New Tipperary indoor festival 'Mabon' launched featuring an amazing lineup

CWB are delighted to bring “Mabon” a new indoor festival marking the autumn equinox, to Tipperary’s coveted Excel Centre on Saturday October 22nd 2022. 

Mercury Prize nominated artist Gemma Hayes will headline the show with an exclusive return to the stage following an extended 6 year hiatus.

Gemma will be joined on the night by accomplished Cork songwriter Jack O’Rourke, local folk-rock outfit Bog Bodies, Tipperary alt-pop duo Kyoto Love Hotel, with acclaimed poet-performer-playwright Feli Speaks MCing the night.

This unmissable celebration will take place in the heart of Tipperary Town at Tipperary Excel. Doors at 7pm.

Tickets are available now from www.tipperaryexcel.com.

This show is presented by CWB, in conjunction with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport & Media and Tipperary County Council. 

Gemma Hayes is a much loved and respected Irish singer songwriter. Her debut album, ‘Night On My Side’, was released in 2002, for which she won Best Female Artist at the Hot Press Awards and a Mercury Prize nomination.

Since then she has released 4 critically acclaimed studio albums and a limited- edition live album. Gemma is constantly in demand for film and TV placements – her version of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Game, recorded for the US TV series Pretty Little Liars, is now close to 18 million streams on Spotify alone. 

Gemma is currently working on a new album which she herself describes as deconstructed folk-pop. In the Spring Gemma will be releasing a song called ‘A Reminder Of Another’ from her new album due out at the beginning of the summer 2023. 

Jack O’Rourke is one of those mercurial artists whose musical imagination and personality has made him an intriguing entity. A songwriter who first came to prominence with his ode to misunderstood youth, ‘Silence’ - which became a torch song for the Irish Marriage Equality Referendum - Jack went on to release his debut album Dreamcatcher to massive acclaim, peaking at No.5 in the Irish album charts and drawing huge critical praise – Tony Clayton Lea calling it “a seriously good album from a seriously good songwriter” in The Ticket and Lauren Murphy describing it as “a highly accomplished debut” in The Sunday Times.

Jack’s voice - a rich baritone capable of ethereal falsetto, wraps around his tunes like a waif. Hunched around a piano, Jack is a subtle and intense performer, “showing a deftness when it comes to dissecting the minutiae of relationships and examining the human condition in a manner worthy of lyrical forebears Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits”, Don Johnston, The Irish Examiner. A key to his success to date is having made himself identifiable to music fans of many tastes, yet keeping enough in the background to make further investigation a necessity.

From winning the Nashville-based International Songwriting Award to playing his Dreamcatcher album live with an orchestra at Cork Opera House, Jack’s fledgling career has been conspicuous by its high water marks and now the songwriter is set to embark on another phase of his journey.

The Corkman’s grasp of a song has led to several notable collaborations to date; namely with Glen Hansard at Other Voices, the Irish Chamber Orchestra at Vicar St, vocals with Imelda May, Hot House Flowers and Bell X1, while joining the Freezer Room ensemble at Electric Picnic with the likes of Wallis Bird and Tracy K. 

Bog Bodies are a heavy folk band from North Tipperary, their eclectic sound and poetic songwriting lies somewhere in-between Rage Against the Machine and Christy Moore, with a healthy dash of traditional Irish and world music thrown in for good measure. After blistering live sets at this years Westival, and Uisneach Fire Festival, as well as a sold out gig at Temple Bar Tradfest 2022, they are taking their high energy live show to slew of Irish festivals this summer.

To date, Bog Bodies have released 3 singles with music videos in the lead up to their debut album ‘Reclaim the Ritual’ for release August 2022. 

Kyoto Love Hotel are an alt-pop duo made up of Joe Geaney and Laura Sheary. The pair grew up in the same town in Tipperary and created the project with the intention of fusing electronic, atmospheric soundscapes with lyrics that explore both real and imaginary worlds. The result is a sound as expansive as it is personal – this is music that moves constantly between inner life and exterior landscape.

The band are inspired in equal parts by the contemporary traditional music of acts like The Gloaming and the electro-pop sounds of American duo Sylvan Esso. Other inspiration comes from the dark humour infused in Irish towns, the otherworldliness of the Irish landscape and the transformational conversations had with friends late into the evening. The duo have brought their thoughtful brand of pop music to stages at The New Colossus Festival in New York, Other Voices, Electric Picnic and Stendhal Festival. Having focused on writing and recording during the pandemic, this summer they are set to release their sophomore EP ‘When Do You Think It Begins’.

To accompany this, they have been working on a new, immersive live show which debuted in Summer 2022. 

FELISPEAKS is a Nigerian-Irish Poet, Performer, Playwright from Co. Longford, based in Maynooth town. She is currently featured on the Leaving Certificate English Curriculum with her poem ‘For Our Mothers' for examination year 2023. FELISPEAKS was commissioned by RTE in 2020 with the poem Still about Ireland’s response to the COVID pandemic.

In recent events, FELISPEAKS has performed at National Concert Hall: Notes from A Quiet Land as well as various online livestreamed events and symposiums including Createfest, Maynooth University Social Justice Week, Irish Arts Centre New York Halloween Event, NUIG’s Translating the Neighbourhood, Beatfreeks Poetry Jam, Spotlight: Éire to the World, Firegilders with Poetry Ireland, Concern online events, and POD’s Festival of Now.

She was a member of Dublin International Film Festival’s Festival Retrospective Committee, curating works. She has been a board member of Poetry Ireland since June 2020. Felicia has been nominated ‘Best Performer’ by Dublin Fringe Festival Sep. 2018 judged for her performance in ‘BOYCHILD’, a co-written play by Dagogo Hart and herself.

FELISPEAKS has also had the opprotunity to perform her poetry at Concern’s 50th Anniversary in Dublin Castle on September 2018 that included speakers such as UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed, President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins, President Bill Clinton and Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson. Felicia has also been honored with an award by the (APNI) African Professional Network of Ireland for her unique contribution to the art scene in Dublin City, December 2017.

She is a member of WeAreGriot, a poetry collective consisting of herself, Dagogo Hart & Samuel Yakura - curating poetry/rap events - Talkatives, writing plays -  FELISPEAKS is currently enjoying creating poetry and performance pieces that always promises to introduce her audience to the journey of emotion in every story. Honoured to share her thought processes about life’s experiences and her passions on stage; FELISPEAKS hopes to inspire thought, excitement and perspective. 

FELISPEAKS has graced some prestigious stages such as National Concert Hall, Dublin Castle, opening for THISISPOPBABY’S RIOT show and Kate Tempest on the Vicar St stage as well as for Saul Williams on the Sugar Club stage, Olympia Theatre in response to Repeal the 8th, Theatre Stage at Electric Picnic, Smock Alley Theatre in 2018 and 2019.

She has also participated in festivals such as Mother Tongues Festival (Talkatives, February 2020 Tallaght ), Women and Children First in Ghent, Belgium March 2020, St. Patrick’s Festival 2018, 2019, 2020; First Fortnight Festival, Dublin 2018, 2020; Dublin Fringe Festival 2018, 2019 - Wexford Literary Festival 2019,  Cuirt International Galway Festival 2019, Electric Picnic 2018, O’Bheal Winter Warmer Festival Cork 2018, National Concert Hall’s Notes from a Quiet Land 2021.