White Horse Guitar Club: "It’s the opposite of toxic masculinity. It’s healthy."

With enough members to line up against Hot Press' formidable AUL footballing side, the White Horse Guitar Club is perhaps the single, most thoroughly unique, outfit on today’s circuit. Born and reared at the eponymous watering hole in Ballincollig, the group consists of 11 men, their guitars, and their voices. Stonemasons, teachers, engineers and more make up their ranks, all united by a common passion for songs - and for singing.

“If it was planned, we’d be geniuses,” admits Joe Philpott, of the group’s 2012 formation. “We were figuring out ways to escape the house and have a pint, and it seemed obvious to ask people along to this guitar club. About 22 showed up which quickly whittled down to 11.”

More than a set of euphonious hobbyists, the WHGC provide much needed companionship which, these days, is often lacking from the lives of men who are no longer in the first flush of youth.

”It’s unusual for lads in their forties and fifties to get together like this,” says Joe. “We realised there was craic to be had and friendships started to form. It became our salve. We have families and kids, we’ve gone through ups and downs, we’ve lost people. The music has galvanised us. It’s the opposite of toxic masculinity. It’s healthy. These are all stand-up guys: if the shit hits the fan, they’ll be there for you.”

That said, it turns out that the male-only nature of the band was not intentional.

“We’re not a ‘boys club’,” Joe reveals. “The irony is that our sound engineers and management are all women. When the call went out, it wasn’t a man-only thing at all - six women could have shown up and been more than welcome.”

With the musical tastes and chops of the eleven members as varied as their professions, what was it that led the band to primarily focus on bluegrass?

“We had no idea what we were doing musically,” says Joe. “At first, it was a crazy mish-mash of shit, but within that, something started to happen. We started singing the song ‘Wide River To Cross’, and the sound hit me like a ton of bricks. I was like, ‘What the fuck is that?’

”Diving deeper, we found other songs which suited our choral sound. When you put the Irish heartbeat into Americana, you get something special. There’s a melancholy in Ireland that translates over, and a haunting quality to 11 guitars, and 11 Irish voices, singing something that’s as pristine now as it was back when it was written.

“People consistently began to gravitate towards us,” he adds, “no matter where we were playing. We knew then that there was something going on that would be impossible to conjure if we’d planned it.”

One music industry constant which transcends time and genre is the infamous band squabble. With 11 musicians to contend with, how do The White Horse Guitar Club make sure everyone remains on the same page?

“We’re not in our twenties anymore, so maybe our egos are small,” laughs Joe. “There’s leadership within the band but we all have a say. Nobody’s forced to do anything and everybody weighs in. There’s also a huge sense of humour. Early on, one or two of the guys made some outrageous suggestions like, ‘Why don’t we play the Everyman Theatre in Cork’, and half the band went, ‘What? Us?’ We did it and it sold out.”

Speaking of memorable live gigs, WHGC had an enjoyably frenetic 2023, drawing crowds at festivals like All Together Now and Electric Picnic. The ensemble was also invited by Michael D. Higgins for a special Culture Night performance last September.

The next logical step, it seemed, was an album. And thus it was writ. The recording of their debut LP Live At The White Horse has just been wrapped up. How did the band manage to translate their unique sessions to a studio setting?

“I’m lucky enough to have recorded with top producers across the world and see how they work,” says Joe, who was a key man in the hugely respected and popular ‘90s & ‘00s Cork band, Rubyhorse. “What fascinated me is that the best recordings are designed to suit the environment the band are used to. This idea of ‘separation’ and ‘bleed’, and how pristine you can make it, is bullshit.

“We mocked up exactly how we’d normally be, with the addition of some really amazing microphones, to capture the essence and the spirit of who we are.”

With that as a starting point, an exciting year beckons. Hot for 2024? You bet. The White Horse Guitar Club will be all over the airwaves very soon...