New To Hot Press: V98

‘Dublin’, the supremely catchy new tune from Dublin indie crew V98, should be a major playlist favourite this year.

The four-piece — Darragh Geoghegan (vocals), Conor Healy (guitar), Craig Geoghegan (bass) and Richie O’Brien (drums) — formed in January 2018, and in just 12 months they’ve gained real traction.

“We were just jamming and having fun,” recalls Darragh of their origins. “Then one day, Richie came in one day and was like, ‘By the way lads, I’ve booked a headline gig for us!’”

That first show was at the Bello Bar at the start of last year, since when V98 have gone from strength to strength.

Taking inspiration from the number of exciting young acts in Ireland currently, Darragh was especially impacted by Fontaines DC. Having caught one of their shows at Dublin’s Button Factory, the singer felt it was possible to follow their example.

“I remember looking at them and thinking, you know, we could do that,” says Darragh. “Fast forward six months and we were also playing the Button Factory.”

Bringing things up to date, the excellent ‘Dublin’ nicely sets the tone for the year ahead. “It’s really good to create a piece of art that’s so true to you,” says Darragh. “It’s an ode to our homeland, so we’re all really proud of it – we really like the way it came out.”

‘Dublin’ is out now.