Eyes On The Prize

By Joe Kavanagh

With the global success of Irish acts such as Snow Patrol and Damien Rice, the eyes and ears of the world's music industry have recently been focused on the Irish music scene as never before. As dance music has continued to fade back into the underground scene from whence it came, it appears that the youth of Ireland have replaced their proclivity for glowsticks and turntables with a love of guitar based music, picking up instruments in their droves, leading to an abundance of Irish bands representing virtually every genre of music that one could imagine. Never before has the Irish music scene been so strong and Dublin newcomers, The Immediate, are yet another example of an Irish band that could see their star rise on an international level within the next 12 months.

Although barely in their early-twenties, the band had its genesis almost a decade ago when Conor O'Brien and Dave Hedderman met at school in Malahide, north county Dublin and developed a burgeoning friendship through a mutual love of music. Initially obsessed with US act Greenday, the pair credit their school's caretaker as being the man who was responsible for their musical awakening; introducing them to such acts as the Velvet Underground, Can, Love and Serge Gainsbourg. With their appetites whetted, the two teens began experimenting with musical instruments, and through their new hobby, met guitarist/drummer Peter Toomey, who also brought to the table his encyclopedic knowledge of Sixties music. The trio began rehearsing together but it was not until the arrival of guitarist/keyboard player, Barra Heavey that the final piece of the jigsaw fell into place and - taking inspiration from their favorite adjective - The Immediate was born.

Initially the band began playing cover versions in their local area, hosting a series of gigs in places as far removed from the world of rock n' roll as local churches and hotel function rooms. It was not long before they tired of playing other people's music and began working on their own material, often injecting vast, prog-rock epics into their set of covers, whilst bemused audience members looked on unsure quite how to react to such challenging departures in sound and style. By late 2003 the band had recorded their first demo and began touting it around to record companies throughout Ireland and the UK. They even devised new and novel methods of getting their music to people that they felt could help them, such as throwing a copy up on stage at a Manic Street Preachers gig and watching as Nicky Wire bemusedly picked it up and put it in his pocket. On another occasion they even managed to sneak a copy into Beck's shopping bag whilst he was browsing around a Dublin bookstore but - despite such shenanigans - it was only when the demo passed over the desk of UK indie label, Fierce Panda Records that the band secured a recording contract that would result in them releasing their debut single: Never Seen/Say This. The richly-textured, forward looking sound instantly caught the ear of UK music critics, receiving cherished airplay on Britain's two most influential radio stations, XFM and Radio One, where Steve Lamacq became one of the band's most vocal supporters. The fanfare that surrounded the release and the obvious talent evident within led them to sign a multiple-album deal with another highly-influential UK indie-label: Fantastic Plastic. In late 2005 the band entered Jacobs Studios in Surrey, England, to begin work on the album under the guidance of producer, Chris Shaw, who had previously worked with such names as Super Furry Animals, Wilco, Public Enemy and even Bob Dylan. Under his expert tutelage the band's sound matured still further as they incorporated four-part harmonies, infectious guitar hooks and epic choruses that typify their sound today. All four members also collaborated on the lyrics because, as Dave explains: 'Even though they're written by different people, they're all coming from the same place.'

In April the band released their latest single, Stop & Remember, which has since gone into heavy rotation on MTV 2 and seen the band's profile grow ever further in Europe. In the coming weeks, they will release their debut album, In Towers & Clouds, which will be followed by extensive tours of the UK and Europe and will no doubt see the band make a more concerted effort to make inroads into the US market. Described by critics as a blend of Bends-era Radiohead, Talking Heads and the Walker Brothers, the band themselves describe the album as music that 'can really get under people's skin' and for 'anyone who has ever felt apart from the crowd'. Whatever about their fanbase, if their profile continues to grow at its current rate; it's hard to imagine that The Immediate will be apart from crowds for much longer.