Soft Boy Records’ Kean Kavanagh drops a new single and announces The Three Gigs of Christmas.
‘The Portlaoise Queen’ has a more traditional Irish Celtic folk feel, a dare I say, Christmas feel to it, than previous indie and rock songs, because it is a song sung in Portlaoise.
“‘The Portlaoise Queen’ is our iconic song in the town, written by Christy Conroy and most famously sung by the Doc Fitz. I remember being 9 years old on the pitch in Newbridge after Portlaoise won the Leinster Football Final and him up on the podium singing down at us over the tannoy. That’s him there on the cover art. It was a hard song for anyone else to sing because there are so many names and verses and you’d only ever be able to remember one or two lines from it; the Jimmy Brown mentioned in verse three was my great-grandfather so we’d always give that bit a good belt. But anyway, I was homesick over the summer and figured I’d learn the words properly and I found a way to play it that gave it a feeling that I loved.”
Kavanagh has also announced a Christmas tour with dates in London, Dublin and Portlaoise, along with a self-directed video for the song.
The track is available to purchase on Bandcamp, with all proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders who are providing vital medical help in Palestine and Sudan.
Today’s release follows last year’s charity single ’Christmas Mode’ and 2023’s Wrestling Music EP.
About Kean Kavanagh
Co-founder, producer and A&R of Irish label Soft Boy Records, Kean Kavanagh is a story-teller with a strong imagination who set out his stall as both a singer-songwriter and world creator in 2020, with the release of his acclaimed project Dog Person. In what turned out to be a big year for him, 2020 also saw Kean make an appearance on the Everything Is Recorded project FRIDAY FOREVER, (curated by Richard Russell of XL Recordings) alongside Aitch, Flohio, Maria Somerville, Ghostface Killah and others, aligning himself with a tastemaker and hotly tipped selection of musical peers.
Alongside his own rise, Soft Boy Records, founded in 2015, morphed into a cultural behemoth of its own, gripping the Irish music scene and becoming subject of a Boiler Room documentary about the label and collective. With his co-founder Kojaque, Kean has found himself sharing stages with names such as Loyle Carner and Lana Del Ray, performing solo-slots opening for Maverick Sabre and Vampire Weekend, currently settled in London, Kean’s career leaves a strong mark and highlights his unique place in Irish music.
