Beoga are bound for Kilkenny once again and will play Set Theatre on Sunday 23 September.
Most bands will have plateaued after fifteen years in the game, but Beoga aren’t most bands. Describing themselves as “four Nordy lads and a Limerick lass beating out the new wave trad,” 2017 saw Beoga tick off an enviable list of accomplishments from their shared bucket list.
But that just the start of the story, as their recent experiences have inspired a bold new chapter in the quintet’s tale.
Touring with Ed Sheeran
The band have been to Kilkenny previously as part of the Tradfest programme and are currently touring with Ed Sheeran, the country’s favourite ginger having sold in the region of 400,000 tickets for his 9-date Irish tour.
The turning point for Beoga came when they collaborated on two songs on Ed Sheeran’s global hit album ‘÷’. After it shot to the top of the charts all over the globe, those two tracks – ‘Galway Girl’ and ‘Nancy Mulligan’ – accumulated over 687 million streams at Spotify. Suddenly those landmarks events came thick and first. A first chart-topping hit in Ireland? Done! A guest slot during Sheeran’s Glastonbury headline set? Completed! A debut appearance on Top of the Pops? In the bag.
“It’s rare that a door opens for an opportunity like this, and it’s a real privilege,” says Beoga’s bodhrán player and unofficial spokesman Eamon Murray.
Throughout their five albums to date, Beoga have always pushed the boundaries of the Irish trad sound by embracing everything from bluesy riffs to a raunchy New Orleans jamboree vibe. “The five of us are pretty tight. Our musicianship and our credentials are intact, so this feels like a natural progression,” Murray continues.
“We’ve always been conscious of not doing the same thing twice.”
Watch: Beoga – Eochaid
Tickets are on sale now from set.ie, priced €19 including booking fee.
