th to Saturday, October 8th and it will showcase well over 100 of Ireland’s most promising emerging acts. One of HWCH’s biggest draws (and festivals of its ilk) is rambling around, seeing acts you have previously been unfamiliar with. That said, there are a couple of names that immediately jump out and come highly recommended with the much sought after BarryGruff seal of approval*.

The full line-up / stage times for Hard Working Class Heroes 2016 is here. And as always, feel free to share your own recommendations in the comments section below. *May not be much sought after.

Eoin Dolan: Thursday, 19:40 – 20:10 @ Tengu Downstairs

Galway-based singer-songwriter Eoin Dolan is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the finest finds from the past 12 months. Dolan has a real flair for twinkly and whimsical, good old fashioned pop gems, with a healthy dose of Brian Wilson, Syd Barrett and Lennon/McCartney (moments) threaded through the fabric of his sound. His brand of surfy psych-pop is totally charming, entirely irresistible, easy-going and timeless. Dolan’s self-titled debut album was released last month, for a taste of that & what to expect at HWCH, check out ‘Dear Brian’; a playful blend of woozy, soothing sounds, sinuous melodies, SFA-esque synth work, giddy-pop-playfulness and reverb-drenched vocals. Not to be missed.

New Pope: Thursday, 21:40 – 22:10 @ Tengu Downstairs

Galway-based New Pope – fronted by Dave Boland – deal in truly beautiful, timeless and carefully crafted acoustic folk sounds. Passing with a whisper rather than a roar, New Pope’s songs are delivered with warmth and tenderness, as Boland’s distinctive vocal creates a warm, lush atmosphere – and an overwhelming sense of sense of nostalgia. Last year’s YOUTH EP & LP are wonderful and New Pope were excellent at Electric Picnic this year, and if that doesn’t entice you? Check out the layered, lush and beguiling beauty of ‘Love’ below:

Slow Riot: Friday, 20:10 – 20:40 @ The Hub

Limerick trio Slow Riot‘s ferocious, tense and searing post-punk, has marked them out as one of Ireland’s most promising guitar bands in sometime. Taking classic post-punk influences – Gang of Four, Television, Wire – and infusing them with more contemporary ones such as Girl Band and Future of the Left, they create an irresistible and thunderous modern take on a classic sound. Still need convincing? Check out the intense, insistent and menacing ‘Trophy Wife’ below. Peerless.

Continue reading →

Hard Working Class Heroes 2016 Line-up Announced

posterpr-687x1023

The line-up for Hard Working Class Heroes 2016 festival has just been announced today.

The annual festival will return to Dublin once again, running from Thursday, October 6th to Saturday, October 8th in venues across Dublin, incl. The Workman’s Club, Wigwam, The Chocolate Factory, Odessa, Tengu and The Mezz, with more to follow.

Having been away for the past few years, I’m excited to check out a whole host of acts I’ve not had the pleasure of seeing yet. And of course, discovering some new music too. On a first glance a couple of names immediately jumped out; Oh Boland, New Pope, whenyoung, Eoin Dolan, A.S. Fanning, Adultrock, Galants, EXPLODING EYES, R.S.A.G, Slow Riot & Rusangano Family.

The full line-up for Hard Working Class Heroes 2016 is as follows:

HWCH 2016:

A.S. Fanning / Adultrock / AikJ / Ailbhe Reddy / Alana Henderson / BARQ / Basciville / Beach / Birds of Olympus / Bitch Falcon / Black Wing Bird / BlueMusic / Brian Casey / Buffalo Woman / Callum Stewart / Chris Kabs / Clarence & The Winters / Comrade Hat / Cormac O Caoimh / Craig Gallagher / Cult Called Man / Dammy Ari / Damola / Daniel McDermott / Davina and the Messengers / ELE / Elephant / Ella Naseeb / Elm / Eoin Dolan / Erica-Cody / Evvol / Exiles / EXPLODING EYES / Fangclub / Fontaines / Galants / Ger Fox Sailing / HAIL THE GHOST / Half Of Me / handsome eric / Harbouring Oceans / HAWK / Hiva Oa / JAFARIS / Jealous of the Birds / Junk Drawer / Kid Karate / Le Boom / Loah / Maija Sofia / Maria Kelly / Miles Graham / moossmann / Naoise Roo / New Pope / New Portals / New Valley Wolves / Nocturnes / Oh Boland / Oh Joy / Orchid Collective / Paddy Dennehy & The Red Herring / Paddy Mulcahy / PALE RIVERS / Participant / Patrick Freeman / Paul Creane / Peppy / Petty Youth / R.S.A.G. / Rocstrong / Rosie Carney / Rusangano Family / Samyel / SARAMAI / Search Party Animal / Slow Riot / Soule / Stephen Robinson / Strength / Super Silly / swords / Tablets / Talos / Tara Lee / Tebi Rex / The Blizzards / The Ocelots / The Shaker Hymn / Tiz McNamara / TOUTS / Train Room / Tuath / Video Blue / Vulpynes / Wake America / Wastefellow / We, the Oceanographers / whenyoung / Whim / WOLFF / Wyvern Lingo / Yonen / Young Earth

Early bird tickets to HWCH 2016 are €35 via DICE until August 10th. After that, weekend tickets will cost €45.00 & €20 for nightly tickets (excl. booking fees).

BarryGruff’s July 2015 playlist

BGJL15

A now regular monthly feature, whereby we round up all the blog action with a nice, neat and handy playlist of tracks featured during the month.

July was pretty ace! We had new tunes from The School, The Stammer and DRINKS ahead of their respective, forthcoming new albums, and the return of WE//ARE//ANIMAL. There were excellent new singles from Neon Wolf, Galants, Lethal Dialect, Manor, Kelly Lee Owens, The Expert, Glass Sines and Koloto.

Also featured on this month’s playlist are great tracks from Bedbugs, Effin, Gwenno, Trails and Ways, Open Window and Joan. So, July was pretty good. And that’s all before mentioning that Justin Beats gave Jamie xx’s new record In Colour, the once over, Johnny Feeney reported from Knockanstockan and we had a chat with Trails and Ways. And the small matter of my albums of the year so far list.

Listen to BarryGruff’s July 2015 playlist below.

Galants – ‘This Is Heaven’

galants-2-1

Following on from their impressive debut double A- Side ‘Howling/Silver’ last year, Dublin-based Galants have returned with a brand new single, ‘This Is Heaven’.

The first of a trio of summer singles, ‘This Is Heaven’ is a warm fuzzy number, sonically charged with layers of shoegazing goodness, jangled hooks and melodic exchanges that recall some of Creation Records reverb-soaked finest moments. Galants have merged the noise making promise of their previous release ‘Howling // Silver’ with a well honed vibrant urgency and confidence. Part one of three this maybe but ‘This Is Heaven’ is magnificent and should immediately prick your ears up and catch you hook, line and sinker. One thing is for sure; it certainly sets the scene nicely for the rest of their forthcoming singles.

Check ‘This Is Heaven’ below.

Introducing: Galants

GALANTS - Photo: Jose Altamirano

                                                                                                                                                                               Photo: Jose Altamirano

Dublin trio Galants – David Kennedy, Peter Savage and Martin Fagan – serve up a lovely helping of melodic indie with a shoegazy side on their guitar heavy, debut double a-side ‘Howling / Silver’.

Produced by Ghost Estates’ Dan Doherty, ‘Howling / Silver’ emphatically sets their stall out. The double a-side displays a real fondness for melodic ’90s indie (pre-britpop) with an added shoegazey twist. Take ‘Howling’ for example, it encapsulates the very essence of what Galants are all about. Opening with a sudden squall of noise, intertwined by soft and dreamy vocals, fuzzy guitars, a hum of mild distortion which collide head on with soaring riffs and crashing drums, and propelled ever forward by a driving, surging rhythm. While the past looms rather large with Galants, they sound fresh and vital, more so perhaps than their retrospective influences may suggest. This is a blast from the past, but one that packs a hefty modern day punch.

You can give their guitar heavy debut double a-side ‘Howling / Silver’ the once over below and you can download it for FREE from here. Now, you can’t say fairer than that!