The Point of Everything

• TPOE 343 The Null Club

  Alan Duggan Borges, the guitarist in Gilla Band, released his debut self-titled EP as The Null Club on April 4. Comrprising three tracks, 'Frameshift' features the rapper ELUCID (one half of Armand Hammer), '14 Hours' features Faris Badwan (The Horrors), and 'Slip Angles' has vocals by Valentine Caulfield (Mandy, Indiana). We talk about how the Null Club began and what it was like making the tracks with those contributors and what the future holds. We also discuss Alan's previous 'other' band, The Claque, and topics from Fontaines DC to Gilla Band's cover of Blawan's 'Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage', which felt like a turning point for them, techno music, and supporting Iggy Pop at In The Meadows on June 7. Buy The Null Club EP: https://thenullclub.bandcamp.com/album/the-null-club-ep The Null Club live dates: May 2: The Workmans Club - Dublin May 13: Corsica Studios - London May 14: Rough Trade - Bristol May 16: Yes, The Basement - Manchester --- Press release: Spending time over the last few years learning about synthesis, production, and how to record has been an incredibly rewarding experience for Alan. This project has created an opportunity to explore genres and styles of music outside of Gilla Band that he's never done before, as well as being completely in control of the production and instrumentation. It’s also been an opportunity to work with incredible artists who Alan truly admires and have had a massive influence. Getting the caliber of talent on the EP happened very naturally and somewhat unremarkably. He reached out to Val from Mandy, Indiana via Instagram and she thankfully agreed. Faris and ELUCID had both reached out to Gilla Band to say hey and he jumped at the opportunity to get them involved in the project. The EP will be released on a limited run of 500 12” white label records, each hand stamped by Alan and released independently on a label ran by his wife and himself. The EP was mixed by Daniel Fox (Gilla Band), and mastered by Jamie Hyland (M(h)aol). with vocals contributed by the artists. All instrumentals were performed and recorded by Alan in his home, and rehearsal studio in Dublin, Ireland. with vocals being recorded in a mix of places – NYC, London, and Manchester (sometimes in studios, sometimes in the artists homes). There will be a number of solo shows across Ireland and England where Alan will be reworking the tracks from the EP live along with a number of unheard pieces of music. There will be numerous synths, noise machines, guitars, and many pedals on stage all being looped into different amps to bring the songs to life in a live setting. Tickets on-sale now.

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• TPOE 342: Matthew Xavier Corrigan

  Matthew Xavier Corrigan, an artist who splits time between Cork and Dublin, released his debut solo album Beast of Changing on March 21. Written in reflection of a tempestuous season of change across Irish coastlines, centred on Ballinskelligs in Co. Kerry, Myrtleville in Co. Cork and Clare Island in Co. Mayo, Beast of Changing follows a story of growth, of love lost and found, of crossing the threshold into dark, cold, saline water - of surrender. Themes of environmentalism and how we shape the coasts, of erosion and rising water, are woven throughout. Matthew Xavier Corrigan’s debut album was cut to tape with a single collaborator, Mike Halls, over five days in Liverpool, the product of years of writing rendered in a few day's takes. After pushing to a more intimate and organic sound on the From ten, with love EP, the artist now goes deeper; covered in analog warmth and rich harmonies, delicately performed, taking inspiration from the likes of Andy Shauf, Bill Callahan and Robin Pecknold. This renewed focus on analog warmth even comes out in the imagery; the press photos and album/single artwork were captured on expired film by Ronan Burke on vintage film cameras. Matthew talks about his former project Ghostking is Dead, why that came to an end, the Cork scene and working on festivals such as his own River Runs Round, Quarter Block Party, Quiet Lights and Sounds from a Safe Harbour, the story behind Beast of Changing, and lots more. Buy Beast of Changing: https://matthewxaviercorrigan.bandcamp.com/album/beast-of-changing

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• TPOE 341 Ramper

  Declan McClafferty aka Ramper released his debut solo album Loner on March 7. Formerly a member of the award-winning Donegal band In Their Thousands, along with his brother, Declan is a session musician who plays as part of Ryan McMullan’s band. He says of Loner: "It’s about lots of things. About my childhood growing up and feeling the wheel go around when I had children of my own and I was on the other side. About the characters I grew up around and the way of life they had that’s almost unrecognisable now. It’s a reminder to keep things simple. I made it for the love of making music. Starting with nothing but ideas and ending up with 10 things that paint a bigger picture is a great lesson. Anything else that’s come along after that is a bonus - and I’m grateful for it all!" Press release: Loner is an apt name for the album; Ramper played every instrument on the LP, which he recorded and self-produced over six months at his own home studio during stolen moments when his sons were napping. The record was mixed by Daniel Ball (Chubby Cat, Ryan McMullan) and mastered by Richard Dowling (David Bowie, Sinead O’Connor). Ramper takes the best of primal rural simplicity and transports it into the future whilst telling the stories of our past and ever-changing present. Based on a childhood lived before the internet and in the Irish language first, Ramper captures those moments in time that are almost so simple you may not notice them at first, but when you let them settle hold a beauty that cuts through the noise. Much of his music ruminates on the slow erosion of our language and culture: “It’s not a right-wing approach that things should be conserved and locked down, or that other cultures are not welcome. It’s a lament that the culture of a place and skills like weaving, fishing or boat building are lost, while the people who should be carrying that on are in Australia and priced out of returning.” Loner’s songs, adorned with woozy pedal steel and deftly fingerpicked guitar, are about the peace of rural living (‘Cold in the Morning’, ‘Back to the Start’), the drawn-out death of Irish traditions (‘EYES’), the struggle to accept depression (‘Pale as the Moon’), the satisfaction of a job well done (‘If You Want a Good Dream’, ‘Promised’), his culture shock upon moving to Brighton for college (‘I Can’t Pretend’) and the many lessons McClafferty learned from his neighbours growing up in Donegal. These neighbours populate the songs, bringing rich colour along with them—like the “real quiet character” on ‘Cold in the Morning’. McClafferty remembers her as “humble and kind, but not very confident. This song is remembering her and putting her at the centre of the narrative for maybe the first time.” Or there are the two very different men on the penultimate track ‘Don’t Forget to Look Up’. “One worked every hour that was sent his way until he eventually accepted retirement and the other read books, smoked cigarettes and was an alcoholic. I attended both of their funerals in the same week,” McClafferty recalls. “This song is trying to zoom out from what a life is and realise the importance of balance. Both these characters would have changed things I think.”

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• TPOE 340: Maria Kelly

  Maria Kelly released her second album Waiting Room on February 28. The followup to 2021's The Sum of the In-Between, the title is a very real place as Maria found herself stuck in sterile clinics hoping for answers to inscrutable chronic pain, and a dream-like, surreal space representing her own inner world. “This album is an exploration of the roadblocks, both internally and externally, that keep us feeling powerless and taking away our agency,” she says. On this episode of the TPOE podcast, we talk about her health issues, the impact of the housing crisis, and channeling those experiences into creating Waiting Room. We also discuss her living room tour, supporting Tom Odell at Live at the Marquee, facilitating her writing night Tangent Dublin, and more. Buy Waiting Room: https://mariakellymusic.bandcamp.com/album/waiting-room Tangent Dublin: https://www.instagram.com/tangentdublin/

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• TPOE 339: Julie Feeney

  Julie Feeney won the inaugural Choice Music for her debut album 13 Songs in 2005. Ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Choice on March 6, Julie talks about what it was like to win the award and the impact it had on her career. We also talk about how she made 13 Songs; playing all of the instruments, including a clock, across the record; self-financing the LP; why albums still matter; and lots more.

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