Having been among the runners-up in the 2010 Hot Press run Arthur’s Day Play On The Day competition, Empire Saints’ energetic and emotional live sets earned them supports with David Gray, Imelda May and The Magic Numbers and an HP cover appearance to boot.
Nearly three years later, all that energy and raw emotion has been retained, and their debut album Product delivers very impressively. The instrumentation is tight, the songwriting mature and Fiachra Treacy’s lead vocals still remind you of a young Bono, particularly on ‘Blood Is The Difference’ and ‘Rescue’.
High points abound on what is an excellent record: ‘Soundtrack To The City’ is a heartfelt paean to a drug-afflicted lover and album opener ‘Hands’ recalls The Stone Roses and New Order. This Product is very good stuff indeed.