Over 20 years since they played their last gig, Dublin supergroup The Sofas play upstairs at Whelan's of Dublin this Thursday, 18 July. We asked them the BIG questions . . .
The foursome of drummer Wayne Sheehy, bassist Robbie Malone, pianist Cian Boylan and guitarist Conor Brady have individually collaborated with the likes of Ronnie Wood, David Gray, Toots and the Maytals, Sinéad O'Connor and T Bone Burnett over the years.
Wayne has toured with Ronnie Wood, Bo Diddley, Robert Palmer, Peter Gabriel, Paul Young and Damien Dempsey.
Rob was a member of much-loved Dublin band Lir and has been a part of David Gray’s band for the last 25 years and has recorded records with The Corrs, The Hothouse Flowers, and T Bone Burnett.
Conor is one of Ireland's finest guitar players and began playing with Paul Cleary and The Blades in the mid-'80s and he was a member of the Partisans, as well as recording with Terence Trent D'Arby.
Cian is an Irish producer, pianist, composer, arranger, musical director, and songwriter working internationally in the music industry for over 25 years.
Special guest at the Whelan’s gig is Declan Whitston on sax and tickets priced €16.50 are available here.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
Robbie: I’m a die-hard Liverpool FC supporter. I thought it would get easier to watch games the older I became. But unfortunately for me, this is not the case. It's taken me 25 years to find a reliable source for Kop end tickets, so I go over with my son Finn four or five times a year. Thanks Tommy C.
I love to cook Indian food from scratch. It’s all about making the base gravy. That alone can take two hours. I started during the lockdown, but I'm still tweaking spices and dishes. I'll get the perfect Jalfrezi sauce one day.
I was the goalkeeper for Home Farm U16s and was offered trials for Dundee Utd, but my dad wouldn't let me go as he wanted me to finish my education. I was devastated. That said, in the following months, I met four lads in school and formed the band LIR, so it all worked out for the best in the end.
How would you describe your music?
Robbie: Funky with a touch of soul that can get out of control, well, that’s when Conor decides to go stratospheric. Although the musicianship in the band is right up there, we have always had people moving and grooving uncontrollably at our gigs. In the past, the likes of Ronnie Wood and the Edge have been bopping away in front of us, which is actually quite a surreal sight.
Who are your musical inspirations?
Conor: Steve Cropper, Bill Bill Frisell, Thelonious Monk, Debussy and everyone else!
Robbie: John Deacon, Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles.
Wayne: Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Sigur Rós, Gustav Mahler.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Robbie: It was Queen at Slate Castle in 1986. I remember watching all five support acts standing on a rock hard two-litre bottle of 7Up. I couldn’t understand why people gave out about how crazy outdoor concert crowds could get rowdy, then when Freddie bounded onto the stage, all hell broke loose and boom! I suddenly ended up at the back of the sound desk and couldn’t see a thing. I’m still thrilled that I saw the original Queen line up at the peak of their powers.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Wayne: The Thunderbirds theme music. I was a babogue, I had two older brothers who were into The Beach boys, The Stones, The Faces and were constantly buying vinyl singles. I used to gate crash their listening sessions. I felt left out as a spoilt toddler and was bought (my choice) that single on a shopping expedition. I plagued the house with that theme. They eventually made me an air guitar out of a tennis racket and a broom.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Robbie: What Can a Song do to You? by the Unthanks. It's a beautiful interpretation of a Molly Drake song. I'm not usually into cover versions, but I simply can’t stop listening to this version. Their voices are so fragile and pure. It's taken from their 2017 record, The Songs and Poems of Molly Drake.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Conor: "I don't believe in an interventionist God - Into My Arms by Nick Cave. I rarely listen to the words of songs but that was one of the most arresting opening lines I've ever heard! I've never forgotten it.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Robbie: My son actually asked me this the other day, and I said it would have to be Woodbrook by Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin. An old friend, Donal Coughlan, sadly no longer with us, played it for me one day, and it actually brought me to tears. It’s a love song about a river, and I swore at the time that I'd get married and buried to that song. So, it’s one down, one to go.
Where can people find your music/more information?
Robbie: That’s a tricky one, as we were primarily a live band before social media. We did record an album back in the day, but god knows where the master tapes are. Maybe we will record another one after this gig next week and release it on all platforms.
Alan Corr
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