SOFT RULES
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Whelan’s Upstairs • Sun 12th April 2026
Soft Rules are a Dublin-based band working within the tradition of literary post-punk — a strain of alternative music where dense lyricism, political critique, and literary influence sit alongside driving guitars and confrontational performance.
Led by singer and lyricist David Dee, the band blends poetic storytelling with jagged guitar arrangements and atmospheric electronics. Their music draws equally from the urgency of punk and the reflective tradition of Irish literature, turning personal experience into sharp social commentary.
Soft Rules emerged from songwriting collaborations between David Dee and guitarist Brad Lee, eventually expanding into a full band whose live performances balance intensity, melody, and narrative depth.
Launching their debut EP ‘Violence’ this April, it captures the band at their most ambitious — a six-track work examining psychological unrest, cultural memory, and the contradictions of modern Irish life.
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TICKETS
€11 available online from Whelan’s – 50c per ticket service charge applies.
Strictly over 18′s, I.D. may be required