Niall Cash may be on top of the iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts while also backing up bands such as Walking on Cars, but the Wexford native mostly just wants to play as many gigs as possible – and still get to class on time. A student at BIMM, Cash says that the experiences he’s had in school are what have shaped his career as a songwriter.
“If I didn’t go to BIMM I wouldn’t know half the stuff that I do know,” he says. “Not just the music theory or songwriting, but the actual business side. I’ve had so much invaluable experience from being out gigging and meeting people in the industry, and knowing the right way to go about it is definitely something I’ve learned at BIMM.”
Cash also takes the time to get some inspiration from the record store. “I started off mainly listening to Ben Howard – he was the main songwriting inspiration for guitar, cause he does a lot with open tunings. That brought me to a whole different level of songwriting. I wanted to keep that kind of vibe but be commercial at the same time, so I started listening to James Bay. But listening to Ben Howard, that brought me on to Joni Mitchell and all kinds of other stuff. Those three would be the main ones for me.”
It was the opportunity to back up Walking on Cars that really kicked off Cash’s career as a young musician. “I got that when I was about seventeen, so that was two years ago. They came down to our venue back home, and the booker had seen me play before, so he asked me to support them.” Not long after, Cash won a nomination for Best Male Solo Act from Pure M magazine. “I was delighted about that, that was totally unexpected,” he says. “That just goes to show that the more you get out there and play, good things will come of it. And that’s what I’m trying to do now, get my music out there. So hopefully it works.”
See: Niall Cash plays Whelan’s, Dublin on November 23. Hear: His EP, Frames Have Cracked, is available now.