Kneecap, Bricknasty, Cardinals... 12 Irish music acts to watch out for in 2024

Some you've probably never heard of, while others look like they'll be taking a step up a level, here are a dozen of the best emerging bands and artists in Ireland 

Jordan Adetunji, Kneecap, and Nell Mescal are among the acts who could be taking a step up in 2024.

Nell Mescal

Yes, she’s Paul’s brother and yes, she came to prominence during lockdown, when a video of the siblings doing a cover of Villagers’ ‘Nothing Arrived’ on piano went viral. But Nell Mescal came into her own in 2023, with a string of singles showcasing a pop sensibility along the lines of — well, who else!? — Phoebe Bridgers, ‘In My Head’ proving particularly starry-eyed. She was alongside Kingfishr on support duties for Dermot Kennedy at Thomond Park, and while a tour in the second half of last year was briefly waylaid by tonsillitis, don’t bet against her continuing rise.

Kneecap

Gigs around Ireland in December, including Cork’s City Hall on December 29, an album in the can due out in mid-2023, and a film (!) starring Michael Fassbender (!!) that’s premiering at Sundance (!!!) in January, Belfast rappers Kneecap are one of the hottest acts on the planet. They seamlessly seague from Irish to English and able to call on Fontaines DC frontman Grian Chatten for guest vocals on latest single ‘A Better Way To Live’.

They said it’s “all about finding that little spark of joy in the monotony, in the day-to-day things that you barely bat an eye at”. The sky is the limit for Kneecap in 2024.

Kingfishr

Kingfishr have already supported Bruce Springsteen and Dermot Kennedy

Formed while Eddie (vocals, guitar), McGoo (banjo), and Fitz (bass) were studying engineering at University in Limerick, Kingfishr have had an incredible rise over the past two years. They’ve supported Bruce Springsteen in London, and Dermot Kennedy at Thomond Park, all on the back of a string of singles that Kennedy himself might be jealous of. 2022’s ‘Eyes Don’t Lie’ features soaring vocals but latest single ‘Shot in the Dark’ reveals their softer side — “If it all falls apart, at least we enjoyed it, and god knows I loved it”.

They’re playing the Eurosonic showcase in Netherlands in January and a UK tour in February is sold out, as are two nights at the Olympia in May. They’ll likely be selling out the 3Arena by December.

Cardinals

The Cork-based six-piece made their name known when Other Voices came to Cork in September with a performance of ‘If I Could Make You Care’ in UCC’s Glucksman Gallery. They say the band started as a light-hearted idea between two 16-year-olds in a sleepy fishing town, and after immersing themselves in Cork’s live music scene. “We were into what we were hearing but knew we could never be part of it, we wanted to juxtapose ourselves,” says frontman Euan Manning.

‘Roseland’ is their debut single proper — in case you were wondering about their Leeside bona fides, the song begins: “I went down to MacCurtain St station where I first said my last goodbye.”

Niamh Bury

This Dublin singer was one of those word-of-mouth sensations that we’d heard so much about from esteemed acts like Ye Vagabonds and Myles O’Reilly but were still waiting to hear actual music from. That finally changed with the release of ‘Beehive’ last summer. And wow, that voice! 

Influenced by Laura Marling, Fiona Apple, and Paul Simon (though O’Reilly has said “I can’t hear any influences in her voice - it’s like pure well water”), Bury is steeped in folk and trad and been signed by the esteemed Claddagh Records. An album is expected in 2024. Expect to be floored.

Sprints

Sprints Picture: Niamh Barry 

Is it too reductive to call this Dublin four-piece a post-Fontaines DC, post-Gilla Band act? They pack that sort of power, and singer, guitarist, and lead-songwriter Karla Chubb, who doesn’t shy away from confronting inner turmoil, has you hanging on her every word. “Don’t dare say you can’t hear me speak,” she sings on the explosive latest single ‘Shadow of a Doubt’, the last taster ahead of debut album Letter to Self, arriving on January 5 via City Slang (Caribou, Lambchop). An explosive live band, they’re touring Europe and Ireland in the first half of the year and heading to the US in June. Bring earplugs.

Jazzy

With over 100m streams on Spotify, Jazzy aka Yasmine Byrne can lay easy claim to one of the defining songs of the past year and more in ‘Giving Me’ - it’s been inescapable on TikTok. She made her name with Belters Only (another unbelievably fast-rising act) and their track ‘Make Me Feel Good’ and supported them at a heaving 3Arena in October. Jazzy’s 2024 will be about proving that ‘Giving Me’ isn’t a fluke. We’re already excited about her soundtracking our summer — again.

Darren Kiely

Darren Kiely is a Cork artist influenced by the likes of the Lumineers 

From Millstreet, Co Cork, Kiely only started singing in 2019 — apparently, tin whistle and violin were the instruments of his youth, helping him claim numerous awards on the national circuit — and it’s been a phenomenal rise since.

Influenced by the likes of the Lumineers, and with the unassuming singer-songwriter airs and graces that Ireland does so well, Kiely’s
released a host of big-hitting singles, culminating in the Lost collection on Sony Music in November. He’s sold out shows in New York and Nashville and played a triumphant hometown show at Cyprus Avenue in November. A couple of dates at Dublin’s intimate Academy venue have been announced for May — don’t hang around.

Jordan Adetunji

From Belfast, Jordan Adetunji melds genres so swiftly that it’s impossible to pigeonhole him, other than to say it sounds so fresh, so current — his bio says “rap and r&b post punk feels”, for what it’s worth. Inspired by the likes of Juice WRLD, Adetunji released the nine-track, 18-minute skittershot hit of ROCK ‘N’ Rave in October, and over Christmas uploaded THE MOTION IS LIMITLESS’ to his Soundcloud page, which sets out his all-caps MO: “I gotta keep on going, I can’t stop.”

NewDad

TikTok has been a part of the shoegaze revival, and NewDad are one act reaping the rewards

Shoegaze has been having a revival — blame TikTok — and Galway’s NewDad are among the acts reaping the benefits. They’ve been making waves since, ahem, the 2021 EP Waves and the sumptuous ‘I Don’t Recognise You’, which sounds like it was ripped out of a beloved early 1990s cassette player. They relocated to London last year, have become one of BBC 6 Music’s favourite acts, and release debut album Madra on January 26. With echoey vocals courtesy of Julie Dawson and her dual swirling guitars with Sean O’Dowd, NewDad are irresistible.

Trá Pháidín

If you got to see John Francis Flynn on his tour in the last month, you will have seen this Cork and Connemara nine-piece (at last count) on support duties. Packing hi-vis jackets, their shows are all fully improvised, lending an air of anarchy to their trad sensibilities. But just when you think you might have them figured out, they turn into a krautrock powerhouse. A phenomenal live act, they released the full-length An 424 on Bandcamp at the end of November. You might just have wrapped your head around it by next November.

Bricknasty

Bricknasty. Picture: fnati.c photography

Emerging from Ballymun as a lockdown studio project, Bricknasty have developed into a fully fledged band and live experience, incorporating RnB, hip hop, and jazz and creating something really special. Signed to FAMM (Maverick Sabre, Jorja Smith), they released the 10-track, 21-minute INA CRUELER full-length in summer, and their Nasty Sessions night at Dublin’s Sugar Club on January 6 is the hottest ticket around, with the similarly high-rising Aby Coulibali and aforementioned Maverick Sabre set to appear.