Kildare rock band ‘Blue Slate’ are ones to watch
Naas's Blue Slate: tipped for greatness
NAAS alternative rock band Blue Slate released their new single last Wednesday ahead of their EP release of the same name expected on 12 February from Blowtorch Records.
The band is made up of John Harney on guitar and vocals, Pierce Devine on lead guitar, James Hargreaves on bass and Tim Tora on drums and has a sound that has a fresh take on shoegaze and post-punk sounds of the 1990s. Blue Slate has seen great success this year, playing at Whelan’s ‘Ones to Watch’ show earlier this month, and even playing a show at Windmill Brixton in London.
Their last single, , was named Dan Hegarty’s Track of the Week on RTÉ́ 2fm and featured as ’s Track of the Day.
The band started after lockdown when frontman John Harney bought a four-track recorder:
“I was getting all these songs together. I’ve been friends with Pearse since I was a kid, so I got him over and we started stringing these songs together. And then we got Tim and James into the band, and it just kind of came together that way.”
The band works collaboratively on songs, with each member writing their own instrument’s music into them: “We write as four people. We come from a very democratic kind of point of view.”
The band have played across Europe, including in London, Paris and at Rotterdam’s Left of the Dial festival.
Blue Slate cemented their status as one of the most promising up-and-coming bands in Ireland when they played a sold-out headline show in The Workman’s Club on returning from London. They have also supported the likes of the UK’s Big Special.
Blue Slate’s excellent live performances and impressive singles earned them a spot on the exclusive ‘Hot for 2024’ list.
The ever-humble John Harney said to this: “I actually didn’t know until I was in the pub and someone came up to me and told me. I was like, 'wait, what?'
“I rang my mum and I was like, when you’re going to work tomorrow, can you pick up that magazine?”
Their upcoming EP focuses heavily on themes of eating disorders and body dysmorphia, taking a lot of inspiration from The Velvet Underground.
The band’s frontman, John Harney said: “I think it needs to be talked about more. My experience with it and, you know, people that are close to me that have experienced it … that should be really discussed instead of it just being brushed under the carpet.
“I found a lot of people are very scared to talk about it. If you have an eating disorder or body dysmorphia, people kind of shy away from you because they’re terrified of the whole thing, because it is a form of self-harm.”
The band are in the process of planning their next moves for 2025, and the predicts even more success for the four lads in the coming months.
You can stream Blue Slate’s music on all music platforms, and keep on eye on their Instagram page at @blueslate.band for updates on upcoming shows and for the release of their new EP.
