Unique Tradiohead play City’s newest venue

The uniquely Irish Tradiohead play The Loft (formerly Kelly’s) on Bridge Street on Friday, April 17. Tradiohead take the songs of Radiohead and re-imagine them using instruments more often associated with Irish traditional music.

Tradiohead consists of Jimi McDonnell (of the Tribune’s Groove Tube) on vocals, Philip Fogarty on accordion and bodhrán, Pat Hargan on guitar and Michael Chang on violin, viola and mandolin.

A band that started out as a pun has since turned into an outfit that re-works some of the most lauded songs in popular music. Last year, the band played the Electric Picnic and Culture Night in Belfast. They have also featured in Hot Press and Tom Dunne’s Newstalk show.

At the Picnic, the band were interviewed by Olaf Tyaransen in the Hot Press tent, sandwiched between Blondie and The Strypes. Úna Mullaly from The Irish Times caught their set at Stradbally and tweeted: “In Body & Soul listening to Tradiohead. Really shouldn’t work but actually does. Now raging I didn’t think of it first.”

Tradiohead came about when Jimi McDonnell was in Sheridan’s Bar on the Docks many years ago, singing pop songs, sean-nós style, with a friend. Jimi started singing Paranoid Android by Radiohead and the word ‘Tradiohead’ came to him. Michael Chang was also in the bar, and Jimi told him about it. Pat Hargan and Philip Fogarty came on board to complete this curious combination.

Support for show at The Loft comes from superb young songwriter Dylan Murphy. Doors 9.30pm, tickets €10.