O Emperor go from strength to strength

The Waterford five-piece’s second album, Vitreous, is as accomplished as their first, with reviews to match, but they still lug their own gear, says Marjorie Brennan

IT’S another glorious, sunny day in Cork, and Paul Savage, from O Emperor, arrives for our chat. I ask him what drink he wants. A nice, cool pint of cider, or that staple of hard-drinking musos, Jack Daniels and Coke? Savage orders a cup of tea, hardly a beverage befitting the rock ’n’ roll template, but representative of the unassuming Savage and O Emperor.

O Emperor are barely out of their mid-20s, but the Waterford five-piece are veterans of the Irish music scene and way beyond the neophyte posturing of the ‘next big thing’. Their accomplished debut album, Hither Thither, showcased their talent for perfectly crafted harmonies, reminiscent of bands such as the Beach Boys and Crosby, Stills and Nash. They are over the hump of the oft-cursed second album, with the recently released Vitreous receiving rave reviews. It’s an assured collection of songs, encompassing a dizzying array of styles, from classic, psychedelic and prog-rock to folk. It is a credit to the musical talents of O Emperor that they take these styles and produce their own sublime sound. One blogger astutely summed it up as “less Mumford and Sons and more Grizzly Bear or Beach House, but with more balls than either”.