Live Report: Conor Marcus on the Hot Press Y&E Series

Showcasing a maturity beyond his years, Conor Marcus wowed viewers of our Y&E series on Sunday night.

Since launching his career as a busker at the age of 11, Conor has gone on to become the youngest ever participant in the Oh Yeah Music Centre’s prestigious ‘Scratch My Progress’ development programme. Last year, he was crowned the Panarts Young Singer-Songwriter of the Year, as well as earning Jazzlife Alliance's Exceptional Young Musician Award.

The singer-songwriter recently reached the semi-finals on The Voices Kids UK, and released a string of acclaimed singles – including his latest track, 'Love You Again'.

Charming the audience with his low-key acoustic stylings (and a lovely Northern Irish accent to accompany them), Marcus skilfully swapped between guitar and piano during his set last weekend.

"Let’s get started with the music, we’re not messing around," he said, kicking off his energetic set. Needless to say, he didn't disappoint.

An early highlight of the set was the song 'Headspace'. Reminiscent of an acoustic early-Fall Out Boy sound, you can easily imagine it turning into a fully-fledged pop-rock banger.

Another standout moment was 'Honest', which Marcus wrote during lockdown. A piano-driven tear-jerker, it's clear Conor could have a bright future ahead of him as a songwriter given his abilities to genre-swap.

After delivering some brilliant performances, Conor signed off with a cheery tone and but gave the impression of someone clearly focused on the craft of songwriting.

Check out Conor's brilliant performance below:

 

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Take a look at some of the other impressive performers coming up next on the Y&E series.

Tuesday, August 24: NÍV

Drawing influence from Irish folk music, as well as the legendary likes of Damien Rice, The Cranberries and Joni Mitchell, NÍV has rapidly become one of the country's most hotly tipped talents. The Kildare singer-songwriter sold-out her first Single Launch at The Workman's Club in Dublin for 'Silly Voices' last year, while her next single, 'Moonlight', clocked up nearly 18,000 streams on Spotify alone. Earlier this year, she returned with the poignant folk song 'Home'.

Wednesday, August 24: LOST BOYS

Embracing the aesthetics of nostalgia and youth, Lost Boys are fast becoming one of the most promising indie bands in the country. The Limerick-four piece draw influence from the likes of Glass Animals, The Academic and All Tvvins, while also carving out a path that's entirely their own. 'Sadie', one of their standout tracks from their Honey Mustard EP, released earlier this year, has clocked up over 44,000 streams on Spotify alone. Earlier this summer, Lost Boys returned with their latest single 'We Don't Need To Talk'.

Keep an eye on hotpress.com and our social media platforms for more information...

Watch the Hot Press Y&E Series performances every night live on the Hot Press Instagram (@hotpressmagazine) at 7.30pm – supported by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media.