In conjunction with IMRO, Irish grassroots independent compilation series A Litany Of Failures is set to hold a bank holiday weekend-long fundraiser over March 30th & 31st at the Button Factory. The two day event will act as a fundraiser for Volume V of the compilation series, which was been described by the Irish Times as “indispensable listening for any Irish music fan with a modicum of taste”. The full lineup is a veritable who’s who of forward-thinking Irish artistry from all corners of the island. The project was conceived as a way that DIY and independent artists could come together, collaborate and support each other in trying to take their own snapshot of the Irish music community, to be preserved for posterity, and establish an islandwide network of artistry – a “rising tide lifts all boats” mentality – while creating a quality product that could be deemed “Export Ready” in the modern parlance.
On Saturday evening at the Button Factory, ahead of the night’s concert, a panel discussion hosted by Zara Hedderman (Totally Dublin/RTÉ Arena) will feature three of Ireland’s finest producers, John ‘Spud’ Murphy (Lankum/Black MIDI), Chris W Ryan (Just Mustard/Robocobra Quartet) and Jamie Hyland (Gilla Band/Mhaol) chatting on the topic of production. Each speaker has been involved with the compilation in some capacity; Musician & producer John ‘Spud’ Murphy performs with ØXN and Percolator, and has produced and sculpted the live & studio sound of Lankum over the better part of the last decade, as well as producing Cavalcade, the acclaimed second album from Black MIDI. Chris Ryan, as well as contributing tracks with jazz-punk outfit Robocobra Quartet & solo project Sorbet, has produced Just Mustard, New Dad, plus innumerable Litany tracks from the likes of Junk Drawer, Careerist and more. Jamie Hyland is known for her work as bassist/producer/vocalist with M(h)aol, as well as being a recording & mastering engineer, and performer with the likes of Gilla Band, Psychotic Monks, A Lethal Black Ooze, and Clara Tracey.
Saturday night’s concert is set to take place in the main Button Factory venue, packed with Litany alumni and TTA favourites. Experimental rhythm n’ blues/jazz masters The Bonk headline – whose second album Greater Than or Equal To The Bonk topped our 2023 end-of-year list – check our cover feature. Their fellow TTA cover stars, acerbic noise-punk quartet M(h)aol – who just released new single ‘Pursuit‘, and one of our favourite young prospects, the fast rising, forward-thinking indie rock trio Search Results – who we chatted to this week.
In the smaller Crowbar venue, Sunday night will see Litany co-founders and indie-psych quartet Junk Drawer – who’ve just finished up their second album – with their fellow Volume 1 colleagues Galway’s finest garage rock band Oh Boland ahead of their third LP, and Elaine Malone’s experimental drone project ManTua.
A Litany Of Failures began with the release of Volume 1 in 2016. This EP, released on cassette, featured Junk Drawer, Oh Boland, Shrug Life and That Snaake, and was launched with an Irish tour that summer. This release created the template that would later be expanded upon in Volume II, III & IV, which have featured a total of 60 different acts. Each volume is a double vinyl compilation, and includes the likes of Robocobra Quartet, The Bonk, Silverbacks, Problem Patterns, Junior Brother, Elaine Howley, Myles Manley, Cherym, Post Punk Podge, and many more.
Listen to the A Litany of Failures collection on Bandcamp and pick up a ticket for the weekend here.
