ØXN exist at the cosmic intersection of its constituent parts, melding Lankum's experimental doom folk (Radie Peat), the motorik euphoria of Percolator (John Spud Murphy & Eleanor Myler) and Katie Kim’s glorious Lynchian meta-verse, to create a sound which exists somewhere between the traditional, the future and the eternal.
In October 2023, they released their debut album CYRM on the relaunched Claddagh Records to global critical acclaim, including a five star review as The Guardian's Folk Album Of The Month, and another five star review in The Irish Times, who hailed it as a 'modern masterpiece'.
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Ahead of their performance in the National Concert Hall on Thursday 20th November (with fellow folk innovator and friend Richard Dawson), we asked ØXN's John Spud Murphy and Eleanor Myler for their choice cultural picks...
FILM
Spud: I haven't had much time for movies lately, but I’m looking forward to Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another.
Eleanor: In Fabric (2018). With days getting shorter, I'm thinking horror, but this film is far too whimsical and self-aware to categorise as such. Marianne Jean-Baptiste grounds the story in real life terror, as everything around her gets increasingly bonkers. It’s a reliable repeat watch, worth visiting in instalments. Or a short answer would be The Blair Witch Project (very scary).
MUSIC
Spud: I’m currently bingeing on the new Pharaoh Overlord album, Louhi. I really love how these guys are able to make an album out of a single riff. Aaron Turner’s vocals definitely bring in some extra darkness to this minimal kraut rock masterpiece.
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Eleanor: Supersonic Festival Birmingham. This year Sara Parkman and Maria W Horn of Sweden gave a devastatingly beautiful performance as Funeral Folk. Another powerful moment came from highly performative black metal group Witch Club Satan, not to mention Penelope Trappes shivering everyone's timbers. Poor Creature, Richard Dawson and Rún then gave us the warm and fuzzies. For eerie winter walks, stick on Panoptikon by Maria W Horn.
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BOOK
Spud: I have recently returned to David Byrne’s How Music Works. It’s a fantastic outlook on the bigger musical picture, even if he does go on too much about where Talking Heads bought their skinny black jeans in the 70s.
Eleanor: Slaughterhouse Five. My first Vonnegut read, plucked completely at random from a stack and its non-linear chaotic, forward-backwards style really appealed to me. As the anti-war narrative revealed itself the style made more sense. His irreverence and humour are what draws me to him most, a fearless silly billy.
PLAY
Spud: I was hoping to get into see Her Father's Voice at the Dublin Theatre Festival as I heard it was amazing, but unfortunately my diary didn’t agree with this. I hope it has another run in the near future.
Eleanor: Operating Theatre: Roger Doyle and Olwen Fouéré at the NCH. There is nothing as intense and illuminating as an Olwen Fouéré performance, to see how she responds and interacts with the work of Roger Doyle was something special. Her vocal range and power is extraordinary, as is her ability to provoke. The combination of Doyle on grand piano and playback of original recordings gave the piece a sense of interaction. There were times when both audience and performers were watching playback and there was something poignant about watching two masters of their craft acknowledging their beginnings while still moving forward with their work.
TV
Spud: I’m currently watching Alien: Earth. I’ve been a massive Alien fan since I got over the trauma of my dad thinking it was a good idea to wake me up and bring me out to see Alien on TV when I was 8 years old. I just hope they don’t destroy the franchise further than previous prequels and spin offs.
Watch: Meet the makers of Alien: Earth
Eleanor: (Filmmaker) Ben Wheatley has just compiled an omnibus playlist of BBC Arena documentaries on his YouTube channel. That'll keep you busy.
GIG
Spud: I’m hoping to get out to see Big Brave in Whelan’s on November 4th. I put my back out the last time I saw from the shock of the volume off their first chord. I must remember ear plugs this time!
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Eleanor: Big Brave. Whelan's, November 4th. Dense and ferocious sounds from Montreal. Being so highly skilled allows them to play intuitively and to explore ginormous sounds with a minimal approach. Robin’s voice often cuts through massive distortion and feedback with unique vulnerability. They are also mad craic in the pub. Support will be from Geis, a new improvisational three-piece including me (drums), Elaine Malone (guitar/bass/vox) and Meabh McKenna (harp/vox).
ART
Spud: Not exactly a high brow choice here but I brought my little one to the harvest display in the Botanic Gardens, definitely my favourite place in Dublin.
Eleanor: Just finishing an exhibition for EVA International Biennale Limerick, Ruth Clinton and Niamh Moriarty use their skills in music, painting, writing, design, sculpture, research and more I'm sure, to link Ireland’s past with present. Their activism takes a central role in all their works and most recently, A Disentailing Deed, does so in increasingly creative ways. They also wear cool clothes.
TECH
Eleanor: It's an important time right now to explore alternatives to the likes of Spotify. Many streaming apps have their drawbacks but it’s time to do a little bit of research and pick one that is a bit more ethically sound. We can stop pretending that music is free, or that it’s ok for billionaires to invest in arms with consumer subscriptions.
THE NEXT BIG THING...
Spud: I just found out that if you include -ai in a Google search, you don't get the annoying AI search results. Just saying...
Eleanor: Enthusiastic Eunuch Promotions is far from new, but persistence has shown that building an audience is possible when you repeatedly stick your neck out to bring in mind-blowing bands and artists to Dublin, just to see the effect it has on people. I have made lifelong friends at EE shows and each show feels like a unique ecosystem. Long live the independent promoter.
ØXN perform in the National Concert Hall on Thursday 20th November - find out more here
