If Ian was a Pet Shop Boy!

Ian Henderson from Kells is one half of an Irish duo who have been touring extensively and successfully in Europe over the past decade, and now return to Ireland with a new single and album release. Ian and Dubliner Mark Power form Eden, who have played to crowds of up to 100,000 people at the Brandenburg gate in Berlin in 2006 for Berlin Pride. Their new single 'If I was a Pet Shop Boy' is their first Irish release in 10 years. In 1998, Eden debuted amid a shroud of boybands and bubblegum pop. Then known as In Utopia, the band toured the 2fm Beat On The Street and supported Boyzone on their UK and Ireland tour while flying back and forth throughout Europe where they toured extensively. With synth pop stylishly out of place in Ireland, the band moved to Germany and set up a European base where they spent the next decade. They became Eden in 2001 - the Germans coundn't pronounce In Utopia! Their single 'Let It Flow' became the most requested and played song in West Germany, and the lads became particularly famous in Cologne. Eden now return home with their new album, 'Electric'. Over the past 10 years, Ian and Mark have collaborated with some of the worlds best pop producers, Gareth Jones (Depeche Mode, Erasure, Goldfrap) and Team Matiz (u96, Sally Oldfield), as well as contributing to the Boytronic album 'Autotunes' and Mac Murphy's euro club hit 'Enjoy what you do'. Filled with sparkling state of the art pop songs, 'Electric' is an affirmation of the duo's knack for electro-pop with bubbling commercial appeal. Written and produced by Ian and Mark over a period of 15 months, the first single 'If I Was A Pet Shop Boy' is a nod to the Pet Shop Boys whom the band hold in high regard. "We chose the title 'Electric' because it states quite simply what the album is about," says Mark. "After the last album, the more acoustic 'Desolate Shores', we needed to say very clearly that this was back to our electronic roots." 'If I Was A Pet Shop Boy' was released with a live gig in the Button Factory in Dublin last Thursday night, and Eden will also perform in Dundalk's Spirit Store on 16th July next. They also play Milk in Ballinlough Castle on 14th August. See www.myspace.com/edenofficial