Kíla have returned with their new single, ‘Raise the Road’, released on January 12th. The Irish folk group will also be performing at Tradfest on January 27th where Kíla & Brass will perform to a standing audience.

The new single has coincided with their upcoming performance at this year’s Tradfest 2023 in The National Stadium, the scene of previous Féile Kíla triumphs. If there’s anything that could top a live Kíla performance, it’s a live Kíla performance with an 8-piece brass band.

The idea was conceived by founding member Rossa Ó Snodaigh who sourced funding from Liatroim Live Performance scheme in 2021, with a view to perform this musical spectacular in the Glens Arts Centre in Liatroim on New Year’s Eve. Having performed in New Orleans at the Folk Alliance conference and been exposed to some of the best New Orleans Jazz, Rossa imagined what a brass band might sound like with the band’s music and the fund gave him the opportunity to commission the trombonist and brass arranger Paul Frost to apply his magic to their music.

While Kíla have included some brass on various tracks over the years, an eight piece ensemble would be a brand new venture, not only for Kíla but for Irish music itself. But that Christmass’ Covid lockdown nearly caused the performance to be cancelled. To save the show they had to cancel the audience in the auditorium, but the scheduled live broadcast allowed that anyone with wifi could watch the gig online.

The concert was a roaring success with audiences in countries all over the world dancing in their living rooms and sending platitudes over twitter. It would be another nine months before they got the chance to perform it again, this time to a seated audience in Dún Laoghaire’s Pavilion Theatre. This prompted Kíla to record these tracks and release ‘Raise the Road’ as a single for Tradfest in the National Stadium at the end of this month. Last minute tickets are available to purchase from Tradfest's website.

Stream 'Raise the Road' below.