The Chapters
Encyclopedia
The Chapters are a five-piece indie rock
band from Dublin, Ireland
. The band is composed of Ross McNally, Simon Eustace, Turlough Gunawardhana, Michael Murphy, and Ciaran Fortune. They have released one album titled Perfect Stranger and this has spawned several singles.
The Chapters have featured on a number of radio and television stations in Ireland, including Dublin's 98
, Today FM
RTÉ 2fm
and Phantom FM
since the release of their album and have performed at several festivals such as Castlepalooza
, Indie-pendence
and Oxegen
. They also performed at the Arthur's Day
celebrations. In 2008, they supported more established musicians such as Chuck Berry
, Cathy Davey
and Neil Young
. Their music has also been used by RTÉ
as well as by UK broadcaster ITV
in its soap opera
Emmerdale
.
, Bruce Springsteen
, The Cars
, Fleetwood Mac
, The Frames
, The Hold Steady
, Snow Patrol
Sparks
, and Talking Heads
. The voice of vocalist McNally has been likened to Guy Garvey
and Peter Gabriel
.
heralded the single as "further proof" of "the middle of a new dawn for the Dublin music scene". The arrival of more difficult financial times almost finished the abdn off before they had gotten round to recording their debut album. After recording approximately thirty demos of their work, they submitted them to a company which wished to invest in a new record label in Ireland. Contact had been made with internationally recognised producers such as Ethan Johns
, with the band hoping to work with producers who had worked with acts such as Kings of Leon
or Ryan Adams
. However, following the collapse of a bank elsewhere, the company pulled out of the deal putting the debut album of The Chapters in jeopardy. The band were saved by fellow band The Coronas
, with contact being made by Turlough Gunawardhana with lead singer Danny O'Reilly prompting a meeting with their record label 3ú Records who signed them immediately.
Signed by 3ú Records, the lead single, titled "Videotapes", from their debut album was released on 1 May 2009 and launched at The Academy
music venue in Dublin the previous night. The Chapters released their debut album Perfect Stranger on 3ú Records, on 5 June 2009. Hot Press praised the album for its "irresistibly catchy tracks" and singled out "Videotapes"—released as a download single— for its "glorious blend of Fleetwood Mac and The Blue Nile". entertainment.ie
gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying that it was "at ease with itself, traversing timelines to be modern without trying to be hip, trendy or cool".
The Chapters played several festivals around Ireland during the summer of 2009. They performed on the Hot Press New Bands Stage at Oxegen 2009
at Punchestown Racecourse
in County Kildare
on 12 July. They performed at Castlepalooza
in Tullamore
and Indie-pendence
at Mitchelstown
in County Cork
in early August.
On 23 July 2009, alongside artists and comedians such as Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club
, David Kitt
and Eric Lalor, The Chapters performed at a special free event witnessed by two hundred people on board a train as part of the twenty-fifth anniversary celebrations of the Dublin Area Rapid Transit
(DART).
Debut single "Videotapes" was played on radio. "Trying to Get Ahead", the second single from Perfect Stranger, was released on 24 July 2009. 3ú Records anticipates that there will be four more singles from that album, a claim which Turlough Gunawardhana has described as "crazy but cool". The Chapters participated in the Arthur's Day
events in Dublin on 24 September 2009. The band performed a half-time show at a Magners League match between Leinster
and Munster
and appeared at The Music Show
in the RDS
. "Moving" was the third single released from the album. They then toured with The Coronas
and performed a six-date tour which ended with a show in The Academy
on 20 November 2009. They performed at some of the fundraising shows which were organised in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
. "Black Room", the fourth single from Perfect Stranger, was released as a digital download on March 5, 2010, accompanied by a national Spring Tour. On March 19, 2010, the band were announced as one of the first acts expected to perform at that year's Indie-pendence
. They will also perform at Livestock in Kells, County Meath
on 5 June 2010.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from Dublin, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The band is composed of Ross McNally, Simon Eustace, Turlough Gunawardhana, Michael Murphy, and Ciaran Fortune. They have released one album titled Perfect Stranger and this has spawned several singles.
The Chapters have featured on a number of radio and television stations in Ireland, including Dublin's 98
Dublin's 98
98FM is an independent local radio station in Dublin, Ireland, operated by Radio Two Thousand Limited, a subsidiary of Denis O'Brien's Communicorp Limited, under a sound broadcasting contract from the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. The station broadcasts on the 98.1 MHz FM frequency...
, Today FM
Today FM
Radio Ireland Ltd, trading as 100-102 Today FM is an Irish commercial FM radio station which is available nationally. The station, which commenced broadcasting on Saint Patrick's Day in 1997, can be received nationally and carries a mix of music and talk...
RTÉ 2fm
RTÉ 2fm
RTÉ 2fm, or 2FM as it is more commonly referred to, is Raidió Teilifís Éireann's second national radio station. It broadcasts popular music programming aimed at a young Irish audience.- History :...
and Phantom FM
Phantom FM
Phantom 105.2 is a Dublin based radio station, founded in 1996 as a pirate radio station. Phantom broadcasts under a contract awarded by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland ....
since the release of their album and have performed at several festivals such as Castlepalooza
Castlepalooza
Castle Palooza is an annual Irish independent music festival, held at Charleville Castle in Tullamore, County Offaly over the August Bank Holiday weekend.The festival is one of the "Little Two" music festivals in Ireland, the other being Indiependence which is usually...
, Indie-pendence
Indie-pendence
Indiependence is an annual Irish indie-rock music festival, that usually takes place at or near Mitchelstown in County Cork. Indiependence is one of the "little two" music festivals in Ireland, sharing many of its acts with Castlepalooza which is held on the same weekend in Tullamore, County Offaly...
and Oxegen
Oxegen
Oxegen is an annual music festival in Ireland held since 2004, sponsored by Heineken. As of 2007, 2008, 2009, the festival has been cited as Ireland's biggest music festival. And by 2009, the festival is cited as the greenest festival, being a 100% carbon neutral event in Ireland. It was previously...
. They also performed at the Arthur's Day
Arthur's Day
Arthur's Day refers to a series of music events which were first organised in 2009 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Guinness brewing company by its owner Diageo plc....
celebrations. In 2008, they supported more established musicians such as Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, Cathy Davey
Cathy Davey
Cathy Davey is an Irish singer-songwriter. She has released one extended play, "Come Over" , and three albums, Something Ilk , Tales of Silversleeve and The Nameless...
and Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
. Their music has also been used by RTÉ
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
as well as by UK broadcaster ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
in its soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Emmerdale
Emmerdale
Emmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
.
Style
The Chapters have been compared to several artists and bands by the Irish media, including The Blue NileThe Blue Nile
The Blue Nile is an adult alternative/pop band from Glasgow. The music of The Blue Nile is built heavily on synthesizers and electronic instrumentation and percussion, although later works featured acoustic guitar more prominently.-Early years:...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, The Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
, Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
, The Frames
The Frames
The Frames are an Irish band based in Dublin. Founded in 1990 by Glen Hansard, the band has been influential in the Dublin rock music scene. The group has released six albums...
, The Hold Steady
The Hold Steady
The Hold Steady is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2004. The band consists of Craig Finn , Tad Kubler , Galen Polivka , Bobby Drake , and Steve Selvidge...
, Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
Sparks
Sparks (band)
Sparks is an American rock and pop band formed in Los Angeles in 1968 by brothers Ron and Russell Mael , initially under the name Halfnelson...
, and Talking Heads
Talking Heads
Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
. The voice of vocalist McNally has been likened to Guy Garvey
Guy Garvey
Guy Edward John Patrick Garvey , is the singer/guitarist in the band Elbow, as well as a presenter for BBC 6 Music and A&R manager of Skinny Dog Records...
and Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
.
History
Several EPs and singles were released early in the band's career, including "The Indecision of Arthur Molloy" whilst they were signed with Smart As Records. Hot PressHot Press
Hot Press is a fortnightly music and political magazine based in Dublin, Ireland founded in 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it had a circulation of 19,215 during 2007...
heralded the single as "further proof" of "the middle of a new dawn for the Dublin music scene". The arrival of more difficult financial times almost finished the abdn off before they had gotten round to recording their debut album. After recording approximately thirty demos of their work, they submitted them to a company which wished to invest in a new record label in Ireland. Contact had been made with internationally recognised producers such as Ethan Johns
Ethan Johns
Ethan Johns is a record producer, engineer, mixer, musician, and songwriter who has worked with such artists such as Ryan Adams, Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, Kevin Prosch, Rufus Wainwright, Howard Eliott Payne, Emmylou Harris, Crowded House, Laura Marling, Luthea Salom, and Crosby, Stills and...
, with the band hoping to work with producers who had worked with acts such as Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
or Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...
. However, following the collapse of a bank elsewhere, the company pulled out of the deal putting the debut album of The Chapters in jeopardy. The band were saved by fellow band The Coronas
The Coronas
The Coronas are an Irish rock and indie band. They have released three studio albums, Heroes or Ghosts , Tony Was An Ex-Con and "Closer to You"...
, with contact being made by Turlough Gunawardhana with lead singer Danny O'Reilly prompting a meeting with their record label 3ú Records who signed them immediately.
Signed by 3ú Records, the lead single, titled "Videotapes", from their debut album was released on 1 May 2009 and launched at The Academy
The Academy (music venue)
The Academy is a music venue located in Dublin, Ireland. It consists of four floors, each for differing music tastes.The Academy was the venue where The Killers performed an intimate show in August 2008, one night before a performance in Marlay Park. Others to have played the venue in 2008 include...
music venue in Dublin the previous night. The Chapters released their debut album Perfect Stranger on 3ú Records, on 5 June 2009. Hot Press praised the album for its "irresistibly catchy tracks" and singled out "Videotapes"—released as a download single— for its "glorious blend of Fleetwood Mac and The Blue Nile". entertainment.ie
Entertainment.ie
entertainment.ie is a Dublin-based Irish website which provides extensive cinema, TV, live music, theatre, comedy, exhibition and festival listings for free, as well as celebrity gossip, music and movie news, movie and DVD reviews, CD reviews and up-to-date lottery results.The site was developed in...
gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying that it was "at ease with itself, traversing timelines to be modern without trying to be hip, trendy or cool".
The Chapters played several festivals around Ireland during the summer of 2009. They performed on the Hot Press New Bands Stage at Oxegen 2009
Oxegen 2009
Oxegen 2009 was the sixth Oxegen festival to take place since 2004. It took place on the weekend of Friday 10 July, Saturday, 11 July and Sunday, 12 July at Punchestown Racecourse near Naas in County Kildare, Ireland...
at Punchestown Racecourse
Punchestown Racecourse
Punchestown Racecourse is located in the parish of Eadestown, between the R410 and R411 regional roads near Naas, County Kildare, in Ireland. It is home of the National Hunt Festival of Ireland....
in County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
on 12 July. They performed at Castlepalooza
Castlepalooza
Castle Palooza is an annual Irish independent music festival, held at Charleville Castle in Tullamore, County Offaly over the August Bank Holiday weekend.The festival is one of the "Little Two" music festivals in Ireland, the other being Indiependence which is usually...
in Tullamore
Tullamore
Tullamore is a town in County Offaly, in the midlands of Ireland. It is Offaly's county town and the centre of the district.Tullamore is an important commercial and industrial centre in the region. Major international employers in the town include 'Tyco Healthcare' and 'Boston Scientific'. In...
and Indie-pendence
Indie-pendence
Indiependence is an annual Irish indie-rock music festival, that usually takes place at or near Mitchelstown in County Cork. Indiependence is one of the "little two" music festivals in Ireland, sharing many of its acts with Castlepalooza which is held on the same weekend in Tullamore, County Offaly...
at Mitchelstown
Mitchelstown
Mitchelstown is a town in County Cork, Ireland with a population of approximately 3300. Mitchelstown is situated in the valley to the south of the Galtee Mountains close to the Mitchelstown Caves and is 28 km from Cahir, 50 km from Cork and 59 km from Limerick...
in County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
in early August.
On 23 July 2009, alongside artists and comedians such as Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club
Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club
An Emotional Fish is an alternative rock band from Dublin, Ireland. An Emotional Fish were formed in 1988, and consisted of Gerard Whelan , Martin Murphy , David Frew , and Enda Wyatt . Their musical influences include David Bowie, Iggy Pop, T...
, David Kitt
David Kitt
David Kitt is an Irish musician. He is the son of Irish politician Tom Kitt.He has released six studio albums to date: Small Moments, The Big Romance, Square 1, The Black and Red Notebook, Not Fade Away and The Nightsaver.-History:Kitt grew up surrounded by music, as his father and uncles formed a...
and Eric Lalor, The Chapters performed at a special free event witnessed by two hundred people on board a train as part of the twenty-fifth anniversary celebrations of the Dublin Area Rapid Transit
Dublin Area Rapid Transit
The Dublin Area Rapid Transit is part of the suburban railway network in Ireland, running mainly along the coastline of Dublin Bay on the Trans-Dublin route, from Greystones in County Wicklow, through Dublin to Howth and Malahide in County Dublin.Trains are powered via a 1500V DC overhead catenary...
(DART).
Debut single "Videotapes" was played on radio. "Trying to Get Ahead", the second single from Perfect Stranger, was released on 24 July 2009. 3ú Records anticipates that there will be four more singles from that album, a claim which Turlough Gunawardhana has described as "crazy but cool". The Chapters participated in the Arthur's Day
Arthur's Day
Arthur's Day refers to a series of music events which were first organised in 2009 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Guinness brewing company by its owner Diageo plc....
events in Dublin on 24 September 2009. The band performed a half-time show at a Magners League match between Leinster
Leinster Rugby
Leinster Rugby, usually referred to simply as Leinster, is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Dublin, representing the Irish province of Leinster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro 12 and also competes in the Heineken Cup...
and Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
and appeared at The Music Show
The Music Show (Ireland)
The Music Show is an annual event which takes place in the RDS, Dublin on the first weekend of October each year. The event combines live performances, music workshops and talks given by professionals within the music industry. It has several high-profile sponsors, including Hot Press, RTÉ 2fm, the...
in the RDS
Royal Dublin Society
The Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...
. "Moving" was the third single released from the album. They then toured with The Coronas
The Coronas
The Coronas are an Irish rock and indie band. They have released three studio albums, Heroes or Ghosts , Tony Was An Ex-Con and "Closer to You"...
and performed a six-date tour which ended with a show in The Academy
The Academy (music venue)
The Academy is a music venue located in Dublin, Ireland. It consists of four floors, each for differing music tastes.The Academy was the venue where The Killers performed an intimate show in August 2008, one night before a performance in Marlay Park. Others to have played the venue in 2008 include...
on 20 November 2009. They performed at some of the fundraising shows which were organised in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
. "Black Room", the fourth single from Perfect Stranger, was released as a digital download on March 5, 2010, accompanied by a national Spring Tour. On March 19, 2010, the band were announced as one of the first acts expected to perform at that year's Indie-pendence
Indie-pendence
Indiependence is an annual Irish indie-rock music festival, that usually takes place at or near Mitchelstown in County Cork. Indiependence is one of the "little two" music festivals in Ireland, sharing many of its acts with Castlepalooza which is held on the same weekend in Tullamore, County Offaly...
. They will also perform at Livestock in Kells, County Meath
Kells, County Meath
Kells is a town in County Meath, Ireland. The town lies off the M3 motorway, from Navan and from Dublin. In recent years Kells has grown greatly with many Dublin commuters moving to the town....
on 5 June 2010.
Albums
- The Indecision of Arthur Molloy (EP)
- Four Thorns EP
- Perfect Stranger Album