It doesn’t seem so long ago that The Bambir and team were seven people illegally staying in a one-room bedsit waiting to play their first show in Dublin. That was this past January, it was freezing, they had an Irish fanbase of zero, and they were scared to death.
The Armenian four-piece has since been embraced by their adoptive home, crisscrossing Ireland several times over to play gigs to audiences large and small, developing their sound and exploring the country and its people. Having spent the summer hitting the festival circuit hard, rocking stages at No Place Like Dome, Body and Soul, KnockanStockan, Ardara Melting Pot, Jack of Diamonds Rhythm and Roots, and more, The Bambir boys are thrilled to announce that they’ve been booked to play Electric Picnic- on Body and Soul’s Earthship stage, in The Bog Cottage, and in Jimmie Lee’s Juke Joint.
We think that’s cause for celebration, don’t you?
Join us this Thursday, August 23rd, for a special event- The Bambir is bringing the festival to Whelans with two great bands also on the Electric Picnic bill: Red Sail will start it off with their unique brand of modern folk, followed by Gypsy Rebel Rabble and their self-described “rockahillbilly good time shuffle.” The setting is fitting, Whelans has been the home of The Bambir’s weekly front-bar residency for months, and the band is honored to be headlining their mainstage for the first time.
The Bambir is a band that has never been afraid to experiment or to reinvent their sound, their style, even their language, always kindling creation from chaos. As Naregk Bars, the quartet’s guitarist, has always said, “An artist’s job is to search,” but a few things stay the same- you’ll know The Bambir by their infectious stage presence, their unrivaled sound, and your inability to tell them apart (no, they’re not brothers). They left Armenia to start fresh in Ireland, and they can’t wait to play the country’s largest festival.
The celebration will kick off with doors at 8pm, 5 euro admission. It may be August already, but festival season is far from over, come check out The Bambir at their pre-picnic bash. And for this one, you can leave your wellies at home.
