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Coughlans Live Music Festival '16 Closing Party with Niall McCabe Band & Guests and Marlene Enright. NIALL MCCABE BAND With their genesis on a small Island off the West Coast of Ireland, The Niall McCabe Band have honed a sound that is structured around the conventions of soul music and, in equal parts, reflects the influence of folk and rock traditions on their performance and writing. The sound? They call it transatlantic soul. A cross genre multi-instrumentalist, Niall, the songwriter and frontman, grew up on Clare Island off the coast of County Mayo. The insularity of growing up on an island has had a profound effect on his song-writing and thinking in general. He feels that “the physical isolation tends to make you think more outwardly and look for connections with the wider world.” The rest of the band comprises of Hugh Dillon on electric guitar, Dave Duffy on bass and Davie Ryan on drums. Musically, the band share a very coherent outlook having played together in various groups over the last five years including Jazz quartets and Big-Band Soul outfits. Steadfast in developing a solid style that displays the musical skills of each member, the band are motivated by the simplicity of playing ‘for the song’. The band released their album Part of the Light in March 2014 to critical acclaim. Featured as Radio One’s Album of the Week and played extensively across national radio. The band followed national touring with live performances on The Saturday Night Show and Radio One along with a sold out headlining show at The Westport Arts Festival. MARLENE ENRIGHT Marlene Enright's unique cracked crystal mezzo-soprano is used to beautiful effect on her debut single, "When the water is hot." Imagine a ménage à trois of Karen O's steel vulnerability, Joanna Newsom's eccentric fairytale, world-weary wisdom and Gillian Welch's rootsy realism - here is Marlene Enright in all her ethereal yet grounded glory. The little girl sensibility to her vocal tone, singing about dark subject matters, is an irresistible combination. A member of The Hard Ground, the five piece that delivered alt-folk leanings and multi-layered lushness in their sophomore release, "Triptych", in 2015, Marlene stands on her own as a powerful solo artist. When she sings," I'll lead you on, to drop in the pot, like a lobster when the water is hot", it's spooky and eerie, threatening yet enticing - conjuring up the best of Americana's dark siren queens - Bobbie Gentry, Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris. The music is Appalachian yet edgy and contemporary, like a hillbilly Bjork; a beautiful and thought provoking debut from the Irish singer-songwriter. “When The Water Is Hot’ is a beautifully formed introduction to the songwriter’s solo work that leaves Enright’s immeasurable talent speak for itself. Beguiling and very promising indeed, Marlene Enright’s debut single, ‘When The Water Is Hot’, is the sound of an artist who has already found their voice.” — The Last Mixed Tape “The singer-songwriter has nailed it and her quirky sound falls somewhere between Jenny Lewis and Bjork if you’re looking for comparisons. This could be the start of something very special” — JOE.ie
