NewDad top list of Galway’s 2020 musical success stories

Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

Covid made sure that this clearly wasn’t a year to remember for live music – but that didn’t mean Galway’s brightest and best weren’t busy making memorable music. So as we turn into 2021, here’s a personal pick of five who made a major impression on the local musical landscape over the last twelve months.

1: NewDad

The brightest band to emerge from Galway in recent memory – NewDad’s rise in 2020 has been meteoric. Wading through five sleek and shiny singles, the four-piece’s signature blend of shoegaze and dreampop is by equal measures current and unique. Though it is roughly ten months since their maiden release, NewDad’s sound is assured and distinct. Belying the awkward Indie exterior, this is a supremely confident and capable group that are well aware of the sonic niche they’ve honed for themselves.

Having formed in secondary school, the consistency of the band’s sound is testament to the time they put into finding it.  Now regulars on BBC Radio, amassing over half a million streams on Spotify and ready to launch a debut EP in the coming months, the band will be crossing their fingers that they get the chance to capitalise on their studio success when stages hopefully reopen in the new year. As it stands, they are booked to play Eurosonic and the Great Escape Festival – expect that list to grow exponentially when more events return.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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