Dublin-based rock, blues, and Irish folk band Driving Blue have released their new single, Lose Ya, and play Whelan's of Dublin on 18 January. We asked them the BIG questions . . .
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They’ve played venues such as The Grand Social and Workmans Club in Dublin, and Dolans in Limerick, as well as festivals including the Howth Blues Festival and Otherside Festival.
"We’re incredibly excited to share Lose Ya with our listeners," says Adam. "It’s a song that represents where we are now as a band, both musically and personally. We can’t wait for everyone to hear it and join us for the launch at Whelan’s."
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
Adam: We’re a rock band based in Dublin. There are four of us in the band. Our drummer Fionn is a sixth generation musician, our bassist Jack is a trained pianist, our singer/guitarist Adam is from Athlone and our guitarist Emilie is in the top 0.05% of Rolling Stones listeners on Spotify.
How would you describe your music?
Adam: You need to hear it live. We make music to perform live. We aim for lots of energy, and want the listener to feel like they’ve walked into the back of a pub where a trad session has been laced with 60s blues rock players
Who are your musical inspirations?
Fionn: You’ll hear a lot of Irish rock in our guitar riffs like Rory Gallagher, our lyricism and melodies are influenced by folk like Hozier and pop like Sam Fender. The band are all heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones but also our rhythm section is mixed with soul from our drummer Fionn and post punk from our bassist Jack which we think contributes to a really unique sound.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Adam: First gig I ever went to was Neil Young in the 3Arena where I was lucky enough to meet him. I was 10 years old and I remember he advised to me to "get an old guitar". I still haven’t quite gotten a 60s Les Paul like Neil, but I did rescue an 80s Yamaha acoustic guitar from a skip which is my go to acoustic for live and recording.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Adam: How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb by U2, which still influences me to this day, I played it on repeat and learned all the lyrics from the sleeve in the CD. We covered Vertigo one night, maybe we’ll throw it into the set for some nostalgia again sometime.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Fionn: We love CMAT, we were lucky enough to play the same festival as her in 2023 at Otherside. She’s been a big influence on us. All of her songs are amazing but it’s hard to look past Stay for Something.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Emilie: "You’ve got my heart, You’ve got my soul, You’ve got the silver, you’ve got the gold" - You’ve Got The Silver by Rolling Stones.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Fionn: It has to be Gimme Shelter by Rolling Stones. Our rhythm section are begging to cover it but one particular band member who will not be named will not allow it.
Where can people find your music/more information?
Jack: Our new single Lose Ya is out now. You can also hear us live at Whelan’s Upstairs in Dublin on 18 January, doors: 8pm. Listen to us on Spotify, Driving Blue, and follow us on Instagram @drivingbluemusic.
Alan Corr
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