It sounded so glamorous on paper. Fly to the UK to watch newly signed and promising Irish band Director support Hard-Fi. Join in on the last-night-of-tour celebrations. And, the promise went, the trip would end with me travelling with the band on their tour bus from Leeds to Grouse Lodge in Westmeath, Ireland’s premier recording studio. Gig, tour, travel, studio – the perfect 48 hours to capture every aspect of being in a band. What could possibly go wrong?
Twenty-four hours later and the realities of life on the road have begun to kick in. It’s Saturday night, and Director have spent the past eight hours wandering around Holyhead, Britain’s premier crap town, with me in tow. Since we awoke this morning, tired and hung-over, everything has gone pear-shaped.
Ferries have been cancelled, kids are screaming, and every single vending machine in the ferry terminal is out of order. To top it all off, we’ve got a rough-as-hell early morning ferry to look forward to – a sailing we only managed to get on to by concocting a story that the tour manager’s fictional wife was going into labour back in Dublin.
Rewind to the previous evening and it seems like a different world: in the musty confines of the Leeds Irish centre, Director were stunning. Playing to a surprisingly attentive Hard-Fi audience, there wasn't a single song that failed to ignite. The crowd loved them. Opener ‘Don’t You Want To’ may have been greeted with a relatively muted response, but by the time closer ‘Leave It’ came to an end, the cries, yelps and applause from the audience said it all. The unspoken invitation was to come and impress; impress they did.
“We’ve got really good feedback from all of the audiences really,” notes guitarist Eoin Aherne backstage. “It’s been really encouraging and exciting because these have been our first gigs outside of Ireland and nobody’s heard of us or our stuff before.”
Such immediate responses, though, are unsurprising. Every track in the group’s six-song set is immediately infectious. ‘Reconnect’ and ‘Man I Imagine’ in particular sound like they’ve been playing in your head since you were born.
There’s a real pop, even ‘50s ethos to the songs. Although Director fit snugly into the Interpol/ Strokes/Franz crop of bands, you get the feeling that they’ll potentially outlast any scene because their material has a timeless quality.
In Michael Moloney, they’ve also got a frontman to set them apart. Geeky and with an original vocal style, Moloney is reminiscent of Jarvis Cocker in his quirky personality. Close to being teetotal, each morning he calls for porridge, brings vitamins on the road, passes time reading music notes and is delighted that the tour has given him the opportunity to write his first letter home.
“I never had the need or chance to write home before,” he says with a glint in his eye. Amongst those fronting Irish bands, he’s certainly a character apart.
Back in Holyhead, we’ve just eaten one of the worst meals ever in a damp, horrible “restaurant” straight out of ‘70s Ireland. Conversation turns to tomorrow’s recording session. “We’re planning for January when we’ll begin the album,” says Aherne. “The next three days will be spent just recording one song, a b-side.”
Other bands would try to cram four into such a session. Director though are not like other bands. For such a young group, there’s an admirable focus to their approach.
“We spend a lot of time rehearsing, trying to get things right, whether it’s in advance of recording or for a gig,” says drummer Shea Lawlor. “Though obviously there’s been a bit of a hiccup here,” he says of our day in Holyhead with a smile. “At least in eating here you’ve got the title for your piece,” he quips. “From Gross Lodge to Grouse Lodge!" Mightn't be a bad title for the album either!