Album tour from Red Queen Contest
Navan four-piece Red Queen Contest have released their first single ‘Now (Before It Gets Old)’ from their self-titled debut album, set to be unleashed on the world in October with a headline Irish tour, stopping off in Galway, Limerick, Dublin, Cork and Mullingar. ‘Now (Before it Gets Old)’ ponders the relentless pace and pressures of modern life.
Cormac O’Keeffe, Paul Clarke, Paddy Smyth and Barry Fitzgerald are bravely leaving behind a popular repertoire of songs, written as cult indie outfit, The Dolldrums. The four friends shed their old skin and reconvened as Red Queen Contest in early 2010. The new band changed course from their indie beginnings and developed a more alternative rock sound with soaring harmonies and gritty guitars, adding an almighty rhythm section to boot! Red Queen Contest’s eponymous debut album documents the band’s take on life in a voice that is at once sceptical, idealistic, seductive and broken.
The album was recorded and produced by Adrian Garry (Bell x 1, Delorentos) at Keely’s Lane Studio in Oldcastle. Having started out by writing and recording roughly nineteen songs, the album has now been whittled down to ten songs which are diverse in sound and subject matter, but nevertheless sit together as one distinct body of work. The band worked with several other musicians on the album including the well known Cora Venus Lunny and Kate Ellis (Crash Ensemble), who provided strings on the final track of the album, ‘Bee Stings’. Two members of the band Shouting At Planes, Kevin Kelleher and Liam McCabe provided saxophone and trumpet on ‘Rabbits Feet’ and ‘Bee Stings’. Other musicians who appear on the album include Alan Carmody (The Handsome Boatmen) and Saramai Leech (Dublin Laptop Orchestra, Saramai and the Swords).
The band is extremely excited about the forthcoming debut album release on 18th October. After two years of hard work, they are ready to share it with the world and to be back on the live circuit for their Irish tour in October. Tickets are on-sale now for the tour, which takes in the Roisin Dubh, Galway on Thursday 10th October; Dolans, Limerick, 17th October; the album launch at The Academy 2, Friday 18th October; Cypress Avenue, Cork, 19th October; Number 1, Mullingar Thursday 24th October.