Pride Profiles: St. Bishop

To celebrate Pride, we’ll be highlighting a different Irish artist from the LGBTQIA+ community each day in June as part of our Pride Profiles series.

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By Clare Martin

Listen If You Like

Sam Smith, Dermot Kennedy, LAOISE

Who He Is

Ste Bishop—better known by his moniker St. Bishop—may only have one EP out, but his glossy pop sound already has incredible mainstream potential. Layered harmonies and shimmery synths wend their way into your ears, urging you to move your hips and make your way to the dancefloor. The self-dubbed “patron saint of gays” has arrived. 

Bishop says that his latest song “Close,” off the EP of the same title, is all about “one of those whirlwind romances that immediately sweeps you off of your feet and plunges you into a world where nothing else matters… think the Cinderella Story starring Hillary Duff and Chad Michael Murray but with a lot more vodka.” The accompanying music video came out today and is partly visually inspired by Stranger Things. Starkly lit scenes of Bishop waiting for his toast to be done and pushing through the mundanity of life are bookended by moments where he dances with abandon, bathed in neon light. 

Watch the music video for “Close” (dir. Ben Kavanagh) below.

Pride Profiles: SOAK

To celebrate Pride, we’ll be highlighting a different Irish artist from the LGBTQIA+ community each day in June as part of our Pride Profiles series.

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By Hannah Quearney

Listen If You Like

Fenne Lily, Marika Hackman, Aldous Harding

Who They Are

It’s difficult to believe at this point that SOAK — known outside of their portmanteau moniker as Bridie Monds-Watson — hasn’t been awarded some kind of veteran status for the work they’ve been putting out for almost a decade. Ever since they emerged from the Derry music scene at age 16, the songwriter’s coming of age can be tracked tangentially to their musical output quite easily. Just as we’ve watched Monds-Watson grow from a punkish rag-tag teenager into a refined (yet incredibly cool) adult, we have watched their graduation from gloomy indie-folk aesthetics into lush art-pop stylings. A cloud has lifted between the releases of their prodigal debut album Before We Forgot How To Dream and their sophomore effort Grim Town, their sound becoming more full-bodied as their identity becomes more sharper in their mind. They don’t anticipate change, but they warmly invite it instead.

Their latest single is most indicative of this change. Featuring Saint Sister’s Gemma Doherty, ‘I’m Alive’ is a solemn spoken word piece birthed out of lockdown ennui. Exploring the idea of how it feels to “wake up” after a long depressive episode, Monds-Watson abandons #BeKind sentiments in favour of steady catharsis. With self-discovery as the aim of their game, it’s looking like a third album is in the works and we couldn’t be more excited.

Watch the visualiser for “I’m Alive” below:

Pride Profiles: Jack Rua

To celebrate Pride, we’ll be highlighting a different Irish artist from the LGBTQIA+ community each day in June as part of our Pride Profiles series.

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By Clare Martin

Listen If You Like

Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen, Perfume Genius

Who He Is

Jack Rua is a beam of light for the Irish pop scene, meshing the various facets of the genre into a brilliant, unmissable gem. His 2020 album Narcissus is lean time-wise, clocking in at just under a half hour, but nourishing for the soul with its throbbing beats, infectious choruses, and slick production. Stabs of piano, slaps of synth, and clanging drum machine all feel made for a boogie in Street 66. His lyrics are honest and evocative, late-night talk clouded by cigarette smoke and one too many cocktails, but the precision of his music should not be underestimated.

More recently, Rua put out the EP I Don’t Party Enough Anymore with American producer Saint Taint. The project is a hyperpop dream, exploring the darker sides of lockdown while also feeding our collective need for a good dance after a year of separation. Most excitingly, Rua is playing a socially distanced gig in the Button Factory on 13 July. You can get your tickets for the gig here and listen to his new EP below. 

Pride Profiles: Celaviedmai

To celebrate Pride, we’ll be highlighting a different Irish artist from the LGBTQIA+ community each day in June as part of our Pride Profiles series.

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By Ellen Pentony

Listen If You Like

Princess Nokia, M.I.A, SZA

Who She Is

Celaviedmai (Maimouna Salif) is one of the most exciting voices in Irish hip-hop right now.  A talented singer and rapper, Mai’s talent is seen across a range of singles thus far. While “Reckless” is packed with sharp, tongue-in-cheek bravado, “Questions” is full of self-doubt. Her latest release “HEAL” blends this bravado and insecurity together as she recounts a past relationship, hyping herself up but admitting that she’s not really over that time in her life. The smooth production of her tracks elevates her vocal talents even further. You may recognise the Dolby Digital noise – or the sound before a film in the cinema that blows your bloody ears off ­–  on “Reckless.”

Mai’s music is raw and vulnerable, moving from intense self-confidence to uncertainty often within the same breath. This honest approach makes her one of Irish hip-hop’s most authentic and exciting artists and we look forward to hearing much more from the Galway rapper.

Tomike’s Vocals Shine Through On New Soul Ballad with Omo Aston

By Ellen Pentony

Dublin-born musician Tomike has teamed up with Louth native Omo Aston on her latest single “Wildflower,” a soulful love ballad about loss. The pair assume the role of a couple in the midst of uncertainty singing back and forth to one another in traditional duet style. The track’s minimalist, hushed production allows the emotional lyrics to take centre stage as Tomike sings: “I don’t want to hold on to you / if you’re not holding on.” 

Since her debut EP Stages of Love, Tomike has gained recognition as one of Ireland’s most talented up-and-coming vocalists and was featured in Hot Press’ Young and Emerging series. Having taken some time to focus on songwriting and production, “Wildflower” marks the start of an exciting period of new music from the alternative-soul singer. 

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Pride Profiles: Problem Patterns

Photo by Ciara McMullan

To celebrate Pride, we’ll be highlighting a different Irish artist from the LGBTQIA+ community each day in June as part of our Pride Profiles series.

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By Hannah Quearney

Listen If You Like

L7, Amyl and the Sniffers, G.L.O.S.S

Who They Are

The social media description of Problem Patterns as “a group of women screaming in a room” is lovingly tongue-in-cheek, but their rip-roaring live shows and rotating cast of vocalists are deserving of a closer look. Composed of musicians Beverley Boal, Bethany Crooks, Ciara King, and Alanah Smith, the four-piece queercore noiseniks ensures that each member has a voice, quite literally. As they raucously dismantle systematic oppression and restore order through the power of pummelling noise and frenetic riffs, they play a game of divide and conquer with each scathing critique.

Their 2020 single “Big Shouty” embodies what the group is about, a blisteringly good demolition of how female musicians are expected to behave in the music industry. As they reject passivity and male judgement, the band takes up as much space as they possibly can; their grudging caterwauls and growls are innate and begin to occupy a physicality of their own. Not only are they shattering the glass ceiling, but they’re taking it over entirely — they’re cackling at it, repurposing its remnants into something larger and more subversive, sticking things together to form their own shape. 

Gone are the days of corporate Riot Grrrl offshoots or — even worse — the Girl Boss herself. Problem Patterns are eternal. Listen to “Big Shouty” below. 

Pride Profiles: Dani Larkin

Photo by Sarah Pannasch

To celebrate Pride, we’ll be highlighting a different Irish artist from the LGBTQIA+ community each day in June as part of our Pride Profiles series.

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By Clare Martin

Listen If You Like

Laura Marling, Lankum, Saint Sister

Who She Is

Dani Larkin’s music is indelibly tied to her relationship with the Irish land, whether you’re listening to “The Red (Maca’s Return),” an examination of humanity’s treatment of the environment through local legend, or her trio of singles ruminating on love that use evocative natural imagery. Her most recent release from the series, “Love Part One,” is spare but triumphant, led by warm acoustic guitar and the rich timbre of Larkin’s voice. The track is all about falling back in love with oneself, and is grounded by how well the Armagh-Monaghan artist sets the scene: tree roots, the moon, the shore, all reminders that we are part of the natural world and worthy of love.

The folk musician is set to release her debut album Notes For A Maiden Warrior on 18th June, but just ahead of that she’s performing the entire record live at the Oh Yeah Centre in Belfast as part of the Women’s Work festival. You can get tickets for the virtual event—airing on the 17th of June and free unless you want to donate—here. 

Listen to “Love Part One” below and check out her November and December tour dates here.

Pride Profiles: Sprints

^{Photo by Conor O’Beirne}

To celebrate Pride, we’ll be highlighting a different Irish artist from the LGBTQIA+ community each day in June as part of our Pride Profiles series.

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By Ellen Pentony

Listen If You Like

Girl Band, LCD Soundsystem, PUP, Porridge Radio 

Who They Are

Sprints are a four piece indie-noise band from Dublin. Using a vocal style reminiscent of LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, frontwoman Karla Chubb talk-sings her way through issues affecting contemporary Ireland. 

“Manifesto” and “Swimming” pulsate with satirical energy as layers of guitar, bass, and thumping drums combine to capture the frustrated, angry spirit of Irish millennials faced with economic and social uncertainty. On “The Cheek” and “Ashley,” though, Chubb brings her queer identity to the fore, exploring turbulent relationships and the bisexual experience. Direct and deliberate, Sprints speak keenly to life as a young person in Ireland. 

Nostalgia Interrupted: HAVVK Talk Growing Up on “Automatic,” Announce Sophomore LP ‘Levelling’

_{Photo by James Byrne}

By Ellen Pentony

Indie-grunge trio HAVVK have released a new single from their upcoming sophomore album Levelling, out September 17th. Like their preceding singles “Home” and “No Patience,” the latest release from HAVVK is charged with the competing energies of calm and chaos.

On “Automatic,” lead singer Julie Hough’s shoegaze vocals lull you into a false sense of security, creating a comforting air of nostalgia before screeching guitars rip you from the safety of the verse and into a chorus filled with the panicked loss of cherished memories.

Speaking on the inspiration for the track, Hough says: “Automatic is about cherishing childhood friendships and the way that they evolve. It’s about snapshots that will always be imprinted in our minds – for me it’s hours talking on the landline, swapping clothes, burning CDs, mitching school or going to gigs for the first time. It’s about the fuzzy feeling of nostalgia when you slip back into a conversation with an old friend as if you saw each other yesterday. But it’s also about being afraid to lose that feeling; being anxious that those memories might burn away and having to be open to growing together even as your paths change.”

Levelling will be released on September 17th on VETA records. You can find the tracklist below. 

Levelling Track List

1. Tides
2. Home 
3. No Patience 
4. Automatic 
5. Easy
6. Under Your Breath 
7. Halfway Out 
8. Machines 
9. Hold 
10. By Night 

Pride Profiles: Rebecca Locke

To celebrate Pride, we’ll be highlighting a different Irish artist from the LGBTQIA+ community each day in June as part of our Pride Profiles series.

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By Hannah Quearney

Listen If You Like

Car Seat Headrest, Kero Kero Bonito, Hobo Johnson

Who They Are

A darling of both Irish Twitter and the fledgling live music scene in Dublin City, it goes without saying that Rebecca Locke’s brand of frenzied confessional pop deserves equal credence to their online shitposts. Best known as the curator of Indigo Sessions at The Workman’s Club, their music rapidly oscillates between moody atmospherics and infectious danceability. Their brand of organised chaos is consolidated through gang vocals about going to Aldi and wanting to die, reclaiming the ukulele as a symbol of Gen Z ingenuity and detaching it from any of its millennial twee connotations while they’re at it. 

The second best thing they’ve done this year (first of which is becoming Lidl’s Next Top Model and subsequently ending up on First Dates) is releasing their third single “manic energy.” An unfiltered stream-of-consciousness capturing the experience of being mentally ill in your early twenties, the erratic track quickly became a fan favourite at shows, evolving each time it’s played live with increasingly more ridiculous ad libs from their backing band. A detour from their previous lo-fi indie pop releases, the mangled glitchcore aesthetics look like they mark a new era for Locke and we cannot wait to see what comes next.

While Indigo Sessions is currently on pause, “manic energy” transports the catharsis of a crowded venue to your home speakers. Listen to it below.