The Goo 1
OCT '25 yourself into by being an adult. Iona: It
was a lot of growing up lumped into two years. Each of us, in our personal lives, we’re all in the same band and the same scene, but we had our stories going on in our own lives and challenges and good things. Strawberry Scented is very nostalgic, very teenage hood, it’s very sugary and sweet in its own way, even the sad songs, it’s looking back on those times as memories; I feel Salt of the Lee is much harder look at something, we were writing it while we were going through it, and it ended when the EP was done. In that lens though, the EP still seems very hopeful. Iona: It’s incredibly hopeful, I’ve said before that Dungarvan Bay is about my friend Cian dying in a tragic accident but that song isn’t this horrific kinda grim experience of him passing away, it’s about the solace that I found in the lads and the solace and the community that I found in my friends and the beautiful things that I found after that experience. The world is so fucked now anyways that hope as an act of resistance, that is the most powerful thing you can do is find that hope in the grim sides of everything, I think that is what we try to do with our songwriting. This has been a massive summer for you guys, playing 28 Festivals (Glaso / EP / ATN etc..) while also having these incredible support slots like QOTSA & Kings of Leon - How has that transition been for you as a band and also as performers? Gavin: Steep learning curve, once you realise what these stages are like you can kinda let yourself go, they are more freeing in a way, the larger stages as opposed to the smaller venues. Iona: We’re also much tighter as a band in general as well. Being much tighter because of how much we are playing together, and having more time now that we’re done college, that just means that we can experiment with other things on stage, like performing more, and we’re more used to the stage, we spend all our time together, and I think that’s nice. Even if you’re pissed off with each other or annoyed and you see each other on stage, there’s an incredible sense of love. I think it’s really cool when super alternative bands look cool, but I think it’s always more enjoyable when it looks like people are having fun. I think that’s what Cliffords do, you can get the sense that we all really like each other, and that we’re all really happy to be there. We are currently on the brink of a second Irish cultural revival, our language and our artists are being platformed in an incredible way at this moment in time, there are critics that are calling it all paddywackery, others praising, where do you stand on this? Iona: It’s gonna happen if you embrace it or you don’t, so you kinda have to go with it. I think there genuinely is an argument around the fetishisation of Irish culture, especially by the English industry, that can be annoying; But lots of scenes get their time in the spotlight and it’s amazing. We have such an amazing scene, such an amazing country full of vibrant artists, music, bands, and our own language, so it’s great to see that finally be recognised. I think that’s cool because it means that we get to be friends with bands like Gurriers - who are a completely different scene and fanbase to us, different everything, but we have a mutual respect. It’s great to see the support. (Let the record show that Cliffords also believe Dan Hoff is the highest jumper in the whole Irish music scene). Gavin: It’s a tribe like, across the years, Irish people have always looked out for each other and helped each other out, no matter where you are in the world. That’s coming to music now. Our politics as a nation is entrenched in the art that we make, trad music was written and reactive to a colonialist landlord class that had us in its grips (ironic considering where we are now), our language and culture was almost eradicated. We see the same brutality towards the Palestinian people right now. Following the silencing of The Mary Wallopers at Victorious Festival, Cliffords pulled out of the festival, as a band - how important was that stance to take? Iona: It’s incredibly important for us as a band, and for us as individuals to show our support and solidarity with the Palestinian movement and the people of Palestine. It’s also incredibly important to stand up for our right to protest, to call out genocide and not be silenced by festival owners. I think that it’s a scary thing that’s happening in the music industry right now and in the world. People who are calling out the mass murder of thousands of innocent civilians, and they’re being labelled as terrorists. It’s not a controversial opinion; it’s not a political issue! Gavin: You don’t need to be educated to know that what’s happening is wrong. Iona: Exactly, and that stance is just lazy, just an “oh I don’t want to deal with that” kind of stance, so for us we choose to stand up and choose to use our voice in any way that we can. Who are some of your favourite Irish artists right now? Harry: Lisa O’Neill and Pebbledash. Gavin: Corks own Maicín and Gurriers. Iona: The Awning and Baby Rat are really good. Locon: EFÉ and I still think Lankum are one of the coolest bands on the planet. Cliffords new EP ‘Salt Of The Lee’ is out now. They headline The Academy, Dublin (Nov 12th) & City Hall, Cork (Nov 15th). Tickets from ticketmaster.ie. 9