BRÒGEAL - INTERVIEW

Mid-afternoon on a gloomy Monday, i sat down to interview Scotland’s finest, Brògeal. Feeling like i had been transported back to lockdown i opened up the zoom call to be greeted by members Aidan Callaghan, Sam MacMillan & Luke Mortimer. After a very warm welcome by the lads i began asking them about the year ahead and asked them to reflect on their career so far.

You have a busy year coming up; how are you feeling about it?

"We're looking forward to it; it’s going to be good, we had a real busy year last year, so this year is just about building on what we’ve already done. A lot of the hard work has been done; we are now looking forward to visiting places we have already been to and some new places, along with recording some new music.

You’ve just announced a gig in Limelight, Belfast, on the 6th of May and The Academy, Dublin, on the 7th of May, how does it feel to be coming back over to Ireland to play a couple of shows?

"Ireland is very close to our hearts; we've been playing there for years, and to graduate up to the main stage in limelight is wonderful. We played in the wee one and we supported in the big one so now we are back to do our first headliner in the big one. Ireland is the first place we ever toured so it means a lot to us to be able to come back.

I don’t know if i’m being cheeky asking this question… but i’m going to anyway.

How does an Irish crowd compare to a Scottish crowd?

"Belfast is strong... yeah belfast is wild. We played voodoo last time we were there and it was pandemonium. There isn't actually a great difference between Scottish and Irish crowds; everybody is wild."

Apart from a lick of pints, do you have any other pre-show rituals?

“Luke needs his nap just before the gig; he dreams the set into existence. Otherwise, go for a wee walk and get a bit of space.

We are really overdue buying a speaker; anytime we’ve had a speaker backstage, we get buzzing but for about 3 years now we’ve never had a speaker and some of the rooms you're in is cold and dingy.

What would you put on if you did have a speaker?

"All sorts of stuff. I remember in the Netherlands backstage we had Celine Dion on; it set us up for a strange one, we were sitting backstage like we were in Titanic, then came down to a rocking show; it was awesome."

Have you got any Irish bands you are loving at the minute?

"Oh so many. The obvious ones, Bands that have just released, like Madra Salach and Cardinals, with one amazing debut ep and one amazing debut album. Also Cliffords, saw them live for the first time in Dublin before the end of last year and they are class."

I discovered that you used to rehearse in a gazebo during lockdown; it must be mad to look back on that and realise how far you have come.

“Aye for sure. The gazebo, i remember that; it was filled with water. it wasn’t much of a gazebo. Because of lockdown, we had to sit in the back garden, but because we had acoustic instruments, that meant we could still continue to write songs. Now it’s a different world compared to back then and what we’re up to these days.

You may not expect it, but as people, we don’t feel any different from how we did back then; we just have more expectations now — it's our job rather than just a case of having a spare hour in the evening.

Back then it would’ve been very DIY. How important is that DIY element to the music even now?

“Still fundamental, it’s still what we do. Me and Sam still share a power supply for our pedals. It just feels like we have just had to graft and make it work for us and it has presented us a lot of opportunities with that strategy. We are very happy being in control and knowing what's going on and doing what we want. It’s not really something we are looking to change.”

You touched on not feeling any different, but i’m interested to know: was there a moment when you realised Brògeal was more than a few lads messing about in a backyard and do you remember that moment?

“The Paolo Nutini show in Limerick was the first moment where i thought “Wow we are doing something pretty huge right now” it was just a real privelage to play our instruments together in front of a massive audinece with what is a Scottish legend.”

“Going on our own headline tours and playing to crowds that are just so into the music we are making is honestly so surprising; to travel so far and be received well is so cool.”

Yeah, like it must be mad going out to places like the Netherlands and having your music be so well received.

“Yeah, like another moment was when we were in Amsterdam for the first time and hearing the words being sung back to us from a Dutch crowd. Like, we had no business being in Amsterdam, and it was a packed-out room with everyone singing the words; we were completely stunned by it, like we realised then that something was happening here. It really felt like we took control of that room.”

Just to finish up, lads, in years to come, if Brógeal could be remembered for one thing, what would you hope that would be?

“That’s a big question; it’s a tough one to call at this current moment in time.

If we can be seen as having done something good, like we brought something positive to the place. We are currently working on that one.

Like, i don’t think we think that extravagantly; i think if we are remembered as being a staple, a cult classic, playing festivals, playing around Europe and just being present, then that’s good enough for me.”

We thank Brógeal for taking the time to speak with us. Make sure to grab your ticket for either Belfast or Dublin in May!

Poster by: @cameronjlwest