Who to look out for at the ‘Ones To Watch’ this weekend at Whelan’s
Ireland is a buzz with music these days and our friends at Whelan’s are showcasing a tasty slice of the sounds happening round town as of late. Yes, the uber cool Ones To Watch festival is back and kicks off tonight Thursday 12th Jan. We recommend you get along, even if it is cold out! It’s sure to warm you up!
60 plus acts over four nights across three stages; now these are numbers that add up! So, we put together a little playlist to help you get started. We’re also happy to see that 10 of our beatvyne artists are also on the billing. Remember, if you would like to see some of these guys play more unusual spaces then join us on www.beatvyne.com or be even bolder and become a host and invite them to play in your living room, back yard or whatever space works for both of you and reimagine your music experience!
So come along and see the ‘Ones To Watch’. Tickets are €5 per night and runs from Thursday 12th to Sunday 15th Jan or get a 4 night pass all for €10 (includes pint of Hop House 13 too) Get your ticket here.
Oh, and keep an eye out for us too in our beatvyne t-shirts. If you do see one of us come up and say hi. We love to chat music!
Katie Laffan
Funk meets pop, add a dash of reggae, a slice of hip hop/rap and you may be some way to tasting a cocktail that would aptly describe Katie’s style. The Dublin native loves experimenting with music styles to deliver tracks that are both original and fresh from her small bedroom studio. Her influences are many and very diverse, making her a very exciting and engaging artist. Along with her unique vocals she also plays drums, guitar, ukulele and piano keyboard.
Brass Phantoms
Brass Phantoms are an alt rock band from Dublin, Ireland. The band is comprised of music students from BIMM Dublin, Ballyfermot rock school, Maynooth College and DCU. If there was a music college team, an equivalent to a football college super team, then this would be it! Brass Phantoms are no ghosts. They are full of richness that usually requires years of experience to muster. But these guys have it in spades. Ones to watch for sure!
The Crayon Set
The Crayon Set are an indie band based in Dublin, Ireland. They released their self-titled debut album in 2013. A new single, “Attack”, was released in April 2014. Their second album “Lost Languages” was released in 2016. Sounds reminiscent of Belle and Sebastian and Arcade Fire we can’t wait for these guys to play the Saturday night and highly recommend to check them out!
Emma Lou & the Agenda
Emma Lou’s musical touch was steered by her love of the bluesy Etta James, Prince’s funk, with touches of RnB and rap from the likes of Janelle Monae and Nicki Minaj not to mention the jazzy element heard throughout, inspired by the late and great Amy Winehouse. Now armed with a producer, manager, band and a debut EP, Emma Lou is more determined than ever to have her voice heard, her music enjoyed and her songs shared with music lovers alike.
For Forestors
For Foresters are a three-piece theatrical, poetic and expressive act from Co. Donegal. Formed in June 2015; they are comprised of Gabriel Paschal Blake (guitar/vocals), Conal Doherty (bass) and Gary Hamilton (drums). The trio have been playing together for the better part of six years. Each member of For Foresters having their own rich musical progression for their young age of 18/19. Having played Other Voices and toured with BBC Radio 1 favourite SOAK. Their music is presented with a deep focus on lyrical narratives accompanied by ethereal tones and compelling melodies. For Foresters are not just musicians but storytellers who recite their pro’s through raw, rustic tunes. They are currently working on new music, poetry and film to be released alongside Andromeda Artisans.
Apella
Few songs scream “summer!” as loudly as “We Met At A Party”, the debut single from Dublin duo Apella, which is all infectious Beach Boys melodies one moment, Blink-182 boisterousness the next. Hitting radio in July and officially released on August 12th, “We Met At A Party” is a serious declaration of intent from singer/multi-instrumentalist Dara Quilty and drummer Ronan Nolan who’ve previously shared a stage with the A-List likes of Jimmy Eat World, Foo Fighters, Twenty One Pilots, Paramore, 30 Seconds To Mars, Scouting For Girls and Bon Jovi. It’s no wonder then that Apella arrive fully formed and ready to win musical hearts and minds.
Kevyn
Their combination of emotive song-writing, raw and gritty vocals, pin-point harmonies with booming performances means Kevyn can both grab an audience by the heartstrings or catapult them into a high energy experience. Comprised of Karla Chubb, Jack Callan, Sean Walsh and Colm O’Reilly, the four friends combine an unparalleled passion for music and high energy that has garnered them much praise as charismatic, charming and natural performers. “Scars” is one of the most emotionally charged song we have heard throughout 2016. We’re eager to hear what the guys will come up with next!
Young Earth
Young Earth are a brand new Indie-Pop band from Dublin, Ireland formed in late 2015. Drawn to big productions from the years before such as The Beach Boys, The Zombies, Phil Spector and Paul Simon, they developed a love for the gossamer sounds of summer, along the way picking up traits from guitar bands such as Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys, The Stone Roses, Mac DeMarco and The Black Keys.
Kid Karate
Sounds like Mike Tyson serenading his wife with a heavy metal cover of Abba’s “Waterloo” – Yes, we think that’s a great analogy and good place to start to describe these kung fu music ninjas! Barry Grugg goes on to say that Kid Karate are “A storming blend of Rapture-esque disco-punk meets the gruffness of Arctic Monkeys and The White Stripes.” We love that and won’t even try to beat it! Yep, ones to watch if you want to freak out and try your hands at some karate style dance moves. We know we do!
Sun.Set.Ships
Formed in 2014, the trio of Conor Bellew (vocals, keys), Ciaran Curley (vocals, lead guitar) and Ryan Mulligan (percussion, Ableton Live) have spent the best part of the last two years honing a sound combining atmospheric electronic-driven melodies with punchy, folk-enthused lyrics. Drawing influence from Chvrches, Flume, Hot Chip, Foals and James Vincent McMorrow, Sun.Set.Ships have established themselves as an exciting live piece delivering a number of memorable performances over the past 12 months, including appearances at Vantastival, Spirit of Folk and a series of headline performances across the country.
Shrug Life
Danny Carroll (vocals/guitar) and Keith Broni (bass) first performed together aged 16, underwhelming school assemblies with their love of The Undertones, The Smiths and David Bowie. Reuniting years later with Josh Donnelly (drums), the trio released their debut EP “The Grand Stretch” via local label Popical Island, making best of the year lists from The Last Mixed Tape and The Thin Air. Known for their wry humour and frenetic indie-rock, Shrug Life were cited as part of the Thin Air’s ‘16 for 16’ series, saying that singer “Danny Carroll’s lyrics are some of the smartest and wittiest that the country has to offer”.
The Optimists
The Optimists are a pop/alternative original band based in Dublin. Made up of six students from the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM), the band are a group of eccentric, excitable young people with a range of different musical abilities. Their influences includee Years and Years, Foals and Biffy Clyro. The band have only played together for a year but have already had their radio debut and played a range of high end gigs around the country, in venues such as The Button Factory, Whelan’s, The Workman’s Club, The Swagman and many more.
Pine The Pilcrow
Pine the Pilcrow released their critically acclaimed debut EP in March and are making big waves in the Irish music scene. The piano, cello and violin threepiece have received early reviews describing their music as “stunning”, “cinematic” and “atmospheric, melodic gold”. Recently nominated for Best Newcomer at the 2016 Pure M awards things are looking bright for this Dublin based folk trio.
FIELDS
FIELDS is an indie-folk group based out of Dublin, Ireland. Founded by Monaghan singer-songwriter Sean O’Brien in 2015, FIELDS began as a solo-project with Sean featuring regularly on the singer-songwriter circuit before recording and releasing the debut FIELDS EP titled ‘In The Morning.’ Following appearances at high profile showcases such as the Ruby Sessions along with Other Voices and Electric Picnic, FIELDS has blossomed into a full band collective, with a debut album in production and due for release in early 2017.
That’s just a snippet of the awesome talent on show at Ones To Watch over the next four nights. We can’t wait to discover more great new music and show it all off to you. So check back here for a story to follow! We hope you make it along and make sure to let us know who you found and fell in love with.
See you on the beat at www.beatvyne.com and reimagine your music experience.