Hot for 2019 Irish Acts: The Innocent Bystander

With mainstream indie going off the boil of late, the genre has been crying out for a new breed of bands with stadium-sized choruses. The Innocent Bystander are more than capable of filling that role, and their music will strike a chord with those who’ve struggled with small-town boredom and are driven by an undying love for ‘80s outsider pop. Formed by producer/songwriter Mark Healy and partly inspired by his days swigging gin with Shane MacGowan, jamming with Primal Scream and partying with Kylie, their mission statement is to “make guitar music that takes nothing from the blues”, and current EP Neon Lights is an irresistible slice of evergreen indie. Debut full length There’s Music Still Left In These Streets is primed for a 2019 release.

HEAR: Neon Lights.

SEE: They play Whelan’s in Dublin on January 25.