Last weekend saw seven Dublin venues playing host to Hard Working Class Heroes, an independent showcase of new Irish music. There were some predictably sublime performances from some of the more well-established acts (Princess were noisy and glorious, Kormac was so much fun and Cloud Castle Lake need to marry me). There were some beautiful shows from some of our favourite up-and-coming artists too (if you aren’t familiar with the gorgeous intonations of the likes of Liza Flume yet, you really should be).
(Princess, c: Tara Joshi)
Given that HWCH is a showcase though, here are four acts from last weekend who we loved, but had never really heard of before:
1. Conor Walsh –
Serene, immersive piano that swims with a warming fluidity, Walsh’s disarmingly intricate, ambient melodies wash over the crowd in a manner that is altogether quite stunning. Looking forward to hearing more from this Mayo man.
http://www.breakingtunes.com/conorwalsh
2. Soak –
Catching the hotly-tipped 18-year-old from Derry shows just why there is so much hype surrounding her at the moment (I suspect that I was the only person in that particular crowd for whom Soak was a discovery rather than anticipated highlight). A sweet, confident stage presence and lovely songs, it was only too bad that the crowd by the bar wouldn’t take her repeated hints: “This is a song about being quiet”.
3. Myles Manley –
Raucous and rowdy, Myles Manley and his band are a delight to watch. This is exuberant, fun music with a decidedly strange edge (not least due to incredible song titles including something along the lines of Having a Boyfriend is Not the Christian Thing to Do). It all seems to come fully to life on stage, so if you can catch him live, I recommend that you do.
http://www.breakingtunes.com/mylesmanley
4. Benny Smiles –
Lush swathes of electro with a propulsive, airy ‘80s edge to his sound, there is a certain playful charm to Wicklow’s Benny Smiles. Though he seems a little reluctant to fully accept how well his lithe style has gone down at the end (“I hope this has been good for you – it’s been embarrassing for me”) he has a confident stage presence that makes us intrigued to hear more.
http://www.breakingtunes.com/bennysmiles
(Featured photo; Liza Flume, c: David Walsh)
