Archive for phantom power

The Walls – Stop The Lights (Album Review)

Posted in Album Review, IRISH NOISE!, Music with tags , , , , , , , , , on March 7, 2012 by Tickets There

If there’s one thing The Walls can never be accused of, it’s rushing things. It’s been a seven long years since the release of their last album, ‘New Dawn Breaking’, but the brothers haven’t been hanging on their laurels. They’ve toured, both as the Walls and The Stunning, released singles, an EP; all the while working away on their third release. It’s been a long time coming and no easy feat to accomplish, but finally ‘Stop The Lights’ is ready.

People who’ve seen the band live over the past two years will be very familiar with some of the material on Stop The Lights, but it still manages to sound as fresh and enticing on record as it did on stage. ‘Bird In A Cage’ opens the album with it’s wonderful gentle rhetoric and infectious poppy groove. Advance singles ‘Phantom Power’, ‘Carrying the Fire’ and ‘Stop The Lights’ sound reinvigorated and inviting; but the real focus for Tickets is on the more unheard material.

‘The Great Escape’ and ‘It Goes Without Saying’ are excellent pieces of music. ‘The Great Escape’ is stripped back, lasting and lonely, while ‘It Goes Without Saying’ delivers one of those catchy as a cold choruses the Walls have built their reputation on.  ‘Dead Flowers’ delivers a little rumpus into the room with heavier guitars and keyboards. Not quite ‘Drowning Pool’ but everything you could want. ‘All A Blur’ and ‘Doodlesque’ continue the positive flow before the album reaches its peak with ‘Thanks For The Photographs’ and ‘May The Road Rise’, which are both crowning achievements of the album. Equally they express the passion, honesty and incredible grasp the Wall brothers have for song writing.

Stop The Lights is out officially released on Friday, March 9th from retailers and online stores. It gets its release party in Whelan’s on March 29th before the lads hit the road for shows in Limerick and Galway. Stand by for more dates over the coming weeks.

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NEW MUSIC: The Walls ‘Stop The Lights’ & The Stunning’s 25th Anniversary

Posted in Music, Music Video, New Music, News with tags , , , , , on January 26, 2012 by Tickets There

It’s all go at the Wall household this year. First of all 2012 seems to be the year The Walls will finally release their third album, Stop The Lighst. This one’s been a long time coming but anyone’s that’s heard previous releases like Bird In A Cage, Phantom Power and Carrying The Fire will agree it’ll be worth it. To kick things off the band have released another single titled ‘Stop The Lights’ and it’s available from all good radio stations who will even take the time and effort to play it for you on the air if you’d be so good as to give them a call. More info on the album as and when we have it…or by TT traditions, 6 months after Goldenplec tell you. For now, have a listen to a live recording of Stop The Lighst below.

Also, it’s The Stunning’s 25th anniversary this year so expect news galore on the coming months. Rumour is there’s a tour in the works and even a new release but details remain to be seen. The official update from the band can be found below (there goes my ‘rumour story)

2012 is The Stunning’s 25th anniversary!

It’s hard to believe as we’ve hardly changed over the years and we play even better! But it is indeed 25 years since the band formed. Watch this space for some activity later this year. There’s talk of a new release (including a couple of new songs) and a tour. Stay in touch…..

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The Walls – Stop The Lights (Album Preview)

Posted in IRISH NOISE!, Music, News with tags , , , , , , on November 24, 2010 by Tickets There

It may not be any great secret, but The Walls are currently Tickets There personal favourite Irish band (oh yes). How did they achieve this mighty honour? By release two albums of great material and lining up a third one which could be their best yet.

Over the past six months, The Walls have been playing shows (three of which we’ve been fortunate to catch), released two album previews (Carrying The Fire / Phantom Power) and music videos for the album’s first single, Bird In A Cage and new song Stop The Lights.

 On top of this, they’ve invented a whole new stage show to aid the new albums promotion by making it cost effective for the band to travel far and wide without comprising the music or resorting to the bog standard two lads and guitar. We have DVD’s now and don’t need no Dylan’s!

Anyhow, with the album’s release year getting close, Tickets There thought we’d share the info we have so far with you fine people so you can start creaming yourselves in anticipation just like us….in a non weird way.

What do we know? Well we have the set-list from the bands show at The Sugar Club earlier this month. We’re not saying that the majority of those tracks will be on the final cut but there’s several titles for ye to play with.

Then we have the two previews, Phantom Power and Carrying The Fire which were released on ITunes earlier this month. To hear these, simply visit The Walls Last.FM profile (Click here). Oh, as of Friday Nov. 26th, you can now Download Carrying The Fire – FOR FREE- Click This Link.

And finally, videos. We have two official videos from the band and both can be viewed below. Believe us, this material is well worth seeing and hearing. Both fantastic, lovely songs that will add a little light into this bleak week of financial ruin for the country. One spin of Stop The Lights and problems shall recede.


(Video Trivia – Bird In A Cage was shot at the first ever Temple House Festival held in Co. Sligo this year while Stop The Lights was filmed at half time during the Ireland Vs Australia Rules match in Croke Park and features Gavin Fox (of Idelwild / TURN / Concerto for Constantine fame) handling Bass duties while Joe plays keyboards and guitar)

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The Walls Announce Dublin Show

Posted in Gig Listing, IRISH NOISE!, Music, News with tags , , , , on October 21, 2010 by Tickets There

Great news to cheer everyone up this morning! The Walls have announced a Dublin show for November 5th in The Sugar Club.

Currently preparing for the release of their third album Stop The Lights, The Walls have been playing warm up shows around the country this summer using their new 2 man show which involves an array of audio/visual effects and of course, the legendary Steve and Joe Wall performing semi-acoustically. The band released a taster from the album in June in the form of a double A-side single titled Carrying The Fire / Phantom Power and the band have plans to release an EP before the end of the year.

For anyone that hasn’t seen The Walls live yet, this show is a must! You might even get a chance to see a very drunk Tickets There passed out in the smoking area if you’re lucky. It is the Sugar Club after all. We’ll add ticket and support details as soon as they’re released.

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Review: The Walls – Live @ The Odessa, Dublin (July 8th, 2010)

Posted in Gig Review, IRISH NOISE!, Music with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 9, 2010 by Tickets There

Recession or no recession, the Odessa hasn’t changed a bit. Tickets There’s willing to bet that every man who gets their hair styled in Dublin is in tonight to sample the fine food, drink finest bottles of wine from the bar and soak up the pompous, ego pumped atmosphere. Why do we do bother? Because Live At The Odessa just won’t stop bringing good bands into the fecking place.

As usual, Tickets There (purposely) manages to miss tonight’s support. Last thing we need is a singer songwriter to get us in the mood for the legendary Wall brothers. Instead, trips to local McKenna’s in Dun Laoghaire and O’Reilly’s under Tara are all the support we need. With Murphy’s in hand (of course they don’t have Guinness, that would be too common), it’s time to stand back and soak up some relaxing new material from The Walls.

Opening with their newest single, Carrying The Fire, Steve and Joe begin the show solo with some added beats courtesy of the musical prodigy that is Joe Wall. Swapping vocals, multiple instruments and harmonies mark the early set with their experimental new live style adding a nice vibe to the show. Rather than bringing a full band on tour, The Walls are testing out a new audio-visual show which allows the rest of the band to appear on a screen behind the brothers, letting them play and interact with each other. Surprisingly enough, this new style of performing loses little of the vibe you get from a full band show with everything rehearsed and timed to a T.

Treating fans to a nice selection of material from their up and coming third album, Stop The Lights, the band are keeping their stripped back, cooler than Alaska sound going with atmospheric, ear pleasing tunes. Phantom Power sees Joe take over vocal duties with Steve mostly adding background harmonies. Having never gotten a chance to see The Walls live before tonight, Tickets There’s pleasantly surprised to see Joe knows his way around a lead guitar just as well as a bass.

Not to shy away from their older material, the band manage to knock out classics such as Passing Through, To The Bright and Shinning Sun and a thunderous performance of Drowning Pool before closing the main set and retuning for an encore comprised of Rusty Old River, a song they originally recorded as The Stunning and the Walls very own, Bone Deep.

With the gig over, it’s time to scraper and seek refuge in the cozy confines of The Stags Head with a good, Dublin born pint of the black stuff. Great night from a great band, Tickets There have our eyes focused on the next albums release. More Walls in 2010 will be a lovely thing.

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