Programme 1: Wed 25th January
Line-up: Laura Cantrell, Vyvienne Long, The Walls and James Blunt
LAURA CANTRELL
The late John Peel could hardly be described as a country music enthusiast, so for any artist from that field to impress him they'd have to have something special. He's on record as declaring that his favourite record of the past 10 years is by a New York woman born in Nashville called Laura Cantrell. With kudos such as this, alongside support slots with Elvis Costello and widespread critical acclaim for her previous two albums, Cantrell is one of the few contemporary artists testing the fragile boundaries of traditional country and folk. She scaled the heights of corporate banking before quitting to focus on music full-time. She has also served time as a formidably knowledgeable radio presenter on the WFMU in Jersey. Her latest album, Humming by The Flowered Vine has been released to further acclaim and, apart from a bunch of trademark Cantrell originals, it includes sparky interpretations of song by Lucinda Williams and Emily Spray.
VYVIENNE LONG
Vyvienne Long has for a long time been a familiar figure with Irish music fans as the striking and versatile cellist in Damien Rice’s band. A graduate of the Escola de Musica in Barcelona, Long toured with Rice in America and Europe throughout 2003, wowing audiences with her oddball interpretations of familiar rock gems such as The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’. She has since created her own live show with a quirky line-up consisting of three cellos, piano, double bass and drums, thus creating a refreshingly original vehicle both for obscure classics and eccentric covers. Long occasionally performs with The National Symphony Orchestra when she’s not doing her solo thing or busy laying down sounds for Rice’s long-awaited second album.
THE WALLS
The Walls’ New Dawn Breaking album debuted on the Irish charts at number five, garnered widespread acclaim from press and public alike and unleashed four substantial radio hits – ‘To The Bright and Shining Sun’, ‘Drowning Pool’, ‘Passing Through’ and ‘Black and Blue’. Having risen from the ashes of equally popular The Stunning, the current line-up consists of brothers Joe and Steve Wall, drummer Rory, new bassist Jon O’Connell, and keyboard player Marc Aubule. After invading Eastern Europe in early 2005, the band spent the remainder of the year touring Ireland, bringing the charms of the new album to eager audiences in packed houses. 2006 looks like it’ll be as frenetic as 2005 was, with the band touring overseas and bringing their recordings to fresh markets. A new Irish tour will get underway next month.
JAMES BLUNT
Voted Best Newcomer at the MTV awards, the inclusion of James Blunt on the OTHER VOICES bill is not just a serious coup for the programme-makers, but it also reflects a healthy open-mindedness to acts beyond the obvious. Blunt was one of last year’s hottest music tickets, coming from nowheresville to spend nearly three months in the top slot in the Irish singles charts and pushing more than 100,000 albums into Irish homes. That album Back To Bedlam has achieved ten times platinum status and Blunt has spent more weeks at number one in Ireland than any other artist during the past decade. His album has even surpassed the sales of superstar rivals Coldplay. Blunt likes Ireland, having opened the scoring back in February in places like The Ruby Sessions at Doyle's pub and Crawdaddy. Since then he has wowed Irish fans with his knock-out performances at sold-out gigs in The Village and the eclectic Electric Picnic. More recently, he’s put the house-full signs up at The Point in Dublin and Millstreet in Cork.
Programme 2: Wed 1st February
Line-up: Pinky, Humanzi, Jóse González and The Waterboys.
PINKY (SOLO)
Tipped by many as one of the most likely major stars of the near future, Pinky’s musical expedition has seen him come from early beginnings as an angelic young singer in a cathedral choir, through eight years of classical training. Along the way he has experimented with genres as diverse as jazz, blues, soul and funk, has dabbled with '60s and '70s folk music and psychedelic pop, before finally creating his own unique and striking sound. His debut is due to descend upon us in 2006, but for those who can’t wait to sample this hot new talent, there are tracks currently available to download from www.myspace.com/pinkymusic.
HUMANZI
Having four vocalists is arguably only one of the reason why the Dublin-based Humanzi have made such an impact in just a few short months. The full line-up consists of Shaun Mulrooney on guitar, keyboards and lead vocals, Colm Rutledge on guitar and vocals, Gary Lonergan on bass and Brian Gallagher on drums and vocals. Marrying dark subject matter with a positive musical delivery, the band can deliver a truly energetic live show, with elements of genuine rock ‘n’ roll spiced with enough lashings of attitude and venom to appeal to critics and fans alike. Making a claim as an antidote to the vacuous pretty boy bands currently infecting the music scene, Humanzi released their debut single ‘Fix The Cracks’ last year. A new waxing, called ‘Long Time Coming’, is ready to roll in February 2006 and the band’s debut album, Diet Pills, will follow.
José González
Dazed and Confused described José González as “one of 2005’s most exciting prospects” and with the single ‘Heartbeats’ shooting straight into the Swedish top ten, the 27 year-old is already a rising star in Scandinavia. González offers an intimate contrast to the more gregarious rock exports we’ve come to expect from Sweden. His ‘Heartbeats’ was chosen to soundtrack the new Sony Bravia TV Commercial. With a sound based on languid classical guitar playing and his appealingly expressive voice, José’s debut album Veneer is already winning him fans in this part of the world. 2006 could well see him break into the mainstream.
THE WATERBOYS (with Liam Ó Maonlaí)
Formed by the legendary Mike Scott in 1983, The Waterboys have released over 15 albums to critical acclaim and considerable sales, and enjoyed numerous hit singles, most particularly 1985’s ‘The Whole Of The Moon’. Yet despite more 20 years as a hugely respected band whose records transcended the barriers that divide rock, pop and folk music, The Waterboys were one of those bands who thrived even more on stage. So the release last year of their first ever official live album Karma to Burn was not only greeted by long-standing fans with open wallets but also gave new fans the chance to encounter The Waterboys' live experience at last. Drawn from gigs in Ireland and Britain, the album showcases the many sides of The Waterboys’ musical dice, ranging from paint-stripping rock ‘n’ roll to light-hearted pop, Celtic narratives and acoustic soul. For several years Ireland was the band’s second home, so their appearance on OTHER VOICES is really some sort of homecoming.
Programme 3: Wed 8 February
Line-up: Duke Special, Clare Sproule, Stephen Fretwell and Elbow
DUKE SPECIAL
As a unique species of bruised romantic, Duke Special’s soft Northern-tinged voice is a sharp contrast to his wild dreadlocks, smudged eyeliner and the unfeasibly wide trousers he insists on wearing. Described as Belfast’s finest son of vaudeville, Duke Special, (real name Peter Wilson) released his debut album Adventures in Gramophone last year. A concoction of cheese graters, wardrobe doors, pianos, harps, brass, strings and an old gramophone were commandeered for the 12-track opus, resulting in a musical collage that subsequently earned him praise from Jack White of The White Stripes and The Hives, among others. He headlined all over Ireland throughout 2005, fitting in two sold-out shows in Belfast’s Empire. He has also supported Hal in the UK, and even starred in his own comic book as an action hero! Duke will spend early 2006 recording a new album.
CLAIRE SPROULE
With a range of classic soft-rock influences that includes the melodic wistfulness of Carly Simon and the soulful ache of Carole King, 21-year-old Claire Sproule is one of the new generation of Irish female singers. Not that she’s a mere sum of her influences. Sproule brings her own thoroughly modern, youthful twist to the party and the result is often truly mesmerising. Equipped with a voice so pure it belies the heartache she sings of, Claire needs little more than her guitar and her extraordinary, evocative vocals to paint portraits from the world around her in all its bittersweet reality. Her original songs can startle listeners with their captivating and unaffected honesty. For proof, check out her remarkable self-titled debut album.
STEPHEN FRETWELL
At the tender age of 23, Stephen Fretwell signed to Fiction Records and released his first album Magpie to an overwhelmingly positive critical reaction. That album was recorded in London's legendary Abbey Road studios, in the middle of what Fretwell describes as the one of the most amazing phases of his life. Such positivity infects Magpie, featuring as it does haunting and moving tracks such as ‘Emily’, ‘New York’ and ‘Run’. Fretwell has already toured with the likes of KT Tunstall, Athlete and Keane, as well as playing his own Irish dates.
ELBOW
Originally hailing from Manchester, Elbow were nominated for a prestigious Mercury Prize for their debut album and have been cited by Chris Martin of Coldplay as highly influential and inspiring. Having released their third critically acclaimed album Leaders of The Free World in the autumn of last year, Elbow have deservedly featured in many a “Best of 2005” poll. Leaders of the Free World was recorded in the Big Room at Blueprint Studios in Manchester and the entire creative process was captured in a classy DVD. More recently, Elbow showcased the breath of their talent in front of a full Vicar Street audience, earning them the kind of response that should ensure that 2006 will see their name light up many a bill on the festival circuit across Europe.
Programme 4: Wed 15 February
Line-up: Emmett Tinley, Stars, Trashcan Sinatras and Horslips
EMMETT TINLEY
Whenever and wherever he performs, Emmett Tinley can always wow the fans with his delightful voice – to the extent that the mighty Atlantic Records in the US has signed him as a solo artist. Tinley spent a number of years fronting The Prayer Boat, helping them to make great records with some wonderful songs. Later, he moved to Holland while Atlantic helped him make his debut solo album using some excellent European musicians and the Australian producer Victor Van Ought, best known for his work with Nick Cave and Beth Orton. On a visit back to Ireland, he came to the notice of Independent Records, who hustled Atlantic intelligently and efficiently enough to get that album Attic Faith released in Ireland first. In 2005 Irish and Dutch audiences took Emmett and Attic Faith to their collective bosoms. If you’ve missed out, it’s not too late.
STARS
Canadian band Stars released their remarkable album Set Yourself On Fire towards the back end of last year. Stars by name and Stars by nature, the band made their debut live appearance in the Sugar Club in Dublin in September 2005. Their apparently unstoppable rise and rise hasn’t let up since. Stars are a classic pop outfit with a relentless armoury of tunes, king size harmonies and an infectious spirit that earns them new fans by the shed load. The band claimed that with Set Yourself On Fire they were aiming to make a straight-up sex record, but instead ended up writing a sex and death album. But that’s Stars for you: at first glimpse they may seem simple and downhome, until it all blows up – big, ornate and rich.
HORSLIPS
Horslips came among us when our need was greatest, with their thigh-length boots, their electric fiddles, their smoke machines and their coloured lights and, most importantly, their thumping, electrifying, genre-defying Celtic Rock. In doing so, they gave us a glimpse of an Ireland that only existed in its possibilities. Over an eight year period, from 1972 to 1980, they produced a catalogue of 12 albums, most notably The Tain and The Book of Invasions, and performed live over 2,000 times, all over the globe, before calling it a day. In March of 2004 Messrs. Carr, Devlin, Fean, Lockhart and O’Connor travelled by bus to the Orchard Gallery in Derry where they played together for the first time in 24 years. An album, Rollback, followed late last year. A film by Maurice Linane entitled Return Of The Dancehall Sweethearts, is out now on DVD, featuring observations from a host of Irish musicians, writers and media as well as live performances and interviews with the band. (See interview page 14.)
TRASHCAN SINATRAS
Having successfully battled through the loss of a record label, as well as the downer vibes of bankruptcy, self-doubt and eight years tied in a recording contract, The Trashcan Sinatras are now firmly back on the musical radar, having performed to sell-out crowds in Europe, America and Japan through 2005. Thus the band, made up of John Douglas, Stephen Douglas, Davy Hughes, Paul Livingston and Francis Reader, have returned to the fray – and, judging by the overwhelmingly positive critical reaction to their new album Weightlifting, fans obviously reckon it’s about time too. Now on their own independent Picnic Records label, the band also played the South By Southwest festival (SXSW) in Texas and released a 21-track acoustic CD called Fez.
Programme 5: Wed 22 February
Line-up: Julie Feeney (solo), Matt Lunson, Martha Wainwright and Rufus Wainwright
JULIE FEENEY
Having garnered a rave review from Hot Press, Julie Feeney’s debut album 13 Songs has since earned the critical plaudits of The New York Times and virtually all major Irish press. Released independently, the album was produced, composed, arranged and funded by Julie herself. Obviously no slouch, she plays nine instruments and sings all of the vocals on the album. No stranger to the concert platform at home or abroad, she works also as a professional choral singer and composer, and has already toured the world with various ensembles. Hailing from Galway, Feeney is a classically-trained musician, and has studied at The Royal Conservatory at The Hague. She holds a Masters degree in psychoanalysis from Trinity College in Dublin, a qualification that might come in useful as she tries to navigate the vagaries of the music scene!
MATT LUNSON
Matt Lunson grew up in Tasmania, Australia, immersed in Chuck Berry, The Beatles, Kiss, AC/DC, Black Sabbath and The Sex Pistols. In Sydney, he joined his first band as lead singer before leaving for London in 1998. Not long after he took a break in Dublin, fell in love with the city, and now divides his time between Dublin, Sydney and Tasmania.
On his most recent trip home he recorded his first solo album, producing a highly distinctive and original work, while playing virtually all of the instruments himself. That album, Miss Vaughan, is named after his first music teacher, and reveals itself as a deep and multi-layered affair, steeped in the post-punk sounds of The Birthday Party and The Saints.
Miss Vaughan was completed in Dublin with help from Dave Geraghty of BellX1 and these additional touches make the album sparkle. Lunson has also recently performed alongside with BellX1, Mundy, Mary Coughlan, The Walls, Ollie Cole, Tim Freedman (The Whitlams) and Liam O Maonlai (Hothouse Flowers).
MARTHA WAINWRIGHT
Given Martha Wainwright’s pedigree it's no surprise that she became an artist. For as well as albums by her brother Rufus and her legendary father Loudon, she has also lent a hand to recordings by her mother and aunt, Kate and Anna McGarrigle respectively. But it’s not just a family affair. Blessed with a supremely rich voice, Martha has also graced recordings by artists of the calibre Linda Thompson and Geoff Muldaur. Few albums, therefore, were as keenly anticipated as her self-titled debut which finally emerged last year. It features 13 songs of love, loss, fear, faith and desire, swoops from modern rock to old-world parlour songs. All are delivered in a strikingly pure voice that soars, shimmers and roars. As one magazine put it, Martha’s songwriting combines something of her mother’s grace, her father’s wit and her brother’s artful, cabaret-pop sophistication, delivered with a rock ‘n’ roll passion that is all her own. (See interview page 13).
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
Brother of Martha and son of Loudon, Rufus Wainwright has clocked up 70,000 sales of his albums, Want One and Want Two, so what better way to end an incredible year than to release Want – a double CD set containing both albums, a brand new sleeve and two exclusive new tracks (‘In With The Ladies’ and ‘Chelsea Hotel No.2’, the latter a Leonard Cohen cover recorded in Brighton). Originally released in 2003, the meticulously layered and richly textured Want One enjoyed critical success in 2004 when Rufus had trod the boards and released the single ‘I Don’t Know What It Is’. Want Two added to his critical kudos. An indisputable must-have, it features guest vocals from both Antony (of Mercury Music Prize winners Antony & The Johnsons) and sister Martha. After touring Europe with Keane in early 2005, he spent the rest of the year headlining to widespread applause, performed at several major summer events and was one of the highlights at Glastonbury.
Programme 6: Wed 1 March
Line-up: Iarla Ó Lionáird (solo), Jape, Asian Dub Foundation and Alabama 3
IARLA Ó LIONÁIRD
Iarla Ó Lionáird was born into a world of song in Cúil Aodha, the small, Irish-speaking enclave in west Cork where Seán O Riada famously formed his choir. O Lionáird's mother and grandmother were both known singers in the sean nós, unaccompanied tradition. So no surprises then that he became an internationally revered recording artist and singer with Afro Celt Soundsystem. Indeed, O Lionáird’s compositions and interpretations of traditional songs map an Ireland both ancient and truly modern, marrying a traditional Irish sung form with electronic soundscapes at once sweeping and stripped down, providing a bedrock for his evocative voice. His latest album Invisible Fields, his first solo album since the brilliant The Seven Steps to Mercy, has earned rave reviews, with one critic describing him as “One of the most dramatic voices in contemporary music."
JAPE (aka Richie Egan)
The unpredictable music of Jape brings a welcome breath of fresh air to the Dublin music scene. His first album Cosmosphere was released in 2004 and displayed his experimental side and sense of humour, mixing stoner folk and eight-bit electronics in a cheery melange that made it a cult classic. Last year Jape released his second album, The Monkeys In The Zoo Have More Fun Than Me. Produced by Jimmy Eadie, it revealed a more thoughtful side to Jape’s music and spawned an unexpected “hit” single, ‘Floating’, co-produced with David Kitt and blending mortality blues, hip hop and Gregorian chants to head-bopping effect. The rest of the record bounces gracefully from Tim Hardin-style folk on ‘The Hardest Thing To Do’, through Sterling Morrison’s style of glacial guitar playing on ‘To The Sea’, to Joao Gilberto-influenced bossa p­op on ‘Autumn Summer'. As one reviewer put it, “You’ll reference quirky bits of Stereolab, Kraftwerk and Yo La Tengo … with Egan as a cult figure surely bound for crossover success.”
ASIAN DUB FOUNDATION
Ever since the release of their first album Facts and Fiction in 1996, the Asian Dub Foundation collective has been evolving steadily towards ever more ambitious projects. Along the way they've given us countless rabble-rousing performances, all the while adding new layers to their alloy of vibrant sounds. With each new album and concert performance, the initials ADF have increasingly come to stand for integrity, political engagement and a challenging fusion of musical styles. Asian Dub Foundation’s latest album Tank, released back in February 2005, is a fast-hitting combination of hard ragga-jungle rhythms, Indo-dub basslines and searing sitar-inspired guitars, showing that in the hands of imaginative and creatively courageous people, music is still arguably the best weapon for mass mobilisation.
ALABAMA 3
Alabama 3 was originally the brainchild of Larry Love (real name Rob Spragg) and The Very Reverend Dr. D. Wayne Love (who has Jake Black on his birth cert) in the sweat-soaked hedonistic days of the free party experience of 1988. Built around a melange of country, bluegrass, blues and home-grown techno, not to mention their hilarious and highly-irreverent piss-take on religion, the band provide chemical musical mayhem at every given opportunity. Renowned for their heart stopping, exhilarating live performances, and having provided the theme to the profoundly paranoiac Mafia series Sopranos, Alabama 3 returned in September of last year with their hot new studio album Outlaw. The 12-track offering includes an invigorating mix of Aslan’s ‘Crazy World’ and a slew of country acid house classics, including the hit single ‘Hello...I’m Johnny Cash’. Praise the Lord, and pass the contribution!
Programme 7: Wed 8 March
Line-up: Miriam Ingram, The Immediate, Hal and BellX1
MIRIAM INGRAM
Miriam Ingram’s live line-up includes bass, cellos, trumpet, lap-tops, guitars, keyboards, drums and support vocals. Yet, as if by magic, electronica and acoustic elements blend and beget something far different from our usual musical diet. Her show comprises a colourful, melodic and challenging mix of sounds, often gentle, sometimes noisy, yet always stimulating. Ingram has only recently finished mixing her debut album Trampoline with David Odlum, Joe Chester and Owen Drumm. The debut represents a culmination of a body of work that had been recorded in Dublin, Kerry and France using a variety of musicians and engineers. It’s due at a record shop near you very soon.
THE IMMEDIATE
The Immediate line-up comprises four young men (who all share a penchant for swapping instruments whenever the mood takes them) called Peter Toomey, Conor O’Brien, Barra Heavey and David Hedderman. Based in Dublin, they are one of the most talked about outfits to burst on the scene in a long while, causing words like fresh, exciting and insistent to spring to the lips of fans and industry insiders alike. They were chosen as one of the acts to benefit in the hotpress Tisch video competition. Not surprisingly then, The Immediate have a busy schedule for the year ahead. They plan to release their second single ‘Don’t You Ever’ very soon and their debut album is promised for later in the year. They recently supported Doves and The Magic Numbers.
HAL
Dublin four-piece Hal started 2005 as one of RTRs Irish bands selected to play live at the European-wide Eurosonic festival. This set the scene for a year in which they hardly stopped touring – a heavy schedule that included special guest slots with Doves, The Thrills, The Magic Numbers and Brendan Benson and appearances at Oxegen and the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan. This was all in addition to the fact that domestic radio hits made the band one of last year’s most played Irish acts at home. To cap it all, and as if to prove the point, the French Music Magazine Magic made the Hal album their No 1 album of 2005, while in the UK Uncut Magazine have named Hal as one of their albums of the year, too. Hal may not be of this world, so why not join them in theirs?
BELL X1
If any Irish band can be said to be at the top of the game right now it must be Dublin five-piece BellX1. Following the double-platinum success of Music In Mouth, the band’s third album Flock was released in Ireland on Island Records in October of last year and zoomed straight into the Irish Charts at No.1. Flock is about to be released in the UK, so let’s hope fans there are aware of the delights they have in store. It’s beautifully crafted and lovingly recorded, with a bunch of sublime songs, each replete with a carefully penned and wryly told tale. Flock is, quite simply, Bell X1’s most complete and accessible record to date.
Programme 8: Wed 22 March

Line-up: Nizlopi, Delorentos, Dave Couse and Teenage Fanclub
NIZLOPI
Famed in Ireland for hit single ‘The JCB Song’, released just prior to Crimbo 2005, Nizlopi are Leamington Spa singer, guitarist and percussionist Luke Concannon and double bassist and human beatboxer John Parker. One magazine described them as ‘The most exciting hip hop, acoustic, double bass JCB shit going down’, and who’s to argue with that? The band take just about every musical genre known to man and blend it into a compelling and unique sound, creating something very special and excitingly different. Their debut album Half These Songs Are About You spent an unprecedented 10 weeks at number one in the UK National Unsigned Chart. The animated video for ‘The JCB Song’ was created by Monkeehub (also responsible for Radiohead’s ‘Creep’) and was recently awarded the highly prestigious Submerge Industry Award for new animation talent in the UK.
DELORENTOS
The Dublin four-piece Delorentos released their debut EP Leave It On in October 2005 and saw it soar straight into the Irish Top 30. The recording was funded by the prize they received for winning the National Student Music Awards in London in May 2005. The win also guaranteed them a recording session in BBC’s infamous Maida Vale recording studios and a slot on CD:UK when they confirm the UK release date for the EP. Delorentos’ provocative sound ranges from soft acoustic melodies to angular, driven guitar rock. Riffs and rhythms combine to produce powerfully intimate and captivating tunes that have already won them a solid fan-base throughout the country. Aside from their own headline shows the band have also shared stages with Idlewild, Bell X1 and Whitey in locations as far afield as London, New York, Chicago and Toronto.
DAVE COUSE
Dave Couse was the singer songwriter with Irish indie legends A House, and composer of their ‘Endless Art’ and ‘Here Come The Good Times’. They also gave us five LPs widely considered among the best Irish albums ever. As a survivor of 20 years in music, Couse is no stranger to highs and lows. The response to Couse’s latest solo album The World Should Know has granted him a commercial revival of a kind even Lazarus would envy. The first single ‘Batman & Robin’ (a poptastic tale of friendship won and lost) received heavy national airplay and spent six weeks at No.1 in Today FM’s Pet Sounds’ Top 10. The World Should Know has been nominated for Irish Album Of The Year in the Meteor Awards, with Dave nominated in the Best Irish Male category. His new band The Impossible have ignited a spark unlike any Couse has known in years, suggesting that one of Ireland's true stars is back in earnest.
TEENAGE FANCLUB
Liam Gallagher of Oasis once called Teenage Fanclub “the second best band in the world.” (We can guess who reigned at number one!) The Fannies emerged from the Glasgow C86 scene, inspired by the Beach Boys, Byrds and Big Star. They cultivated a loyal fanbase with their debut album, A Catholic Education. But it took 1991’s Bandwagonesque to bring quartet widespread acclaim.
Released at the height of Brit-pop, Grand Prix is regarded as their peak, featuring such pop-rock masterpieces as ‘Sparky’s Dream’, ‘Neil Jung’ and ‘Going Places’. Teenage Fanclub’s love of acoustic rock informed later LPs, including Songs From Northern Britain and Howdy! A fresh new album, Man-Made, appeared in the middle of last year. Recorded in Chicago and produced by John McEntire of Tortoise, the project found the band back at the top of their game.