2024 was a difficult year for SXSW‘s Music Festival. On the eve of its opening a controversy was rumbling which quickly grew into a boycott of artists due to the contentious nature of some of the event’s sponsors including arms manufacturers. Ireland was the only country who, as a collective, boycotted en masse. The artists involved were fully supported by their organisation First Music Contact/Music From Ireland. Of course this was a difficult decision for all involved but a year on the sponsors in question have been dropped and a number of the Irish artists who were due to perform in 2024 returned this March. Cardinals, Gurriers and Soda Blonde must have found performing in the Velveeta Room as part of the Ireland Music showcase particularly emotional after the events of the previous year, especially as the showcase was held in the same room as the media statement was shared 12 months ago.
The world keeps on turning and as is its wont, Ireland continues to produce an array of quality artists. For 2025 this included indie, trad, folk, punk, guitar, and party vibes to round off the night. The room was quickly full with the queue outside a testament to the fact that this is still one of the showcases to experience at SXSW. Our review of the night includes interviews with Annie-Dog, Soda Blonde and Gurriers.
Annie-Dog
The showcase opened with Annie-Dog. This is an artist difficult to pigeon-hole, which is always an intriguing prospect. The release of second EP 15 confirms the quality of their creativity and live the music and performance is captivating. There is something mesmerising about the music which does not need bluster and noise to draw the listener in. It was a joy to sit down after the set with the lead behind the project Catherine, to find out more about Annie-Dog.
Very exciting to be here at SXSW. How is it going?
So far so good. It’s my first time in the States. It was definitely a long plane ride! but I’m really happy to be here. Austin is so cool. And, yeah, just loving it.
How many shows are you playing while you’re here?
That was our second show. We’re doing four shows. The one yesterday was with Live at Leeds. I’m with a label based in Leeds called Dance to the Radio. And they’ve been very good to me, and they’re very cool so that was their showcase, and then this one today and the one tomorrow are Irish showcases. And then I’m with the British Music Embassy on Saturday.
Your debut single ‘The Pressures of the Heart’ was released in February 2024 on Dance to the Radio. How did that come about?
Yeah, it was a pretty big deal for me, you know, to come out on a label. I wasn’t anticipating that. I had made the tracks for my first EP the year before, except for one or two which I was making as the EP was coming out, chopping and changing which tracks I wanted on it. I was introduced to them, and it sort of just fit. They were super supportive, and I felt that they kind of just got who I was off the bat, and they kind of got the music.
They released your debut single and it was immediately shared by Smashing Pumpkins!
They were definitely one of my favourite bands growing up. My dad was playing them all the time, so I was introduced to them through him. And I needed a name for the project so I was just like looking through random songs I’d saved on Spotify thinking it would just be inspiration for a name. And Annie-Dog was there! So thank you. Billy Corgan, he came up with the name, not me!
Where does the inspiration for your creativity come from?
Oh, God, who knows! I mean I love music, it’s definitely something I’ve always wanted to do. But, yeah, who knows?
Also I do have to ask you, did you get fed up with people calling you Annie!
No, not at all. It’s the assumption and I get it. And I did it on purpose, you know. Lana Del Rey is one of my favourite artists, and she’s taken on that name, and it’s not her real name. It’s nice to kind of compartmentalise different parts of your life, so the whole thing doesn’t accumulate into one big, massive, overwhelming thing. So it’s cool to park it and I can go back to my Mum’s and be me. And it’s not that the music is that serious or I’m doing loads at the moment, but even after one gig I’m wrecked and I just want to go home. Yeah, it’s nice to just park it and leave it at that.
You are a DIY artist, including being self produced, is that, right?
Yes exactly. I was in a band for two years, and we did the whole going to people to get songs produced and stuff, and that was great fun and I learned a lot but when it came to my own project, then obviously you can no longer split the fee of a producer four ways. So I didn’t have the money, so I got Garage Band on my laptop, and just began because it was free. I mean none of my songs are mixed perfectly or produced perfectly. I’ve never learned how to do that, I just kind of wing it. But a lot of the music I love just brings up a feeling more than a perfect sonic soundscape or something. And I latch on to authenticity myself anyway. I just try do that, and hopefully the right people might listen. I don’t want to force anything, you know? It can stress you out because If you are super polished and you miss a step, it can throw the whole thing off kilter, whereas if you just have an idea and you stay true to who you are, hopefully it’ll translate.
And so after SXSW what else is in the pipeline for 2025?
I definitely have some plans, but they’re kind of still being planned! I mean, so long as I keep liking it, I’m gonna just keep doing it.
Finally can you talk a little bit about Music from Ireland and how important an organisation that is for the artists?
Oh, no, it’s really amazing. Angela Dorgan and Suzette they are really supportive and, they’re really passionate about the music that’s coming out of Ireland at the minute. Also we are an island, so we do need a little push sometimes to get that music out of there. There are so many good musicians in Ireland and if it wasn’t for Music from Ireland, I mean this is my first time in the States. I actually wouldn’t be over here, if it wasn’t for them so it’s opened my life up a lot, you know. I’m very appreciative.
John Francis Flynn
John Francis Flynn is a multi-instrumentalist who blends trad, folk and contemporary music with breathtaking results. In fact there was a call for hush within the crowd such was the impact of his music, and the chatter in the room began to ease. Personally I was thrilled to see this artist perform. His vocals and musicianship plus his dry wit between songs, created a set to remember.
Soda Blonde
Next onstage was the alternative pop rock of Soda Blonde, a band who were due to perform in 2024. The 4-piece comprise Faye O’Rourke (vocals, guitar), Adam O’Regan (guitar, visual artist), Donagh Seaver O’Leary (bass), and Dylan Lynch (drums) and they were obviously loving the opportunity to play at SXSW. They released their second album Dream Big in 2023 following their 2021 debut Small Talk. After the set Faye and Adam joined us for a conversation.
First of all I must ask about how you are feeling playing at SXSW this year as Soda Blonde was part of the boycott of 2024?
Faye: It’s great to be able to come back and actually do the shows because it was a hard decision, it wasn’t an easy decision. And the camaraderie of the Irish contingent is so strong, we’re all in a WhatsApp group together, we’re all meeting up for beers, it’s a really nice vibe.
We were in another band that played here about 12 years ago, so the fact that our music has taken us back here in a different iteration is a big deal. So it was a big deal for us last year, having to pass up on this, but it was important to make the right choice and do it for the right reasons.
And how has SXSW been for Soda Blonde?
Faye: Brilliant! The gigs have been so good, so professional, it’s just been a breeze. And we’re best friends so to get to travel with your best friends and to be in this beautiful city! I would live here.
I did want to ask, being two albums in, has your creativity changed over time?
Adam: It has evolved quite a lot. Faye has moved to London recently so we’re living apart from each other which has been an interesting evolution, but we’ve learned this new way of working together. We don’t need to actually be in the same room, we don’t need to be in the same country anymore. Over COVID we had to develop a new style of working together. We had to be more creative than we’d ever been in that time. We’re trying to get into a process now of releasing music every five or six weeks. It’s putting a lot of pressure on ourselves, but it’s been fun.
Faye: Adam and I will be talking on the phone multiple times a day, every day.
Adam: We’re still trying to make the music that we want to hear, I suppose, trying to make music that turns us on. We’ve never really been a band of like “now we’re going to do this, now we’re going to do that thing”. It’s always been about following natural creative intuition, whatever that may be. Sometimes we’re just trying to impress each other all the time!
Faye: Particularly myself and Adam want to impress each other more than anyone else on the planet! So that’s the dynamic.
I was wondering, if somebody’s new to Soda Blonde, what would be the one song that you would suggest?
Adam: Maybe our newest single ‘People Pleaser’. For me, personally, I think that has all the hallmarks of a great Soda Blonde song, great emotional lyrics, great instrumentation, harmonies. It’s got all of them.
And I’m guessing it’s deliberate it was released on Valentine’s Day. Was that linked to the story behind the track?
Adam: Yes! It’s an anti-Valentine’s song! We leaned into it with the artwork, you know, and just started having fun with it. It’s a little bit tongue in cheek.
So what is your creative process?
Faye: Today is actually a bit of a wild day as we’re actually writing today, the two of us and recording back in our apartments. But usually I would sit down with keys or guitar and build something rudimentary, and then the guys would come in and we’d arrange and stuff. But lately its been kind of you and me, and we’ll ping pong for a good while, back and forth.
Adam: It’s changes from song to song, but it always starts with Faye. She’s our chief songwriter. She’s the heart and soul of the thing. And then we just throw stuff at it, break it apart and put back together.
What are the plans for the rest of the year? Are you working towards a third album?
Faye: Definitely. This year was about seeing how productive and creative we could be, without pigeon holing anything because for us, we’re such a visual band that a full album campaign takes a lot. This year has been really interesting because we’ve been playing with a lot of different visual concepts.
Adam: The world has changed so much as well. The way people consume music, I think is so different, and so we’re experimenting with the different kind of mindsets. That’s why we’re probably going to release an album’s worth of music and singles throughout the course of the year. It’s strange times. But our main objective for this year is to try and reach as many new audiences as we can.
Is touring a big part of that?
Faye: Yes, we’re going to do a big UK and European tour in May.
Adam: And hopefully back to the US as well.
Can you talk a little about Music from Ireland and how important an organisation it is for the artists?
Faye: God, integral. I mean, we need support. The world is changing and evolving so much, without organizations like that, we just wouldn’t have the leg up that we need, you know. It’s like family.
Adam: Angela, particularly, she’s known as the Music Fairy Godmother in Ireland, and everyone looks to her for guidance, and she’s so supportive of everybody. She’s been invaluable to us as well.
Faye: She’s a really special person. And we’re so lucky to have her.
One final question. With the third album, will it have the word “Medium” in the title!
Adam: We’ll take a hard left now and go with just one letter! Or maybe 10 words!!
Cardinals
The rising Cork band Cardinals are going from strength to strength. With the boycott of 2024 they must have been thrilled to get an opportunity to return to Austin to play. A support slot for Been Stellar‘s UK tour was just one of many milestones in a hectic 2024. Having already performed in New York at the start of the year and with a couple more dates immediately following SXSW it is quickly becoming a familiar place to play. Indie music but with an accordion brings a blend of trad into their sound. A band who were on many “Must See” lists they grabbed the opportunity to play multiple times and will build rapidly on their growing reputation.
Gurriers
Gurriers are having a storming SXSW. The punksters have thrown down the gauntlet to SXSW, creating a manic energy wherever they have played, with some sets being in front crowds the majority of whom have no idea who they are – but leaving sweatier and with a new favourite band to follow. Their debut album Come and See was self-released in September 2024 and this trip to SXSW included the first time playing in the States as a result of last year’s boycott. They were determined to put on a show and boy oh boy did they do just that, and more. With new songs in the set, album number 2 is obviously in the schedule. I spoke to Charlie (bass) and Mark (guitar) to find out how Gurriers were feeling about playing SXSW after last years boycott.
Gurriers hadn’t even played America last year, and then, to be the only country that, as a collective boycotted SXSW and to be supported by Music from Ireland that was a very unique situation you found yourselves in. So to be going back this year, how did that feel?
Charlie: I think the first thing to say is a big thanks to First Music Contact / Music From Ireland for not only helping us get through last year and supporting us but getting as many of the same bands as they could to go back. Also the work they’ve done before, getting bands abroad, even outside of SXSW, like so much of it wouldn’t happen without them. To know they’re on our side to the point of supporting us when there’s an ongoing protest, it actually means even more, I think. But it does speak a lot to what Ireland’s stance on the ongoing genocide has been. I’m not surprised at all, and I’m very proud that that’s how it went last year.
There was the two sides of it. There was the principles that you were standing on, a protest against the controversial sponsors, but there was also you as an individual band and where you were in your career. To be going back this year, how did that feel, particularly on that first show at, ironically, the British Music Embassy?
Mark: Really, really good. I mean we’ve been going to play SXSW for years. You know, that was kind of the goal. Once we got to SXSW, that’s our entryway into America. So initially we boycott it and we’re like, “Okay, we’ve lost this entry point as a band into United States in terms of an industry showcase”. And then, I think it was June last year they announced they were dropping the United States military and the weapons manufacturers and sponsors and keynote speakers. It was literally that week that they announced it I bumped into Angela Dorgan at LCD Soundsystem. I asked are we going back and she said let’s see. It was then a long year of anticipation. But I think we were all fucking really ready to go. You know, there was a lot of energy in the room. And it really was incredible.
Charlie: We came onto the stage with a huge attitude of being like, this has to be one of the best gigs we ever do because of what’s happened before. We’d be so personally frustrated, outside of caring about the band if our first show after boycotting the previous year was a bit of a flop or something. So everyone was just giving it as much as they had from the jump. And it went really.
I also saw you play at High Noon at 3pm. It was a small venue and I would say 99.9% of the crowd had no idea who you were. And by the time you finished, people were loving it, the exhilarating energy, the band in and out the crowd.
Charlie: I think that’s one of our favourite audiences to play to, is when they have no expectation because it just means you can lean way harder into it. To some degree it feels like a challenge where you’re, well they don’t know who we are, we really have to get them on side. And really embrace that and try to leave a really strong impression.
Mark: Scaring people! Give them the R rated version of Gurriers. I don’t think there is a PG 13, we’ll just go all out!
But then the Music from Ireland showcase was in the Velveteen Room, the same room as the media statement was read out by Pierce (drums) a year earlier.
Mark: It was a bit of a full circle thing, and it was kind of “okay we’re back here on better terms”, you know? Look obviously SXSW thankfully did drop the sponsorship with the United States military. But the thing is it’s important to factor in, even though we’re a very kind of against the system band, for lack of a better term, when you operate within these systems, like music festivals, when you start to trace the money back and who owns it, unfortunately it generally does lead back to blood in some kind of way. This record company is owned by this venture capital firm who also owns this weapons manufacturers…. Now, thankfully, SXSW dropped the immediate connection of the United States military, so it meant a lot to be there and under better circumstances.
And may I say bearing all that in mind, Mark it was very gracious of you to give your guitar the spotlight! The first thing you did at your Music from Ireland showcase set was allow your guitar to crowd surf. You could have grabbed that moment and you gave it to your guitar!
Mark: I was eating too much Mexican food that week. I wasn’t sure if the crowd could support my inflated weight! There was too many tortillas consumed, which were delicious all the same.
I have to ask, will there be an American tour?
Mark: What I will say just now is that we have unfinished business in the United States.
Really Good Time
In all honesty following Gurriers was always going to be tough for any band on the night, but Really Good Time did their very best to keep the energy levels high. Describing themselves as “U2 in their Vertigo era covering Viagra Boys” it is also the mantra the band choose to live by. Formed in the Irish capital to “get drunk and play late shows” they had the perfect slot tonight, rounding off a night showcasing Irish musical talent. It is refreshing to see an organisation in action which has artists interests at the very core of its being. Long may it continue.
For more information on Music From Ireland please check the website and instagram.
For more information on SXSW please check the website.
