Cry Monster Cry
There’s not many people in the music industry who’ve managed to avoid a Spinal Tap moment or two; not many have carried on through as successfully as Cry Monster Cry.
“We did a couple of dates with Mick Flannery down in Cork,” recalls Jamie Martin, one half of the act he fronts alongside his brother, Richie. “We had a bit of a nightmare; two of our guitars broke, and my mandolin didn’t work. For a sold-out show, we performed with one acoustic guitar and two vocals. It was one of my favourite gigs; you could hear a pin drop.”
It’s little surprise that the brothers won over the Leeside faithful with their atmospheric folk stylings; it’s equally unsurprising that rave reviews have followed at bigger shows since the release of Rhythm of Dawn, their striking debut album. Packed with tight harmonies and charming, clever songwriting, it also showcased an ability to expand their sound beyond what we’d heard on their 2012 EP The Fallen; with a full band in tow, it’s been wholly impressive in a live setting, and the audience reactions since the album release have been similarly pleasing.
“When you start playing and see the front row singing along, it’s an amazing feeling,” Jamie grins. “In the studio you can get incredibly wrapped up, to the point where you forget about getting the songs out there!”
One thing is for sure; unlike the wait that preceded their impressive opening salvo, record No. 2 won’t take nearly as long.
“We’re already working on some stuff,” he reveals. “We tend to throw ideas around when rehearsing, and while soundchecking too. It’s not always easy to write on the road, and the record is only six months old so there’s plenty of time. But things have been going really well for us, and we want to strike while the iron is hot.”

HEAR: The debut album on Spotify
SEE: Their biggest headliner to date at The Button Factory on October 23

Only Rivals
Dubs they may be, but the capital has had to learn to live without Only Rivals for quite some time. Rising from the ashes of Home Star Runner, they’ve made the roads of the UK their home for the past year or two; no wonder frontman Stephen Arkins is buzzing to be back, and with a new LP in tow to boot. “Fibbers was the very first place we played as Only Rivals,” he recalls. “It was almost exactly two years ago, so it’ll be nice to come back! It’s pretty amazing that people are dying to hear the album; when we recorded it last year, we didn’t even know if it would see the light of day. For that to be happening – and for there to be real hype surrounding it – is pretty fantastic.”
While there was a wait for the effervescently energetic Life Is Perfect to hit shelves, it’s not as though the intervening months had seen the band sitting about waiting for something to happen. “Straight after the album, we went on the Pop Punk’s Not Dead tour with New Found Glory,” the frontman explains. “We’re massive fans of those guys; we grew up listening to them.”
That followed what Stephen admits was something of a baptism of fire, hitting the road with a band who’ll be packing out 3Arena come January, All Time Low.
“It was our second tour, and the first night was in the Brixton Academy. It blew our minds, it was so insane. We learned loads by watching them play, too; seeing them every night teaches you a lot.”
And while the return to Fibbers might sate some appetites on our shores, we shouldn’t bank on seeing the boys in their hometown too much.
“We’re on our first co-headline tour of the UK to promote the album,” Stephen reports. “Then we want to be over in the States – and as soon as we can too!”

HEAR: Their latest single ‘REPLACE//EXCHANGE’ at youtube. com/watch?v=Qw2hdAlUrsE
SEE: Their long-awaited comeback at Fibbers, Parnell St. on September 23