After playing his first sold-out headliner in Whelan’s this past month, David Keenan is still riding high from the thrill. “It was amazing to see a room full of people there,” he enthuses. “We had to turn people away from the door. There was this total acceptance, a total camaraderie there, it was beautiful.”
As Keenan explains, the music he creates is centred around his identity, especially his identity as an Irish musician. “We live in strange times,” he muses, “so I think a sense of identity is really important. I don’t think there has to be any element of paddywackery involved in Irish music anymore, for upcoming Irish artists. We have to stop apologising for being Irish, find the right balance, and just be ourselves. There are like-minded souls out there, we just have to seek them out, you know?”
Garnering the attention of like-minded souls hasn’t been a problem for Keenan, as he’s caught the eye of some of Ireland’s finest musicians in recent years. “I’m surrounded by all these amazing individuals,” he notes. “Damien Dempsey, Glen Hansard, Mick Flannery – all incredible musicians, whom I got the chance to be around in the past few months. It’s an incredible opportunity and I’m not taking it for granted.”
It seems as though everything’s going to be on the rise for Keenan this year, as he will be setting out on tour with The Strypes this spring. “We get on so well,” he says. “It’s funny, to be among them, they’re amazing musicians. Josh, the guitar player, he’s such a machine, and he’s only 21. I’m 23 myself, and I just really admire him. I can’t wait to go on the road with them, I’m a massive fan.”
See: David supports The Strypes on their spring tour this year.
Hear: His single, "The Friary," below.