The One Take Sessions return for their July outing tonight in the recently re-decorated back room of Cleere’s Theatre, bringing along four acts for the night including Fia Rua, Roy Shiels, Walkperson and local band, South.

A newcomer to the One Take Sessions, Eoghan Burke aka Fia Rua, sings his own songs, usually with people playing along. He likes “having a big sound live, but also really enjoy the intimacy of doing it alone or with a fiddle player.”

Originally from Kildare and a drummer in a former life, he took a holiday to Kinvara in Galway some ten years ago, and never returned, instead turning to writing and performing on guitar, drawing on influences between the lines of the Pogues and Nirvana.

“My songs are about all sorts of things, usually the story or feeling comes very suddenly then builds, sometimes a song could evolve continuously, with other people adding their pieces. I believe this music is the only thing that I know will never leave me while I’m alive and well on planet earth.”

Roy Shiels is a 28 year old multi-instrumentalist & songwriter from Rush, north Co. Dublin. He draws upon influences such as Smashing Pumpkins, Beach Boys, Slint & Talking Heads and has honed his craft as a songsmith in various cover bands as a professional musician since the age of 22.

His live shows are represented as solo acoustic and electric band performances, with accompaniment from Charles Byrne (bass) and Declan Doyle (drums). His intimate Dublin shows feature french-born cellist Sofiane Mebarek and Róisín Dexter on violin. For more on Roy, visit myspace.com/royshiels.

He’s spent time in London, lived in France, lived in Canada, recorded an EP in Quebec, performed with Socialite (Sligo), Thy Swan Army (Galway) and last year he made his OTS debut. So it’s a welcoming thing that Pearse McGloughlin, plying his trade as Walkperson, makes a return to the back room of Cleere’s to promote of the release of debut album, Busy Whisper.

Native of Sligo and now resident in Dublin, Pearse McGloughlin
creates beautifully haunting songs of forgotten moments and quiet reflection. Dreamy and atmospheric, his work has an organic aesthetic reminiscent of Mazzy Star or Grand Salvo. He’s already released the single, Changeling, from the new album earlier this year and according to his critics, great things are both promised and expected from him. You can sample Walkperson in advance of Thursday night by visiting myspace.com/walkperson.

Topping the bill at the ‘Sessions are Kilkenny’s own South. Winners of last year’s Battle Of The Bands, the three-piece have cut their teeth in the studio over the past few months, the result coming in the form of debut album Insula, set for release later this month. The band (Thomas Donoghue, Ken Farrell, Alan Dawson), perform an acoustic set in preparation for their full electric appearance in the same venue on Saturday July 25th alongside The Lions Mane.

In advance of Insula, they’ve also released The Making Of Insula, an episodic fly-on-the-wall look at the making of the album, produced by local photographer Ross Costigan. The episodes are available by visiting myspace.com/southkk.

Doors open at 9:15pm with the first act taking to the stage at 9:30pm. The cost of admission is a recession-busting zero Euro and more details on each act are available on OneTakeSessions.com and KilkennyMusic.com.