I took my cue from the list published in The Irish Times today. While that does suffer slightly from “middle-of-the-road-itis” or “lowest common denominator-list” theory (Both made up on the spot obviously), there’s nothing overtly wrong with the list as picked by Jim Carroll, Tony Clayton-Lea, Sinead Gleeson and Lauren Murphy. It’s a good representation of Irish music right now even though everybody will probably agree that there’s something missing from the list and that it favours indie or rock acts over other genres. Someone on Jim’s blog scoffed at the ability to be able to come up with 50 great Irish acts in operation right now but I’d also like to test that theory. Most lists will always favour the already-established, more well-known names who perhaps are riding on the coat-tails of former glories. That’s why all lists are pants. They are fun to make however.
As blogs are seeing as an alternative to mainstream media, I thought it’d be fun to post my own. My list was selected as an accurate representation of the 50 acts I’m most interested in hearing more of right now. These are the 50 acts who are making Irish music good enough to stick around this country in the times of recession and who are not eye-rollingly shit. The fact that it was such a piss-easy exercise and I left off loads proves that Irish music is healthier than its been for years and years. Get purchasing.
So here are the top 50 acts in Ireland, in alphabetical order I’m keenly watching right now.
- 202s
- Adebisi Shank
- Adrian Crowley
- Alias Empire
- And So I Watch You From Afar..
- Baby Beef
- Bats
- Cap Pas Cap
- Cashier no. 9
- Cathy Davey
- Chequerboard (aka Boldypants)
- David Kitt
- Fight Like Apes
- Gran Casino
- Grand Pocket Orchestra
- Halves
- Heathers
- Hunter Gatherer
- Jape
- John Shelley and the Creatures
- Kill Krinkle Club
- Le Galaxie
- Legion of Two
- Lines Drawing Circles
- Lisa Hannigan
- Mail Order Messiahs
- Messiah J and the Expert
- Mumblin Deaf Ro
- Nouveaunoise
- One Day International
- Patrick Kelleher and Band
- Prince Kong
- R.S.A.G
- Robotnik
- Sarsparilla
- So Cow
- Sunken Foal
- Super Extra Bonus Party
- Tenaka
- The Ambience Affair
- The Holy Roman Army
- The Infomatics
- The Jimmy Cake
- The Lowly Knights
- The Mighty Stef
- The Rubberbandits
- The Spook of the 13th Lock
- The Vinny Club
- Villagers
- You’re Only Massive
Of course, it doesn’t end there. These lists are all about awareness. So if you feel like it, make your own list or suggest away. It won’t change this list but it might change others.
Hey, before you go...
Nialler9 has been covering new music, new artists and gigs for the last 19 years. If you like the article you just read, and want us to publish more just like it, please consider supporting us on Patreon.
What you get as thanks in return...
- A weekly Spotify playlist only for patrons.
- Access to our private Nialler9 Discord community.
- Ad-free and bonus podcast episodes.
- Guestlist & discounts to Nialler9 & Lumo Club events.
- Themed playlists only for subscribers.
Your support enables us to continue to publish articles like this one, make podcasts and provide recommendations and news to our readers, and be a key part of the music community in Ireland and abroad.
Related
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.