Delorentos have become unplugged and are set for an Irish acoustic tour
DELORENTOS vocalist Rónán Yourell has complicated feelings about the indie rock quartet’s forthcoming Irish acoustic tour. On the one hand, the unplugged format will give the band latitude to explore the nuanced side of their music — allowing their often smart and heartfelt lyrics bask in the spotlight. On the other, he’ll miss plugging in and rocking out.
“No matter how big the show I’m always buzzing with adrenaline beforehand — whether it’s a one song TV appearance or 10,000 people at a festival,” says Yourell. “With the electric gigs, there’s so much physicality, the excitement has a natural outlet. Acoustic shows are more slow-burn — though you never know, I might smash up my guitar.”
These are happy days for Delorentos. In 2008 the group briefly split — worn out and beaten down by years of almost success and the last minute collapse of a potentially career-transforming record deal (while critics loved Delorentos; kind reviews weren’t much help with the rent). But their excellent 2012 album Little Sparks brought a much-deserved commercial breakthrough, winning the Choice Music Prize for best Irish album (for once there was little grumbling ) and gaining the group a lucrative fanbase outside Ireland. It’s been an upward trajectory ever since.
“We just did another tour of Spain and now we are looking to take advantage of our contacts there and tour Central and South America,” says Yourell “It looks like it is going to happen in April. It is very exciting.”
The success of Little Sparks attracted major label interest and Delorentos duly signed with the Irish division of Universal, the world’s biggest music conglomerate. Some bands find life on a corporate label restrictive — but Delorentos’ experience has been positive.
“It’s nice not to have to worry about the logistical side so much,” says Yourell. “For instance, not having to stay up packing CDs and then drive around with them in the back of your car. You can focus on what you’re meant to be doing: playing shows and writing music.”
“We’ve been lucky the past few years. When what you are doing is well received it give you confidence. I don’t know maybe we should bask in it a little more. If you were playing shows and nobody is going to see them, it would be difficult. Making connections with audiences is the thing that drives us forward.”
The group received another boost when the ballad ‘Pertadu’ was featured in an AIB commercial (the song plays over a haunting shot of a commuter train crossing the Liffey from Connolly Station to Tara Street).
This was a bittersweet triumph, however, The exposure was welcome yet the subject matter — guitarist Kieran McGuinness’ adoption and quest to find his birth parents — was deeply personal. Soon every interview focused on McGuinness’s background and his attempt to make peace with his family situation.
Yet on balance the band are proud of the song and happy they did the ad. For one thing, they received a not insubstantial cheque from AIB. When you’ve struggle as long as they have, a cash injection is not to be scoffed out.
“We were through a very choppy period in our early 20s in the band,” says Yourell. “But we’ve come through that and are sturdier now. The music industry is still changing — it is so fast that it’s hard to see where it is going sometimes.
Already they are thinking ahead to their next LP. In Spain over the summer to put together some ideas. They hope to bring them into the studio sooner rather than later.
“We were kids starting out,” says McGuinness. “We’re obviously older now and have an enthusiasm for different sounds. It feels good that people are anticipating how we will develop and are interested in what we do next instead of just expecting us to do the same thing we did as kids.”
“But we’re at an age where we can cope with the challenges rather than being emotional about it and taking every failure personally. You realise what it’s really about is expressing yourself. You have to come to terms with the sort of industry you’re in and focus on what is important. That’s what we are doing.”
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