- Music
- 04 Nov 09
Could It Be Magick Now?
This year over 15,000 young people took part in the Irish Youth Music Awards competition. We catch up with winners Magick Guvnors Radio Bottle to talk nerves, victory and their unusual name.
Some 500 teenagers attended the Irish Youth Music Awards in April. The country's biggest young people’s music event is run by Youth Work Ireland in association with the City of Dublin Youth Services Board and Youth Action Northern Ireland. The winners of the competition were Monaghan quartet Magick Guvnors Radio Bottle, aka 17-year-olds Conor Bellew, Ciaran Curley and Jonathan Fahy, and 18-year-old Daniel Donnelly.
Influenced by indie big-hitters Kings Of Leon, The Arcade Fire and The Arctic Monkeys, MGRB claimed the accolade after an agonising seven-month involvement in the competition.
“We were pushed into it at the start by our parents,” Donnelly says. “As the competition went on we just got more and more competitive. We’re definitely glad we entered it now!...”
A unique aspect of the competition was the requirement that bands cover one of their rivals’ songs.
“You had to play somebody else’s original. We covered a song written by Laura Ward, another person who was competing with us in Monaghan. It’s called ‘If Only’. She kind of gave us the song after that and it basically helped us win the competition.”
When it comes to lyrics, front man Bellew plays the cards close to his chest. “Some of it’s the kind of random stuff that mightn’t make a whole pile of sense but there’s the whole love song thing as well. Y’know, the usual...”
In the grand final, they were up against Last Draws from Newry and singer-songwriter “Izzy” from Kerry. Phantom presenter and Hot Press DJ of the Year Michelle Doherty announced the Monaghan rockers as the winners to uproarious applause.
Their prize includes recording time in Ashtown Studios and a spot on the IYMA CD, Pesky Kids, the IYMAs Volume 2 Monaghan.
“We had an EP before this but it’s not a good CD to be honest!” Donnelly admits. “We can play for two and a half, three hours at a time. We only have about eight or nine originals. But at the minute we’re playing a lot of pub gigs. So we can do a full show of covers and originals.”
Pesky Kids, the IYMAs Volume 2 Monaghan is out now on Garage Records
