Live4ever Presents… Tour and Music News

Following your dreams is such an idealistic notion that it’s easy to be sneered at. It’s apparently unrealistic to expect your life to go the way you want it to, ‘that doesn’t happen’.

And yet time and time again, it does: footballers, entrepreneurs and social media stars have got where they are through belief and ambition. Musicians (despite some exceptions) are no different. Even so, to up sticks and relocate to a different country just to make your voice heard takes guts – around this time last year, a young four-piece from Galway decided to do just that.

The Irish music scene is in a healthy place right now: The Murder Capital and Just Mustard are playing to large venues in the UK, while Fontaines D.C. are the indie success story of the year. Yet these acts had an advantage, being in or around the Dublin area. The Clockworks had no such luck.

“We’re a funny one because I think if you asked the bands in Dublin, they do hang out, whereas we just don’t get to,” lead singer and lyric writer James tells Live4ever. “But that’s what made the decision to come here easier, because there was nothing tying us to Dublin.”

“There isn’t much of a scene in Galway, it’s all in Dublin,” notes drummer Damian. “If you’re not in the scene in Dublin, you’re not in the scene at all,” James agrees: “We just thought we’d come here and open ourselves up for some more opportunities.”

There’s no right way to get your music heard anymore. The old rules are gone and the playing field has been levelled. The Pearl Harts are testament to this.

The raucous two-piece have released an album, built up a healthy online following and toured the world thanks to prestigious slots with Skunk Anansie and Garbage amongst others. All without the support of record label or deal, all driven by the power of their friendship and their electrifying rock music.

When a band has been operating for over a decade it can appear almost insulting to tell the story of their gestation. Their priority will and should always be their present, but as the first rock band from Afghanistan, Kabul Dreams’ beginnings will always be interesting.

Fortunately, they are aware of their significance and derive strength from it, as well as the draw of contemporary rock music as a whole.

whenyoung are making waves, and it’s easy to see why. Their music is a powerful combination of melodic, majestic pop with an empathetic eye on the world around them. That they originate partially from Dublin should be no surprise; the Irish capital has constantly provided the western world with a succession of acts who have offered an external insight that both the UK and the US is unable to demonstrate by virtue of geography.

Most bands say they are eclectic. Hell, most bands probably think they are eclectic. In the case of Husky Loops, they walk the walk.

Over three EPs and a raft of singles, Tom, Danio and Pietro have both demonstrated and harnessed a range of sounds, from straight-forward indie rock to dance-pop. The band revel in being hard to pin down and are a true product of the 21st century, in that genres and pigeon-holes are carrying less and less meaning. The trio have exploited this to act with true artistic freedom.

Live4ever sat down with the boys at SXSW to discuss their past, present and future.

As always happens at the start of a new calendar year, a clutch of bands come to the fore fighting for attention. Dark garage rock is on the rise, and there are a host of acts flying the flag.

The latest members of this pantheon are naught more than embryos in the music scene; drummer Cameron Black joined his university colleagues Adam Young (vocals, guitar) and Gus Ter Braak (bass) in the late summer of 2018 and together the trio, rising like a phoenix from the ashes of their former moniker Scrubs, have become The Howlers.

As part of Independent Venue Week, the trio put the cap on an impressive week having supported indie mainstays The Rifles at a sold-out Borderline in the heart of London by going west for their own headline show at Bristol’s The Lanes. For our Live4ever Presents… series, we caught up with the band before this show to hear all about their recent past and burgeoning future.