DOGS, the recent collaboration between NICK KELLY (The Fat Lady Sings, Alien Envoy) and SEÁN MILLAR (Dr Millar & The Cute Hoors) have announced a new single I Know What It Is To Be Young taken from their much-anticipated debut album Joy. They have also announced a rare full band show to mark the release at Dublin’s Whelans (Upstairs) on Sunday November 10th, where they will be joined onstage by Dave Hingerty (The Frames, Kíla) and Robbie Malone (David Gray, Lir), the same legendary rhythm section who played on the album, and by stellar vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Ann Scott who will also perform a special guest opening slot.
I Know What It Is To Be Young – an instant epic with echoes of The Velvet Underground, Scott Walker and Randy Newman – heralds the November 8th official Irish release of Joy. Recorded and mixed by Anthony Gibney at Audioland Studios, and released by leading Scottish independent label Last Night From Glasgow, Joy has already debuted at Number 12 in the official Scottish album charts. Joy’s ten tracks also include Old Dog Young Dog, a shimmering elision of Laurel Canyon and Lahinch, and the irresistible soul-folk stomp Heartbeat, both of which previously hit the Irish Radio Top 20, and the uplifting climate crisis fightback anthem Only Home which provides the finale to award-winning new feature film The Song Cycle.
Only Home is one of several tunes from Joy featured on the soundtrack of this lauded documentary about Nick and Seán’s sustainable tour by bicycle and bus to perform at Glastonbury 2022. The Song Cycle, which Nick also directed and produced, had its world premiere at Ireland’s most prestigious festival, the Galway Film Fleadh in July 2024, where it won Best Independent Film. More recently, it screened at September’s IFI Documentary Festival, winning the Audience Choice award for Best Irish Feature.
In a perfect example of art imitating art, Dogs plan to travel sustainably to and perform live in conjunction with international screenings of The Song Cycle as it hits the global film festival circuit in Spring 2025. Given their punishing training schedule, this full-band Whelans show offers a not-to-be-missed opportunity to witness two of Ireland’s greatest songwriters before they pedal off into further worldwide glory. Tickets €20 (plus booking fee) are now available at whelanslive.com
NICK KELLY has been described as “uncompromised and ever-shining, precious” by NME and “the most visual songwriter Ireland has ever produced” by Hot Press. He first came to prominence fronting fabled ‘90s band The Fat Lady Sings. He has subsequently released four acclaimed solo albums, the latter two as Alien Envoy. He has been awarded Best Solo Artist at the Irish Music Critics Awards, nominated for Irish Album of The Year at the Choice Music Prize, and voted Ireland’s #3 Best Songwriter in the Hot Press annual Readers’ Poll. In recent years Nick has also gained fame as a film maker. Oscar-shortlisted for his third short “Shoe”, his first feature “The Drummer and The Keeper” won 18 major awards on the global festival circuit.
SEÁN MILLAR has been described as “an Irish National treasure, the Poet Laureate of Dublin’s dark side” by The Irish Times and as “Ireland’s greatest lyricist” by the RTE Guide. Also known as Doctor Millar, Sean has released six critically-acclaimed solo albums, and has been nominated for many awards for his work. He is also an internationally-acclaimed theatre maker and composer. Silver Stars, his song cycle for theatre, was listed at #1 in the Irish Independent’s Best Theatre Shows of the Noughties. Since the late 1990s Seán has worked as an artist/facilitator on many community-based socially-engaged collaborative music and theatre performances. In 2022 he was invited to curate and perform Love Song Part 1: Communities of Dissent, a retrospective celebration of his theatre and community work at Ireland’s national theatre, The Abbey.
Socials:
Nick:
https://www.instagram.com/nickkellymoviemusicmusings/
https://x.com/NickKellyWorld
https://facebook.com/NickKellyWorld
Sean:
https://www.instagram.com/sunbullmillar64/
https://x.com/seanmillardub
https://www.facebook.com/doctormillar