nessymon.com

Category: Music Interviews

  • Interview // Cherym

    Interview // Cherym

    Interview // Cherym

    We believe that if you have a platform, no matter how big or small, you should always use it for the better, I’d like to hope some people do see us in a light where we can inspire people to be themselves and be more accepting and open with themselves and others.

    Cherym are a Derry pop punk trio, consisting of Hannah Richardson (Lead guitar and lead vocals), Nyree Porter (Bass guitar and vocals) and Alannagh Doherty (Drums and vocals). Over the past while, they’ve been intoxicating audiences and listeners with their upbeat, brash music, all with a side helping of fun.

    I caught up with the gals, albeit socially distanced, to find out how 2020 was treating them.

    Hello! Who are you and where are you right now?

    Hello we are CHERYM and we are all currently in our rehearsal space cos this is basically the first time we’ve been together since lockdown.

    You guys released your first music in 2018. Was that your first foray into music? How did it all start?

    Honestly, its difficult to pin point how/when it all started because i can think back to so many occasions were i thought “this is it, i think we can make this happen”. I think we were very lucky that we had some sort of appeal to people from the start, i don’t know why but were so grateful because they pushed us to keep going. To discover who we were as a band.
    -Nyree

    You always seem to be having fun, is that the secret to Cherym?

    DO NOT take yourself so seriously. When I first started the band, I was so scared of how I looked and presented myself on stage and Hannah told me, “right now when we’re playing, we’re the coolest people in the room, have fun and just be yourself.” It honestly made me into the musician I am today.
    -Nyree

    Describe your songwriting process?

    We’re very fortunate that we can just go into the practice room, jam and suddenly, we have a song. Obviously we have to put a lot more into the song to have the final outcome but yeah, were very blessed lads.
    -Nyree

    Who have you been recording with?

    Wee Caolan Austin, down in Smalltown America!
    -Nyree

    When you go to the studio do you have a definite idea of what you’re looking for or how much input does a producer have?

    We have an idea but I think when we’re in the studio, we suddenly have more ideas to make it better. I think because Caolan is so cool and lets us explore ideas, we do get to make the song 100x’s better. And we are very open to any ideas that Caolan would have because he is a LEGEND.
    -Nyree

    Over the past while, there has been a lot of discussion in Ireland, trying to ensure that female musicians get as much air time as guys do. Why do you think it’s such a struggle for presenters (if they can choose their own music) or radio stations to acknowledge talented females?

    I feel like there’s just always been a massive struggle for women in any career, even if we are being represented in some respects, it’s never to the point where there is accurate population representation for women in music. As well as this there’s always been an obsession for boy bands in radio so it’s hard to get away from the so called “norm” and to a more progressive social acceptance for women in the industry too. We are all acknowledged, but not as much as we should be.
    -Alannagh

    Abigail is such a sweet song to an ex. Instead of being moany, it’s upbeat and positive but more importantly, it’s a song from one girl to another. I think it’s really important to ensure songs like Abigail reach the mainstream. It helps acceptance of LGBTQ equality. Do you consider yourselves role models, how comfortable are you with that?

    We believe that if you have a platform, no matter how big or small, you should always use it for the better, I’d like to hope some people do see us in a light where we can inspire people to be themselves and be more accepting and open with themselves and others. We’re quite comfortable with who we all are as people, all being members of the LGBTQ+ community and we would hope that if someone was struggling with that part of themselves that they could look to a song like Abigail and think “actually I’m not weird or I’m not an outsider, this is normal and this is me” as it should be in the mainstream media too.
    -Alannagh

    You’ve recently released a single, ‘Weird Ones’. It’s a difficult time to release new music but at the same time, people seem to have a little more time to embrace new music. Was ‘Weird Ones’ planned for release before Covid happened?

    I think we tend to pace ourselves between releases and don’t want to rush, we definitely planned to release it the early months of 2020 so it was going to be released during the pandemic no matter what I guess.
    -Alannagh


    Your sound is huge recorded, fun, brash in your face. But, your live shows have gathered a lot of attention and over the past year, you’ve played a shed load of shows. What’s the best thing for you about a Cherym live show ?

    I think the best thing about our shows is that we never really take ourselves seriously. It’s always good craic and a class atmosphere cause we just let ourselves go and really enjoy the time we get on stage. We just always be taking the p*ss and you’ll never see us being serious during a set, we just love having a good time.
    -Alannagh

    The Oh Yeah centre is a huge part of the Northern Ireland music community and you guys won the Oh Yeah Contender award at the NI Music Awards in 2019. How important has it been for you to know you have their backing?

    Extremely important! The Oh Yeah centre work really hard to give local artists some kind of platform so honestly it was like a dream come true to win that award. Hopefully we’ll do them all proud !!!
    -Hannah

    You’ve released a number of singles now and an EP. It would still be very early days for a long player. What’s your next move?

    FEBRUARY 2021 !!!!!!

    -Hannah

    How do you consume music?

    Spotify mostly. All of us are constantly trying to find new bands and new artists to listen to, sometimes it’s like we’re in competition with each other like who can find the best band or whatever. We get a lot of music from each other I’d say.

    -Hannah

    Can you recommend a few albums which show where you’ve come from on your musical journey?

    Charly Bliss – Guppy

    Tancred – Out of the Garden

    Pixies – Doolittle

    Katy Perry – One of the Boys

    -Hannah

    Imagine: It’s 2021, the pandemic is over and you’re about to go out on stage for your biggest headline gig to date. What venue would you like it to be?

    That’s easy! Limelight, sell it out.

    -Hannah

    Send us a selfie?

    Cherym Selfie July 2020

    Find Cherym online:

    You can fin Cherym on Facebook, Twitter, Insta and listen to their music on Spotify. You can also buy their music on Bandcamp.

  • Interview // Briars

    Interview // Briars

    Interview with Briars

    Cork based duo, Briars, have just released their debut single, yes, in the middle of a pandemic. I caught up with the lads to find a bit more about their recording, how they are keeping their creativity going and how they’ve been working with other bands, helping them promote their work.

    Who are you and where are you right now?

    Paul: So we’re Mick Grace and Paul O’Shea, originally from south Kilkenny but living in Cork City for…a long time now..;)
    Mick: We’re long term blow ins alright.

    Have you previously been involved with music or is this a first venture for you guys?

    Mick: We’ve been playing together since we were both around 11/12 years old. I think that on this same Christmas, Paul got drums and I got my first electric guitar so it started there really. Since then we played loads, mainly around the South East, in different bands, sometimes together, sometimes not. This is our first original project together as a duo (accompanied by others).
    Paul: We’re pretty much joined at the hip..in a socially distant way of course!

    You’ve just released your debut single ‘There There’, you recorded this before the lockdown, but the track has the line ‘Wish those days away’, irony no?

    Mick: Haha yea. I guess those days were alright, thinking about it now. We’re blessed, actually, that we had a few songs recorded before everything stopped. I think when things went the way they did, it gave us a bit of nudge to put the finishing touches on, and finally get something out there.
    Paul: I think these days shouldn’t be wished away though. I feel it’s an amazing opportunity for people to reset and slow everything down.

    While you have folk elements in your music, the drums and bass and production still make this a very contemporary track. Who / where did you record this with?

    Paul: We recorded with the amazing Christian Best in Monique Studios in East Cork, we had known him from working on other projects and knew that he would add so much to the tracks. On the first morning in the studio we chatted about what we wanted to achieve and he would nearly finish our sentences, he just got it straight away.
    Mick: Yea, Christian was great. He got it from the word go.
    Paul: We grew up listening to such a mix of music and genres that it all finds its way into our writing in one way or another.

    What instruments do you guys play and what other musicians were involved in the recording?

    Paul: So I’m on drums and percussion, Mick is on guitar, bouzouki and mandolin. For the recordings we were lucky enough to have some great friends contribute: Hannah Fitzgerald on piano and keys, Peter Vogelaar on bass and Nigel Grufferty on fiddle.

    Was this a one off session, or have you other material recorded, ready to release?

    Mick: We have a couple more tracks that we’re currently mixing. Almost there now. Hopefully we’ll release a few more singles and build towards an album release down the line.

    What’s your favourite piece of studio equipment and why?

    Paul: Drums obviously..;)
    Mick: Anything but drums..!
    No but seriously. In Monique Studios, there’s a kind of a pedal organ that sounds a small bit like a harmonium. It made it onto all the tracks that we recorded in that session. It’s almost a thread running through each song. We had no idea that we would use it but when we heard it, we knew right away that it would all over the songs.
    Paul: Christian is great, he has such an array of equipment in the studio that he can suggest things that you wouldn’t have thought of before.

    It’s still very early days for you guys, how much has the pandemic effected your plans for the band?

    Paul: It is early days but thankfully we had a lot of work done before the virus forced us all to stay at home. We’re lucky in that we had material recorded and ready to release over these quiet months. We had hoped to be back in the studio about now but that will have to wait another little while.

    Mick: Obviously it’s a terrible situation, but we’re trying to look at the positives. We would have ideally been out there gigging by now, which wasn’t to be, but it does mean that we have a chance to get some stuff out there, and build to our first gig. We’re kind of doing it in reverse order. Also, it is a chance to get some new stuff written. There’s a certain guilt that comes with seeing other musicians knocking out singles that makes you (at least try to) get up and go.

    Can you recommend three albums to check out which will show us how you got to here on your musical journeys?

    Mick: I think regarding the kind of stuff that we’d like to put out, ‘The Trials of Van Occupanther’ by Midlake and Planxty’s self titled album are two records pushed us in certain directions, even if it might not always sound like that’s the case.
    Paul: To make it three albums I’ll say..Vekcatamest by Grizzly Bear

    As a new project, creativity and a continuity in writing and playing together is really important. How have you guys been able to keep it going during lockdown?

    Mick: We’ve been throwing around a lot of ideas. There’s a lot of Facetiming going on. We both have a small recording setup at home, so that’s another thing that the lockdown forced us to get sorted. I think we had kind of settled on the kind of vibe that we wanted to go with, and have been shaping that for a while now. Obviously it’s not the same as being in a room together with everything set up, but at least we’re building a foundation on some new ideas.
    Paul: It’s been great to get ideas finished. We’ve both accumulated so many different bits and pieces over the years with question marks over them, so being cooped up in the house has finally made songs out of those ideas.

    There has been a resurgence in the popularity of folk music in Ireland over the past few years. Why do you think that’s the case?

    Paul: I guess there’s been a resurgence of folk from all over, and it’s hard to talk about folk music without mentioning the influence that our own country has had on the genre. The artists that we’re surrounded by every day, from past and present, are so inspirational that it’s hard not to want to emulate those storytellers and that style.

    Mick: Totally. The Irish folk scene has been heathy as long as I can remember, don’t see that changing any time soon.

    Are you guys involved in Unemployable Records? Is it a vehicle for Briars, or what’s the connection?

    Mick: We actually started Unemployable Records a couple of years back. We work as PR for some great acts (Míde Houlihan, Beyond the Wash, In The Willows, Sara Ryan), and set up a label as a way to put out some of their material. Playing music ourselves took a back seat to that for a while, so we decided that it was time to put something of our own out. It’s easy to be lead away from your own material when you’re working with other artists who are regularly creating and releasing. We were kind of inspired by their work ethic and had always been saying that one day we would get Briars off the ground. Thankfully we’ve finally gotten around to it.

    What have you learned about yourselves during the pandemic?

    Paul: I’ve learned that..time spent apart from each other isn’t the worst thing in the world..;)
    Mick: …..he says, in between FaceTime calls. I think that I was guilty of being okay with missing stuff that I knew I would enjoy. Definitely getting a bit of perspective now.


    When we finally get to the ‘new normal’, what’s the main thing you’re looking forward to?

    Mick: I’m going to try get to more gigs. When you’re constantly around music and more planning, PR side of it, it’s easy to forget why you got into it in the first place. I’m looking forward to those couple of crazy weeks that you sometimes get (it might be around Christmas, or even next summer at this rate), when it feels like there’s something going on every night. When it’s on your doorstep, there are really no excuses to not get out get into it.
    Paul: Yeah, pretty much the same: gigs, festivals, family, friends..the important things to take from the old normal.

    Lockdown selfie?

    Briars selfies for nessymon

    Find Briars Online

    You can find Briars online on Facebook, Twitter and Insta and on the UnEmployable Promotions website. Listen to Briars on Spotify.

  • Interview // Hypnotyst

    Interview // Hypnotyst

    Interview // Hypnotyst

    In times such as these, it’s great to be able to sit back and chill, to take your mind off things and Irish in London musician, Hypnotyst makes the type of music which is perfect for that.

    He’s a relative newcomer to London and moved to study music in London’s new music centre, Tileyard. We caught up to chat about his music, how where he has lived has influenced his music, adding your spiritual life to music and living a sustainable life in London.

    Hello Hypnotyst! Who are you? Where are you and how are you?

    Hello Nessy my good friend! I am well and you? I am currently in my home studio working on some new music! How is your handsome kitty Norman?

    Norman is good, thank you, spoiled rotten! Anyway, on with the questions!

    You’ve been doing online shows, just because you’re an electronic artist, doesn’t mean this is going to be a DJ set. What can we expect from a ‘Live’ Hypnotyst experience?

    Normally I prefer to perform live rather than a DJ set, as I do love to sing and play instruments while performing. I find it very fulfilling and inspiring to do a live performance rather than a DJ set. Although I have enjoyed doing DJ sets in the past. My live performances are usually just done by myself. I sing, play synths and trigger all kinds of drum patterns and effect sound which are present in my music. I often feel like I need a spare hand to cope with the demands of my production.

    You recently won a bursary which consisted of some Yamaha gear.. how did you manage that?

    I was very fortunate to be chosen by Yamaha to work in partnership with any artistic brand, in addition to promoting both my music and their brand together. This is such a fantastic opportunity as Yamaha is one of the leading brands within the music industry globally. I was very pleased to receive this great honour and recognition of all the hard work I have done within the music industry. In conversation with Yamaha, they stated “we kept coming back to your music, it had a certain appeal we are seeking from artists”, which was lovely to hear. I do make a huge amount of electronic synthesised music and Yamaha have made some ground breaking synths over the years, so I feel this collaboration is perfectly harmonious. I look forward to using this bursary equipment in my new music and productions.

    I was awarded the following equipment:
    HS7 Studio Monitors
    HPH MT8 Studio Headphone
    Reface DX Synth
    Reface CS Synth

    One of the great things about Tileyard is that is seems to have opened you and your music up to lots of collaboration with other artists. Are these collaborations going to be released at any point?

    Yes indeed, I have always been a great fan of collaboration with artists, singers, songwriters and top liners. Moving to London and then studying in Tileyard has really opened all kinds of doors for collaboration, and working together with some extremely talented and lovely people. My music and indeed other collaborations have been warmly received here in the UK, and indeed I am planning several exciting releases in the works over the next few months. I have so many at this point, my audience will be hearing excellent music for years to come!

    You’re Irish, and were living in Cardiff before moving to London. Have the places you’ve lived influenced your work?

    I certainly think that these locations have influenced my sound and artistic vision. When I was living on the peaceful beaches of Garretstown in Ireland the amazing ocean scenery would inspire me to compose very summery, watery sounding music, which heavily contributed to the spacey watery sound of my debut EP “Lose Control”. Upon moving to Cardiff I noticed a similar way of life to Ireland, which lead to the next stage of my artistic development. However this location did not last long in my journey and then a move to London happened. I moved to London to really focus on my music and give it the best opportunities I could, which I am thankful has lead to being in the amazing community that is Tileyard. I have never had my music heard by so many influential people, and the feedback so far has been great. Of course there is always work to be done in the never ending quest for perfection!

    Upon moving to London I really started to soak up the city atmosphere and the influential electronic sounds of all the great UK artists that I love and admire (such as Gorgon City and Disclosure). My new sound is now like a combination of Ireland, Wales and London: still channeling the watery beaches of Ireland, but with via the Welsh mythology and the futuristic electronics of London. I very much look forward to sharing my new music with the world, and of course when it is ready I shall contact you first!

    Your music always seems to be upbeat and kinda meditative, how do manage to strike a balance with that?

    In general, I am quite a spiritual and balanced person (as much as one can be!), and it is my artistic vision to incorporate all aspects of my spiritual life into my music. I started composing my music for HYPNOTYST with the intentions of healing anyone who listens to the music. All of my music is tuned to specific keys which heal mental, emotional and physical imbalances within the body and mind of anyone who listens to the music. I was very happy when we first spoke and you instantly understood this vision, as I could see it was working! In these crazy times it has been a bit difficult to remain constantly positive, and of course music has been a great help to get me thought these tough times. I often get messages on Instagram from fans saying that they have used my songs as a kind of meditation and it has helped them in some way. The best example is my song Let It Go. I composed this for myself and others who need to let the older aspects of themselves go and become the best most excellent version of ones self. I find this song in particular has struck a chord in the hearts of many of my fans for this reason, it is very uplifting and healing, indeed it is like a celebration of focusing on a new journey in life.

    You’ve previously been a guest on The London Ear and we chatted about your ethos, of being conscious of the the world around you. Is this more than living a green life, being as sustainable as possible? Is it possible to do that, from your point of view, in a city like London?

    I do find it quite challenging in the world in general to stand up and be the conscious human we should all strive to be. My hope is that through my music many fans will understand this world view and slowing think about expanding their hearts and minds, as well as having compassion for both themselves and others. I am viewed by many as a “big hippy” as I believe that connection, love and respect for all our fellow humans and species on earth is important to our evolution as a whole consciousness. London presents both a huge amount of opportunities and a huge amount of challenges, in this regard. I try to make the best possible choices to lead my to ultimate happiness, and so far my experience of London has been quite amazing. I have met a huge amount of spiritual people in vast spiritual communities which did not exist in Ireland, and of course an ocean of musical connections! My plan is to continue to grow this network and connect with as many people who would benefit from the healing I offer within my music.

    From following you on social media, I know you’re pretty much always making music anyway. Has lockdown been a help or hindrance to your creative process?

    Indeed I am a self proclaimed studio junkie, and if I had my choice I would be in the studio 7 days a week, working on music being inspired, and collaborating with my super talented artist friends. In Tileyard there is a running joke that my name should be painted in the door of Studio 5 has I spend most of my life in there at the moment (well certainly before lockdown began!). Unfortunately lockdown has not served me well in this regard. It has been a bit disheartening to not be able to attend studio daily and meet the people I work and collaborate with. As a musician, songwriter and producer, we need to be around others and interact with them in a studio environment. There is absolutely no substitute for being in studio in real person. Zoom writing sessions, which are the current new craze, are not as exciting, as the moment or vibe is often lost in translation over the internet. I have however been mixing and producing my own tracks during this time, so they are closer to completion and unleashing upon the world! I hope we return to normal as soon as we can I very much look forward to being in the studio all the time again!

    Music is not only a creative outlet for you, it’s your work. What plans, although they may change now, are you working towards?

    A yes, music is my reason for life! I always say this to everyone. Music has been the most constant aspect of my life and I have spent so many years working so hard on it, as I am sure you know, a lot of this industry survives on hard work! I have enjoyed it immensely being employed in a job that I love to do, creating art for other to enjoy and experience. My current goals are to release this enormous backlog of music in my archives and get back touring when we are allowed to. Yamaha have several stages around the UK and they said I would be a featured artist on these stages as soon as gigs are allowed to start again, and I am very excited about this opportunity. Since attending Tileyard other songwriting opportunities have entered my work arena. We constantly write songs to brief for artists, labels, advertising agencies and film makers. These areas of work have expanded my horizons in regards to sustaining a career within the music industry, which is very important to my personal growth as a human.

    What has lockdown taught you about yourself?

    This lockdown has been very challenging in many ways. I think the best thing I have learned is my ability to pick myself up and just keep going on! I have faced many human adversities in my life, like most of the planet, and in order to live the successful life I desire I must go out there and create it into existence. I have to focus on this and remember this whenever I have dark days during these unprecedented times. Lockdown has also taught me that having a large amount of free time does not help me finishing my music! I need to be in the studio for that creative inspiration and vibe to bring songs to completion. I do feel much better at the moment, and will continue to strive towards my new few releases.

    The new normal is something that people are both embracing and scared of. What are you most looking forward to doing when we have a bit more freedom?

    One of the first things will be to have a nice cup of coffee at my favourite coffee shop. You never realise how much for granted we take these things! Many of my fans will know that I am a serious devotee to the art of coffee and how it contributes to my music. And of course seeing my friends is high on the list, but most importantly I will be the most delighted to return to my natural habitat in Tileyard Studio 5! As an avid gig goer I also highly anticipate the return of being able to watch live music again. You can find me front and centre when it’s all back to normal!

    Send us a lockdown selfie?
    My new studio assistant has been featuring in my stories on Instagram recently. His name is Drew (the giraffe!). He says hello too!

    https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/hypnotyst/1443676582

    Finally where can we find you online?

    Where’s the best place to check out your music?

    These days I am all over the internet, all social media platforms and all streaming platforms. I will include the top destinations below:

    INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/hypnotyst
    FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/hypnotyst
    SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3NUNQd7aN0U1ojb18txvw2?si=8GK2XLZVQeWS6OPoH03y7w
    TWITTER: https://twitter.com/hypnotyst
    YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/thehypnotyst
    SOUNDCLOUD: www.soundcloud.com/hypnotyst
    APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/hypnotyst/1443676582

    and of course a quick google of HYPNOTYST will bring up all of my other sites like Bandcamp, SongKick, etc

  • Interview // The Clockworks

    Interview // The Clockworks

    Interview // The Clockworks

    Over the past eighteen months, The Clockworks have been building up their reputation on the UK music scene and when gigs were still happening, were one of the hottest tickets in town. Following a move from Galway to London, the band signed to Alan McGee’s Creation23 record label. They are now due to release their new single ‘The Future Is Not What It Was’ on June 12th.

    I caught up with the band for a chat.

    Howya lads! Who are you and where are you?

    We are The Clockworks. James McGregor, Seán Connelly, Damian Greaney & Tom Freeman. Normally we’d be in North West London. Now, thanks to Covid19, we’re home in Loughrea Co Galway.

    You’re signed to Creation23, run by the legendary Alan McGee. It seems that McGee picked you guys up really early on? How much of a leg up was that?

    It was huge for us. It was a big decision to move to London last year and it really paid off. McGee is ferocious, everybody knows that – he loves music and he loves us. We’re very fortunate to have such a legend in our corner.

    You guys are from Loughrea in Galway and Tom from Limerick? How much has your hometowns and upbringing influenced your music?

    I think our upbringing heavily influenced us. James and Tom grew up in London, so there was an element to which London was home too, and as a band we always had that romantic notion of “making it in The Big City”. And I think forming a band in Galway, which doesn’t really have any precedent of bands coming from it and working really hard to make it happen was exciting to us. We were in our own little bubble in Galway, with a small musical community of artists with differing musical styles and levels of diligence. We just wrote about what we wanted to write, and played what we wanted to play, without any clique or scene to conform to, until we were ready to move.

    Your lyrics are very observational, you talk about everyday life but the rhythm in which you talk about these things is very poetic. Did the lyric writing start as poetry?

    My writing started as just words or lines on a page. I didn’t call it poetry, although it wasn’t prose. I would usually approach one of my parents with a single line to see what they thought. I was obsessed with couplets and neat little punch lines. To be honest I still am. Once I got really into music then the lines became songs. And that was when I realised how good some other people were at writing poetry and lyrics.

    ‘Can I Speak To A Manager Please?’ was released as a B-Side to ‘Bills and Pills’. If you listen to the lyrics, you’ve every right to lose your temper as you’re singing. But, you never do and that’s a thing of beauty. You never raise your voice with the customer service rep when you sing ‘Can I Speak To A Manager Please?’ Who have you been working with on the production for the tracks?

    Thank you, I think our songs are rarely about losing your temper. There is often frustration or angst involved but it’s usually trying to describe a feeling rather than having a go at someone.

    We’ve worked with a number of producers over the last couple of years, it’s been great to see how different people work because everyone has their own way of doing things. That B-Side was recorded by Paul Tipler in a studio in South London.

    You were living in Galway together before the move to London, what prompted the move?

    We always knew we’d move some day. It felt like a necessity. We set a goal; sell out the Roisin Dubh (our local music venue) in 6 months, and get out of there. We did it and we left.


     
    Living in London, chances are that you have actually been ‘Stranded in Stansted’ at some point. What are your tips for passing the time before flights?

    We tend to cut things quite fine… we haven’t had a lot of waiting, we’ve had a lot of running. We don’t necessarily recommend that, though.


    What’s the biggest thing you had to get used to when you moved to London?

    The noise of the bakers who work under our apartment 24 hours a day. They really make a racket.

    You’ve been played on radio across Ireland and the UK, playing bigger gigs all the time, and have been on Soccer AM also. What achievement are you most proud of so far?

    Soccer AM was a childhood dream, so that was great. Seeing our songs be sung by people in a crowd. There’s a certain magic in those moments that I’m most proud of, no matter the size of the crowd.

    I saw you guys at Notting Hill Arts Club a while back and the energy on stage was amazing. Is there a pressure to keep a high intensity set going?

    Thank you. Not really, no. We enjoy high intensity gigs. I think it’s a product of how we are rather than a choice. Short, sharp…it’s how we like to do things.

    You’ve got a new single ‘The Future Is Not What It Was’, coming out on June 12th  Good timing with a name like that. What’s the inspiration behind this single?

    The song was inspired by two things. Firstly, it was trying to put words and music to the feeling that everywhere you look, things are wrong, and the cynicism that follows. There’s also the idea that the present looked better in the past than it does in reality. Like when you look at the early sci fi films and stuff you see that a lot of people really thought we’d be in some technological utopia by now, but in reality technology has come a long way, but a lot of our major problems are the same.

    You released ‘Bill and Pills’ as a 7inch, will this track get a vinyl release?

    This song is digital release only for now.

    What way do you consume music now? Do you buy CDs or Vinyl, stream?

    Streaming is number 1. We have a record player at the house, and we do pick up vinyl now and then if something catches our eye. It’s nice to have something to hold.

    Obviously, with festivals and gigs cancelled, you’ve had to change some of your promotional plans for this summer. Have you had to rein in some of your expectations for this year because of lockdown?

    Yes, but I think that everybody has. Gigs are out, probably until 2021 at this rate.

    We’re happy at home, writing, sending each other demos. Keeping the releases coming via Creation23. We’re going to hit the ground running when venues open their doors again.

    What are you looking forward to doing in ‘the new normal’ world?

    Getting on the road with the band, playing our music in front of real people. That’s what we miss the most, and one thing we won’t ever take for granted again.

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    You can find about more about The Clockworks on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Listen to the band on Spotify.