The Goo 1
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art of it all. DARA: Even like Gurriers and Just Mustard, they’ve started from nothing and worked their way up. There’s always a band that’s going to give you a hand. It’s almost like a duty to pass that on. You’re probably sick of talking about this but you don’t have any music out. How has emphasising liveness over recording affected your music? SEÁN: Up until now a lot of the songs have been written to suit the environment of live performance, being in front of an audience, you know. And while we don’t have as much studio experience as other bands, we’re starting to delve into that world where we can be a bit more calculated with how we write songs. Are you glad you’ve waited? DARA: We’ve definitely been avoiding rushing things. Some would say that we’ve taken too long, but I don’t think so. SEÁN: I don’t think so either. I’m happy that we’ve given it so much time and attention and nurtured it so that whenever it does come, it’ll be a big day for us anyway. DARA: I mean, our first time recording a demo, we thought “we’ll do a few demos and get a song out” and realised we were terrible at recording. So, we were conscious of developing our studio craft and gaining more experience before even thinking about it again. We’re in a better position now. We’ve been demoing and trying out different studios over the last year and it’s been really beneficial. Do you find that your instruments clash with Maeve’s powerful vocals in the studio and on the stage? DARA: Yeah, it’s tough. I think in our first batch of songs we weren’t aware of that. There was way too much clash on everything. I’d say it’s easier in a studio. We have more difficulties live, from a sonic point of view, because we have this very, very distinct vocal you’re trying to keep at the focus while there are all these other loud elements. Whereas, in a studio it’s a lot easier to control that and give everything the right space. I definitely think my playing and writing has evolved so that it provides that space. SEÁN: Yeah, I suppose I learned the value of the drum and sticking to its job of keeping the rhythm and the feeling of the song. I don’t do anything crazy at live shows because the music that we’re making doesn’t need it. It’s a difficult one to balance, but when you get it right, it pays off very nicely. What patterns have you noticed in the Irish music scene? Is there anything you find exciting? DARA: I’m not sure about any patterns but there’s so many bands coming through that I’m excited about. There’s just so much passion at the moment. Living in Dublin, most of the new bands I’ve heard in the last while have impressed me, especially friends of ours like Bleech. There’s a huge resurgence of people picking up interest in art, a lot more outside of Dublin too, getting into music and being passionate about it. Does it make a difference that you’re from Limerick in what can be a very Dublin-centric scene? DARA: I suppose. I grew up in Clare and would always spend time in Limerick but never knew about the music scene there, so meeting Seán, Maeve, and Oscar was my introduction to it. There’s a lot of bands there in a small scene that were having fun and making great music. It was such a breath of fresh air from what was going happening in Dublin where everyone’s trying to like move, move, move. You could take it all in and not be overwhelmed by it. We took advantage of having our own bubble, doing our own thing and writing music before eventu9 ally we said we’d get some gigs in Dublin and see if the people up there liked it. Who are you most looking forward to seeing at Ireland Music Week? SEÁN: God knows, for sure. CABL are unbelievable. Makeshift Art Bar, I can’t even explain them, just amazing. DARA: Baby Rat from Cork, I saw them for the first time recently. They blew me away. Stella and the Dreaming too. Her music’s incredible. Anything you want to let the readers know about? SEAN: Not at this time but there will be in the next few months. Keep an eye out. Ireland Music Week happens in Dublin October 1st - 3rd. Venues include The Grand Social (Main room & Ballroom), The Button Factory (and Curveball), The Workman’s Club and Wigwam. For ticketing info, artist line ups, delegate info etc visit www.irelandmusicweek.com