‘Hold on’ to some hope - grunge with a positive vibe

Strangers With Guns, a three-piece band from Dunshaughlin, Navan and Kildare, has released 'Hold On', a song about holding on through troubled times and how things can change, with all proceeds going to Pieta House.

The hard rock/grunge band formed in January 2019, and gigged all over the country in that first year, with Paul Rennick on drums, Eric Wright On bass and Jeff Crosdale on guitar and vocals. Debut album, 'Degenerate Art' got air play on John Barker's 'Totally Irish' show on 98fm and on Dan Hegarthys 'The Alternative' on 2fm. The album even featured an appearance from Republic Of Loose frontman Mik Pyro on the track 'Money King'.

The album continues to stream just under 1,000 monthly listeners and has been well received at home and abroad, with Canadian revue site 'Bucket List Music Reviews" gave it their album of the week at the time.

The new material is a lot more serious in context. 'Hold On' is trying to be positive but without being corny or using old lines or cliches.

Just trying to bring the message that you only live once and in time things can change. Jeff wrote the music on a walk from work to a rehearsal room. He just got the music in his head and then went home and put the lyrics too it.

He explains: "We though that because the music was so "Grunge", a genre linked with despair and depression that had lost so many of its leaders to suicide, that we would go the opposite way and write a song in their style but with hope. The proceeds are going to Pieta House."

Strangers With Guns have played on a wide variety of bills from punk festivals and hard rock festivals to playing with pop punk acts, but their 2020 plans, like everyone's, were sidelined.