Rob Smith (born 29 September 1982) [1] is an Irish singer-songwriter, DJ [2] [3] and writer from Terenure, [4] Dublin. He is married and has one daughter.
Rob Smith (born 29 September 1982) [1] is an Irish singer-songwriter, DJ [2] [3] and writer from Terenure, [4] Dublin. He is married and has one daughter.
Smith released his debut album, Throwing It All Away, in March 2008 to considerable success [5] and toured in 10 countries across Europe promoting it. The lead single from the album, Stand Up, reached number 1 in the Irish downloads charts that summer. [6] The follow-up, 2010's The Juliana Field, was released to critical acclaim [7] [8] and landed Smith a nomination for Most Promising Act at that year's Meteor Awards. [9] He released a live EP, titled Live in New York & Dublin, the following year. [10] He released a well-received punk rock single in February 2015 called Dale Boca Juniors which charted in both Ireland and Argentina. [11] In May 2015, he released a compilation titled Snapped Strings & Hangovers. [12]
Smith is also active as a DJ, performing at club nights and music events focused on alternative, post-punk and indie music. He has been involved with DJ sets around major live performances, including events surrounding the Fontaines D.C. concert at Finsbury Park in London. [13] He has DJed at events presented by The Workman’s Club in Dublin, including DJ sets associated with Gilla Band [14] and IDLES. [15] His DJ selections draw on post-punk, indie and alternative influences.
Smith is also a published author, writing on football history and culture. He is the author of a book on the Argentine football club Boca Juniors, which examines the club’s history and cultural significance and has been cited in international media. [16] He also wrote *Camp Nou: A very brief history on Europe’s greatest football stadium*, a concise history of FC Barcelona’s iconic ground, published in 2025. [17]
The Swedish Railway Orchestra is an electronic [18] project by Smith; he released his debut LP Northern Lights under the name in September 2016, [19] [20] as well the follow-up This Is a Dream to critical acclaim. [21] The project has been described by Smith as a studio-based project rather than a live act, with performances and press activity kept deliberately minimal. [22] Musically, the project has been described in the press as a cross between LCD Soundsystem and Jape. [23] More recently he has enjoyed a fruitful collaboration with Galway's Blowtorch Records, releasing two vinyl LPs Dance To The Drum Machine [24] and Once Upon A Time... [25]
