The Winter Passing have put together a list of their “Top Ten Irish Bands,” which you can read a bit about below, as well as stream in the Spotify playlist.
The band recently released their Double Exposure EP through 6131 Records (US) & Big Scary Monsters (UK/EU), which can be streamed in full below the list.
Chewing On Tinfoil
Rob: Chewing on Tinfoil are probably the most important DIY punk band in Ireland to this day. We’ve been fans for years now but their second LP, Marrowbone Lane, is a arguably one of the greatest Irish rock albums of all time!
The Frames
Rob: I remember hearing about The Frames playing in the hotel in our hometown of Roscrea back in the ’90s from some older music heads. I bought their second album For The Birds on CD from the local music store and the owner of the shop told me that this CD was the first thing I’d purchased in years that he’d actually approved of rather than the Korn and Deftones albums I usually bought. I got what he meant years late though…
Hooray For Humans
Rob: H4H were a band from Cork that only existed for a short period of time in the late ‘00s. They only released one album, Safekeeping, but every song on it is perfect. It incorporates so many similar influences to The Winter Passing, and then H4H themselves would have a massive influence on our band.
Thin Lizzy
Rob: Some of our earliest childhood memories are of family trips in our dad’s van on Sundays with Thin Lizzy on the stereo. This song always reminds of being a kid.
Snow Patrol
Jamie: I remember when the “Spitting Games” video came on MTV2 back in the day. I had never heard of them before this and I was blown away and in awe because they were on MTV and from Ireland (although based in Scotland). I instantly wanted a black telecaster and believed I actually could be in a band. Definitely huge influence on me. “An Olive Grove Facing The Sea” is from a much older album during their Jeepter Records days, label mates with Belle and Sebastian.
The Cranberries
Kate: The Cranberries are one the reasons and inspirations for us wanting to be in a band. They’re a pure Irish gem and at this stage their songs are basically inherited into the bloodstream of every Irish person.
Frustration
Rob: Probably the most important Irish hardcore band from the scene and era we grew up in. They achieved great heights through their career and were great role models for other bands in Dublin and beyond. We caught their second to last show at a squat in Dublin in 2015 and was one of the best shows I’ve ever been to.
Bell x1
Kate: I’ve always had a soft spot for this band. They’re a big festival act here in Ireland and one of the most hardworking bands in the country, churning out album after album, and only second to U2 for most airplay on Irish radio. I’m a sucker for a romantic number and this is my go-to band for that. So hard to pick one song but “Lamposts” works for me. “I’ve been walking you in to those lamposts again…. But I’d rather do that, than let go of your hand”
Sinead O’Connor
Kate: I feel like everyone remembers seeing this video for the first time. I remember hearing about why she cut her hair off for the video and found it to be incredibly inspiring, and just kick ass, to be honest. Sinead O’Connor is probably one of the first reasons I ever questioned how I was treated because of my gender.
My Bloody Valentine
Rob: I remember being really young and seeing MBV on the TV for the first time on a late night music program, and being really confused about what I was hearing. I properly got into them when I was about 18, I started collecting their records and listening to more shoegaze bands. They’re the type of band to aspire to, underground cult legends!
