Indie rockers TUNG IN CHEEK have a handful of single's with the debut EP out this summer, along with some plans for said summer, some shows, and a lot more music, all new music for sure. The band discusses their music plans, summer activity, and more below.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
Andy Burke (vocals) and Eoin O’Shea (guitar) have been playing together since the beginning of secondary school. They played together in a band called The Klares where they played in various Irish and international gigs and festivals before eventually wanting to follow a new path. With that, they decided to start from scratch with a new band name and new members. Chris Brady joined the band in September 2018 on the condition that his name be changed to ‘Brody Hopkins’. For the next year, the band jammed and recorded home demos, experimenting with various sounds and styles in the search for their own sound. Between Andy Burke’s unique, aggressive singing style which took a lot of influence from hip hop, Eoin O’Shea’s experimental approach taken using guitar pedals focusing on warmer, smoother melodies than before, and Hopkins’ extensive experience behind the kit as well as various other percussive and non-percussive instruments, the lads had the ability to experiment in a variety of different styles whilst still having their own unique sound in each.
In October 2019, TIC recorded 2 tracks (TIC & Command Z) in Darklands Recording Studio, Dublin. The band played various gigs around this time, including their first headline in Bello Bar, various support slots, and a headline in the Workman’s Club. However, they had barely gotten going when Lockdown hit Dublin (the same day Command Z was released), which stalled the band for a period of time.
With the return of live gigs, Gavin Dunne began playing bass with the band in October 2021. Gavin, originally a guitar player, adds a fatness to the sound of the band which the band had been missing. With the departure of Covid, the band played a huge number of gigs, including a sold out London gig in the MAP Studio Cafe in July 2022. As well as this, the band did a Ireland/UK tour in October November of the same year.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
There isn’t much of a story behind this to be honest. However, when the band started off, we had big opinions about certain things and we expressed them in the lyrics of our songs in a sort of sarcastic nature - this can be heard in the likes of TIC. We still use sort of tongue in cheek humor at our gigs on the mic, and in some of the new lyrics but not as much as before. However, I do think it suits us and it tells people a little bit about who we are. With regards to the spelling, we just thought that ‘Tung’ looked better than ‘Tongue’, however it does cause confusion which is not ideal.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We are all from Dublin - two from South Dublin and two from North Dublin. The music scene is okay in Dublin - however you can only go so far. Most bands who are looking to make it move to London as the scene here is quite repetitive - same venues, same gigs, same bands - it all becomes very familiar. There are plenty of great local bands in Dublin at the moment yes - a few to name are Basht, Really Good Time, Gurriers, Bricknasty.
4. How would you describe your style?
I would say we are an energetic indie rock 4 piece with hints of pop and punk. Each band member has a varying approach in terms of clothing, attitude, and musical influences which has led to a wide variety of genres we have dabbled in over the past 2 years. We have always been persistent in producing dynamic live shows that reflect us as a whole as well as individually. Our music and vibe could be defined as unapologetic.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
We have a few tunes on Spotify, As I mentioned already: TIC & Command Z which were released in November 2019 and March 2020. As we released Psychonaut in July 2021 and Ragbag Púca in January 2022. We have just released the first track from our first EP, ‘Ribcage’ which will be followed by Lucid Dreams in April before the entire Ep being released in May
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
We always have new music in the works or on the backburner which we constantly circle back to or re-arrange to find a unique sound. We’d be a quality over quantity band in terms of new tunes and assortments which we then narrow down to create songs that we all vibe with. Most of the time our music stems from a jam or riff that someone in the band has and we see where the flow takes us.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We love playing shows and seeing where we can play next. We have played a variety of locations over the last year or so including Cork, Dublin, Galway and London shows. We are in the process of planning an Irish / UK tour for the month of May. We have already locked in some dates including London on the 7th May at the Victoria Dalston, Cork on the 19th May at Fred Zeppelins and Dublin on the 25th of May at The Workman’s Club. We also hope to pencil in other Irish/UK dates and are in the process of booking these at present now that we have the main locations down. We will also be playing a festival in Galway this July called Livestock.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
Right now, we are mainly focusing on getting our new music out including arranging artwork, mixes, merchandise, promotions, press releases, photo shoots, music videos, festivals and gigs. A big push for gigs is planned for May/June along with more releases between now and then. We aspire to play some more Irish festivals as well in the summer months.
In terms of the long term plans for the band, I think there is no limit to our ambition as to where this band could go. For the moment we will try to get the most out of our upcoming releases in terms of generating opportunities for ourselves and whatever that may look like. We are open and available to whatever opportunities arise and we will first and foremost try to enjoy ourselves on our journey which we feel very lucky to be able to do together. I think it would be great to try to play more festivals, some bigger venues, land some more support slots, and break on to the international scene a bit more if possible. Although it’s a singles driven market, every artist worth anything still has to prove themselves with a debut album. We are nowhere near that just yet, and it isnt even something we have talked about, but something that we would inevitably have to look into all going well in the next year or two.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
We can be found on Spotify and some material is on YouTube. We try to stick to mainstream platforms to gain as much attention through playlists and promotions as we can. Our main social media account would be Instagram, while we do most of our business and bookings through email. For merchandising, generally we would only do merch for gigs or events which can be bought at the venue.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
I think we would all agree that we want people to feel energy and honesty in our music. We don’t hold any assumptions or notions about ourselves and generally have a laid back attitude which comes through in our music. We’d hope people get some enjoyment and enthusiasm from our music. Our lyrics are honest and bold, while our sound is coordinated and unrestricted.
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