Lankum

Lankum
at The Roundhouse in London in 2023
Background information
Also known as	Lynched (2002–2016)
Origin	Dublin, Ireland
Genres	Folk drone traditional contemporary folk progressive folk folk punk
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Rough Trade
Members	Ian Lynch Daragh Lynch Cormac MacDiarmada Radie Peat
Website	lankumdublin.com

Lankum are a contemporary Irish folk music group from Dublin, consisting of multi-instrumentalists Ian Lynch, Daragh Lynch, Cormac MacDiarmada and Radie Peat.

Originally a duo consisting of the Lynch brothers, known as Lynched, the pair released their debut album, Where Did We Go Wrong?! in 2003. Returning to Ireland, after a spell of international touring, the brothers deepened their interest in Dublin's Irish traditional music sessions which introduced them to vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Radie Peat and violinist Cormac MacDiarmada.

Recording as the core four-piece band, they released the albums Cold Old Fire in 2014 and Between the Earth and Sky in 2017. In 2018, they were named Best Folk Group at the RTÉ Folk Music Awards, while Radie Peat was named Best Folk Singer. ^[1] The band were nominated for the RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year in 2017 for their album Between the Earth and Sky , and won the prize in 2019 and 2024 for their albums The Livelong Day and False Lankum . ^[2]

The band's fourth studio album, False Lankum (2023), was released to widespread critical acclaim and increased the band's exposure significantly. It was nominated for the Mercury Prize and placed highly on several end-of-year lists.

History

Early years, Where Did We Go Wrong? and Irish traditional sessions (2000–2014)

Leaving school at the age of 19, multi-instrumentalist Ian Lynch moved to London and spent a year street busking and living in squats. Upon returning to Ireland, he learned that his brother Darragh Lynch had begun learning to play the guitar, and the pair soon started writing songs together: "We started writing these really puerile half-joke, anti-authoritarian punk songs, and one that was in the style of David Bowie, about destroying the government in a cosmic way." ^[3]

Named after the brothers' surname, the duo began performing and recording under the name Lynched. Their 2003 debut album, Where Did We Go Wrong?, was released on the independent label, Psalm O’The Vine, and became a small success, allowing the pair to tour: "We did a few gigs around Europe; crusty punk festivals, and then a tour of Mexico and America for three months. I was 23, and it was fucking mad." ^[3]

The brothers deepened their interest in the many Irish traditional music sessions taking place in Dublin's pubs and bars, with Ian Lynch noting that this was "one of the most inspiring and influential things for Lankum, there would be no Lankum if it was not for the sessions." ^[3] At these sessions the pair met singer and multi-instrumentalist Radie Peat and violinist Cormac MacDiarmada. ^[3]

The four core members of the band came together through mutual unemployment and the connections made from playing at the sessions. Radie Peat noted, "That’s the circumstances that brought about us in the band: a lot of time, not enough money, on the dole. Trying to find something to do with your time and playing a lot of music. Grim, but not that grim. Grim, but having quite a good time." ^[3]

Cold Old Fire and name change to Lankum (2014–2016)

The band released their debut album as a four-piece Cold Old Fire (2014) under the original name, Lynched. The album started as a recording by the original duo of the Lynch brothers, with Cormac MacDiarmada and Radie Peat joining the band officially during the sessions: "I just remember it clicking so well that we were like, shall we just ask them to play on the whole album? Before we knew it we were a four-piece band. It came together so well and so quickly." ^[3]

In October 2016 they announced in a statement that they were changing their name to Lankum to avoid associations with the practice of lynching. The statement read: "We will not continue to work under our current name while the systemic persecution and murder of black people in the USA continues." ^[4] The name Lankum comes from the folk ballad "False Lankum", as sung by the Irish traveller and folk singer John Reilly. ^[4]

Between the Earth and Sky and The Livelong Day (2017–2022)

In 2017, the band signed to Rough Trade Records and recorded their album Between the Earth and Sky , to analogue tape with producer/ engineer Julie McLarnon, before recording the final track "the Granite Gaze", and mixing the album with producer John "Spud" Murphy in Guerrilla Studios, Dublin. It was released on 27 October 2017 and subsequently nominated for BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Mojo named it folk 'album of the year' 2017.^{[ citation needed ]}

In 2019, the band recorded The Livelong Day with producer/engineer John "Spud" Murphy in the Meadows recording studio, Wicklow and in Guerrilla Studios, Dublin. It was released on 25 October 2019 and went on to win the RTÉ Choice Prize 2019.

In 2019, Lankum's video for "The Young People", directed by filmmaker Bob Gallagher, ^[5] won Best Irish Music Video Award at the Irish Film Festival in London, England.

False Lankum (2023–present)

In 2023, Lankum were nominated for the Mercury Prize for their fourth album, False Lankum . They said about the prize: “It’s pretty crazy, considering where we started off twenty years ago as a joke band playing at parties and squats…”. When asked why they thought this album had been spotted or picked up, they said: "I think it might be the first time we’ve fully nailed the sound that we’ve been going for over the last few albums…it took a couple of decades". Lankum lost the award to the Ezra Collective. ^[6]

In November 2023, a Lankum concert in Germany was cancelled because of pro-Palestine statements made by the band. ^[7] The album won the 2024 RTÉ Choice Music Prize. ^[8]

Artistry

Their music has been characterised as "a younger, darker Pogues with more astonishing power". ^[9] Reviewing their third album The Livelong Day (2019) for The Guardian , Jude Rogers described it as "a folk album influenced by the ambient textures of Sunn O))) and Swans, plus the sonic intensity of Xylouris White and My Bloody Valentine". ^[10]

Side projects

Radie Peat and Lankum's producer John "Spud" Murphy are both members of the band ØXN. The band released their debut album, CYRM, in 2023 to critical acclaim. ^[11]

Ian Lynch hosts and produces a monthly podcast, Fire Draw Near, which "investigates Irish traditional music and song in all of its myriad forms". A companion compilation album, featuring his discoveries, was released in 2021 on Rough Trade Recordings. ^[12]

Members

Radie Peat

Current members

• Ian Lynch – vocals, uilleann pipes, concertina, tin whistle, percussion (2000–present)
• Daragh Lynch – vocals, guitar, percussion, piano (2000–present)
• Cormac Mac Diarmada – vocals, fiddle, viola, banjo, double bass, vibraphone, piano, percussion (2013–present)
• Radie Peat – vocals, bayan, concertina, harmonium, organ, piano, electric organ, harp, mellotron (2013–present)

Additional live musicians

• John Dermody – drums, percussion (2023–present)

Former members

• Cian Lawless – Lankum's manager, and an early member of the band; wrote "Cold Old Fire" ^[3]

Discography

• Where Did We Go Wrong?! (2003) ^[13] – as Lynched (only Ian and Daragh Lynch) ^[NB]
• Cold Old Fire (2014) – as Lynched ^[14]
• Between the Earth and Sky (2017) ^{[15] [16]}
• The Livelong Day (2019)
• False Lankum (2023)

Awards and nominations

Mercury Prize

Mercury Prize awards and nominations

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2023	False Lankum	Album of the Year	Nominated	[17]

RTÉ Choice Music Prize

RTÉ Choice Music Prize awards and nominations

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2017	Between the Earth and Sky	Album of the Year	Nominated	[18]
2019	The Livelong Day	Album of the Year	Won	[19]
2023	Lankum	Artist of the Year	Nominated	[20]
2023	Go Dig My Grave	Song of the Year	Nominated	[21]
2023	False Lankum	Album of the Year	Won	[22]

RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards

Awards and nominations at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2018	Lankum	Best Folk Group	Won	[23]
2018	Radie Peat	Best Folk Singer	Won	[23]
2020	Lankum	Best Folk Group	Won	[24]
2020	Radie Peat	Best Folk Singer	Won	[24]
2023	Lankum	Best Folk Group	Won	[24]
2023	False Lankum	Best Folk Album	Won	[24]

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards

Awards and nominations at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2016	Lynched	Best Group	Nominated	[25]
2016	Cold Old Fire	Best Album	Nominated	[25]
2016	Lynched	Horizon Award	Nominated	[25]
2018	Lankum	Best Group	Won	[26]
2018	The Granite Gaze	Best Original Song	Won	[26]

Other notable accolades

Other notable accolades

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
2019	The Livelong Day	NPR Music's 25 Best Albums of 2019	8th
2019	The Livelong Day	MOJO's 75 Best Albums of 2019	58th	[27]
2020	Lankum	The Irish Times 50 Best Irish Acts In Order	8th
2023	False Lankum	The Mercury Prize	Shortlisted	[28]
2023	False Lankum	The Guardian 50 Best Albums of 2023	1st	[29]
2023	False Lankum	The Telegraph 10 Best Albums of 2023	4th
2023	False Lankum	MOJO's 50 Best Albums of 2023	3rd	[30]

Notes

^NB Ian and Darragh Lynch released Where Did We Do Wrong?! in 2003 as Lynched. However, it seems that this incarnation of Lynched is not the same musical project as that of the same name which would go on to become Lankum, as Cold Old Fire, released in 2014 with Cormac Mac Diarmada and Radie Peat, is often described as the group's "debut album".

References

1. "Radie Peat, Lankum, Emma Langford, We Banjo 3 Among Winners at RTÉ Folk Awards". The Journal of Music . 26 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
2. "Winners - RTÉ Choice Music Prize 2019". RTÉ Choice Music Prize . 5 March 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
3. Kinney, Fergal (17 December 2023). "Lankum: "That's the circumstances that brought about us in the band… Grim, but having quite a good time"". Loud & Quiet . Retrieved 18 December 2023.
4. "We have changed our name". Lynched official website. 16 January 2017. Archived from the original on 28 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
5. "Bob Gallagher and Lankum win Best Irish Music Video at Irish Film Festival London". Imro.ie. 19 November 2019.
6. "Lankum miss out on 2023 Mercury music prize to British jazz group Ezra Collective". The Irish Times. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
7. Browne, Niamh. "Lankum gig in Germany cancelled due to the group's support for Palestine". Hotpress. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
8. "Folk band Lankum win RTÉ Choice Music album of year". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
9. Rogers, Jude (18 October 2018). "Lankum review – dark, raucous poetry from Irish folk miscreants". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
10. Rogers, Jude (18 October 2019). "Lankum: The Livelong Day review – the Irish folk songbook uprooted". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
11. Rogers, Jude (27 October 2013). "ØXN: CYRM review – Irish folk debut full of unsettling dark magic". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
12. https://shop.roughtraderecords.com/release/345830-various-artists-fire-draw-near-an-anthology-of-irish-traditional-song-and-music
13. Lynched - Tommy Ryan , retrieved 21 June 2021
14. Posted by Tradconnect Reviews on June 23, 2014 at 12:30; Blog, View. "Album Review - Lynched / Cold Old Fire". tradconnect.com. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
15. Rogers, Jude (27 October 2017). "Lankum: Between the Earth and Sky review – brilliant, raw, detonating folk". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
16. "Between the Earth and Sky, by Lankum". Lankum. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
17. "Mercury music prize 2023: Irish folk band Lankum nominated for album of the year". irishtimes.com. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
18. Lanigan, Michael. "The winners of the 2017 Irish song and album of the year revealed at the Choice Music Prize". JOE.ie. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
19. "Winners – RTÉ Choice Music Prize 2019". choicemusicprize.ie. RTÉ. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
20. "The five nominees for the Choice Music Prize Irish Artist of the Year have been announced". hotpress.com. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
21. "Choice Music Prize shortlist for Irish Song of the Year revealed". hotpress.com. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
22. "CMAT, Kojaque and Lankum among 10 shortlisted for RTÉ Choice Music Prize Irish Album of the Year". independent.ie. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
23. "Winners of the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards revealed". RTÉ. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
24. "RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards winners announced". RTÉ. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
25. "Lankum (formerly Lynched)". The Live Room. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
26. "Award Winners". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
27. "MOJO's 75 Best Albums of 2019" . Retrieved 29 December 2023.
28. "2023 Shortlist" . Retrieved 29 December 2023.
29. "The 50 best albums of 2023, No 1 – Lankum: False Lankum" . Retrieved 28 December 2023.
30. "The 50 best albums of 2023" . Retrieved 29 December 2023.

External links

• Official website