Wed 17 Feb · 18:30

€20.50

Contemporary Irish folk blending traditional sounds and experimental textures

"an impassioned, snarling take on traditional Irish folk" NME “It’s easy to overestimate how much of an individual you are. You exist in the complete context of the uncountable generations that came before you.” For Paul Banks, this idea lies at the heart of Gorta , the debut album by Madra Salach, which explores hunger as an inheritance passed down through generations of Irish people. At fifteen, Banks heard The Pogues’ ‘Sally MacLennane’ on the 29A into town, discovering the punk spirit running through the Irish trad he had once dismissed as stuffy. Madra Salach are six friends from Dublin’s Northside: Banks on vocals, Jack Lawlor on bass, Adam Cullen on guitar, Jack Martin on mandolin, whistle and synth, Maxime Arnold on harmonium, and Dara Duffy on drums. Their name means dirty dog. Initially split between a trad trio playing standards in Raheny pubs and experiments with synths and tape loops, the band developed a sound rooted in Irish folk but shaped by distortion, drone and alternative rock. Unlike their previous EP, ‘It’s a Hell of an Age’, Gorta was recorded with all six members playing together. The album explores hunger in its many forms, connecting personal longing to Ireland’s history, particularly An Gorta Mór, the Famine. Recurring animal imagery emerged unconsciously during the writing, reflecting the album’s central theme: how little of who we are belongs to us alone. The artwork by Oscar Torrans depicts a Blemmyes, one of the headless figures of ancient legend. It reflects the band’s desire to lose themselves in sound. “You’re trying to be possessed by the sound,” says Lawlor. Their EP reached the top three of the Irish albums chart and the UK independent top ten, earning 6 Music support and a Maida Vale session. The band went on to play festivals, support Kneecap and appear on the Shane MacGowan tribute record. Despite the growing attention, Madra Salach want to create something uniquely Irish without making it conveniently marketable. Gorta confronts inherited hunger rather than simply passing it on, closing with ‘Haunted Isle of Green’ and the words “hungry no more”, followed by the reminder that the hunger “won’t fade fast”. FOR FANS OF: Lankum, The Mary Wallopers, Grian Chatten Madra Salach - The Man Who Seeks Pleasure (live from London) Madra Salach - Ribbon Factory (live @TRNSMT | BBC) Madra Salach Website Facebook Instagram Spotify Youtube iTunes Bandcamp