Music
Guide
New Irish bands you need to hear
Sort your St Patrick's Day playlist by catching up on some of the best new music from Ireland
Ireland has never been short on musical talent but there is no doubt the last couple of years have catapulted Irish groups even more into the spotlight – and there is no sign of that abating. From hip hop Irish trio Kneecap, whose new album FENIAN comes hot on the heels of an award-winning biopic and headline-making festival run, to Fontaines D.C., who have grown from a cult post-punk band to a globally recognised, arena-filling act, Ireland just keeps producing, and we keep lapping it up. In honor of St Patrick’s Day, we’ve put together a round-up of new Irish bands to watch this year. There’s a little something for everyone, so if you’re looking for some inspiration to paint the town green this year, we have you covered.
Florence Road
The young quartet from County Wicklow have already made a name for themselves after coming onto the scene in 2022, with their single ‘Caterpillar’ making BBC Radio 1’s sought-after ‘Next Wave’ pick and landing a worldwide publishing and record deal with Warner. And the young band seem to have already mastered that lovesick, heartfelt indie pop; bursting with teenage angst and late 90s nostalgia but with no compromise on vocal or lyrical flair.
Reminiscent of the rebellious sound of Letters To Cleo but with the joyful, middle-finger-up energy of an Olivia Rodrigo hit, Florence Road are also likely to share fans with Wet Leg, Wolf Alice, and The Last Dinner Party, and look set to lap up the same level of success. They have whetted the appetite of the TikTok community with song-snippet teases and viral covers of everyone from Kate Bush to Billie Eilish, but Florence Road don’t need to rely on other artists’ songs to make their own stand out. Feel free to find out for yourself.
The track to listen to: ‘Storm Warnings’
Cardinals
Newcomers Cardinals have just released their debut album Masquerade and count Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten among their most prominent champions. The smart, bold record explores themes of faith, identity, love and brutality, partly inspired by frontman Euan Manning and his brother, accordionist Finn’s, home county of Cork.
Some of the band’s intrigue lies in Euan’s vocals, which oscillate between a pop-punk shout and a slouchy drawl that almost disarms you when you listen to it in a track like ‘I Like It’ in comparison to a track like ‘Twist and Turn’. But this only makes you want to keep listening – not least to hear whether the next song is going to lull you into a melodic trance, or shock you with big guitar and accordion riffs.
Cardinals’ trad influence also may be a comfort to those who gravitate towards Irish music for the more familiar folk sound, as it is just as alive and well as the pop-punk element. Think perhaps of a modern day, more considered The Undertones, but whatever your bag, strap in. Cardinals are intense, brash, and unapologetic, but they’re fun, and have something to say.
The track to listen to: ‘I Like You’.
The Labourers
Undoubtedly the most upbeat, energetic and a-typically Irish sounding band of the round-up, The Labourers are a joy to listen to, and should go straight to the top of the playlist before heading out for a few jars. The folk band have featured in Dublin’s Trad Fest, headlined the capital’s infamous and long-running acoustic music night Ruby Sessions, and played slots at Electric Picnic, making their trajectory a very promising one thus far.
The unique outfit started out in London before moving back to Ireland in 2023 where they recruited a full band and seem to have succeeded so far in taking their music to the next level. The band’s traditional accompaniment will transport you to a snug in the mid-west of Ireland – where they are from – while their melodic harmonies would not be out of place at a mainstream music festival, as has been demonstrated. With tracks like ‘Bittersweet’ reminiscent of The Saw Doctors, and ‘Son’ akin to Gaelic Storm’s ‘An Irish Party in Third Class’, The Labourers are everything you want in an Irish band – riveting, fast, full of accent, and bursting with story.
The track to listen to: ‘Too Fast’
Madra Salach
This Dublin folk six-piece have support slots for Kneecap and various festival appearances to look forward to in 2026, while listeners have their inevitable ascendancy to anticipate in the same period. Rooted in traditional Irish folk music, Rolling Stone recently described Madra Salach as “proving to be a major force” within the genre, which is only complemented by the addition of experimental distortion and synth which creates a distinct but equally captivating sound to their latest EP It’s A Hell Of An Age. The EP includes ‘Murphy Can Never Go Home’, which was written in the 60s about the reality of Irish labour abroad, and there is indeed a distinct sense of yearning that runs throughout Madra Salach’s record, with frontman Paul’s haunting vocals in ‘The Man Who Seeks Pleasure’ almost reminiscent of Sinéad O’Connor’s opening of The Chieftain’s ‘The Foggy Dew’; the loaded instrumental drone leading into a track that could have emerged at any point throughout the last century.
The track to listen to: ‘The Man Who Seeks Pleasure’
Heron Red
Heron Red was born in 2024 after Molly Buchan and Callum Wall, who had spent years playing in each other’s band, decided to break off as a dynamic folk duo and take their joyful sound on the road. Blending traditional Irish music with Americana, country and folk, the pair are perfectly straddling the lines of country music’s resurgence and Irish bands’ long-running notoriety. Their full-bodied, full-band sound and storytelling is perfectly encapsulated in their debut EP Heron Red, which was released in November, providing a consistently spirited and uplifting track list. If you’re looking for a raucous sing song to round off the night, or a jovial, uplifting party-starter, Heron Red will get your Paddy’s Day celebrations off to a cracking start.
The track to listen to: ‘Not All Is Fair’
