Red Letter Day

The excitement is building. Some 400 artists featured on the Red Bull Bedroom Jam ‘buzz chart’, which tracked the popularity of the competing acts. Now the competition has reached the knock-out phase. Six groups face off, the three best going on to the final. With the top prize including a chance to perform at Glasgowbury, Westport Live and Indiependence festivals, there is a lot to play for. Slugging it out are...

TouchWood
Dublin indie quartet TouchWood have had plenty to shout about over the past few weeks. Not only did they nail their place in the semi-final of the Bedroom Jam, they also made their TV debut on RTÉ 2 and, later that night, supported rising rockers Kodaline at the Workman’s Club. There are worse ways to ring in the summer! Then again, TouchWood are no strangers to the spotlight, having shared stages with Republic Of Loose, The Coronas and Aslan since their formation in 2009.

Bang Bang
Laois schoolboys Bang Bang have honed a busy indie-rock sound in the vein of Arctic Monkeys. It’s really no surprise they have progressed to the semi-final of the Redbull Bedroom Jam. One listen to their energetic ‘I Know What You Want’ will have you hooked. “We really weren’t expecting to do anything,” says guitarist Stephen Hughes of their Bedroom Jam experience. “But we got loads of support from everyone in school, even the teachers”.

Red Elephant
Sadhbh Moriarty and Laurie Shaw are the Kerry/Liverpool duo who make up Red Elephant. They secured a place in the Bedroom Jam semi-final with the wonderfully spontaneous ‘Electric Balloons’, which has shades of Lisa Hannigan. Red Elephant hope to spend summer working on a new record. That could all change if they top the Red Bull Festival Chart and secure their place among the Glasgowbury, Sea Sessions and Indiependence line-ups. “If we got to play Indiependence that would be fantastic. It would be a wonderful experience,” Sadhbh reflects.

Corner Boy
Influenced by bluegrass and ‘nu folk’ groups such as Mumford and Sons and The Lumineers, Michael D’Arcy is the singer-songwriter behind Corner Boy. From Wexford, he wrote and recorded his debut album in rural Quebec, before returning home to recruit his band. He prides himself on his energetic live shows, which have been known to make floorboards shake and hairs stand on end.

Aces Wild
Cork five-piece Aces Wild were first across the finish line in this year’s competition. They booked their place in the Bedroom Jam semi-final after just one week of voting. The pop-rock outfit from Cobh cite The Strokes and Rory Gallagher as influences and have received enthusiastic support from local station Red FM.

Don’t Shoot
Omagh’s Don’t Shoot have made a big impression on the northern music scene with their blend of thoughtful songwriting and aggressive punk rock. They have a distinctive set of influences, ranging from pop-punk icons Blink 182 to Scottish indie-folksters Frightened Rabbit.

Log onto redbullbedroomjam.ie to vote.