Friday, November 27, 2009
Mp3Hugger 26th November
While the wait for their debut album has been interminable the clues left by their releases so far indicate that something special could be on the way. 2009 has seen Angel Pier headline Whelan’s, play Oxygen and release a superb double a-sided 7-inch. And that’s where you’ll find ‘Align The Seas’, a torch song that is constructed so precisely you could remove a note and the whole thing would fall apart. The delicate structure is glued together by Darragh Nolan’s pre, during and post falsetto but like with all Angel Pier compositions the shiny instrumental dynamics manage to scoop plenty of the limelight too. ‘Align The Seas’ reaches for and almost outmanoeuvres the bands bona fida classic ‘Sprites’ which means the anticipation for their LP is almost too much to bear. KD
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
HWCH09 / The Angel Pier
The Angel Pier confirmed their greatness with a neat set to finish the night to a decent crowd.
2uiBestow
2uiBestow
HWCH 09 / The Angel Pier
The Angel Pier rocked; so confident and you had to dance. Gotta love the mad dancer in the crowd who resurrected the white feather boa and was makin' shapes on the dancefloor as they say.
Writer on the Way Home
Writer on the Way Home
Monday, August 10, 2009
Irish Unsigned / Whelans 07/08/09
In celebration of the release of their new limited edition 7" single Belong/Align the Seas, Darragh, Vinny, Luke and Mark hosted a really enjoyable gig, with special guests The Murder Clues to get the party started. I was really excited about seeing two of my favourite acts on the same night.
Three parts Irish to one part Canadian, The Angel Pier are a charming act that know how to totally enjoy performing and also have an ability to seduce the listener with soothing vocals and fluent guitar riffs aplenty.
Described by some as having 'the sheer guts to make music that they genuinely want to', this band have clocked up lots of exciting appearances since I last saw them at the beginning of '09, including performing on The New Sounds Stage at Oxygen, appearing at Castlepalooza and Co-headlining a tour around Ireland with 'The Kinetiks'.
The fab four took to the stage to shouts of approval from a now healthy sized audience, starting their set with You're right. Vinny Redmond (Bass) harmonizes and trickling notes on lead guitar (Luke Paluch) create the perfect backdrop for Darragh's powerful delivery of the first number.
Belong is on the new 7" E.P. and has a slow intro, picking up speed and becoming more dynamic. A rhythmic riff on guitar brings it to life, harmony filtering into the chorus. This is truly a feel good song.
Pray has some interesting chord combinations and a delectable chorus.
Align the Seas was introduced by Darragh as he mentioned that it was on the new E.P. Gorgeous guitar notes are strummed for the intro. Darragh's use of falsetto in the chorus adds sweetness. The use of the higher octave against the background vocals which are sung in the lower octave is a very effective tool and also I noticed in the middle eight, a pullback of instruments which leaves just vocals with close harmony for a few bars and gradually each instrument returns, taking the whole piece to a big crescendo finish.
For no Man
Certain numbers in their repertoire such as this one would remind me a little of Coldplay. Darragh's voice is light here and there's an uplifting quality to the verse.
Although the melody is sweet, this song becomes more explosive as it develops. There's a sliding note that's sung in harmony just before the finish, which is gorgeous.
Make, Sacrifice and Bullet were also among the many wonderful songs that were performed at this gig. That special 'Je ne sais quoi' which The Angel Pier posess inspires a cheerful atmosphere and as the night went on they seemed to just get better and better.
I wondered would they perform my favourite number Sprites when they returned for a well deserved encore at the end of the gig. They must have heard me shout for it as they left the stage, because they did it. As I heard the first notes being plucked on guitar, I recognised it.
Darragh's delivery of this song is flawless and like most of their songs, it builds up from a softer beginning, to a dynamic Anthem with bashing chords and an appealing melody.
We were treated to yet another number called Scribbles.
Darragh and the lads have a certain charm, which has already taken them to heady heights and gigs that many bands only get to dream about. I discovered them almost a year ago and have since become a fan. I hope to have lots of future opportunities to see them live, especially after this my second experience of them at Whelan's.
Cheers to The Angel Pier and The Murder Clues for a magnificent evening.
Three parts Irish to one part Canadian, The Angel Pier are a charming act that know how to totally enjoy performing and also have an ability to seduce the listener with soothing vocals and fluent guitar riffs aplenty.
Described by some as having 'the sheer guts to make music that they genuinely want to', this band have clocked up lots of exciting appearances since I last saw them at the beginning of '09, including performing on The New Sounds Stage at Oxygen, appearing at Castlepalooza and Co-headlining a tour around Ireland with 'The Kinetiks'.
The fab four took to the stage to shouts of approval from a now healthy sized audience, starting their set with You're right. Vinny Redmond (Bass) harmonizes and trickling notes on lead guitar (Luke Paluch) create the perfect backdrop for Darragh's powerful delivery of the first number.
Belong is on the new 7" E.P. and has a slow intro, picking up speed and becoming more dynamic. A rhythmic riff on guitar brings it to life, harmony filtering into the chorus. This is truly a feel good song.
Pray has some interesting chord combinations and a delectable chorus.
Align the Seas was introduced by Darragh as he mentioned that it was on the new E.P. Gorgeous guitar notes are strummed for the intro. Darragh's use of falsetto in the chorus adds sweetness. The use of the higher octave against the background vocals which are sung in the lower octave is a very effective tool and also I noticed in the middle eight, a pullback of instruments which leaves just vocals with close harmony for a few bars and gradually each instrument returns, taking the whole piece to a big crescendo finish.
For no Man
Certain numbers in their repertoire such as this one would remind me a little of Coldplay. Darragh's voice is light here and there's an uplifting quality to the verse.
Although the melody is sweet, this song becomes more explosive as it develops. There's a sliding note that's sung in harmony just before the finish, which is gorgeous.
Make, Sacrifice and Bullet were also among the many wonderful songs that were performed at this gig. That special 'Je ne sais quoi' which The Angel Pier posess inspires a cheerful atmosphere and as the night went on they seemed to just get better and better.
I wondered would they perform my favourite number Sprites when they returned for a well deserved encore at the end of the gig. They must have heard me shout for it as they left the stage, because they did it. As I heard the first notes being plucked on guitar, I recognised it.
Darragh's delivery of this song is flawless and like most of their songs, it builds up from a softer beginning, to a dynamic Anthem with bashing chords and an appealing melody.
We were treated to yet another number called Scribbles.
Darragh and the lads have a certain charm, which has already taken them to heady heights and gigs that many bands only get to dream about. I discovered them almost a year ago and have since become a fan. I hope to have lots of future opportunities to see them live, especially after this my second experience of them at Whelan's.
Cheers to The Angel Pier and The Murder Clues for a magnificent evening.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
News Of The World July 26, 2009
'Pierfect New Single From Angel Boys'
Divine Sounds by Martin Burns
The Angel Pier are an Irish band who have transformed themselves in the last year to become one of the most hotly-tipped acts around. The four-piece, based in Gorey, Co Wexford, released the stunning double A-side single Align The Seas and Belong on Friday and it looks set to change their fortunes.
Since getting together in 2006 Darragh Nolan, Vinny Redmond, Luke Paluch and Mark Colbert released two EPs but neither made the splash they'd hoped for when they started out. Their previous sound, according to NME, was 'classic indie pop', and the band seemed to have no problem wearing their influences - Radiohead, The Cure, Interpol, Band of Horses and Brendan Benson - on their sleeves. But after numerous gigs in Ireland The Angel Pier decided to try their luck on the other side of the Atlantic and last year they did two tours of Canada.
Frontman Darragh said: "We went over in March for eight dates and it went so well that we went back again in June". "They were really friendly and the people were very receptive to what we were doing. To be honest we were getting a little tired of doing the same thing but the Canadian audiences' reaction gave us the impetus to carry on". And it was during that tour that their approach started to change. Darragh said: "From the start we said we don't want to be doing what everyone else is doing - but there were influences that we couldn't help and it took a while for that stuff to wash away. "I suppose we experienced a new kind of freedom in Canada and we were able to develop our sound".
Since their return home the band have been working on plenty of brand new material, they've done a joint headline tour with The Kinetiks and landed a highly coveted spot at Oxegen two weeks ago.
For the new single they hooked up with leading Irish producer Jimmy Eadie, who has worked with Jape, David Kitt and Valerie Francis. Darragh said: "Jimmy is about vibe more than anything else. "We're still playing the same kind of music but we've managed to put a more original slant on things and we're very happy. We're going to do an album with him and it'll be out next year".
The Angel Pier play Castlepalooza Festival in Co Offaly on Saturday.
Divine Sounds by Martin Burns
The Angel Pier are an Irish band who have transformed themselves in the last year to become one of the most hotly-tipped acts around. The four-piece, based in Gorey, Co Wexford, released the stunning double A-side single Align The Seas and Belong on Friday and it looks set to change their fortunes.
Since getting together in 2006 Darragh Nolan, Vinny Redmond, Luke Paluch and Mark Colbert released two EPs but neither made the splash they'd hoped for when they started out. Their previous sound, according to NME, was 'classic indie pop', and the band seemed to have no problem wearing their influences - Radiohead, The Cure, Interpol, Band of Horses and Brendan Benson - on their sleeves. But after numerous gigs in Ireland The Angel Pier decided to try their luck on the other side of the Atlantic and last year they did two tours of Canada.
Frontman Darragh said: "We went over in March for eight dates and it went so well that we went back again in June". "They were really friendly and the people were very receptive to what we were doing. To be honest we were getting a little tired of doing the same thing but the Canadian audiences' reaction gave us the impetus to carry on". And it was during that tour that their approach started to change. Darragh said: "From the start we said we don't want to be doing what everyone else is doing - but there were influences that we couldn't help and it took a while for that stuff to wash away. "I suppose we experienced a new kind of freedom in Canada and we were able to develop our sound".
Since their return home the band have been working on plenty of brand new material, they've done a joint headline tour with The Kinetiks and landed a highly coveted spot at Oxegen two weeks ago.
For the new single they hooked up with leading Irish producer Jimmy Eadie, who has worked with Jape, David Kitt and Valerie Francis. Darragh said: "Jimmy is about vibe more than anything else. "We're still playing the same kind of music but we've managed to put a more original slant on things and we're very happy. We're going to do an album with him and it'll be out next year".
The Angel Pier play Castlepalooza Festival in Co Offaly on Saturday.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Hot Press 16 July 2009 - Tracks
The Angel Pier
Align The Seas (Delphi)
The fresh-faced foursome (three parts Irish to one part Canadian) are doing a really good job right now of sounding like Band Of Horses. This is a bit too listless for my liking but the occasional flashes of beautiful pop-driven melancholy are enough to have us looking forward to the Leo Pearson produced Sacrifice EP, due for release in the autumn.
Align The Seas (Delphi)
The fresh-faced foursome (three parts Irish to one part Canadian) are doing a really good job right now of sounding like Band Of Horses. This is a bit too listless for my liking but the occasional flashes of beautiful pop-driven melancholy are enough to have us looking forward to the Leo Pearson produced Sacrifice EP, due for release in the autumn.
Monday, May 25, 2009
The Great Escape, Brighton - The Skinny
The people behind the showcase are an independent, Irish version of The Scottish Arts Council, it was explained to the Skinny over a Guinness or two. To celebrate their appearance, they’ve even brought their own version of We Were Promised Jetpacks, in Angel Pier! They’re equal parts joviality and intensity with a lead singer boasting a hugely impressive vocal range. As with Jetpacks, there’s an ever-so-slight whiff of EMO, but they, too, seem to have enough substance in their armoury to get away with any perceived over-earnestness.
SOURCE: http://www.theskinny.co.uk/article/45922-the-great-escape-festival-brighton-1416-may
SOURCE: http://www.theskinny.co.uk/article/45922-the-great-escape-festival-brighton-1416-may
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