Westlife are an Irish boy band, formed in 1998 in Sligo, Ireland. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Markus Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne; one of its original members, Brian McFadden, departed the band in 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reunited in 2018.
Are You Experienced is the debut studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Released in 1967, the LP was an immediate critical and commercial success, and it is widely regarded as one of the greatest debuts in the history of rock music. The album features Jimi Hendrix's innovative approach to songwriting and electric guitar playing which soon established a new direction in psychedelic and hard rock music.
Asian Kung-Fu Generation is a Japanese alternative rock band formed in Yokohama in 1996. For its entire career, the band has consisted of vocalist Masafumi Gotoh, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada, and drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi. Starting out as a college band, Asian Kung-Fu Generation released a series of independent EPs featuring lyrics mostly sung in English. In 2002, they released their major-label EP debut Hōkai Amplifier, from that point singing their lyrics in Japanese. The band's musical style is influenced by seminal Western alternative rock acts as well as their own local Japanese indie-rock and punk scene. Their songs incorporate various aspects of the genres, most typically expressing fast tempos and prominent power chord guitar riffs in addition to rhythmic groove and emotional lyrics. Despite the indie nature of their music, the band has enjoyed worldwide commercial success in addition to critical acclaim. Asian Kung-Fu Generation has been cited as one of the best, most balanced modern rock bands to emerge from Japan in the 2000s.
The Walkmen is an American indie rock band, with members based in New York City and Philadelphia. The band formed in 2000 with three members from Jonathan Fire*Eater—Paul Maroon, Walter Martin (organ/bass), and Matt Barrick (drums)—and two from The Recoys, Peter Bauer (bass/organ) and Hamilton Leithauser. Bauer attended Maret School in Washington, D.C., while the other band members attended St. Albans, also in Washington.
Nicholas Bernard James Adam Byrne Jr. is an Irish singer, songwriter, radio presenter, dancer, television presenter and former professional footballer, best known for being a member of Irish music band Westlife; he is the band's oldest member. Westlife has since released twelve albums, embarked on thirteen world tours, and won several awards, becoming one of the most successful musical groups of all time.
The Redneck Manifesto are an instrumental rock band from Dublin, Ireland. Its members are Richard Egan (bass), Niall Byrne (guitar) & Matthew Bolger (guitar). Past members include Mervyn Craig (drums), Neil O'Connor & Glenn Keating.
The Choice Music Prize, known for sponsorship reasons as the RTÉ Choice Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded to the best album from a band or solo musician who is born in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland or holds an Irish passport. For bands, the majority of members must have been born in the island of Ireland or hold an Irish passport.
This is a summary of the year 2008 in the Irish music industry.
Jape are an Irish electronic–rock band from Dublin. Formed as a side project by Richie Egan whilst part of The Redneck Manifesto, they have released five albums to date; Cosmosphere (2003), The Monkeys in the Zoo Have More Fun Than Me (2004), Ritual (2008), Ocean of Frequency (2011), and This Chemical Sea (2015). Jape's wider discography includes the EP, Jape is Grape (2007), as well as a number of singles, including "Floating" and "Phil Lynott". The band have performed at festivals and events such as Glastonbury, Electric Picnic, Lovebox and Hard Working Class Heroes and provided support for The Flaming Lips at Belsonic in Belfast in August 2008.
This is a summary of the year 2009 in the Irish music industry.
Fight Like Apes were an Irish alternative rock band formed in Dublin in 2006.
The Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno Tour is a 2008–2009 promotional concert tour of music co-written by David Byrne and Brian Eno with performances by Byrne. In addition to being a retrospective of the duo's collaborations, the tour promoted the album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. The musical performers were accompanied by dancers who were choreographed to several songs. Performances were held across the world and later documented on a tour EP and a concert film.
Sea Sew is the debut studio album released by Lisa Hannigan. It was released in Ireland on 12 September 2008, with the lead single, "Lille", made available as a free download on lisahannigan.ie on 25 August.
Ritual is the third studio album from electronic rock band Jape, released on Co-op Records in 2008. It won the Choice Music Prize for the 2008 Irish Album of the Year in March 2009.
The Monkeys in the Zoo Have More Fun Than Me is the second studio album of Jape released by Trust Me I'm a Thief Records in 2004. The album was launched in Dublin's Crawdaddy venue. Like its predecessor, Cosmosphere, which was released the previous year, it contains eight tracks. The album included the single "Floating", a song later covered by Brendan Benson of The Raconteurs and the Belgian bastard pop duo Soulwax during their DJ sets. The Monkeys in the Zoo Have More Fun Than Me was followed by the ten-track Choice Music Prize-winning album Ritual which was released in 2008.
"Phil Lynott" is a 2008 single by the Irish band Jape, taken from their third studio album, Ritual. Released on 19 December 2008, Jape fans were behind an unsuccessful online petition to establish the song as the Christmas number one in the Irish Singles Chart. "Phil Lynott" was well-received, with critics generally regarding it as one of the finer songs on the Ritual album and the Irish Independent naming it the best Irish song of the year.
"Floating" is a 2004 single by the Irish band Jape, taken from the second studio album, The Monkeys in the Zoo Have More Fun Than Me and described as "Jape's trademark song". Co-produced by David Kitt, the single was the first release from the album and was generally viewed by critics as the standout track on the album. In 2007, it featured on the EP, Jape is Grape, for which a video was made. Brendan Benson of The Raconteurs is a known admirer of the song and has performed a cover version during live shows.
Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion is the debut studio album of Fight Like Apes. It was released in Ireland on 26 September 2008, the UK on 26 January 2009 and Japan in April 2009.
Jeremy Hickey is an Irish multi-instrumentalist and producer from Kilkenny. He has released four albums and one EP. Rarely Seen Above Ground (2007) Organic Sampler (2008) Be It Right Or Wrong (2010)Rotate EP (2013) and Chroma (2020).
White Lies is the second studio album released by Irish singer-songwriter Mick Flannery. The album was released on September 12, 2008. It achieved a top ten position on the Irish Albums Chart and featured prominently on the country's national radio stations.
