We are Toby, Colm, Rory and Jim. Toby sings, does the lyrics, makes noises, plays drum machines, sequencers, special effects and samplers. Colm does guitars, programming, loops, effects stuff, fly catching, delf and posters. Rory does keys, samples, fish, learning and can manipulate a great many random instruments and things. Jim does visuals, ladder climbing, screen hanging, projection, logistics, fish and cabinets. Wiggle, Cork's electro dub wizards began in 1999 when a jam session in a small sushi restaurant in Cork city resulted in the formation of the band. Through their creative promotion and quirky artwork they soon became well known locally and as the years passed, Wiggle could be found playing in all corners of Ireland. Wiggle can be seen performing at many underground festivals, parties and gatherings from the hills of west Cork to the mountains of Kerry, to a field in Roscommon or a beach in Mayo. Wiggle has consistently performed in their home town Cork since their formation and often performs in Dublin, Galway and Limerick regularly. Wiggle, “Dub music is a huge influence on all of us. The ethics and ethos of dub music contribute to this. As a group we feel that conscious reggae music is necessary in society. The social gathering aspect and dancing to dub sound-systems creates a sense of well being within and we like to nurture that feeling as much as we can.” Wiggle gigs are like entering an ever evolving sonic landscape, their songs segue and flow into one another. It's an electronic rhythm riot, part entrancing mash-up, part swirling voyage that makes their every Wiggle gig an extraordinary event not to be missed! The focus on improvisation has always been there. That is why the sound and performance of Wiggle is so alive. Every gig is different. Faithful repetition does not appeal to the band. Wiggle play for the dancers, a symbiosis happens where the music feeds the dance feeds the music feeds the dance and so on until they are told to stop! Wiggle released their debut album 'Brighten the World' in spring 2009 and are currently recording their second album due for release summer 2011. http://wiggleband.blogspot.com/p/news.html

About The Amazing Few
Greetings from Planet PsychoPOP!

We are 'The Amazing Few' - wizards of feel-good frenzy, dancing, delirium and general mayhem. We are a 14 piece band notorious for our high-energy shows, mixing peppy pop with punkish quirk and throwing in face-painters, pinatas, confetti balloons plus too many other colourful and noisy props to mention.
We encourage our psycoPOP disciples to get buzzing, interacting, celebrating the imagination, smiling, dancing and letting go.
The band's wildly different, excitable songwriting has been compared to The B-52's,The Clash, Presidents of the United States of America, Frank Zappa, Pavement, Frank Black and The Mouldy Peaches.
We have shared the stage with Dufus, I'm from Barcelona, Adam Green, The Presidents of the United States of America, Har Mar Superstar, Toby Goodshank, Mundy, Ham Sandwich, Dizzy Spells Martian, The Pale, The Aftermath, Walter Mitty and the Realists, More Tiny Giants ,Gran Casino, Funzo and many more....
We love playing our songs and we hope they drive you into delectable distractions of delight.Leave a comment or email us.... We like saying hi!
Highlights this year: 3 shows in the Electric Picnic , 3 Shows in the Dublin Fringe festival, The EuroCulterd Fest Manch and Dub, Dub arts Festival and Knockanstockan.

"These guys are a true indie band. Not doing it for money, fame or anything other than the love of playing music. They've been doing the rounds around Ireland for years now, and have moved up in the world playing cool festivals around Europe. If they're ever playing near you, go see them. It's a real specticle to see live"
Pretentious indie boys
"Weird and wonderful "
The Metro
“The Amazing Few are a brilliant live band they really get the crowd going"
The Irish Times
"Imagine the Juno soundtrack gone wild, heaps of people crammed onto a stage, brass instruments mixed with guitars and drums, a narrator and a vocalist, all in a barrage of balloons, silly string, card tricks and plain ole, uninhibited fun. This is The Amazing Few, and they are a wonderfully weird and wacky, Dublin–based delight.” - Eimear Duignan, Note media

The Hoop is a small band from Windsor Ontario Canada. They got together in 2010 initially just as a group of session musicians with the intention of completing a short recording project. With the help of Jack Goodall (lead singer of Our Mutual Friend) that project blossomed into a debut EP and full length album that is still underway. After becoming a full fledged band, record-in-tow, The Hoop decided they were ready to meet the world and began planning a month long tour of Ireland and the UK.

About the band: Tyler in his spare time (when he's not playing bass) is an engineer, classically trained guitarist, and shredder, Ryan's Amish and works on a farm, and Joe writes and is a student at the University of Windsor. Joe is from Toronto originally, Ryan is from Tottenham, somewhere north of civilization and the city, and Tyler has been in and around Windsor for most of his life.

Formed in April 2010 by 27yr old singer/songwriter Adam Daly Dublin,Kildare based Uplifting/Reggae/Soul band "The BaRLeY MoB" marked their arrival onto the music scene by winning the Dublin City Soul Festival's international band search "Rising Stars" 2010 in May, beating competition from bands from over 15 other countries.. leading to an open-air gig on May 30th at the "Soul Picnic" in Dublin's Merrion Square to over 5,000 people...after just 5 gigs together!

Immediately after this, the band immersed themselves in gigs on the Dublin music scene, playing various showcase gigs including The Ruby Sessions and The Zodiac Sessions to name but a few and consequently we were invited to play at music festivals around the country including "NPLD" in Sligo, "LiveStock" in Cork, and Raithlin Island's "Jigs and Rigs" .

The band have become involved with several charities in their short time together, and have played various gigs for the people of Oxfam at their many fundraising nights called "OxJam" as well as playing fundraisers for the Pakistan Flood Victims and The Haiti Disaster.

Another charitable group close to the hearts of The Barley Mob are "The Musical Youth Foundation", an organization that aims to ensure the musical future of children in Ireland, by providing free instruments and lessons to under-privileged kids. Recently this charity was shortlisted for a national funding scheme called "Better Together", for which they put together a video of their work, the soundtrack of which was "You'll Never Be Lost (When You've Got Music)" by The Barley MOb.

Early July, the band were invited to play their first live radio show on Dublin City FM, which was a great boost for the band. Since then they have performed and been interviewed on several other radio stations including "Global Village" on national station Newstalk 106.
Their music has since been played on many local and internet radio stations, prompting an increase in their fanbase.

In August 2010, "The Mob" secured a weekly residency in The Mezz, in TempleBar in Dublin, playing all their own material and it was here they were spotted and offered an opportunity to perform in "Trenchtown Village", the biggest Reggae stage in Ireland, at the prestigious "Electric Picnic 2010" in September.

Upon this news, they put together 500 copies of a one-off 5-track EP, which they sold at Electric Picnic, with all proceeds going to The Musical Youth Foundation. Furthermore, they performed 3 shows at the "OxJam Tent" at The Picnic, one each day of the festival..making a total of 4 seperate gigs over the 1 weekend!

In October the people of OxJam printed and released 10,000 brochures of the charitys work, in which a picture of The Barley Mob was included on the 1st page!!

In Novemeber, The Barley Mob were chosen as Band Of The Month by online review magazine: Music Review Unsigned.

To date, they have played over 100 live gigs, and released 2 singles, the first of which, You'll Never Be Lost When You've Got Music) went to Number 2 in the National chart on Downloadmusic.ie...and the 2nd "Everybody's Music"..got over 1,000 hits online on the day it was released!!...and they plan to have the album done by the summer of next year.

The band are already confirmed for Electric Picnic and Oxegen 2011 and are currently in talks regarding a slot at Glastonbury 2011.

So Onwards and Upwards for The Barley Mob...

There is a certain lush ripeness that comes with age. Time seasons all persons and all relationships. After a few years of married life, the butterflies in your stomach fly off and your heart no longer skips a beat at the sight of your lover. The narcotic symptoms of being in love fade, and you're left with a very different feeling. If you are lucky, you will find yourself happily anchored to an existence that you cannot easily stray from.

When we began writing songs together, we realized that our music also refused to stray. There are many love songs, though more about love the way it is well after the chocolate coating has gone off and neither one is too eager to impress or please. The lyrics are dry, sincere, and a tad cynical with a only a faint hint of the sweetness that has managed to endure the corrosive effect of extensive exposure. The music is accordingly intimate and draws on sounds sampled from common, everyday environments we inhabit to acoustically accent the feeling of ordinary intimacy. We call it "bedroom music": Music from the bedroom, for the bedroom.

NOTE:

Erica is also lead singer with Lithuanian group "Skamp" [www. skamp.lt] who is married to Jurgis Didziulis vocalist with Inculto  [www.inculto.net]

Sweet Jane are a four piece from Ireland, formed in 2008, with shared female /male lead vocals, guitar, bass and drums. The Irish Times recently described them as a 'remarkably good Dublin band who transcend their influences by being bang on the money, (as evidenced by) their recently released debut album Sugar For My Soul which manages to blend loaded psych rock and a sweet-natured dream-pop disposition with a clear affinity for the rockier, sludgier end of Americana. The album is released on Reekus Records www.reekus.com and received brilliant reviews on its Irish release in summer 2010. It has also been licensed across Asia, and a first single, Close Your Eyes, got brilliant reviews on its UK release in February this year. Sweet Jane were Myspace Artists of the Week in September 2010, and so far 2011 has been great with two of their songs beating off hundreds of entries to make the playlists of leading gamesters Activision/Blizzard, and also MTV/Skins at the Midem synch Listening Sessions, followed by a US tour, including several shows at SXSW.  Their album, Sugar For My Soul, gets a UK release in July.  They have been chosen by Suede to support on all Irish dates in May, and play leading music industry festival Music Matters Asia in Singapore in May, with support from Culture Ireland.

In the style of all good new-fashioned romances, Storyfold met on the internet. Back in the day (well…April 2009) Paddy McKenna took to the web's drumming fora in search of a graceful tub-thumper. He hit the jackpot in finding drummer/pianist/human-talking-machine, Lindsey Hogan. Lindsey is that most elusive of individuals, being both a drummer and musician. As the collaboration progressed her melodic instinct grew stronger, and after much searching of the soul, she ceded control of the sticks and found her home among the ebony and ivory. Storyfold's distinctive sound was taking shape... Jim McGourty was signed-up for his good looks, machismo and bass chops before another call to find a drummer was beamed into cyber-space. Clearly, fortune was smiling on the fledgling rockers. Despite anticipating weeks of ear-bleeding frustration, Storyfold were blown away by the brilliantly talented Sean McDonnell at the very first audition. The final piece in the Storyfold jigsaw fell into place in September 2010 when ex-Whiskey Limbs guitarist Michael Fortune assumed lead duties. Now the whole is truly greater than the sum of its parts. When they're not playing gigs, practicing or walking hand in hand down leafy country lanes, Storyfold are aspiring librarians, financial advisers, accountants and TV/Radio presenters. All at the same time. Just like that.

Stephanie Rainey is an exciting talent bringing something new and distinct to the Irish pop/rock scene. In March this year Stephanie released her debut single “THE ONE”. The track features soaring choruses, pure, emotionally driven vocals backed by glorious jangly guitars and a full on rock band led by Stephanie herself. Her sound could be mistaken as coming from a major American production company - not Stephanie's home studio in the idyllic grounds of an old church where she has spent the last year working with some of Cork's finest musicians alongside Gary Keane on production duties. A graduate of the CSN music course in Cork which counts Mick Flannery, O Emperor and Fred amongst its past students this amazing new talent is about to erupt on to the scene. Stephanie's eagerly awaited second single 'GO' is due for release this June along with an Irish tour promising to deliver an array of exhilarating live performances from Stephanie and her band. Stephanie Rainey is definitely one to watch in 2011.

STAND left Dublin for New York City in 2001 after charting at No. 9 with their first Irish release, “Questions” taken from the debut album "Correspondent". Having completed a tour of Ireland and Europe with a sold out Vicar Street show, the band were in Dublin Airport the following day with a one way ticket to New York. Working out of the tough streets of the Bronx, the band built a solid foothold in the US stage by stage before returning to Ireland in 2008. In 2009 the Goo Goo Dolls sent a personal note inviting the band to record in their Buffalo NY studio. Produced by Grammy Winner Marc Swersky and mixed in Los Angeles by Mark Neeham (Killers, Fleetwood Mac) the resulting LP “100,000 Ways to Harvest Hope” is finally being rolled out proper with the release of the single and accompanying video for “Olivia”. “I get sent a lot of music, “ Needham said. “Too much, in fact. These songs came in like a rush of fresh air, cutting through all the noise pollution in the hills of West Hollywood. Finally, another real rock and roll band in every sense of the word. We need it.” Now Irish audiences will get reintroduced to the band to see and hear what so many across the ocean are talking about. "A tremendous example of the fact that one doesn't need gimmicks if you've got it where it counts. They've got harmony, they've got rhythm and they deliver from pretty much the first note." NXNE Collection -THE TORONTO SUN “A determined ensemble with an earnest, gritty aesthetic.” - THE NEW YORKER “Imagine the writing of Neil Finn mixed with the wide open spaces of Pink Floyd.” - THE IRISH EXAMINER “The show you catch in a club will be the same show you see in the arena. That is where these Irishmen are headed.” - ROCHESTER CITY NEWS

JUST when the music scene seems to be in danger of boring everyone to death along comes new Kilkenny band ((SOULS)). This high energy alternative rock band are the antidote to dull. With a raw dirty rock sound that is very definitely their own they would also not seem out of place on the same line-up as Queens Of The Stone Age, Helmet or Soundgarden.
The line up includes Clive Barnes on lead vocals and guitar, Billy Dalton (Kerbdog)on bass guitar, Sean Doyle on guitar and vocals and Darragh Butler (Kerbdog/Wilt)on drums.
Frontman Clive Barnes is a long established solo artist. An accomplished vocalist, guitarist and songwriter he has built up a huge following in Ireland, Europe and in the US where he has toured with some major acts including Seasick Steve and Jeff Beck.
Kilkenny native Darragh Butler was/is the drummer with the legendary Kerbdog and Wilt, both of whom still enjoy an almost cult-like status today.
Billy Dalton, former Kerbdog guitarist features on bass guitar.
Sean Doyle, also from Kilkenny, is an experienced guitarist who has played in numerous bands including Kilkenny band Dali.
Formed out of frustration over the lack of anything new or exciting happening in the music industry ((SOULS)) are here to shake things up.
“Too many bands form for the wrong reasons. Music in recent boom times has suffered as a result, we are all about righting that wrong” said Darragh Butler.
((SOULS)) plan to record an album later in the year.

Slap! are an Irish rock band that formed in Clane, Kildare in 2011. The band's current line-up consists of Daniel Byrne (Guitar&Vocals), Dan Boland (Bass), Paul Gordon (Guitar) and Adam Byrne (Drums&Backing Vocals). The group's musical style has fused modern funk with elements of other genres, including rock, jazz and metal to create an almost un-describable, fresh new genre of music, that's upbeat, feel-good and slightly funky. Critics so far have this to say: Are they Rock, Funk, Pop or Jazz? They are a delicious concoction of all of those genres and inspire a party atmosphere and create great music that just oozes personality!'' - Angela O'Looney, Irish Unsigned.com ''..The funk-rock fusion of Slap! Had The Mezz in Dublin on its feet and jumping around with covers of 'Play that Funky Music White Boy', 'Gold-Digger' and 'Forget You'' -Andy Daly, Temple Bar Cultural Trust

SJ McArdle releases his new album Blood and Bones on June 24th. Songs from the album had already garnered considerable Irish airplay last year (as well as TV promos for Survivor and Grey's Anatomy) before an enforced hiatus held up its release…until now. The album's beginnings were most promising: the songs were recorded in Nashville and feature contributions from some of SJ's heroes like Rodney Crowell, guitarist Richard Bennett (Steve Earle's Guitar Town) and the Love Sponge Strings (Bruce Springsteen's The Rising). The result is a stew of roots, pop and rock, with some truly unexpected twists. Eventually SJ decided that if you want a job done right, it's worth doing yourself, so the album will be self-released in Ireland. Solo and with a band SJ has toured Ireland and played shows in Germany, including the legendary Bardentreffen festival in Nuremburg. In 2009 he completed a European stadium tour opening for Reamonn, playing to over 70,000 people over 19 shows.

Yet to release a recording Saramai was listed in 2UI Bestow's top 50 releases this year on the basis of a rough demo which bodes very well for her debut release later this year. Hereto Saramai has been focused on songwriting and playing live, gathering momentum and experience by opening for the likes of Jack L, Grada, Declan O'Rourke, Fionn Regan, Ruthie Foster, Luka Bloom, Kila, Eugene Donegan, Little Palace, The Lost Brothers, and Meteor nominee Valerie Francis, to mention but a few, in venues all around the country from Whelans to The Nerve Centre, both solo and with her band The Swords. Although comparisons to Kate Bush and Tori Amos have been drawn, Saramai has a distinct playing, singing and songwriting style that is difficult to catagorise. There are classical twists and hints of darkness throughout unusually structured songs. The next few months will see the release of their debut. Watch this space....

Sanzkrit occupy a space midway between The National and Arcade Fire. They create a unique and passionate indie rock sound, where bold pop melodies toy with a dark undercurrent of moody rhythms and progressive structures. The soundscapes are countered by imaginative lyrics that craft a world of colourful introspect and social commentary. This year Sanzkrit will release “Carving our names in Trees” the eagerly awaited follow up album to their critically acclaimed and award winning debut 'After the Wedding'. Their high energy stage show and sing-along choruses make for a memorable occasion live and have made them festival favourites around Ireland. Sanzkrit Press Quotes

“Destined to be a classic of it's kind, Sanzkrit's After the Wedding is arguably the best Irish Rock album since Whipping Boy's Heartworm……. the Monaghan four-piece have delivered a near masterpiece of the genre with this enthralling debut….” 4/5 stars - Hotpress Magazine

“well-paced, well-produced and accomplished … It's possible to imagine Sanzkrit as stars” - The Irish Times

Ryan Sheridan is a solo singer and guitarist from County Monaghan. As a teenager, he made his tentative first steps onstage in the pubs and clubs of Manhattan's Lower East Side. An intimidating environment where he was old enough to play but not to drink, the competitive nature of the scene and the city meant he had to get good quick or go home. His next destination was Glasgow, arriving there in 2004. He formed a three piece rock band called 'Shiversaint' and started to work the Scottish circuit with mixed results. The trio survived a crossing of the Irish Sea and a relocation to Dublin in 2006, but by the following year Ryan felt the band had run its course and took a two year hiatus from music to run a bar in his home town. However, a sense of unfinished business and an urge to play in public again saw Ryan back down in Dublin in 2009. He hooked up with Polish percussionist Artur Graczyk, an old friend from the dying embers of Shiversaint. Embracing the freedom of movement created by acoustic guitar and cajon (or crate to our non Spanish readers) the pair hit the streets of Dublin to eak out a living. An inventive and crafty guitarist with a powerful and expressive voice, Ryan's dynamic interplay with Artur's “four limbs good” rhythmic attack must be seen to be believed. As a songwriter, he has crammed a lot of living into his days, and this is reflected in his expressive and accessible approach to words and music. While entertaining the human traffic of Temple Bar, Ryan and Artur were spotted by his current management team. This led to a showcase at The Academy jam-packed with great and the good of the Dublin media mafia, and a subsequent record deal with leading Irish independent label Rubyworks. After a busy summer of gigging, including spots at Oxegen, Electric Picnic and Benicassim in Spain; Ryan played some high profile Irish gigs with Rodrigo y Gabriela, Mark Lanegan and Wallis Bird. His debut single 'Jigsaw' was released in September, and was an immediate hit at Irish radio and on iTunes. He will play his first headline tour around Ireland in December.

Rory Faithfield is a Dublin-based yet Australian born and bred singer-songwriter, with Celtic songlines in his head and grains of sand between his toes. His fourth and latest album 'Songs For Sooner' was described in the Sydney Morning Herald as being “a sublime, heart-stoppingly beautiful album” and The West Australian newspaper remarked that “this is beautiful, straightforward storytelling, saturated in Irish folk traditions but with a keen edge born of Faithfield's days as a punk rocker in Sydney”. Closer to home, Rory Faithfield is described as "Power Acoustic" by the Irish Independent, and "invigorating and inspiring" by The Irish Times. For more info, please visit: www.faithfield.com

Rory and the Island is the group name used by Rory Gallagher from Donegal. Rory was the lead singer and founder of “The Revs”, an indie/pop/punk band who had great success in Ireland in the early 2000′s, notching up two Top5 albums and a splattering of Top20 singles. They also broke through in a cult way in the UK and Australia, getting single of the week from Kerrang and Aussie Rolling Stone magazine, played reading and Leeds festivals and random MTV2 spot plays for their videos. However, Rory moved to Lanzarote 4 years ago when years of frustration at the Revs never actually procuring a major record deal took its toll on the band (too many long cold nights in sleeping bags in European hostels!) The Revs called it a day in late 2006.

Rory returned with his first solo album in 2008 titled "God Bless the Big Bang", it recieved a very positive reaction with Hotpress mag declaring it a "triumphant return, 4 out of 5 stars" and got album of the week from Today FM and BBC Ulster. However it failed to break through to the Irish top 40. Rory returned briefly to Ireland to Support "Ocean Colour Scene" on their Irish leg of the 2009 tour. In 2010 Rory started doing some recording with legendary Trad musician Sharon Shannon in Lanzarote. Out of these sessions a Joke song Rory had penned called "Ryanair Blues" was leaked to Irish radio and became a surprise top 40 hit in Dec 2010. Rory and the Island have had great online success on iTunes with the official debut single ”Colours” which broke the Irish and Spanish iTunes Top30 in May 2011. The Album "Auntie Depressant and Uncle Hope " is due for release in October 2011. ----For the Temple house show Rory will be joined for a few songs by his old Revs friend Micky D on Percussion-------- More info on www.roryandtheisland.comRory a