Of course you know The Stunning! Everything Rises was a smash hit in the 90s. Every kid who grew up in that period must have owned Once Around the World. This Dublin-centric band catapulted the Irish rock scene to the world, originally dominated by the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Dishwalla, Toad the Wet Sprocket and Soundgarden. I do love these bands and everything about the 90s! I mean wouldn’t you? It was a decade of The X Files, MTV and so much more.
The Stunning are touring the US soils this November along with fellow Irish rocker James Vincent McMorrow. Read the press release below:
THE STUNNING
The legendary Irish band’s long-awaited return to US this November –
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 5th ~ CONNOLLY’S, KLUB 45, TIMES SQ, NYC
1990 was a pivotal year in Ireland. The national football team had done the country proud in the World Cup in Italy and Ireland had her first lady president. There was also a new soundtrack to that summer, the debut album by a young band from the west of Ireland. Coming out of Galway city, The Stunning took Ireland by storm, and shifted the focus from a Dublin-centric rock scene to the provinces, paving the way for many more artists to come. They released a string of hit singles and 2 number one albums and toured relentlessly, building up a following that would make them one of the most successful Irish bands ever. Their debut album ‘Paradise In The Picturehouse’ spent five weeks at number one in 1990 and became one of the best-selling Irish albums of all time. Two years later, the follow up ‘Once Around The World’ also hit the number one spot, and the band went on to sell over 100,000 albums in Ireland alone. They toured the US and the UK with the likes of Bob Dylan and the B52’s.
“Brewing Up A Storm” has become an anthem of sorts – a rallying call at football internationals and a guaranteed floor-filler in pubs and clubs around the country. Breaking up and making up – Despite two number one albums, winning major music awards and a huge fanbase, the band split in 1994. They eventually reformed in 2003 for the re-release of their debut album ”Paradise in the Picturehouse’’ and the subsequent run of dates turned out to be one of the highest grossing tours in Ireland that year. In 2012 around 30,000 people turned out to see them play a concert in their old hometown of Galway city.
Things have changed dramatically since their early days of constant touring – now the band have their fingers in several pies and the challenge is to find the time to gig – lead singer Steve Wall is also an actor, appearing in shows such as Vikings (MGM/History), Sile nt Witness (BBC), Crossing Lines (Netflix) and Moone Boy (SKY/Hulu); Joe Wall teaches in BIMM – Dublin’s ‘school of rock’; Jim Higgins is a much-in-demand bodhrán player, touring with folk-legend Christy Moore; Derek Murray works as a sound engineer with Tommy Tiernan, one of Irelands finest comedians, and Cormac Dunne plays with practically everybody west of the Shannon.
Tickets available on their web site or at the door night of show – BUT it may sell out!
Website: Photos, info, etc: thestunning.net/media
Facebook: facebook.com/ thestunning/
Twitter: twitter.com/ TheStunningBand
JAMES VINCENT MCMORROW
@ Webster Hall November 7th
Dubliner James Vincent McMorrow has just released his new LP – ‘We Move’ – out September 2nd via Caroline Records. The follow-up to 2013’s acclaimed ‘Post Tropical’ marks a breathtaking and radical sonic shift for the Irish artist, in what is his most expansive, generous, and ambitious work to date. The 10-song collection features production from Nineteen85 (Drake, dvsn), Two Inch Punch (Sam Smith, Years & Years), and Frank Dukes (Kanye West, Rihanna), as well as mixing from the legendary Jimmy Douglass (Donny Hathaway, Timbaland).
Unlike his previous releases, ‘We Move’ was written in constant transition. McMorrow decamped to Los Angeles in late-2014 for six particularly fish-out-of-water months, where the new songs began to crystallize. He then recorded between Toronto, his home city of Dublin, and London over the course of roughly the next year. The album’s backbone was formed in each of these places by a few key producers that McMorrow met during his travels, who were able to finesse the record’s warm, vintage yet forward-thinking feel. The result is an album about movement – geographically, mentally, and emotionally. Far from the dense, protective imagery at the heart of ‘Post Tropical’, ‘We Move’ is McMorrow’s most honest statement yet, touching on anxiety and social unease.
This Fall McMorrow will head out on a full band headline North American tour, playing his biggest venues to date. Full itinerary below. Tickets will go on-sale July 8th, but fans can get exclusive early access to his ticket pre-sale by pre-ordering ‘We Move’ from the official US store: shop.jamesvmcmorrow.com
HE IS IN NYC on 11/7 @ Webster Hall go to his website for tickets before it sells out! http://jamesvmcmorrow.com/
My big thanks to Anita Daly of Daly Communications!
The indie music blog 