Back on FM Broadcast
This newsletter email was fueled by the coffee from my favourite baristas at Grind Coffee & Food Hub in Briarhill.
FLIRT FM is back broadcasting on FM in Galway city after a short summer hiatus. My Human Recommendation radio show continued to stream weekly online during the break but it’s neat to be back on FM. This weeks show #28 had an eclectic mix which featured new music releases from different genres and from a plethora of super indie acts from around the globe!🌍
Irish acts include Belfast's Blue Deputy, Cork's Ash Red, and Dundalk's Just Mustard. (On Flirt FM the programme policy is for 25% of the music to be from Irish acts). One local band I wanted to highlight is In Athens who hail from the rugged meeting point of Connemara, Galway, Ireland and the wild Atlantic. Their new single is called “Or Anything“ and it's from the upcoming EP ‘Mirrorism’ which will be available from Blowtorch Records in October.
One of the songs featured on the show was from one of my favourite albums of the year so far, from Moving Mountains and it is called ‘Pruning Of The Lower Limbs’. It will definitely be in my Albums of The Year list come December. Have a listen to the full album on Bandcamp:
In amongst the many new releases was “second sight” by Vancouver based shoegaze band Bloom Effect. I think it is their best song to date. They are an exciting trio act consisting of Jula Lafit (bass/vocals), Craig Weighman (guitars), and Tom Rappa (drums). The band released an excellent dream pop/shoegazy E.P called 'Portents’ last year and I am excited to watch them grow and kick on from that.
GAZEFEST 2025
Speaking of shoegaze,'GAZEFEST' is again set to showcase the Belfast & Dublin scenes for a third year. The shoegaze festival takes place this week, in The Grand Social in Dublin on Friday 29th and on Saturday 30th at Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast.
I will be going to check it out but ahead of the festival I caught up with singer & guitarist Etienne Quartey-Papafio from London based headliners Whitelands. We spoke about their lush, dreamy debut album, coping with ADHD while touring & studying.
You can read the full interview on my music blog on Medium: here
I also spoke with the festival organiser and musician Michael Smith about how he started the genre in its current state and the event
"It’s starting to evolve into different things. I think more so people are incorporating elements of #Shoegaze and the other music genres, and then that’s helping push things forward"-Michael Smyth,Virgins.
Vinyl Records
It is always a good day when a vinyl record arrives 😍, but I was especially stoked to get my physical copy of 'Bèau Mondè' by Chicagoans The Dead Bolts in the mail the other day.
A few months back I had to opportunity to chat with front man Eddie Hennessy. In a super fun interview, we spoke about his home city, its sports teams including the next prospects for the Bulls and White Sox, the band, their sophomore album, 'Bèau Mondè'. That interview is here on Mixcloud:
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The Human Recommendation interview #10, Chicago rock band The Dead Bolts by The Human Recommendation | Mixcloud
The Human Recommendation is a biweekly radio show on FlirtFm 101.3 FM in Galway city showcasing the best of indie & alternative music from Ireland and around the globe. But in this special interview side project, host Damien had to opportunity to chat with Eddie Hennessy (lead vocals/guitar and lyricist) for Chicago rock band The Dead Bolts.
In a delightfully fun chat, we spoke about Chicago, its sports teams including the next prospects for the Bulls and White Sox, the band, their sophomore
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I have since blogged about the band on Medium, played a bunch of their tracks "IDCIYDC", "Promised Land", "Bèau Mondè” from the album on the show not just because I dig the album but also I love their uncompromising D.I.Y. drive to kick down the doors of the algorithmic streaming gate keepers and get their music surfaced!
It’s great to see one of their tracks “IDCIYDC” surpassing 1 million streams on Spotify this week, which is such an impressive feat for an independent band that received no favours from the music industry or streaming platforms.
Go see them live if you get a chance and support independent music!
Long live physical media
"It's the format that has survived everything. People will always go back to vinyl"
Live Music
The Kates are a West Cork indie folk band consisting of 5 remarkable singers. Eve Clague (lead guitar and vocals), Liz Clark (rhythm guitar and vocals), Mary Beth O’Mahony (keyboards and vocals), Míde Houlihan (drums and vocals), and Paula K (bass and vocals). They released their EP ‘Pictures Here Of Dreams’ last year. I played a bunch of tracks from it on The Human Recommendation radio show including “All That Talk”.
I was delighted to get the chance to go along and hear those tracks performed live with all their amazing harmonies, when they played in Galway for the first time. The ladies individually are all amazing singers and musicians in their own right and it is so unusual to have so many great vocalists in a band together. I look forward to their next release later this year, early 2026.
Last week was my first time seeing the Queens of The Stone Age, who didn’t disappoint, and attending the The Royal Hospital Kilmainham venue which had a bit of a maze type entry but the sound was great there for an outdoor event.
Supporting QOTSA were Cliffords from Cork who at short notice were called up to play in place of Amyl and the Sniffers. I’ve played their singles on the show and they really delivered live on the big stage. I was delighted for them that they seized the opportunity. Only a year ago, they hadn't even played outside of Cork. The band are on a serious trajectory 🚀 and one to watch our for.
One last band to mention from Cork are Ash Red who are on the Blowtorch Records label and have just released a cracking new single called “DB COOPER”
Josh Tillman better known by his stage name ‘Father John Misty’ at Leisureland was incredible. He delivered such an amazing performance with 21 songs, ballad after ballad inducing much swaying from the captivated audience in a show that featured his full range of alternative to indie-folk music.
According to the Setlist FM, the songs were spread across 6 albums.
He is a real old school entertainer, some songs stray a little close into alternative country with that twang of the pedal steel guitar but his band is full of outstanding musicians. As they made a entrance on to the stage, they looked like a bunch of outlaws from a different era.
He commented that the old venue had the look of the gymnasium from the Back to the Future movie, which is pretty accurate.
Documentary worth watching
Finally, just a recommendation 'A band called Death' a documentary worth watching on the first black punk band, formed in the early '70s in Detroit. It chronicles the story of the Hackney Brothers journey into punk, in an era of Motown and emerging disco!
To listen along to the show, tune in on Mondays on FLIRT FM 101.3 in Galway city or stream from the web at http://flirtfm.ie at 8pm (GMT +1).
Celebrate music discovery through humans and help reject algorithmic curation now more than ever and join #TeamHuman