WATCH: The Altered Hours film live studio session in Cork ahead of Grand Social gig

Following the release of their sophomore album Convertible late last year, The Altered Hours have shared a live recording of two songs from the album ‘All Amnesia’ and 'Radiant Wound’.

Filmed outside their studio, where the acclaimed alternative album was self-recorded, this special live session captures the raw energy of these tracks in the setting where they were created.

Filmed by Izabela Szczutkowska and Molly Keane alongside audio engineer Tomas O’Brien, plus video editing by The Altered Hours vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Cathal Mac Gabhann; the video makes for a powerful watch.

The five-piece are known for their atmospheric live performances – which led to them touring with Fontaines D.C. in 2019 – and laidback approach to the music industry’s fame game. It’s been five years since The Altered Hours’ debut album In Heat, Not Sorry landed, and eight years since they dropped Sweet Jelly Roll – released through cult rocker Anton Newcombe’s A-Records label. The Cork-based crew put out their On Your Tongue EP in 2018, but they certainly take their (sweet) time with albums.

Their 2021 LP Convertible is the result of countless late night/early morning sessions that took place over the past two years. Choosing to self produce and engineer this record was a conscious choice as the band felt an urge to take what they had learned on the road and in various studios previously, and condense all of this energy back into the boiling pot of their own rehearsal space.

The group have been a part of some exciting movements since the beginning and their path has been an organic one. They quickly became known in their hometown for taking over an ex-government building in the heart of Cork city, turning it into a studio and creating a hub for the scene that surrounded them. The years that follow shine a light on the relentless energy of this group and unwavering love for playing shows anywhere & everywhere.

The band have been invited to perform at Liverpool Psych Fest numerous times, supported the Brian Jonestown Massacre, sold out venues, churches and clubs, played rip-roaring DIY shows in friends’ basements, were joined by members of Spacemen 3 on stage and toured with fellow Irish rockers Fontaines D.C in 2019. The European tour saw both outfits play sold out shows in venues like The Bataclan, Paris & Paradiso, Amsterdam.

It’s been a wild ride for The Altered Hours so far, needless to say, but their music keeps evolving. They seem born to be an underground affair, something that they wear with pride and this album is a wonderful culmination of their DIY upbringing, their unfiltered rock ‘n’ roll spirit along with a confident stride into personal songwriting.

“We’ve been quite careful with our releases, because of a love for making music that has a lot of life experience in it,” Cathal told Hot Press last year ahead of their second album's unveiling. “We enjoy condensing a lot of material into a small amount of work. We could have taken another route and released a project annually, but it’s kind of more interesting to take a larger sample of your life and your writing, because there’s more potency in the record when it does come out.”

“We made In Heat, Not Sorry abroad in Berlin. It was a very overwhelming space – a very big studio in a historical area,” MacGabhann added, thoughtfully. “We had a producer that we were only just getting to know. You’re dealing with a lot of external influences, as well as your relationship with the band and the music itself. With Convertible, we made a conscious effort to take those external factors away and do it ourselves.”

Revisit the band's October 2021 conversation with Hot Press here.

Get your tickets to see The Altered Hours in Dublin this weekend here.

Photo credit: Hance Photography