Hey Jude, can you play a gig at the Dublin Castle?

Published: 11 March 2010
by RÓISÍN GADELRAB

THERE’S a belief in some parts of the Irish community that St Patrick’s Day celebrations tend to be twee.

Not so for The Irish Have Landed, a four-band celebration of up-and-coming talent at the Dublin Castle on March 17. 

Pilotlight, The Jude, The Saudis and The Small Horses have all been lined up to show just what young Irish musicians can bring to the table – it’s not all tin whistles, deedly-didley fiddles and delusions of U2 you know!

And it’s all for a good cause with proceeds going to Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of the venue’s late landlord, Alo Conlon.

The Jude frontman Gavin Duffy has been instrumental in bringing the groups together.

He teamed up with Bugbear Records, who book the bands for the Dublin Castle and were planning to put something on in honour of Mr Conlon, and together they came up with The Irish Have Landed. Gavin said: “It’s a good little venue and has the name Dublin in it. We said let’s put up a music showcase for Irish indie acts. 

“They wanted Pilotlight, who are kind of ambient, and we said we’d find some bands.”

They pulled together Camden-based three-piece Small Horses, who play without drums, and The Saudis, who are based in Dublin and London.

“We’re called The Jude in reference to St Jude,” Gavin said. “My uncle was an officer in the Chicago police department and the patron saint of the Chicago police is St Jude – the patron saint of lost causes, of the underdog, and our songs are about being the underdog and fighting against all odds.”

Gavin finished university in Dublin four years ago and headed straight for Camden Town.

“Around that time there was a lot of great music coming out,” he said, “a bit of a surge in the UK, with the Kaiser Chiefs and Kasabian etc. It seemed things were happening. One of my reasons was I’m a really big fan of Withnail and I.”

So he plastered adverts across Denmark Street and the result is The Jude.

“We write songs that sound happy but with not very light lyrics,” Gavin said.  

“We do have some songs about being a new person in a new city which a lot of bands don’t do enough of. 

“There’s not many Irish bands around here. The industry’s starting to pick up back home, but it wasn’t when I was there.”

The Jude have been nominated for best new band in the Camden Crawl Emerging Talent awards and could win a place in the festival’s line-up.

In the meantime, the Irish have well and truly landed and will be kicking up a storm at the Dublin Castle on Wednesday.

There’s also word Shane McGowan may turn up on the night so get there early to ensure you get a good view. Doors open at 7.45pm and entry is £6.