MacD on Music: Heaven, Hell or Houston

Lockdown may not have been the best time for a lot of people, but it did give us plenty of great music. My first year or so in this job was filled with bands and artists that spawned from that time when the world shut down.

This week, I’m talking to George Houston, who (as you could probably guess from that last paragraph) started releasing music in 2020 and has since done four albums, the most recent being last year’s NI Music Prize-nominated ‘TODC’. George has also appeared on Later...With Jools Holland and The Tommy Tiernan Show, both within the last year, and is now about to embark on a tour of Europe. I caught up with him recently to talk about his musical journey so far:

“I’d like to think that every child is encouraged to do music when they’re young. I was lucky in that regard. My parents never knew how to play an instrument so they always encouraged me and my siblings to. I tried different instruments and, when I was a teenager, I started writing and recording on my phone and really enjoying it.

"Over the COVID Lockdowns in 2020, when I left school, I used that as an opportunity to record and put music out whilst I was away from other people because we were all isolated. When things were opening up I started doing some shows and it was kind of serendipitous for me. I guess that would be a silver lining from a not-so-pleasant time.”

Speaking of his musical influences: “When it comes to vocals, I like artists that have a very wide range in dynamics. I love Stevie Nicks and Jim Morrison, people who can really tone it down then be explosive when they want to. In terms of writing, I really look up to Leonard Cohen, First Aid Kit and Lana Del Rey. In terms of production value and genre, I love artists who are genre-queer, who can move from genre to genre, like David Bowie or Kate Bush or TRAMP.”

READ MORE: MacD on Music

“I tend to go for a lot of artists from the previous century, but there’s a really great movement happening where, I guess, artists, like myself, who love to take inspiration from previous times, like The Last Dinner Party, Florence+the Machine and even Chappell Roan has this dark, glam, whimsy-goth vibe to them.”

I asked what it’s like getting his music on shows like Jools Holland and Tommy Tiernan: “It’s a real honour. I’m one of these manifesters. I can picture an eighteen year old me doing scrapbooks and writing in a journal the goals that I would love to achieve as an artist. Those shows are just real bucket list achievements that I can’t believe happened. I’m really grateful and amazed.”

As to how he gets these opportunities: “I’m kind of the agent, the manager, the booker, I’m the Jack of all trades at the moment. Playing on stage is maybe ten percent of the job, but I actually really enjoy the business side of it, getting to meet different venues and different promoters. It’s very rewarding to build a little community in your own area and beyond.”

Next, we spoke about his near-constant stream of new music: “There’s a lot of artists that would put out maybe a single a year or an EP a year, but I just love to write and I love to put things out, so I suppose because I’ve been putting out an album a year or thereabouts, people will listen and enjoy the worlds that I’m making.”

And that’s it from George Houston. He’ll be kicking off his European tour on March 30th in London’s Sebright Arms. After that he’ll be hitting the mainland in April, starting in Paris (April 2nd), then Brussels (April 3rd), Amsterdam (April 6th), Hamburg (April 9th), Berlin (April 11th) before coming back home with gigs in Dublin (June 13th), Galway (June 19th), Cork (June 20th) and finally Belfast (October 10th) and our very own Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin (October 23rd).

Now, onto other business. First up, we have The Ephades, who will be playing Whelan’s in Dublin on the 26th of this month, opening for Lazember and also featuring Ciara McShane. Tickets are €12 and can be found at whelanslive.com.

Next, new music from Sister Ghost, who will be releasing her new single ‘Embers’ this Wednesday (18th March). The single comes from her upcoming EP ‘Oracle’ (out April 17th) which also features her last single ‘Not Your Toy’. The EP will be followed by gigs in London’s The Hope and Anchor on April 22nd, Glasgow’s Bar Bloc on the 25th and Edinburgh’s The Wee Red Bar on the 27th.

Lastly, the Foyle Folk Club returns this Friday (March 20th) in Tinneys, featuring Mickey Duffy, Hutch, Rachel Crowe and Acoustic Vibes, plus very special surprise guests.

Doors are 8.30 and the first act is on at 9pm sharp. Tickets are £5.

Finally, time for the socials. Sister Ghost can be found on Instagram @sisterghostofficial, The Ephades @the.ephades and George Houston @georgehoustonarts.