PREMIERE: PureGrand unveils club celebration anthem 'No More Dancefloor'

Dublin indie-pop artist PureGrand, otherwise known as Luke Faulkner, is set to release his new single, 'No More Dancefloor' tomorrow (October) - premiered by Hot Press below.

'No More Dancefloor' was born out of a frustration in watching the club scene and cultural spaces in Dublin being eaten up by hotels and investment funds. The song acts as a lament for a time when one could lose themselves on the dance floor without the threat of it going away.

“I caught the last gasp of the rescission era Dublin club nights and over the past five years I’ve seen space after space been eaten up by more and more hotels," PureGrand explained.

"I feel like the club scene played a huge part in my own self discovery as a gay person and is a huge backbone for LGBTQ+ culture, so I wanted to pen something that mourned for that damage both to club goers in Ireland, but especially to the queer community."

PureGrand's inspiration for the song came from watching Queer as Folk, commenting that he "was amazed by how huge the club scenes were in it and how all the characters lives centred on it." He feels that the club scene is less sacred now, especially with clubs and music venues disappearing year after year.

Inspired by the gay club staples at the time, PureGrand peppers elements of house and disco into 'No More Dancefloor' as a nod to the ghosts of dance music past.

"The song was written at the outset of the pandemic when I was fully convinced we would return to the club in no time," he exclaimed. "It’s taken till restrictions have eased for it to get finished so I’m hopeful there will be plenty of dance floors ready for it to be heard.”

The track, like many of his other songs, was entirely produced and recorded by Luke, who also works as a photographer and visual artist.

A self-confessed pop music obsessive, he is fast making a name for himself on the Irish music scene with his distinct marriage of strong pop hooks, introspective lyrics and striking visuals.

Though it started as a bedroom DIY endeavour, PureGrand has gone on to preform at Ireland’ s best homegrown alternative nights including Glitterhole, Avoca’s Queer Cabaret, and Dublin Fringe festival.

Last year he performed with Jack Rua, CMAT and Gold Blooded Woman as part of Gotta Tell You, a pop event about the future of Irish pop as part of Music Town Dublin.

'No More Dancefloor' is the fourth single from PureGrand’s upcoming album, This Can’t Happen Again, due to be released early next year.

It follows previous beat driven singles 'Timeline' and 'Such A Fright' as well as 'Pictures', a mid-tempo ballad inspired by 90s boyband’s and vocal groups.

 “The project as a whole is a collection of songs about my own experiences (pre-pandemic) of being stuck in my 20s, unable to progress into adulthood," Luke says of the album’s origins.

"Rather than channel these ideas into a predictably serious set of songs - which is often the case - I’ve chosen to produce tracks in the '90s and early '00s pop sound. This is to contrast the sounds with the words but also as a way of escapism from the themes in the songs and to examine how we use nostalgia as a comfort during stressful times"

PureGrand was selected as Hot Press's Hot for 2021 with his last single, 'Pictures', being met with critical acclaim.

Stay tuned for 'No More Dancefloor', set to release on Friday, October 22nd, and listen to PureGrand's previous single, 'Pictures', below.