Malahide’s DIRECTOR may not be any kind of tabloid headline generators, but with an accomplished second album produced by Pumpkins and Placebo veteran Brad Wood in the bag, they’re confident enough to let the music make the fuss.
Spirit Store announces their upcoming gigs for the weeks leading up to Christmas and into the New Year with acts including Director, The Flaws, Declan O'Rourke and more.
Of the many festivals that took place over the Bank Holiday weekend, Indie-Pendence – previously known as the Mitchelstown Music Festival, but since raised a level or three in the coolness stakes – had the most to offer, yet was the most precarious.
Director, Republic Of Loose and the Sultans Of Ping are set to headline this year's Indie-pendence Festival, which features a host of homegrown talent - for free!
‘Be With You’ features a marching bassline and a melody that’s catchy as hell. And while We Thrive On Big Cities is a much better representation of Director’s talent, give this single a chance. After all, they just want to be with you.
Director have confirmed a major Irish tour and the details of a new song which currently doesn't appear on their platinum-selling We Thrive On Big Cities album.
With this, their third single, Director prove once again why their album reached No. 2 way-back-when in ’06 – although those clever enough to have seen them live won’t need any more evidence. Catchier than a cold in January, ‘Leave It To Me’ sees Michael Moloney’s distinctive voice (if you’ve never heard Joy Division, Interpol or Editors) plod along smoothly over controlled guitars and a no-nonsense drum rhythm, building up to a sing-along-tastic chorus – warning: may get stuck in head! – before turning up the guitars and going all rocky on us for a bit. While not outstanding, this does exactly what it says on Director’s tin: popular rock music.
Director whose debut album We Thrive On Big Cities recently got to number two in the Irish charts, are emblematic of the extraordinary evolution of the indigenous music industry in recent years.
The Malahide four-piece hit pay dirt in the summer with the chart-and-radio playlist hogging ‘Reconnect’; the album We Thrive On Big Cities is consummate and a refined debut, fizzing with sharp guitars and sharper bon mots. The frisson of anticipation inside Cork’s sold out Cyprus Avenue is therefore not a surprise. What is a surprise is the guarded and detached nature of their performance.
Shooting a fancy pop promo is harder work than you might think, as hotpress discovers when we join hotly tipped newcomers Director on a sound-stage at the home of the Irish movie industry, Ardmore Studios.
Right from the first reel, this is one of the most thrillingly self-assured Irish debuts since, well, The Thrills’. Despite being fellow Dubs, though, Director are coming from a very different place.
Musicians worth their salt will be glad to learn that the live show/exhibition Music Ireland is set to be bigger than ever, with the addition of new sponsors Waltons, some illustrious industry figures on the panel and Director and The Blizzards set to play it.
Part of the new wave of Irish major label signings, Director sound oddly lacklustre on their second single. The song itself is alright, even if the chorus seems to belong to a different track altogether, but the production is flat and nothing here suggests that Director having anything different to offer. Maybe the album will prove otherwise (and it would be great to see some home grown talent on the bigger stage). For now though, this is decidedly underwhelming.
After the impressive reception for their top 10 debut single 'Reconnect', Director have announced details of their new single, album and a rather large tour to boot.
From the moment the crash of Director’s instruments build to a wall of sound you know you’re in for something truly special. ‘Reconnect’ is one of the most impressive and intelligently constructed Irish debuts in an age. In parts as po-faced as Interpol, it is at its heart an abashed pop song fed astutely through new wave punk. Frontman Michael Moloney exudes an effortless cool with his sharp vocal delivery whilst those around him serve to make this one of the most exciting pieces of guitar music to come out of Ireland since The Edge struck the last chord of ‘Out Of Control’. Were it not for those pesky Flaming Lips, single of the fortnight without a doubt.
Having been snapped up by Atlantic Records in the UK and touted by Hot Press as one of the most exciting bands to emerge from Ireland this year, Director prove their worth with 'Reconnect'.
Life on the road isn't always a blur of parties and groupies. Sometimes it's exhausting, and oftn plain boring, as Irish hopefuls Director found out when they went on tour with Hard-Fi.
