The Kildare/Belgian alt-rock band are back their first song since album two.
Silverbacks, now a six-piece, have a new song out today recorded with Gilla Band’s Daniel Fox, called ‘Selling Shovels’ via Central Tones / Cargo.
The first song from the band since the 2022 second album Archive Material. The track has the band’s cerebral wonky alt-guitar pop style intact, inspired by Dan Kelly’s penchant for jumping straight the death info on Wikipedia on famous people.
“The idea for these lyrics came from a habit I have – maybe everyone does it? When reading a historical figure’s Wikipedia page I often lose interest and so I jump straight to the ‘personal life’ and ‘death’ part of the page to see how they died and the circumstances they were in at the time. The lyrics flicker between mundane distractions and fairly horrific images of war. Selling Shovels is a reference to ‘selling shovels during the gold rush’.”
Silverbacks gave also announced some tour dates including Féile Na Gréine, Dublin, Cork, Manchester, London and Sheffield.
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Silverbacks Live Dates
August 23-25th – Féile Na Gréine, Limerick
October 19th – Workman’s Club, Dublin
October 20th – Coughlan’s, Cork
October 24th – YES Basement, Manchester
October 25th – Sidney & Matilda, Sheffield
October 26th – Shacklewell Arms, London
Silverbacks are Daniel O’Kelly (Vocals/Guitar), Kilian O’Kelly (Guitar/Vocals), Emma Hanlon (Vocals/Bass), Paul Leamy (Bass), Peadar Kearney (Guitar) and Gary Wickham (Drums)
Selling Shovels Lyrics
Had to come to terms with the fact that
I was defeated
I always jumped straight to the part about how they died
And their net worth
Everyone’s eating dessert
Sorry for disturbing desdert
A series of presidential wardrobe malfunctions preceded
Hitting the bottom line (who-hah)
Hitting the bottom line (who-hah)
Dragged the poor boys to the winters war
And the heavens ripped open
Its always the toughest nut to crack
When the numbers are speaking
Everyones eating dessert
Sorry for disturbing dessert
Staring at plants and ever so slowly receding
Hitting the bottom line (who-hah)
Hitting the bottom line (who-hah)
Staring at us to hit the bottom line
Staring at us to hit the bottom line
Selling Shovels
Selling Shovels
Selling Shovels
See, see them explode
Bombing leaflets with a QR code
Heading for tough terrain that will rip my feet
Wide open
Holding to loves long gone
and the bugles ring through
Hitting the bottom line (who-hah)
Hitting the bottom line (who-hah)
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Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005 . He is the cohost of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Cara Magazine, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, founder of Lumo Club, event curator and producer of gigs, parties & events.