Belfast’s hottest emerging band New Pagans have shared a live video of them performing their award nominated single ‘It’s Darker’, recorded at The Palm House in their hometown.
It showcases the band’s effortless flair and raw energy which has fans and tastemakers equally excited and has seen them rightfully nominated as Best Live Act 2019 in the Northern Ireland Music Prize, as well as the track being shortlisted for Best Single.
Channeling elements of rock and alt-pop which sits them amongst the likes of Wolf Alice and Black Honey with Pixie-esque influences, ‘It’s Darker’ confronts an incident in which a musician became aggressive towards singer Lyndsey at a party and wouldn’t tolerate her opinions, reminding listeners of gender equality.
Originally released earlier this year, it has garnered notable support, along with the new single ‘Charlie Has The Face Of A Saint’, from the likes of Daniel P Carter, Phil Taggart and Huw Stephens at Radio 1, John Kennedy at Radio X, BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio, Kerrang, Louder and more.
Check out the video for their new single ‘Charlie Has The Face Of A Saint’ here, which was designed and directed by the band’s bassist Claire Miskimmin alongside Lyndsey and was inspired by their adoration for horror films and their collective visionary ideas.
New Pagans are currently performing throughout Ireland with upcoming shows in Portrush and Dublin before a hometown Christmas headline show at Voodoo, Belfast on December 22nd and have more exciting release news coming very soon.
2019 LIVE DATES
15/11 – The Atlantic Bar, Portrush
06/12 – Bello Bar, Dublin (w/ HAVVK)
22/12 – Voodoo, Belfast (headline)
For more information contact Chris Dean or Jenni Vodden at Wilful Publicity
chris.dean@wilfulpublicity.co.uk / jenni.vodden@wilfulpublicity.co.uk
MORE INFORMATION
The quintet are formed of Cahir O’Doherty (Jetplane Landing & Fighting With Wire) alongside vocalist Lyndsey McDougall, drummer Conor McAuley (Balkan Alien Sound), bassist Claire Miskimmin (Girls Names) and guitarist Alan McGreevy (Rupture Dogs).
The band’s name is a reference to the Latin paganus, originally meaning villager or outsider, reflecting their mission to stay removed from the city rules and the orthodox. Singer Lyndsey was raised in a climate of religious observance, so her encounters with popular music were furtive and occasional. “It really only started when I was 18”, she explains. “I’d heard of Fleetwood Mac, but I’d not ‘heard’them. As a result, I have a unique way of hearing things”.
One of the band’s first releases ‘Lily Yeats’, a tribute to the sister of poet William Butler Yeats and the artist Jack Butler Yeats, influenced by Lyndsey’s study of Women’s History in Ireland. Their subsequent releases have explored similarly significant ground, with ‘Worker’s Song’ referencing the Donegal Industrial Fund and informed by new austerity, and 2018’s ‘Bloody Soil’ providing another mutinous note from the downtrodden.
“It has turned into a way of showing other girls and other women that they can do
this, no matter what their circumstances are. If you’ve got two kids and you’re
married, it’s okay. If you’re 35, it’s fine. We’re not trying to be a young band. We are what we are – with all that experience.”