Dublin indie rock artist ALKY has released his debut single, Dirty Tricks. We asked him the BIG questions . . .
ALKY's path to becoming a solo artist was gradual. Initially more comfortable as a lead guitarist than a singer in his local Dublin band during the late 1990s, he soon ventured into a career in audio engineering and production.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I’m an indie rock artist from Dublin. I launched in early 2024. I’m also a qualified economist. I know, very uncool. It’s a long story. I never really considered myself a singer until recently. When I wrote songs in the past I always imagined Bono or Thom Yorke singing them which was a stretch (literally) as my vocal range isn’t even in the ballpark. So given the limitations of my voice I usually just left a lot of those songs unfinished and got on with my day job. I’m an audio engineer by trade and a studio owner. I love what I do but as the years rolled I began to wonder should I just give the song writing and artist thing a proper go. I was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2018 for Best Achievement in Sound Mixing. It was for an animated TV series for Amazon Prime. Elvis Costello was the composer. I was tasked with with mixing his music along with the rest of the soundtrack i.e. the voices and sound effects. I quit drinking almost six years ago. Probably the best thing I ever did. Couldn’t cope with the hangovers and general self-loathing!
How would you describe your music?
Indie rock, although I like a "big" sound. I admire other bands in the genre who are purposely more lo-fi though. Lyrically, the songs are all quite personal, they’re all pretty much real-life stories, mainly focusing on my chaotic relationships over the years. Trust me, I have a lot of inspiration in that regard and many unintentional muses!
Who are your musical inspirations?
I grew up listening to a lot of the iconic rock bands of the 1990s like Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins, U2, Radiohead and Oasis. Then came the The National, Arcade Fire, Interpol, Future Islands, and much more recently a new band from San Diego called Poems. They’re fantastic. I’m also a big fan of The Cure, The Smiths, Leonard Cohen, Led Zeppelin, Bjork, R.E.M, Jeff Buckley, Simon & Garfunkel, The Dubliners and - my guilty pleasure - ABBA! What was the first gig you ever went to?Foo Fighters in 1995 in the SFX, Dublin.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Nirvana’s Nevermind. It was as life changing for me as it was for so many others.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Lime by Poems.
Favourite lyric of all time?
"Thanks for the trouble you took from her eyes, I thought it was there for good so I never tried" - Famous Blue Raincoat by Leonard Cohen. One of my all-time favourite songs.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Thirty-Three by The Smashing Pumpkins. It’s probably one of their most simple songs in terms of chords and structure but the tune is beautiful and the lyrics are incredible. I find it so easy to listen to on repeat. Ultra Violet (Light My Way) by U2 comes a close second!
Where can people find your music/more information?
My debut single, Dirty Tricks, is on Spotify. For previews of upcoming tracks, there are links on my website. I’m also active on Instagram (@alkymusic) and TikTok (alky_music) where I do general promo and upload snippets of new songs. I’ll be releasing another track in September, another in October and the full album (hopefully) in November/December.
Alan Corr
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