Radio – Rob O'Connor

Updates

I haven’t posted in a while as I’ve been busy – that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

I have been keep the MixCloud updated each week with every Irish Beats radio show, so if you want to have a listen to some of the latest and greatest in homegrown music, fill yer ears! The shows from the last two weeks are particularly interesting as they spotlight 18 acts from the South East whom I think are worth checking out. There’s a short feature on each on and one of their latest tracks.

Beyond that, I’m conducting some research in podcasting and trying to get another music project finished, whilst also experiencing home renovations. First world problems …

Irish Beats 23rd May 2021

Your weekly helping of fresh Irish music! All Tvvins, Saige, Amerik, James Vincent McMorrow, Moxie and more! My guests in the virtual studio were Steve Wall and Simon O’Reilly, chatting about their new track ‘Rise With The Sun.’ It was mighty craic talking with the lads, learning how they created their track using WhatsApp and Dropbox. Full playlist after the jump.

Irish Beats 2nd May 2021

For the Bank Holiday weekend, I decided to host a mini music festival on Irish Beats, playing an hour of live performances from stages big and small. The line-up included The Academic, when young, The Frames, Cathy Davey, Alex Gough, Wallis Bird, U2 and more! Of course, that was after a collection of fresh bangers from Anim, Wild Youth, The X Collective, Bantum and Soda Blonde. Lots to wrap your ears around!

Irish Beats 25th April 2021

Plenty of new sounds to get your ears around on Irish Beats this week. Played stuff from Imelda May’s chart-topping album, Villagers’ new one and many more. Lots of guitars on the show this evening for some reason. Perhaps it’s the influence of my guest Dara Quilty from the band Apella. Who knows?!

Irish Beats 18th April 2021

This week was pretty hectic for new Irish releases, so I kept the music coming thick and fast on the latest radio show. The playlist was made up of fresh tunes from the likes of Reuben Hester, KinetiX, Ruth Anne, SYML, Cat Dowling and many more. The wonderful Ann Scott was my guest, chatting about her new album ‘Lily.’

Irish Beats 11th April 2021

I didn’t much in the way of new music on the radio last week because of the vinyl special, so I tried to squeeze as many fresh tunes into the latest playlist. 32 tracks in two hours is no mean feat! The second hour was devoted to track from the folk genre, allowing us to shift down to second gear and become a little introspective.

Irish Beats 4th April 2021

It was an all-vinyl affair on this evening’s Irish Beats as I dug into my collection to bring you some of the warmest homegrown sounds around. There was one electronic selection before breaking into the guitars – well worth turning your radios up to 11! The second of the show was a documentary following one WIT student’s quest to get into the format. ‘Gianluca Wants a Record Player’ asks questions like what’s so appealing about vinyl? Who’s listening to the format? Does it really sound better than Spotify? Should Gianluca go ahead and get a turntable?

Irish Beats 21st March 2021

Last night was the first radio show I’ve done in a while that didn’t feature an extended interview. I enjoy talking with people, but it was nice to focus on the music too! I managed to squeeze TWENTY EIGHT whopping tracks into two hours on the radio this week, with new music from Chasing Abbey, Tolu Makay, Inhaler and more as well as classics from the likes of David Holmes and Fred. ‘Be My Friend’ by Holly Macve is a track that’s really wormed it’s way into my brain. Her new album ‘Not The Girl’ is out in April, so I’ll definitely keep an ear out for that.

Irish Beats 14th March 2021

A slightly different radio show on this evening. To celebrate Seachtain na Gaeilge 2021, the second hour of Irish Beats was entirely as gaeilge, featuring loads of great Irish tunes as you mightn’t have heard before. MayKay (ex Fight Like Apes) was my guest in the first hour talking about the IMBOLC music special currently streaming on the RTE Player. Plenty of fresh tracks in the mix from Tolu Makay, James Vincent McMorrow, Emma Langford, Kojaque and more.

Irish Beats 7th March 2021

To coincide with International Women’s Day and the Shine Festival 2021, we had a female voices special on Irish Beats this evening. Absolutely no shortage of fantastic music to play with tracks from Elaine Mai, MayKay, Tolu Makay, Kynsy, Pillow Queens and Choice Music Prize winner Denise Chaila all featuring (as well as lots more!). Stephanie Rainey was my guest in the virtual studio, spilling the beans on her new EP and how it felt to pick herself back up after being dropped by her record label (full podcast of this interview to be published soon).