MacD on Music: Ol’ Red Eyes Is Back (For The First Time)

April is shaping up to be an exciting month for the music lovers of Derry (or wherever you happen to be reading this). First of all, there’s Record Store Day (basically Christmas for record shops), which, as usual, is happening exclusively in Cool Discs on the 22nd April.

Next week I’ll be taking a more in-depth look at that. This week, I’m looking at another event taking place that same night.

Last year, as loyal readers may remember, I talked to a few bands at the brilliant Stendhal festival. One of those bands was Red Eye Pariah, who are making their Derry debut next Saturday in Bennigan’s, with support from Yunga. 

For those unfamiliar, Red Eye Pariah are an Antrim based group made up of Sammy Stevenson (lead guitar), Alex Close (bass), Joe Dawson (drums) and Deano Kelly (vocals/guitar). When we spoke last year, they told me they were “just out here chasing the dream...hitting it hard and trying to do our best to try and push it as much as we can.” 

At the time, they were working on releasing an EP, the since-released ‘Koala Tea’. I spoke to both them and Yunga (Kian Lampert (Guitar, Vocals), Tiernan McHugh (Bass), Joshua Peoples (Drums) and Conor O’Hara (Guitar, Backing Vocals)) about their thoughts ahead of the gig:

Yunga

What have you been up to since our last chat a few months ago?

We’ve been working a lot behind the scenes, writing and recording while also getting a lot of gigs booked for summer, we have been really preparing ourselves for this gig with Red Eye Pariah. We feel like it will be an absolute blast!

Are you looking forward to playing with Red Eye Pariah? 

Who wouldn’t be! We have been in contact with them the last couple of months and them lads are nothing but gentlemen! Us as a new band as well, they have been great in giving us support and advice along the way. And I heard their bass player is a hunk.

Have you got anything else coming up you want to talk about? 

Two days prior to playing with the lads at Red Eye Pariah, we head to Belfast to play at Ulster Sports Club with Virgins and Lip Gloss on the 20th April. We are super stoked to be playing in the USC as our Belfast Debut with so many great bands.

Red Eye Pariah

What have you been up to since we chatted at Stendhal?

Since Stendhal we’ve had lots going on, which is always nice to say! 

We released our debut EP ‘Koala Tea’ which was our way of showcasing our ability to write songs in multiple genres; while still having the Red Eye Pariah signature on them. 

We held a launch in the Belfast Empire which was our biggest show we've done to date. Lots of nerves mixed with adrenaline on that night! 

The turn out was amazing! For all artists it’s great to have people singing back your songs. With the EP only being released two weeks prior having folks belting the lyrics really hit us hard. It was surreal. 

Is this your first time playing Derry? Are you looking forward to it?

This is our first time in Derry and we are so looking forward to it! 

Having a music scene that’s sprung awesome artists like Parker, Cherym, and Touts, to name a few, shows you the city appreciates great music and local talent. We hope we can impress!  

What do you think of Yunga?

Yunga are our kind of band. Raw, and energetic. We’ve been fortunate enough to have a few chats with the guys and they are really cool people. We’re looking forward to having a beer with them at the show! 

Are there any other acts you think we should be keeping an eye on?

We love to shout out our local troops. Tyler Michael has just released his latest single-Cocoon, Yingyang is making waves, and Voodoo Chief are set to release a music video for their new song, Masadoma! We strongly suggest you check them all out! 

Have you got anything else coming up you want to talk about?

We have just finished up a live studio recording of Rui Da Silva’s Dance Classic ‘Touch Me’. Covering this song has been a staple of our set since our beginning so we thought we’d do something a little different this time around.

We have some festivals booked and a few more bits and pieces on the way. Watch this space and keep your Red Eyes peeled! 

Now, onto other business. Last week saw the release of ‘Can of Baked Beans’, a collaboration between Little Kings (aka Ryan Harling) and Jacob Cunningham-Bell.

The song tells the story of “a love-struck individual who, though well-meaning, struggles to grasp what love is at grand proportions.” 

The song is out now on all good streaming platforms. They can be found on Instagram @little_kings_music and @jacobcunninghambell.

Red Eye Pariah play Bennigan’s next Saturday (22nd April, aka Record Store Day) with support from Yunga. Their EP, ‘Koala Tea’ is out now. Both groups can be found on Instagram @redeyepariah and @yungaband.