The first acts at eir Other Voices Festival 2017 confirmed, open call for new acts announced

The sixteenth edition of the festival, which takes place between the 1st and 3rd of December will feature, in St. James’ Church performances by Songhoy Blues from Timbuktu, Mali, Perfume Genius from Seattle, US and Aine Cahill from Co. Cavan, while Katie Laffan will be performing at IMRO Other Room.

Furthermore, this year sees the launch of the eir Other Voices Open Call, which offers new artists the chance to submit their music and potentially be selected to perform at this year's festival. The winner will earn a slot on the IMRO Other Room with the performance being broadcast on the RTE 2 series. The act will also receive a three-day recording session with an engineer, alongside the production company and budget for a performance music video, practical music industry mentoring, and travel and accommodation expenses covered.

Speaking about the open call ahead of its launch was Other Voices presenter, May-Kay and David McGloughlin of Le Galaxie.

“I’ve been asked so many times how to play at Other Voices and there are a lot of ways”, May-Kay says. “But this is the best way to do it. We want really good acts of any genre, of any style and size - if you’re a band with ten members apply. The shortlist will be four acts, which you will then get to vote on for the Listener’s Choice. These acts will get to play the IMRO Other Room too.”

“There’s a whole bundle of prizes to be had here, but even just being able to get up onstage with Other Voices is an incredible offer”, David adds. “It’s quite something to step into that world. There is a unique feeling around the town and venues. When Le Galaxie first got up on the stage in 2016, we couldn’t figure out how dance music could work in a church, but people are so responsive. It’s a cauldron of love for music and it offers the best for all genres.”

“Other Voices is a healthy environment for new artists to be in”, May Kay continues. “It is built on every act's ambition, enthusiasm and reliability. Nobody has been half-booked either, the quality is incredible from the church to the Music Trail and more importantly, nobody is above or below anyone else.”

The eir Other Voices Open Call is now taking entries here and will close on September 22nd, 2017 at 6pm.

For further information on the line-up and tickets for the filming of the TV series, visit the Other Voices official site at othervoices.ie.