Neu Get To Know… THEATRE
Limerick world-weavers armed with enough heft to cut through the haze.
Hello and welcome back to DIY’s introducing feature, Get To Know… which aims to get you a little bit closer to the buzziest acts that have been catching our eye as of late, and working out what makes them tick.
Having emerged seemingly fully-formed from Ireland’s ever-fertile indie scene this past year, Dublin-via-Limerick five-piece THEATRE already know how to put on one hell of a show. Combining the ethereal, arresting vocals of Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser or The Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan (courtesy of frontwoman Maeve O’Shea) with a shadowy melodic core, the band - completed by Dara Gooney, Oscar Halpin, Gerry Sheil and Sean Storan - trade in tunes of haunting beauty that far bely their newcomer status. To mark the arrival of their imminent debut EP ‘Incarnate’, we catch up with Maeve and Gerry to get more of a peek behind the curtain of THEATRE…
If THEATRE were a dog breed, what would you be?
Maeve: We would definitely be a mixed mutt type - a bit of German shepherd, a bit of collie, we’ll throw a borzoi in there, and a dash of red setter.
What are your earliest musical memories? Give us an insight into those formative years.
Gerry: I always remember music just being a part of my life. Some of my earliest memories are listening to my parents’ Beatles albums, or sitting in the car listening to Simon and Garfunkel. Having two older brothers, I listened to a lot of grunge and early 2000s indie too. I feel grateful to have had such a broad introduction to music because it still reflects how I, and the band as a whole, think about how we create; we don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into a genre or be afraid to explore something new.
Incarnate’ is a project shaped by notions of place, memory, and belonging. Can you tell us a bit more about how Limerick - as a location, or via people - has informed the band and your output?
Maeve: Limerick informed everything at the start for us! Some of us grew up there, others had it as our college town; Limerick is a very inspiring and welcoming city. Once we left Limerick, it became even clearer that maybe we wouldn’t have been a band at all if we had met somewhere else.
“That was the great thing about prioritising playing shows over recording at first; you get to know your songs so incredibly intimately that you’re always finding room for improvement.”
The EP is your debut project, but these songs have lived many lives since their inception - how do you think they, and you as a band, have evolved since starting out? Are there any pearls of wisdom you’ve gained?
Maeve: They’ve changed a lot as songs - we’ve gigged them so much that by the time we recorded them, they were already worlds away from when they first came into existence. And even now, we’re all still finding new ways of playing our parts live and switching things up. That was the great thing for us about prioritising playing shows over recording at first; you get to know your songs so incredibly intimately that you’re always finding room for improvement.
You’ve noted that ‘Incarnate’’s five tracks “follow a theme of a changeling-like person, someone who has two sides to them”; if you each had to pick one song to encapsulate you as a person, what would it be (and why)?
Maeve: ‘Sinnerman’ by Nina Simone - I’ve always loved how frantic and fevered this song feels.
Gerry: ‘Still Crazy After All These Years’, by Paul Simon - The way the character is introspective but also quite care-free has always stood out to me in this song. I think it’s quite a good way to try and live your life.
You’re gearing up for a summer playing across the European festival circuit - what are your fave festival sets as a band to date?
Maeve: I think our set in The Prince Albert at The Great Escape stands out. There was a line going all the way out onto the street when we arrived, and it wasn’t until we got to the top of the stairs that we realised it was for us. The room was rammed when we were playing; there was just a great energy from the audience and you could tell they were really listening to every second.
Finally, DIY are coming around for dinner - what are you making?
Maeve: Some sort of a roast - chicken most likely - with plenty of sides, they’re always the best part. And sticky toffee pudding for dessert!
‘Incarnate’ is out tomorrow (12th June) via BMG/ECHO.
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