Since beginning Her.ie and JOE.ie's Sunday Sessions we've enjoyed meeting, interviewing and recording originals and covers from some of, not only the country's most exciting up-and-coming talent, but international stars.
Five months on and half a million YouTube views later and we're at the end of 2014 selecting our standout acts.
In no particular order, here are eight unforgettable live performances from The Sunday Sessions' recordings so far.
Vance Joy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJDB0FDJDDU
We’ve been singing the praises of Vance Joy for quite some time and so we were only too delighted to catch the much-loved Melbourne music maker before his first headline Irish gig.
Vance Joy, whose real name is James Keogh (yes, he has Irish blood in him), has enjoyed Top 10 success across Ireland and Europe with debut EP, ‘
God Loves You When You’re Dancing’ and his phenomenal hit track ‘
Riptide’ has been on Irish airplay for just over a year.The 26-year-old performed an acoustic version of track ‘
Mess Is Mine’ taken from his eagerly anticipated debut album,
'Dream Your Life Away'.
SOAK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47XTlIG2aKU
18-year-old Bridie Monds-Watson a.k.a SOAK has received phenomenal praise for her songwriting ability, earning her comparisons from Laura Marling to Beach House. SOAK, who has balanced her school life and music since the age of 14, has supported George Ezra, CHVRCHES and completed summer festival slots at Glastonbury, Latitude and Electric Picnic.
The Derry native's distinct honesty, intimacy and a maturity beyond her years, makes her one of the country's most promising rising stars. Listen to her beautiful acoustic performance of hit '
B a noBody'.
James Bay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6PcF91sIpg
British vocal sensation James Bay is without doubt one name that you will be hearing a lot more of in 2015. With similarities often drawn between Scottish crooner Paolo Nutini and American singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne it comes as no surprise that the 23-year-old is tipped for stardom.
We caught up with Bay when he returned to Irish shores for a headline gig in November. Watch him perform a stripped back version of latest track '
Hold Back The River'.
Wyvern Lingo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0qLlnbdVqw
Wyvern Lingo is made up of friends Saoirse Duane on guitar, drummer Caoimhe Barry and Karen Cowley on keys. Together the girls captivate crowds with their haunting vocals and perfect harmonies and have spent the last five years mastering their craft and writing songs.
Two thirds of the group provide backing vocals for Hozier and racked up credits with other acts that include Zaska, Samuel Vas-Y and Trinity Orchestra, and also supported fellow Wicklow native Hozier on his sell-out Irish tour earlier in the month. The girls performed a truly stunning rendition of '
Used' take from their debut EP '
The Widow Knows'.
The Academic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zou64Ophm8U
The Academic is a four-piece made up of frontman Craig Fitzgerald, Dean Gavin on drums, and brothers Stephen and Matt Murtagh on bass and lead guitar. With the signing of a global publishing deal, playing support for The Pixies and Delorentos, not to mention a string of festival appearances that included, Longitude, Indiependence and Spain’s Benicassim, 2014 has turned out to be quite the year for The Academic.
New material is on the way from the band and so we caught up with them for a fantastic live session before they catapult to the top of the indie music scene and leave their hometown of Mullingar for dust. Watch the lads perform the anthemic standout track '
Bear Claws' above.
The Staves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QvNXBtaZLQ
The Staves consists of sisters Emily, Jessica, and Camilla Staveley-Taylor who have garnered interest from music fans all over the globe since the release of their critically acclaimed debut album
Dead & Born & Grown back in 2012.
The British folk group, who are best known for their distinct old school pitch-perfect harmonies, released their brand new EP
Blood Is Bled in October and performed a captivating rendition of the title track.
Gavin James
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=715pSySUuJA
To say that we have a lot of love for Dubliner, Gavin James, would be an understatement - as we've said before, for those of you who haven’t heard the name, become acquainted, as you will definitely be seeing and hearing a lot more of Gavin in coming years.
The 23-year-old rising star has graced the pages of
Her.ie many times and kicked off The Sunday Sessions Christmas Special with a phenomenal rendition of '
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' on December 1st. Gavin recently released a selection of new and old songs,
‘Live at Whelans’, via Warner Music, and we decided to finish the year off on a perfect high-note with the man himself. Gavin is guaranteed to blow you away with this gorgeous acoustic rendition of track '
'Til The Sun Comes Up'.
George Ezra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mVCe0VeFIg
George Ezra has cemented his name as one of the greatest breakthrough acts of the year (many years) and we had the pleasure of meeting him ahead of his set at Longitude in Marlay Park, noting the launch of The Sunday Sessions.
With vocal talent and song-writing ability beyond his years, it came as no surprise when Ezra's October gig date at Dublin's Academy managed to sell out in just three hours. Over 280,000 people have watched him perform this acoustic rendition of hit track '
Blame It On Me'.
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