Ennis gig for post-punk group

FRIDAY night will see post-punk group Dead School playing at Brandon’s in Ennis.
The Cork-based four piece were formed less than a year ago and according to lead singer, Donal McDonald, things have been very busy since.
“It was just at the end of August last year that the four of us got together and started rehearsing. We did our first gig at the end of November. Whatever happened since the four of us got together, it has taken on a life of its own. The momentum has been brilliant.”
This summer they are going to see a lot of the country. “We’re all over the place. I’m in Dublin to play in Whelan’s. Then we’re up in Mayo playing with The Minutes. As well as all the touring in the summer, we’re recording our second single as well. It’s all go, it really is.”
Donal hails from Portlaoise but moved to Cork with the intention of getting a band together. “I used to live in Dublin and I got a bit sick of it. My brother, James got into college in Cork and we always wanted to form a band so it was an excuse to get out of Dublin and start a band. That was why I came down to Cork.”
The different pieces have come together now. “Myself and James had played with Rory, the bassist, in a covers band a couple of years ago. Cathal, we just met out drinking and stuff and we got chatting about music. He was what gelled us together. It made it all work finding him. We were lucky enough to find a really good manager in Eddie Keily, who has a lot of experience and he has really helped us a lot.”
He says their music isn’t for the faint hearted. “It’s very loud. There’s lots of energy. It’s inspired by a lot of post-punk bands, Joy Division, Killing Joke, up to the bands of the early to mid-’90s, such as My Bloody Valentine, Irish bands like Fatima Mansions and Whipping Boy, who are a big influence on us. At the moment we’re into The Horrors. It wouldn’t be easy listening, it’s pretty loud and dark but we come from a background where we played in a lot of cover bands so we’d have a sense of how to write a pop song and a good melody as well. I like to think so anyway,” he said.
The four members are quite versatile as musicians. “I’m the lead singer but we swap around a bit. James and Cathal, particularly, they swap between guitar and drums. We all write the songs together and whoever comes up with whatever part on whatever instrument, they get to play that part on the song. We’re all able to pick up whatever instrument and play it,” Donal explained.
All four are involved in the song-writing process. “Maybe one person might come up with the original idea. They might write a verse or a chorus and bring it into the rehearsal room and we take it from there. We didn’t want just one or two lads to be dominating it. The good thing about it is that there’s a high quality control. For every part of every song, every note on every instrument we all have to agree on it. It can take a while but it’s worth it. It means there’s good quality control. That’s how we work and it’s getting easier because we’re finding our groove and getting used to working with each other.”
The group will be in England and Scotland in September and Donal says they really enjoy going to different places.
“If you’re living in a city like Dublin or Cork there’s always things to do but if you go to every little town in Ireland, you get to see how things are outside your own little world and you meet different people. I love it, going to places I would never have thought of going before. I think we’re all kind of born to be on the road. We love getting in the van and going from place to place,” Donal concluded.
Dead School will be supported by Slow Motion Heroes on Friday night.