Junior Brother
+ Jude Norton-Smith
Carefully pushing the boundaries of what modern Irish folk can look and sound like, Junior Brother is an idiosyncratic, challenging and richly lyrical singer/ songwriter from Co. Kerry, Ireland. With Junior Brother’s newest single, “Take Guilt”, the fearless artistry for which he is admired reaches exciting new heights, with thrilling clarity and shattering power.
Junior shifts in his seat slightly, before laying out his stall; “Things in the world are hard to ignore. Some things are almost impossible to forget. Privilege is reaching the end of the article and closing the paper - guts wrenched, heart broken and everything forgotten by dinner time. Modernity unburdens itself, desperately trying to progress past history’s horrors - but horrors that used faces as currency will forever look back at us in the mirror’s reflection. Small disgraces face minorities closer to home every day. I’m white and male and I have done nothing, but the crimes and horrors done in my face’s name requires me to take guilt. I’ll bring this guilt with me to escape hate, as the news of morning clears into the long dead day.”
Born Ronan Kealy, Junior Brother’s debut album "Pull The Right Rope" earned a Choice Music Prize nomination for Irish Album of the Year, and similarly lauded sophomore LP "The Great Irish Famine" claimed another Album of the Year nomination at the RTÉ Folk Music Awards, along with glowing press from The Guardian, MOJO Magazine and The Irish Times to name just a few.
Building upon a debut album described as "Raw and stark - but very beautiful" (Hot Press Magazine), and the "Truly unforgettable" (MOJO Magazine) second, "The Great Irish Famine", Junior Brother has whipped up a dedicated following, thanks to unmissable live shows, and music both excitingly forward-looking and anciently evocative. Thrilling appearances in iconic venues such as The Beacon Theatre (New York), Blackpool Opera House (UK) and Vicar Street (Dublin) have left crowds spellbound, from the East Coast of the U.S. to Eastern Europe. He has played support for a variety of like-minded acts such as The Proclaimers (U.K. & IE), The Murder Capital (Europe) and Glen Hansard, the latter personally choosing Junior as the opening act for his 2019 US Tour.
Following the "wry songs of anxiety and frustration" (The Guardian) of "The Great Irish Famine", Junior is currently at work on album number three, with famed producer John "Spud" Murphy (black midi, Lankum) at the helm. Junior Brother "makes mincemeat out of every other structured singer-songwriter you can think of" (The Irish Times) - and his incredible journey has only just begun.
Line Up
"Carries that inimitable Kerry trait and proud tradition of being a bona-fide storyteller....perhaps the strongest traits in his music and persona are a lack of cowardice mixed with talent" Remy's Music and Film Blog "His songs are full of emotion, and also lots and lots of humour...could only be written in Ireland" John Barker, Totally Irish 98fm Junior Brother is an alternative folk singer/ songwriter from Kilcummin, Co. Kerry, playing slightly unhinged, sometimes heady, folk songs of his own creation. In his music he is heavily influenced by his upbringing in rural Ireland, attempting to recreate the archaic, weird and beautiful nature which surrounds his family home and littered his childhood. Currently based in Dublin, Junior Brother's played the annual Whelan's Ones to Watch festival the last two years and has played support for acts such as the Hot House Flowers, The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock, and R.S.A.G. Influences include Planxty, Richard Dawson, Pentangle, Richie Kavanagh, the harp playing of Derek Bell and Alan Stivell, and the vocals of Dessie O'Halloran and Joanna Newsom.
