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IrishUnsigned launched this week (Friday March 8th) with a gig played by Sutras, Berkeley and Alistair at Whelans of Dublin to launch the IrishUnsigned.com website. According to John Meagher of the Irish Independent, a "much needed and innovative development in the domestic music arena". What is IrishUnsigned? It's a concept too diverse to explain but, in a nutshell, it's a platform to find out snything you ever wanted or needed to know about getting into the Irish music business, whether you want to be totally independent and do it all yourself or you want to be the next PopStars. It is also for - eventually - every genre. IrishUnsigned does not preach about what is good music - it's all good music, as long as it is original. That's where the talent is. IrishUnsigned doesn't care if it is techno or trad, rock or reggae, classical or calypso: everything goes from a fiddle to a Fender...
At the IrishUnsigned launch Berkely played one of the first gigs after their stint in-studio with the legendary Nirvana producer Steve Albini. Expect to see more of the Berkeley lads over the next few months and the release of their debut album - consisting of the 15 tracks recorded with Albini at the controls. Berkeley opened the gig to a surprising number of people. Considering the time (8.30pm) it was good that there were more than just the
staff in the place! As it was, a little under 100 priveleged punters saw Berkeley do the heavy stuff. Sound checks running late didn't put them off and they were soon into the swing of things. Even up in the balcony the handful of VIPs were pounded by the heavy Berkeley sound.
Alistair, finalists in last years Hot Press Plugged comp also featured. Seemingly the crowd favourites, by the time they were on stage the place was packed. There were over 200 in the small Whelans venue at that stage and, considering that the upstairs section was closed, there was hardly room to move at the bar. As one punter said "when it's impossible to get served here, it's a good sign - and a bad sign!". Maybe Whelan's needed more bar-staff!? Running through a set of songs obviously well-known to their fans, Alistair put on a polished performance that looked like it may well have gained them a few more fans for their next gig. That's the whole point of IrishUnsigned, and more power to the lads. All they need to do is keep building on their local success and it will, hopefully, become more than just a local phenomenon.
Sutras were last on stage. It was after 10.30 when they started and the place was absolutely stuffed. Of course, not everyone was there to see Sutras. Some may have come along out of curiosity, having heard them on the always-helpful Phantom FM with the IrishUnsigned co-founder, discussing the gig. Some will have gone because they wanted to hear this band who recently won the Bacardi/HotPress Song Of The Year competition on Tom Dunne's Pet Sounds show on TodayFM - voted for by the people that matter: listeners. Some were there for Alistair and some for Berkeley. More still were there for the simple fact that it was a Friday in Whelans. Whatever their reason, they were treated to a show! Sutras unveiled a rockier style at the gig in front of not only the paying public but also Industry insiders - including visitors from Echo records in London, the Irish Independent and Irish Music Press. Even Sony put in a visit at towards the end. The Sutras set was a cowd-rouser. Front man Damien Drea knows how to put on a show. Comparisons to Radiohead have been made in the past with Drea's vocals but this new musical style means that these comparisons are simply that. No-one who saw this gig could say they sound the same live.
Towards the end of their set, lead singer Drea paid compliment to joint IrishUnsigned founders Dave Reid and Ron Healy, as did each of the other bands before they started their sets - obviously grateful for the opportunity and rightly so. May many more of these things be seen around the Country, which is the intention.
Appropriately, though it was the birth of IrishUnsigned in the public domain, it was also the birthday of co-Founder Reid. He might be only 28 but after this he probably looks 50...
*IrishUnsigned.com are organising a competition to get members of the public to design the CD cover for Sutras next recording and the winning design will be picked by the band themselves. A good way for young designers or those who always said "I could do better, given half the chance" to get their creative exploits seen by Joe Public and Paddy Industry. Log on to www.IrishUnsigned.com for details
At the IrishUnsigned launch Berkely played one of the first gigs after their stint in-studio with the legendary Nirvana producer Steve Albini. Expect to see more of the Berkeley lads over the next few months and the release of their debut album - consisting of the 15 tracks recorded with Albini at the controls. Berkeley opened the gig to a surprising number of people. Considering the time (8.30pm) it was good that there were more than just the
staff in the place! As it was, a little under 100 priveleged punters saw Berkeley do the heavy stuff. Sound checks running late didn't put them off and they were soon into the swing of things. Even up in the balcony the handful of VIPs were pounded by the heavy Berkeley sound.
Alistair, finalists in last years Hot Press Plugged comp also featured. Seemingly the crowd favourites, by the time they were on stage the place was packed. There were over 200 in the small Whelans venue at that stage and, considering that the upstairs section was closed, there was hardly room to move at the bar. As one punter said "when it's impossible to get served here, it's a good sign - and a bad sign!". Maybe Whelan's needed more bar-staff!? Running through a set of songs obviously well-known to their fans, Alistair put on a polished performance that looked like it may well have gained them a few more fans for their next gig. That's the whole point of IrishUnsigned, and more power to the lads. All they need to do is keep building on their local success and it will, hopefully, become more than just a local phenomenon.
Sutras were last on stage. It was after 10.30 when they started and the place was absolutely stuffed. Of course, not everyone was there to see Sutras. Some may have come along out of curiosity, having heard them on the always-helpful Phantom FM with the IrishUnsigned co-founder, discussing the gig. Some will have gone because they wanted to hear this band who recently won the Bacardi/HotPress Song Of The Year competition on Tom Dunne's Pet Sounds show on TodayFM - voted for by the people that matter: listeners. Some were there for Alistair and some for Berkeley. More still were there for the simple fact that it was a Friday in Whelans. Whatever their reason, they were treated to a show! Sutras unveiled a rockier style at the gig in front of not only the paying public but also Industry insiders - including visitors from Echo records in London, the Irish Independent and Irish Music Press. Even Sony put in a visit at towards the end. The Sutras set was a cowd-rouser. Front man Damien Drea knows how to put on a show. Comparisons to Radiohead have been made in the past with Drea's vocals but this new musical style means that these comparisons are simply that. No-one who saw this gig could say they sound the same live.
Towards the end of their set, lead singer Drea paid compliment to joint IrishUnsigned founders Dave Reid and Ron Healy, as did each of the other bands before they started their sets - obviously grateful for the opportunity and rightly so. May many more of these things be seen around the Country, which is the intention.
Appropriately, though it was the birth of IrishUnsigned in the public domain, it was also the birthday of co-Founder Reid. He might be only 28 but after this he probably looks 50...
*IrishUnsigned.com are organising a competition to get members of the public to design the CD cover for Sutras next recording and the winning design will be picked by the band themselves. A good way for young designers or those who always said "I could do better, given half the chance" to get their creative exploits seen by Joe Public and Paddy Industry. Log on to www.IrishUnsigned.com for details
