Exciting young band emerges from Clonmel music scene

After Eden were victorious at the recent Clonmel Busking Festival competition, and are Clonmel’s newest up and coming musical act.

Singer Desirée McCarthy wishes to express how grateful they all are for the opportunity that everyone involved in the Busking Festival provided the band with, and for the support of all those who came to watch them play.
After Eden consists of five musicians, all of whom have different musical tastes and backgrounds.

This leads to an extremely varied batch of songs, with everything from recent pop hits like Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy to 60’s rock classics such as Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love. Truly, a show for all ages.
“We put our own spin on a lot of the songs we play. If you were to listen to the original artist’s version, it won’t be the same as how we do it because we have so many different styles as musicians; these all have an influence on the finished song,” said bassist James Healy.

A clear favourite for the band to play live is Skyfall, which was Adele’s hit Bond theme.
Guitarist Conor Mulins said he was mad to play it and Desirée said she enjoys it because “the boys play it with a lot of soul and it’s such a powerful song that takes people by surprise when we play it.”

FORMULA
The band was founded by guitarist Louis Quirke, who’s influences are mainly classic rock guitarists such as Jimmy Page or Slash.

He was playing with drummer Alex Laycock and Bass player James Healy, who have both been influenced by heavy metal bands such as Slipknot and Metallica.
This seemed to be the formula for a heavy rock or metal band being formed, until they were joined by second guitar player Conor Mullins, who gets inspiration from the biggest names in Blues music such as Eric Clapton and John Mayer.
When Desirée McCarthy joined for vocals, she brought the pop sound of Adele and other well known artists. Hence the interesting blend of sounds that can appeal to a wide audience.

This band was formed so recently that they have only played three gigs to date, but each member has experience gigging with other bands and in open mic jam sessions.

FAVOURITE GIG
They all agree that their favourite gig that they have played together has been in Gleesons. They credit this to the fact that The Busking Festival gave them a lot of confidence and allowed them to relax and enjoy performing.
They emphasised that Gleesons has offered a lot of the musicians a gateway into Clonmel’s music scene.
They wish to express their gratitude towards pub owners who facilitate gigs for musicians who are starting off, as it is greatly appreciated by anyone in Clonmel with an interest in music.

OPPORTUNITY
The band plans to continue playing together to see what the future will bring them. Founding member Louis Quirke says he hopes to begin incorporating some original songs into their repertoire, as he feels they have enough cover songs now to do any gig they want to do. The band can be found on Instagram @afteredenclonmel, and will post information about upcoming gigs.
They have said that they are currently looking forward to October, where they will bring their signature blend of styles to some Halloween songs for gigs during that time.
If an opportunity to see this band arises, it is not to be missed, as they put on a thoroughly entertaining show that can be enjoyed by all ages with any taste in music.