Belfast-based five-piece Consolers release their debut album, Deep Breaths, on 20 February 2026 with a headline show at Belfast's Empire Music Hall. We asked the band’s vocalist Sonja Sleator the BIG questions . . .
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I have been Type 1 Diabetic for over 20 years.
In school I tried to learn both drums and guitar, but I got shouted at for skipping too many classes, so I stuck with guitar.
When I was younger I won a competition called the Friday Factor....that definitely wasn't inspired by the X-Factor.
How would you describe your music?
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Honest, sweary and catchy. In lyrics, I try to write the truth about how I feel things. It helps get a lot of aggression out but isn't always exactly radio friendly! I also love hooks and do my best to write songs that are catchy and will stick in people's heads.
Who are your musical inspirations?
You might not exactly hear these influences in our music, but the artists I listen to who I think influence me would include Radiohead, Raconteurs, Nirvana and Fangclub to name a few. Our music is pretty guitar heavy, and I know our guitarists Daniel and Ethan are big fans of guitarists like Scott Gorham from Thin Lizzy and Dave Gilmour from Pink Floyd.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
My first ever gig was McFly in Manchester when I was 13. I've now seen them so many times I've lost count...maybe 15 times? Should I be admitting that?
What was the first record you ever bought?
One of the first albums I bought with my own money was Good Charlotte's The Young & The Hopeless. It was a special edition that cost about £14 - I saved for months to buy it and it's still one of my favourite albums to this day.
What’s your favourite song right now?
It's an older track, but Harmony Hall by Vampire Weekend is a song I always come back to. I had it on in the car on the way home from work today!
Favourite lyric of all time?
I love this by Mike Skinner from The Streets: "Lights are blinding my eyes, people pushing by, and walking off into the night".
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
All I Need by Radiohead - I feel like I could listen to Radiohead for the rest of my life because their songs give me all the feels, and if I have to pick one, this is it.
Where can people find your music/more information?
Consolers is on all the usual streaming platforms. Our debut album, Deep Breaths, is available for preorder now on our Bandcamp, and we're also on Instagram @consolersband.
Alan Corr
