Enjoying life in the fast lane

Since winning the Red Bull Bedroom Jam competition a year ago, Walking On Cars have been getting used to life in the fast lane. The last three months since the release of their debut EP As We Fly South have been particularly busy for the Dingle quintet.

“Over the summer we did any of the festivals we could get really, just to get our name out there,” says lead guitarist Dan Devane. “There seems to be a lot of doors open for us in that sense. But we still do our own gigs and we travel around and play venues. Wherever it will take us, I guess.”

Some of these festivals stand out, such as the Sea Sessions in Bundoran. But Walking On Cars’ appearance at the Bier Halle stage at the Indiependence festival in Mitchelstown was particularly memorable.

“It was a good mix of people who know what the band is about and then people who had just heard the name or whatever. So in the space of ten minutes there were 2,000 people in the tent just there to see Walking On Cars. That’s kind of a humbling moment, just having all those people there to see your band — it’s pretty awesome.”

As a band on the rise there have been plenty similar humbling moments to savour. Last month they were asked to support American emo pop punk band Paramore at the O2. For Devane, who only last year travelled over to London with his girlfriend to see them, it was a crazy experience.

“We got the call a couple of days beforehand that we’re going up to the O2 to support Paramore, like a big touring American band,” he says. “And there’s going to be 6,000 people there watching you do your half-hour set and you’re just like, ‘wait a minute, is this really happening?’.

“Then you kind of absorb that and you just go, ‘All right, down to work. We got to put on a show and do the best show we can.’

“We got down to the stage side and we looked out and there was just so many people there, the most we ever played to. It was a great buzz.”

Meeting and supporting bands that you are a fan of is something the band members may have to get used to.

“We were all a bit kind of numb. It was strange, it all happened so quickly. So afterwards when we kind of came down from it I was like, ‘Wow. Did that really happen?’.”

The band is currently touring the highways and byways of Ireland. Already a number of dates are sold out, but the biggest surprise for the windswept indie rockers is finding they have sold out their first date in the capital in December with little or no advertising. Accordingly, The Academy has added a second date.

“There’s just kind of this buzz around us at the moment,” Devane muses.

“We’re feeding off that and we just want to get out there. I guess it’s earned as well. We’ve been working hard at our live show and kind of perfecting our sound. It’s great to get that reward, you know, when people come to see you, but it is kind of strange.”

* Walking On Cars play The Palace, Navan, Oct 11; Dolans, Limerick, Oct 12; INEC Killarney, Oct 18; Róisín Dubh, Galway, Oct 19; Kyteler’s Inn, Kilkenny, Oct 24; O’ Grady’s Club, Limerick, Oct 26; The Academy, Dublin, Dec 7, 8.