Daniel Lynch Writing

https://tmhmusic.com/2018/06/13/five-things-we-learned-on-a-mini-uk-tour/ Tin Man Heart artist  Sonja Sleator  has recently completed a mini UK tour. Clocking up over 1,200 miles and playing shows in Edinburgh, York, Leeds and Manchester in what can only be described as a heatwave was an experience to say the least. Here are five things we learned on the tour… some more important than others. Car DIY Don’t begin to get the car/van sorted at 5pm the day before you’re set to head out. It’s admirable to ensure the oil is topped up, the tyre pressure is correct and the little bit of water will squirt up over the windscreen when you hit moth number 4,000 on the A61 near York. It’s less admirable to then get the car bonnet stuck open and have to enlist the help of a very sympathetic mechanic just so you can make the boat the next morning. Give yourself plenty of time to get the motor in good shape and account for anything going wrong, or you’ll get nowhere! Be open minded It go

This was a piece written from a survey I carried out through my music website, Tin Man Heart.  The survey asked musicians and those involved in music in Northern Ireland their thoughts on media engagement, career prospects, pay and conditions and how the public interacts with the local scene. https://tmhmusic.com/2018/02/14/two-steps-towards-improving-independent-music-in-northern-ireland/ It’s a really exciting time to be involved in music in Northern Ireland at the minute. We have some great bands, excellent studios and producers to help those bands make their music and a few great venues to host events. But the structures around that are, in some cases, letting the talent of musicians and other creatives down. It feels like no matter how good a band is in this country, they will never have the wider general public onside until they’re legitimised by a label or media outlet somewhere else. Too many gigs involving local bands are poorly attended, meaning bands are playing to each

http://faroutmagazine.co.uk/confession-no-sinner/ No Sinner sprawl themselves around the Brudenell’s back room as if they have been playing gigs there their whole lives, a home from home. Eric restrings his guitar listening to old blues tracks while new bassist Brandon lounges in the corner. I’m greeted though by the band’s singer Colleen and drummer Ian, who launch into telling me about the reception they’ve experienced so far on their UK tour. The quartet have already played Dublin, Manchester and Bristol but it is in Nottingham and here in Leeds where cultures have most obviously clashed, as Colleen explains incredulously:           “I’ve heard a lot of girls making fun of my clothes, which has never happened before at shows. A girl in Nottingham said I had my dress on backwards, which I didn’t. And just today, when I was walking down the street I heard someone say, ‘Eugh, look at her!’ Are the girls a little catty here?” “I can take ‘em!” she adds laughing. From ben

This was a series of feature articles I did for Stereoboard.com, looking at the day to day operation of an unsigned band and the people they interact with. I spoke to Northern Irish bands of varying stature, promoters and sound engineers to get an idea of how much time and effort they put in to a pursuit which, on the most part, is voluntary. The Bands: https://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/97264/9 The Promoters: https://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/97446/9 Sound Engineers: https://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/161135/9