THE BACKSTORY:
For Irish punk poet Sinead O’Brien, the devil is always in the detail. Explaining her creative approach, the Limerick-born, London-based performer says: “I am inspired by an honest face on the train, a rhythm, a melody, a feeling, or it can hit me as nothing at all – a vacuum, limbo! Every detail matters”.
If you’re heard her startling, stirring compositions, it’s hard to disagree. A unique fusion of spoken word and art-rock, Sinead O’Brien’s music captures the everyday (and everything in-between) in a way that transcends genre. Inspired as much by Mark E Smith and The Fall as she is by writers Frank O’Hara, W.B. Yeats and Albert Camus, O’Brien delivers her poetic bars over pulsing Krautrock rhythms and chugging new wave guitars.
Having initially pursuing a career in fashion – she describes the designer Vivienne Westwood as her mentor – O’Brien first started showcasing her poetry at Brixton’s influential Windmill venue a few years back. Her early output soon caught the attention of Speedy Wunderground’s Dan Carey, who brought her in to record debut single ‘Taking On Time’ last summer. Since then, she’s supported the likes of John Cooper Clarke and Brian Jonestown Massacre on tour, and she’s appeared on numerous ‘New for 2020’ lists. These are exciting times for homegrown, experimental spoken word artists – the likes of Kate Tempest, George The Poet and Hollie McNish – and Sinead O’Brien, needless to say, stands at the very forefront.
KEY TRACK: ‘Roman Ruins’. A soundscape of whirling guitars and haunting atmospherics, this recent single showcases the full capacity of O’Brien’s poetic power.
FOR FANS OF: Patti Smith, The Velvet Underground, The Fall, Kate Tempest.
