Kate Twohig will be at FLOW, a singer-songwriter showcase at Finding a Voice Music Festival, which takes place in Clonmel from 5 to 8 March. We asked her the BIG questions . . .
FLOW highlights local original music creators and will feature also Jessica Brett and Zrazy on 5 March at Raheen House, Clonmel.
Kate is also co-director of the When Next We Meet festival, which takes place over the June Bank Holiday weekend from 29 to 31 May in the grounds of Raheen House, with a line-up including The Waterboys, Mick Flannery and Susan O'Neill, The Wran, Moxie and more.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I’m left-handed.
I’ve been hit by a bus.
I’m here today because of an organ donor (unrelated to bus).
How would you describe your music?
When I’m writing songs or composing for larger works, I lean into dark, cinematic, melodic pop. Lyrically I lean towards being introspective, but I think relatable to the wider experience of being a human. I’m a melody-and-harmony-first gal, but I’ve been learning not to treat a rhythm section as an afterthought. I think I sit somewhere between that old-school warmth of 60's-pop and the alt-pop dreaminess of the 2010s.
Who are your musical inspirations?
From a young age, I’ve always been drawn to the harmony-rich pop music of the 60s. The Carpenters, The Mamas & the Papas. There’s something timeless about that era, warm but with an undercurrent of melodrama. In college, I leaned heavily into the likes of Lykke Li, Beach House, Lana Del Rey. That dramatic, introspective kind of alt-pop, that doesn’t have to be overly-complex to land a punch.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
I was 15 or 16 and went with pals to The Killers in Marlay Park. 2008 - I think. Sadly someone got stuck in a Portaloo and I may have been the only sober/responsible one available to deal with the catastrophe. Quel désastre.
What was the first record you ever bought?
I was obsessed with The Corrs. Obsessed. I was a kid that loved singing and they were Irish and (mostly) women. I couldn’t deal with the pride that evoked as a child. For my eighth birthday I got The Corrs In Blue album. I have a distinct memory too of my Dad waking me up out of bed around that same time, because The Corrs were on the Late Late. Unmissable.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Not a song but Max Richter’s On The Nature Of Daylight is living in my head. It’s use in Hamnet was perfectly placed but as a standalone piece, I think it does so much that we try to capture in music, that ability to hold a lot of pain and a lot of hope and the ache that comes from the tension between the two.
Favourite lyric of all time?
"I know the script well, I can play the part. All I need is your sign and I’ll reclaim your heart" - Lory Kenny.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
This Woman’s Work by Kate Bush. The intensity and build of this is incredible, but I’m weak for a unison group vocal, and how when used at just the right moment it can cut through in its simplicity. I know you have a little life in you yet. I know you have a lot of strength left. Amazing.
Where can people find your music/more information?
I’m looking forward to performing at Finding A Voice in Clonmel on 5 March . I’ve never been good at self-promotion but can be found promoting others at When Next We Meet, a music festival I co-produce/direct with my husband. That’s primarily what life is lately. I’m developing music for a musical and doing community based choral work in 2026, as well as continuing to write for myself. Maybe after that I’ll dive into self-promotion. My songs will sit on hard drives as they’ve always done, until then at the very least.
Alan Cor
