MacD on Music: Ryding High

Some bands like to innovate, to create strange new sounds that have never been heard before. Others just like to play good ol’ rock’n’roll. Bands like AC🗲DC and Motörhead built their entire careers doing just this, and their millions of fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

This week, I’m talking to High Ryder, a Belfast-based group that is keeping this tradition alive and well. High Ryder are Max Keenan (guitar), Ben King (vocals), Paul Breadon (bass) and Sam Moore (drums). To date, they have released the single ‘Highway Roar’, a song that almost sounds like a long-lost outtake from ‘Back In Black’, with Max’s guitar and Ben’s Brian Johnson-esque vocals front and centre, and this Saturday they’ll be taking to the stage in Bennigan’s for what is sure to be an electrifying gig.

I caught up with Brian and Max recently to chat a bit about the band [Disclaimer: when listening back to this interview, I lost track of which voice belonged to who]: “The band came together at the end of our old band, Dynasty. Max and I still wanted to do rock music together, but we weren’t talking as often as we’d used to.

“We started going through multiple drummers and bassists, probably about ten-ish, and we ended up finding Sam and Paul eventually, after we’d released our first single in December 2024. We had Zac McBride on drums on the single before we found Sam. We went through a lot of line-ups, but we’ve been with these two guys for about a year, and it feels like the actual, proper version of the band.”

I asked about their main influences: “AC🗲DC, for one. I think anyone who would come to see us would stick that label on us, or Guns N’Roses or Motörhead, any of those classic late-seventies, early-eighties bands. Saxon would be another one.”

Next, we spoke about the upcoming gig: “5th September we’re playing our first headline gig in Bennigan’s. It’s our first headline show. We played a show in Derry not long ago. I think it was in May. We were opening there, and the reaction of the crowd was pretty good so we were asked to come down and headline.”

I asked what they thought of the current Irish music scene: “There’s a lot on the metal scene, but I think we’re the only rock’n’roll band that I’ve heard up around these parts. There’s a great alternative scene, like indie, then there’s that really heavy metal music. We feel like we’re too heavy for the indie folk, and too light for the heavy metal guys.”

Lastly, I asked about the reception to ‘Highway Roar’: “When we released it, we didn’t have much of a social media presence, although anyone we’d talked to loved it. It goes pretty well live. People who know the band know the song and enjoy it live. It’s definitely not the sound we’re going for now, but it’s a product of its moment.”

And that’s it from High Ryder. They’ll be playing Bennigan’s this Saturday with support from Seventh Heaven, Blue Creek and Nine Foot Lizards. Tickets are £8 on Eventbrite and doors are 7.30. After that, they’ll also be playing Voodoo in Belfast on September 17th before coming back here on the 27th supporting Falchion.

Now, onto other business. Let’s start with Blue Creek, who’ll be releasing their debut single ‘I Want My Truck’ this Friday. It will be available on all good streaming platforms and if you want to hear it live you know where to go.

Next up, we have FRMR, aka Belfast-based folk singer Andrew Farmer, who has just released his second album ‘Ochre’. The album “explores themes of place, memory and environmental consciousness” and features collaborations with Duke Special, Linley Hamilton, Rachael Boyd and Eleanor Kyle.

The album “sits in a space between Gregory Alan Isakov’s dusty folk introspectives and the textural experimentation of Meitei and ‘ZeroZeroZero’-era Mogwai” and, for FRMR, “feels like the next chapter in a lifelong dialogue about ecology, spirituality and our tangled bond with the natural world”.

‘Ochre’ is out now on all good streaming services.

Last up is Cathal Fitz, who will be releasing his debut album ‘Concise Waffle’ this Friday (4th September)

Cathal “emerged in 2025 with a voice that feels both timeless and unmistakably new, weaving Irish storytelling tradition with a modern, atmospheric edge. His songwriting leans into honesty, vulnerability and emotional clarity, creating work that resonates with listeners who crave depth as much as melody”.

“Influenced by artists like Damien Rice and Tom Waits, Fitz crafts songs that balance raw intimacy with sweeping universality; the kind that can hold a room in stillness before lifting it into a collective chorus.”

Finally, time for the socials. Cathal Fitz can be found on Instagram @cathalfitzmusic_, FRMR @f.rm.r, Blue Creek @bluecreek_band, Nine Foot Lizzards @nine_foot_lizzards, Seventh Heaven @seventhheaven_band_ and High Ryder @therealhighryder.