by Eric FitzGerald. [email protected]
LIMERICK’S music scene delivered some outstanding material from the heartbreaking ‘Sea Legs’ by Laura Duff to new remixes of T.A. Narrative and Sweets tracks, here’s a look at some of our favourite artists and releases that have kept the city buzzing. All these artists are on wwwbandcamp.com where you can stream, purchase and support the acts – it also lists their live tours. Links included in artist names.
Laura Duff released her debut album ‘Sea Legs’ in February 2025, marking her first release since 2021’s ‘Heavy Summer’ EP. The deeply personal album explores grief and healing following the loss of her father, recorded over 12 months in Knockaderry, Co. Limerick with producer Mícheál Keating.
Working with bandmates—JJ Lee (bass), Mícheál Keating (guitar, piano, violin), and Christopher O’Sullivan (drums)—Duff created an intimate, emotionally raw collection. Singles like the title track and ‘Fondness of You’ feature direct, unguarded lyrics that resonated deeply with listeners navigating their own grief.
The album, mastered by Richard Dowling, represents a significant departure from her earlier upbeat indie sound toward lush, spacious arrangements. The record’s imagery used coastal West Clare visuals that anchor the project’s themes of memory and place.
Choice Music Prize winner God Knows released his debut solo album ‘A Future of the Past’ in 2025, marking a milestone for the Zimbabwean-Irish rapper who made history in 2016 as part of Rusangano Family—the first hip-hop act to win the prestigious award.
Crafted from over 50 tracks, the album is a family affair. Lead single ‘It’s Been A While’ features his brother Godswill “Dreddy” Jonas on vocals and youngest brother Godwin as producer, capturing their explosive live energy.
Executive producer MuRli describes building “a world around his story.”
Drawing influences from Zimbabwe, New York, Dublin, and West Africa, God Knows blends multiple styles into what he calls “albums within this album.” As co-founder of narolane records, he’s established himself as a mentor in Irish hip-hop, earning international acclaim from NME, NPR, The Guardian, and The New York Times.
INDIE-rockers Dylan Flynn and the Dead Poets released their EP ‘I’ve Been Living Life The Wrong Way’ in November 2025, celebrating with their biggest UK and Ireland tour to date. Self-produced in Limerick with Mike Gavin and mastered by Richard Dowling (Foo Fighters, Villagers), the EP showcases their evolution as songwriters.
Opening track ‘Forgiveness Is A Gun’ delivers Springsteen-inspired energy, while ‘Lately’ explores folk-rock territory with Tom Petty influences. The emotional centerpiece ‘Turn The Page’ confronts mortality with raw vulnerability, featuring pedal steel and saxophone. The title track wrestles with belonging in their hometown of Limerick.
The band have been included in the lineup for Forest Fest playing on Friday July 24, 2026 alongside Echo & The Bunnymen, The Charlatons, The Undertones and The Wedding Present among others.
ELECTRONIC pop-punk duo T.A. Narrative headlined Dolan’s Warehouse on Halloween 2025, launching their EP ‘Hearts Drive Forward’ on vinyl with exclusive remixes from Boyfrens and Steady State.
They’ve cemented their reputation through festival appearances and supporting King Kong Company on tour, delivering killer visual live shows.
SASP Records
Limerick veterans Tara Nix and Anna Murphy launched SASP Records (Street Angel, Studio Psycho) in 2025, establishing a fresh independent label supporting emerging talent across Ireland.
With over 20 years of combined industry experience, the duo behind T.A. Narrative created a platform offering artist development, production, marketing, and distribution.
The label kicked off with an April 18th launch event at the Commercial Bar, showcasing first signing Emily Panter’s debut EP ‘Remember They Love You’. Galway-based Cat Turner followed, releasing singles ‘Take It Out On Someone Else’ and ‘Coming’—the latter exploring nostalgia and gentle regret, perfectly timed for summer’s end.
Limerick rapper Willzee released ‘Travelling Man’ in 2025, the first single from his upcoming album ‘Deep T’inker’. The track blends Irish folk melody with rap and spoken-word poetry, powerfully reclaiming Traveller identity.
The tune is an absolute banger and a powerful reclaiming of Traveller identity “I’m a TraBuffer — Traveller blood, Settled rearing. I’ve tapped into my settled artistry for years. Now it’s time to give the Traveller in me a go,” says Willzee.
The video, directed by Kreated by Naty, features his children Cayne and Dakota alongside extended family. “I wanted to bring the young family into it because they’re the ones who will carry the flame,” he explains.
Limerick shoegaze outfit Mother of Pearl released debut album ‘So Long to Knowing’ in 2025, following a strong opening set at Seoda Shows Summer Party. Blending post-hardcore and grunge roots with textured soundscapes and reverb-filled ballads, they’ve built a reputation for immersive live shows and atmospheric depth.
Shannon-based singer-songwriter Shirley Callaghan released ‘Quit Fooling Me’ in 2025, a powerful single blending emotional storytelling with sharp social commentary while serving as a heartfelt tribute to late producer and friend Abe Silva (1971-2024).
Following previous releases ‘It Will Be Burned’ and ‘Baby Blue’—which tackled narcissism, genocide, and war—’Quit Fooling Me’ explores societal corruption and emotional turmoil, capturing tensions around injustice and corrupt leadership.
LIMROCKERS Sweets released a new EP this year. ‘Assortment’ is a six-track EP that re-imagines material from their celebrated debut album through the creative prisms of some of the scene’s most innovative artists – MuRli, 40 Hurtz, Andy Unscene and Paddy Mulcahy.
‘Assortment’ is both a love letter to Sweets homegrown scene and a sonic departure. Andy Unscene Connollly takes the track ‘All is Moderate’ in a wonderful Laurie Anderson style, journey. The EP showcases the versatility of their material with bold sonic explorations all mastered by Richard Dowling (Wav Mastering).
The EP closes with a new track from Sweets called ‘I Heard’ – a preview of the band’s future direction offering listeners a glimpse of what’s next. STREAM/SUPPORT https://sweetsweets.bandcamp.com/
Post Punk Podge & The Technohippies
THE new EP from PPP&TT dropped in June. The four tracks see the band expand on their musical soundscape. It features two instrumentals, ‘The Plassey Air’, a lovely lilting piece of fiddle playing from PPP backed by the band (Mr. The Boom is Back and DJ Carey on various instruments, including live drums to great effect) while ‘One For Kim’ has rich in jazzy, post-rock, prog-rock flavours.
‘Reheated Beef’ leans into PPP’s hip hop influences while ‘Johnny Terpintine’ (an ode to about a man who is addicted to sniffing turpentine and the effects this has on him) is more akin to the sound of the band’s live onslaughts – its a banger riding along on a big guitar riff – it’s about as pop song as PPP gets without losing any of their trademark snarl. It’s terrific stuff.