JOHN BLEK AND THE RATS
JOHN BLEK & THE RATS
plus guest
^ Upstairs ^
John Blek & The Rats announce the release of their second album, ‘Borders’
An album that captures the band shaking off their ramshackle beginnings and committing to tape a collection of new songs with a cohesive sonic richness, that embrace a fuller, fuzzier sound while striking a balance between experimentation and the tunefulness for which they have become known.
This is the sound of John Blek & The Rats exploring their own musical chemistry, a band evolving, breaking down barriers and crossing new ‘Borders’.
Following the critical success of their first album ‘Leave Your Love At The Door’, the Ireland based alternative folk group were eager to dispel any notions of ‘the difficult second album’ and decamped to the studio in-between tour dates. They enlisted the services of producer/ engineer Christian Best of Monique Studios in their home town of Cork city where they wrote, recorded and mixed the tracks for their new album between winter ’14 and spring ’15.
John explains: “Having spent a few years playing together we wanted to progress and evolve our sound with this album. The writing was very intuitive, these songs came together quite quickly, with the band featuring more prominently than previous recordings. Lyrically, I wanted to explore the contrasts of light and dark, examine the notions of right and wrong; to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed.”
‘Borders’ is released through We Are Rats Recordings (WARR) in Ireland on Friday 18th September.
Having also recently inked a licensing deal the album will be released and distributed on Tonetoaster Records throughout Germany, Belgium , Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland on Friday 30th October.
John Blek: Vocals / Acoustic Guitar / Electric Guitar
Anna Mitchell: Vocals / Piano / Mellotron
Robbie Barron: Electric Guitar / Vocals
David Murphy: Pedal Steel / Vocals
Brian Hassett: Electric Bass / Upright Bass
Cian Heffernan: Drums / Percussion
Wandering Child – John Blek & the Rats:
Tooth and Nail – John Blek & the Rats:
★ ★ ★ ★ IRISH TIMES
★★ ★ ★ ★ METRO HERALD
ALBUM OF THE WEEK RTE 2FM
AN IRISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR TOM DUNNE (NEWSTALK)
“POETIC, POWERFUL, OFTENTIMES HAUNTING… THE BAND’S BEST AND MOST COMPLEX ALBUM YET.” IRISH ECHO
ALBUM OF THE MONTH HIGHLAND RADIO
“A BOLD, BRAVE AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, EXCITING NEW JOURNEY” HOT PRESS
TICKETS
€10 available online from WAV Tickets or Lo-Call 1890 200 078 (1-8pm M-F, 4-8pm Sat)
– 50c per ticket service charge applies on phone, internet or creditcard bookings. Final ticket price may be higher from other outlets.
Strictly over 18′s, I.D. may be required
AFTER THE GIG
Whelan’s Indie Club w/ Late Bar from 10:30pm or check out the bands playing The Midnight Hour in the upstairs venue – Free Entry via front door until 10:30pm | Drinks Promos