Punk kings Slyrydes could never be accused of bland

Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

With a brash, unapologetic brand of politicised punk, Slyrydes are among the most intense and unique acts on the Galway music scene. The quartet blend screeching guitars with raw, fervent drumbeats reminiscent of fellow Irish punk outfits Fontaines D.C. and The Murder Capital. It’s a style that has taken off in recent times and it’s hardly a surprise given the energy and emotion involved.

As Slyrydes themselves recall, “The project started as a reaction to what we saw as a lot of really bland music filling the airwaves.”

At the core of the sound are lead singer Mark Raftery’s muffled, manic lead vocals – often indiscernible but always rich in passion and meaning, Raftery relies on the emotion of his tone to relay his message.

This is certainly the case for Slyrydes’s fourth single Dangerous Animals, set for release this Friday. Recorded in Darklands Audio in the capital, the group enlisted the help of long-time friend and collaborator Daniel Doherty on their latest single.

“I’ve known Daniel personally for maybe ten or twelve years,” bass player Eoin Reilly recalls.

“I met him years ago and I just love him – I trust him with my life from a personal point of view. From the band’s perspective, we trust Dan with every note. He gets the best sound out of us.

“There’s just something about Darklands… We’ve been together since 2013 and we didn’t record anything until the end of last year. We saw bands like Fontaines, Idles, Shame and people were suddenly more receptive to the style of music we’d been playing for years. We said ‘Now’s our time’ and Dan was the only person we were ever going to go to.

“He’s like family… We’re on the same page and he knows exactly what to do. I don’t we’d do anything without him moving forward – we consider him a fifth member of the band.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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