Live Report: Sky Atlas on the Hot Press Y&E series

Sky Atlas burst onto the scene with their debut single ‘News Today’ in 2019, and several acclaimed live gigs followed. This year they dropped ‘Stone’ and ‘Threads’ from their highly-anticipated debut EP. With a unique sound that is difficult to tie to any existing genre, Sky Atlas are a force to be reckoned with as they demonstrated in their Y&E series appearance last night.

“Hello and welcome to the Sky Atlas cave,” said the band’s bassist and “mystery man” Danilo Ward, before they launched into their first number, ‘Care You Still You Know’. It was a swelling mix of delicate folk guitar from frontman Lughaidh Armstrong-Mayock, hard rock drums, shoegaze bass lines and a screaming, distorted saxophone.

‘Hollow Embrace’ followed and saxophonist Louis Younge jumped onto the violin which was even more distorted than the sax. The Dublin-based four piece then launched into ‘Dream On,’ from their forthcoming EP which featured some haunting harmonies from powerhouse drummer Ryan McClelland along with both a piano and sax solo from Younge.

The band closed their set with their most recent single ‘Threads’ also from the EP which is set to arrive on November 5th. The band will launch their debut EP, Stone, with a show in The Grand Social on November 11th. Tickets are available from the band’s website.

Watch their barnstorming set below.

 

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Photo: Stefan Tivodar.

Up next on the Y&E series:

Tuesday, September 7: CRUEL SISTER

The first single from Cruel Sister's upcoming girls my age EP, 'my forever,' explores the angst and uncertainty of young adults falling in and out of love. The Dublin-based bedroom pop producer's latest track, 'too much', fuses genres in an expansive, hazy, shoegaze-tinged pop track. It's a captivating offering, establishing her as a serious star-on-the-rise. Following her recent collaboration with Evan Miles on 'I'll Be Okay', you can expect big things from Cruel Sister...

Wednesday, September 8: CURTIS WALSH

Having clocked up over 15 million streams of his debut EP, Breathe, Curtis Walsh is a serious star-in-the-making. Increasingly drawing creative inspiration from the likes of Bon Iver and Jon Hopkins, the Dublin artist continues to expand his approach to songwriting and production – as showcased on his latest single 'Picture Perfect'. Stay tuned for more music on the way later this year...

Thursday, September 9: MATTHEW HARRIS

Having established himself as a remarkable force in Irish music through his collaborations with Malaki, Matthew Harris has stepped into the spotlight as a solo artist this year. Drawing influence from the likes of James Blake, Brockhampton and Arlo Parks, the Dublin-based artist also releases his production-based work under the moniker CHAMELEON – including a recent collaboration with Lucy McWilliams on 'YOU KNOW'.

Friday, September 10: JESSICA HAMMOND

Fast becoming one of the brightest new voices in Irish music, Jessica Hammond has enjoyed a productive few months – with the release of two solo singles, 'Champagne' and 'Video Call', as well as a collaboration with Kyle Meehan, 'Guilty Of Your Love'. The latter track has already clocked up nearly 1.8 million streams on Spotify alone. The Belfast-based artist has also worked alongside some of the UK's top producers and writers, and has earned a coveted spot on the Paragon Records roster.

Keep an eye on hotpress.com and our social media platforms for more information...