Chart debutantes Otherkin talk scorching live shows and their hotly-tipped debut album OK

“I think I broke a rib at Whelan’s, during our New Year’s Eve gig,” confesses Otherkin frontman Luke Reilly. He’s got a grin on his face even as he retells the painful story. “I went to the doctor and they were like, well, you probably fractured a rib. But there’s no point in sending you in for an x-ray, you can’t do anything about it anyway.” As you might expect, for quite a while after, the singer was in considerable difficulty.

“They can’t put a cast around your rib or anything,” he grimaces. “I was in agony, sleeping was the worst, I would just wake up and it would be terrible. I don’t even remember doing it, it was just one of those things with all the adrenaline. Or the alcohol. Or both.”

“The best mix of all,” notes Otherkin guitarist Conor Wynne.

As anyone who’s witnessed one of the band’s gigs can attest, there’s more than a chance of injury occurring. Indeed, Reilly frequently throws himself into thrashing crowds at each show – if you’re gonna be hardcore, you may as well come away with the bruises to prove it. At the time we’re meeting up for coffee at the Library Bar, Luke’s already trying to figure out how to raise the stakes for their Electric Picnic set.

“We’re gonna try and get a rope to do a Tarzan jump off the stage,” he reveals. “I was talking to our tech about it – like, what happens if I don’t jump off the rope? Do I swing back and just destroy everything? There’s a lot of logistics – we need to figure out where to hang it from, and I don’t know if I should jump off the stage and grab it, or if I should have it in my hand already. Also we don’t have a rope yet. But we’ll work it out.”

Favouring the staple rock uniform of leather jackets, Otherkin have successfully brought some grunge attitude back into Irish rock. Noted for their scalding, moshpit-ready riffs, anticipation is high for the band’s debut album, OK, due at the end of September. Even as it’s all coming together for the band, though, they still haven’t forgotten their humble beginnings.

“We were about 14,” recalls Conor, “we had a band where Dave, our bassist, and his twin brother were playing electric violins. Our first gig was on the back of a truck supporting Richie Kavanagh. I swear to God! We’re a real life rags-to-riches story. So it wasn’t the most glamorous start, but we did a decent cover of ‘Paranoid’ by Black Sabbath. I’m pretty sure my dad has it on VHS somewhere. It can go on YouTube one day, when we’re all dead and gone.”

Inauspicous though their beginnings may have been, the band would eventually make it to Slane Castle – where back in May they supported Guns N’ Roses. “It was really surreal there, to be honest,” says Conor, shaking his head. “I was just blown away by the whole occasion. The turnout as well was really surprising, ’cause the weather was shit. We headed there through monsoon rain, and just when we got up and started playing, it stopped. I was like, holy fucking shit. This is happening.”

Remarkable as the experience was for Conor, it quite literally hit home for Slane native Luke. “It was a massive thing for all us,” he says, “but I suppose there was that sentimental link for me, ’cause I grew up around Slane concerts. I went to virtually all of them as soon as I was able to go. In some cases, I wasn’t allowed to and I went anyway! I saw so many amazing acts there through the years, so to get the opportunity to play was mindblowing.”

As if the GNR slot wasn’t enough, Otherkin have also enjoyed the support of heavyweights like Annie Mac and even Lars Ulrich, with each playing the band’s tunes on the radio.

“Lars Ulrich, that was absolutely mind-blowing for me personally,” gushes Conor. “I’ve seen Metallica three or four times live. I knew every song on all their albums when I was a kid, so for him to play our song, and single out a riff that I played – that floored me.”

Luke, for his part, says he was most starstruck at encountering Radiohead drummer Phil Selway – though as he acknowledges, the experience didn’t make as much impact on everyone else in the band.

“We were supporting The Amazons in Oxford, where Radiohead are from,” recalls the singer. “I’d seen Phil Selway and his wife, and I said guys, Phil Selway is over there. But unfortunately, our drummer Rob hadn’t been involved in that conversation. And Rob probably wouldn’t have known who he was – he doesn’t really listen to Radiohead. Anyway, Phil’s wife comes up to us, and she’s like, ‘That was a great gig!’ And I’m like, oh my God, that’s Phil Selway’s wife. Then Phil himself walks up, but he goes straight to Rob – and I’m thinking, oh shit.

“I knew Rob would have no idea who he was. And Phil Selway’s like, ‘Hey guys, that was a really great set. It’s great to watch, ’cause we’re going back into production rehearsals again soon, and it’s good to see how a band does it live.’ And Rob goes, ‘Oh, great man, just get them to clap along, you’ll be grand!’ I’m over there thinking, he’s clearly completely unaware of who he’s talking to.”

“I think Rob thought he was some guy from a wedding band or something,” affirms Conor. “Luke made it right in the end.”

“We gave him a CD,” Luke laughs.

Even after turning heads in Oxford, for Otherkin, home is still back in Dublin. They’re doing their part to help the Irish music scene continue thriving, hosting monthly bashes upstairs in Whelan’s. Called Soma Indie Clubnights, they’re inspired by their early career struggles.

“We found it hard to get gigs at the start,” says Conor, “so we’d just invite bands that were better than us to come over and play. We’d put ourselves in the middle of the lineup and have these rager parties. But eventually it got to be a bit too much. The police were called and the neighbours weren’t too happy.”

“People we didn’t know were turning up,” says Luke, “and then junkies started showing up as well.”

“But we wanted to keep it going, so we moved it to Whelan’s,” Conor explains. “We wanted to give younger Irish bands an opportunity, one that we didn’t get. There are so many good Irish bands that have broken up and fizzled out, because they didn’t get the opportunity or the money. We just want to give good Irish bands something. They’ve got an audience, ’cause it’s free in, and they’ll get a bit of money, and they deserve it. There needs to be more Irish bands killing it in the UK, Europe and America. There’s just so much potential over here that’s untapped.”

OK gets a live airing in the Button Factory, Dublin (December 15) & Roisin Dubh, Galway (16).