Starting as they mean to go on with a début single and a host of overseas tour dates secured already this year, newly formed Cork band Kesh are one to keep an eye on in 2015.

Named after the traditional Irish tune, the ‘Kesh Jig’, the band consists of former members of Cork band The Buachaills – Aaron Dolan from Fermoy, Chris Carey and James Fleming – and solo artist Jason Condon.

Aaron, who plays the uilleann pipes, tin whistle and low whistle, as well as providing vocals, says the band first hit the practise room in June of last year, before their official launch in The Oliver Plunkett in Cork on January 3.

“I’ve known Jason Condon, our singer, for the last two years and I always said I wanted to join up with him. I was already great friends with Chris and James, so we got together and it just went from there.”

Like the upbeat jig that serves as their namesake, Kesh are a lively Irish band but one who also mix traditional instruments with modern for a unique sound.

“Kesh play contemporary Irish music,” said Aaron. “We play a lot of modern Irish music because we have a drum kit and bass guitar, along with traditional instruments like uilleann pipes and whistles. But we also play some original songs that are Irish songs, they fit nicely into the rest of the set.”

Among their original songs is début single ‘Time On Your Shoulder’, a piece written by Jason Condon, which was launched in The Oliver Plunkett on February 13. The song is currently available for download on iTunes.

“We recorded that with Ciarán O’Shea out in Cloyne, and it’s basically a tool to send to festivals as well. We’re looking at maybe doing an album in 2016 too,” Aaron told The Avondhu.

EUROPEAN ADVENTURE

Keeping a hectic pace and tapping into the interest overseas for Irish music, Kesh are booked in to perform right across Europe in the coming months.

Following in the footsteps of bands like The Dubliners and Fermoy’s own Loudest Whisper, Kesh will play in Germany, The Netherlands and Norway between March and May this year.

“This week I’m after taking a booking for Holland, we’re leaving the day after St Patrick’s Day, we’re playing three different cities in Holland,” said Aaron. “Then in April we’re heading off to Oslo where we’ll be playing for two weeks. At the end of May we’re going to Germany where we’ll play at the Schloss Hohenlimberg Keltic Festival.”

“In Holland anyway, it’s a lot of the Irish workers who are gathering in this town called Hoorn. It’s for a Dutch company and it’s all the Irish workers who are there and they want an Irish band over. Then in Oslo it’s a pub called The Dubliner, and they have Irish music there the whole time. The Norwegian’s love folk music, which is great for us!”

Back on home soil, Kesh are gearing up for a busy 2015 with gigs across Cork and the country booked in. Locally, people will have a chance to see them perform in Cheers Bar, Fermoy in March.

“But we’re also trying to spread out our wings too, we’re going to Kilkenny soon, then Galway – which is great for us to get as far out as possible and spread the name.”

To find out more about the band, watch the music video for ‘Time On Your Shoulder’, and see tour dates – check out www.kesh.ie and their Facebook page.

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