The Irish duo's new single 'Go Away And Come Back Hither' is out now
Brothers Diarmuid and Brían Mac Gloinn, aka Ye Vagabonds, recently announced their forthcoming album 'Nine Waves', which releases on May 13.
Ahead of the album, the folk duo from Dublin released their new single, 'Go Away and Come Back Hither'.
'Nine Waves' was recorded in the Dublin Mountains at Hellfire Studios and features 11 tracks of both traditional and original songs and tunes. The band also recently released another single off of the upcoming album called 'Blue Is The Eye'.
Ye Vagabonds were named Best Folk Group for the second time at the 2021 ceremony, where they hold the record for most awarded artists. The band will spend next month touring the UK, returning in June to play Vicar St. for their launch show.
1. Could you tell us a bit about your new single ‘Go Away and Come Back Hither’?
The idea for 'Go Away and Come Back Hither' had been following us around for a while. It’s about longing and the way that time and distance can intensify our feelings. It’s also a bit of a tip of the hat to the 18th & 19th century romantic poets.
2. How do you wind down after a gig?
After a gig and all of the post-gig chats we often find ourselves back in our hotel rooms phoning home. It's a nice way to decompress and come back down to earth. Then we rip the televisions off the wall and throw them out the windows for good measure.
3. How have the past two years affected your music?
We're still coming to grips with how the past two years have affected our music. We had time to write and to play and practise more alone. But less time together and very few casual sessions and get-togethers. A lot of time but very little stimulation. Getting back to sessions and gigs now we're noticing how rusty some of our skills are (including our social skills). The main thing is the desire to write new songs has been rekindled in a big way.
4. What’s it like being back on stage, in front of a full crowd?
As mentioned above, being back in public places is funny enough. Being back on stage is both a little nerve-wracking and very exciting. The good thing is we're all more or less in the same boat. The audience is having similar experiences so we're all in it together.
5. Describe the best experience in your career so far.
Best experience so far has to be last summer's All Boats Rise tour. Taking a barge down the Grand Canal and the Barrow, we got to see the midlands from this whole other vantage point in peak Irish summer weather and we got to bring friends and family along for parts of the journey. Music, friends, sunshine, journeying through a beautiful landscape, It was a dream.
6. Name one act that you would love to collaborate with
We've been lucky enough over the years to have had the chance to collaborate or share a stage with many of our favourite Irish artists and a few of our favourites abroad. On our latest album we had the privilege of working with cellist Kate Ellis and double bassist Caimin Gilmore and it brought a whole new dimension to the songs we were working on. In the future it would be fun to collaborate with someone like Shahzad Ismaily maybe, the American multi-instrumentalist. Apart from being an extremely gifted player of several instruments, he has a unique approach. It would be cool to see where he might take an idea.
7. Name one record that everyone should hear and why.
'Dark Horse on the Wind' - Liam Weldon. Our good friend and long-time collaborator, musical film-maker Myles O'Reilly, recently made a documentary about the great Dublin singer and songwriter Liam Weldon. He seems to have been the most amazing character and so much more than a singer, he was a singing teacher, social activist, gardener, craftsman and a man who put his heart into everything he did. This album is a great example of his beautiful heartfelt song-writing and his simple honest approach to interpreting folk songs.
8. What’s the one song you wish you’d written?
Not sure we've ever wished we'd written another person's song but we have found ourselves marvelling at certain songwriter's approaches and wishing we could know what it’s like to be in their place when they wrote that. 'Soldier' by Richard Dawson from his album 'Peasant' is one example. Peasant is a concept album set in medieval England but without the usual musical or thematic clichés that era normally evokes. Soldier tells a very human story in the first person of a man on the battlefield who's sick with longing for his home and his sweetheart.
9. Who are your biggest influences in your music?
Some of the greats like Len Graham, Geordie Hanna, Elizabeth Cronin, Sarah Makem, Johnny Moynihan, Andy Irvine, Alec Finn, and Skara Brae are obvious influences but we also draw a lot of inspiration from friends who we've been lucky enough to know and play with. The likes of Lisa O'Neill, Eamon O'Leary and Jefferson Hamer, Anna Roberts Gevalt and Elizabeth Laprelle, Sam Amidon, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Cormac Begley, Mícheal Quinn, John Francis Flynn, Landless and Lankum. Without them we wouldn't have our crowd, our community that makes it all feel real and relevant to us.
10. Finally, what are your plans for the next few months?
We're touring the UK in May and releasing our next album, Nine Waves, on May 13. Then off to Arranmore island for Féile Róise Rua, a traditional singing and music festival that our family are involved in running in collaboration with Other Voices. Then a bit of a tour in France before we return to Dublin for our album launch in Vicar Street on June 9th followed by an Irish tour, the dates of which will be announced very soon.
Ye Vagabonds' latest single 'Go Away and Come Back Hither' can be streamed here. Pre-order their new album 'Nine Waves', releasing May 13, here. Tickets for upcoming gigs are available from yevagabonds.com.