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| MAIGHREAD - Irish Eyes Are Styling |
ARTIST - Maighread
FROM – Limerick, Ireland
LINE-UP – Maighread Neligan
FORMED – sometime in the 80s, never ask a lady her age...
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
The diminutive Maighread has followed the route of many a
budding singer-songstress by starting out all acoustic and folky before going
down the electro route. But unlike so many others, Maighread creates soulful,
meaningful dance music that gets you thinking as well as moving. There are
moments when Ms Neligan echoes Alison Goldfrapp’s soulfulness at the same time
as mirroring Annie Lennox’s amazing vocal range. There are moments when she
transports you back to the raw, cutting edge of 80s electro experimentation and
you get that thrill that you imagine people getting the first time they heard
Depeche Mode or when they pressed play on that C90 to hear the first strains of
the Eurythmics. And then there are moments when Maighread conjures up images of
packed Balearic nightclubs singing one tune, dancing to one rhythm and feeling
the same emotion.
Tunes like Worth, Sea and the Disco Damage collaboration of
In The Beginning show the range that Maighread possesses in terms of style and
ability. There’s a subtlety to her voice that betrays her Irish roots and you
can still hear the folk singer bursting to come out, no matter how hard the
beats or how deep the bass notes. It’s a beautiful mix that Ellie Goulding
would kill for and La Roux wouldn’t even recognise if it slapped her in her
pasty face. The bottom line is that if you’re looking for a lady to lift your
spirits, move your feet and keep your brain ticking over then Maighread is that
lady. And then some.
FIRST PORT OF CALL
There aren’t really any collections of Maighread’s material
but if you want to dip your toes in some Irish electro water (wow, that sounds
painful doesn’t it?) then head on over to her soundcloud page and check out her
latest offering, What You Want. It’s a slice of swaggering, attitude filled
electrodisco that Lady Gaga would sell her nose for (and boy, what a nose).
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Maighread will be appearing at the inaugural Poptronik
festival. This is a new electropop festival that promises zero mud but maximum campness
(let’s face it, one of the main sponsors is Gaydar Radio fercrissakes!). The
festival takes place over the weekend of 1st September in the
Catalan beach town of Sitges, Spain (20 minutes from Barcelona) and, apart from
Maighread, also features the audio delights Madonna’s pals Kazaky, Scissor
Sisters collaborator Sammy Jo and 80’s Toy Soldier hit maker Martika. Sound
like a random mix? It probably is but then again, aren’t all the best nights
out? More info can be found at; http://www.poptronik.com/ .
LINKS