Little Hours continue to go from strength to strength, with a recent spot on The Late Late Show and sold out dates in London and further afield.

You may have heard the Donegal duo's latest single 'Water' on Irish radio, and you'll have an opportunity to hear it live when they play numerous dates around the country during March and April.

Before that, however, we nabbed Ryan and John for a quick chat to answer entertainment.ie's Big Questions...

What’s the music that you listened to growing up, that you still listen to today?
Growing up we listened to bands like Thin Lizzy, Van Morrison, Pink Floyd and Dire Straits. Basically anything that our parents listened to. Still listen to them today.

When did you first realise you wanted a career in music?
John: My uncle is always playing in bands so as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to play. When I was at school I couldn’t think of any other career that I would have wanted. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.
Ryan: I went to college to study software engineering but always wanted to play and write music. It was supposed to be a back-up plan if music didn’t work out, but it wasn’t until I got employed after college that I knew I had to do music.

In three words, describe the minute before you walk on stage.
Tea, ritual, handshake.

How do you wind down after a gig?
There always seems to be hummus in the green room. When we play we get off stage and dip everything and anything into the hummus – carrots, crisps, chocolate, biscuits…. Combined with some red wine.

What’s the one song you wish you’d written or recorded first?
I’m not sure. Something like ‘New York State of Mind’ by Billy Joel would have been great to have written.

What song of yours are you most proud of?
It would have to be ‘Water’. It’s a really important song to us and we feel that we haven’t compromised the sound or meaning of the song for anyone. It’s probably the truest representation of Little Hours to date.

What’s your favourite venue to perform in?
We’ve been lucky enough to play in the Olympia Theatre and the 3Arena in Dublin a couple of times. One of those.

Your best and worst gig so far?
Best gig was probably Indiependence last year or the Peppercanister Church, our second headline show. Honestly no gig comes to mind as being the worst, but the funniest was definitely Glasgow, supporting Kodaline when John fell off his piano stool in front of a full house.

Whose career do you envy, and why?
Chris Martin! He gets to play sold out shows all over the world with people singing his songs back.

Vinyl or digital downloads?
Vinyl. They seem to becoming more and more popular and anything physical that a fan can buy allows them to feel more connected to the artist.

Give your thoughts on Spotify in three words.
Accessible
Green
Portable

You can only have three albums on your phone/in your house at any one time - what three would you pick for today?
Ray Lamontagne – Trouble
Bon Iver – For Emma
Thin Lizzy – Live and Dangerous

Name one piece of music memorabilia that you wish you owned.
The pick of destiny. Like the real one, not the one from the movie - like the actual one, in real life.

Name one record, one book and one film that everyone should hear / read / see.
Grace – Jeff Buckley
Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen autobiography

Pick the director and lead actor(s) for a biopic about your life.
Martin Scorsese, Alec Baldwin and Matthew McConnaughey

You’re ordering take-away, what do you get?
6 spice bags,

You’ve been given €100,000 to spend, but only 1 hour to spend it. What do you buy?
Pay this month's rent in Dublin.

Describe your perfect day off.
Up and down Drumcondra on a tandem bike, all day.

What do you have planned for 2017?
Debut album towards the end of the year. Hopefully an E.P. out very soon with a new single. Play as many festivals as possible and write some new music.
 

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See Little Hours live at the below dates:

Fri 24 Mar 2017 - Cyprus Avenue Cork
Sat 25 Mar 2017 -  Dolan's Warehouse, Limerick
Fri 31 Mar 2017 - Róisín Dubh Galway
Sat 01 Apr 2017 -  McHugh's Basement Bar, Belfast
Sun 02 Apr 2017 - Smock Alley Theatre Dublin (afternoon show)
Sun 02 Apr 2017 - Smock Alley Theatre Dublin (evening show)
Sun 09 Apr 2017 - De Barra's Clonakilty