What? Limerick indie trio
Where? London
Why? Aoife Power (vocals and bass), Niall Burns (guitar) and Andrew Flood (drums) first met in Limerick when they snuck into a pub while underage. What began as a friendship forged over knockoff vodka and enthusiasm for The Velvet Underground grew into a band.
They moved to Dublin and started to develop their pop-fronted rock music before moving to London and christening themselves Whenyoung. With a penchant for wearing customised boiler suits, the trio have been developing their sound and reputation, and recently toured with Superfood. Their debut single, Actor, is a sweet and melodic punk-leaning rock song on the London label Hate Hate Hate Records, which has released the likes of Fat White Family and Theo Verney.
They're being looked after by Florence + the Machine's manager, which is helping their buzz, and they've just played some Irish dates. They'll be back to participate in Shane MacGowan's 60th Birthday Celebration gig, at the National Concert Hall on January 15th, alongside Nick Cave, Glen Hansard, Johnny Depp, Cerys Matthews, Glen Matlock of The Sex Pistols, Clem Burke of Blondie and others. Not a bad showing for a band with one single out so far.
You have to hear this . . . Mango and Mathman: Rapih
"I'm grand, with a pint of black and a mic in my hand," raps Mango on a reloaded song on the Dublin duo's recent Wheel EP. Rapih – the word is Dublin slang for rapid, of course – has been slaying the festival circuit, and along with the release's other four tracks it establishes Mango as leader of Ireland's grime scene.
You have to hear this . . . Sufjan Stevens: Tonya Harding
Having written albums about an American state and a New York highway, Sufjan Stevens sets his sights on another US icon, the figure skater who is the subject of the Margot Robbie-starring biopic I, Tonya. In an accompanying essay the songwriter says he has been trying to write this sympathetic and moving song since seeing her skate on TV in 1991.
