Strange Brew presents Blue Slate with support from Blue Slate at Róisín Dubh on September 12th.

This is how I sleep at Night, the debut EP from Blue Slate, explores the past two years of the band members’ lives since their formation in autumn of 2022, but their roots go much further back than that. Harney and Devine first met as kids, bonding over their matching Brian Jones-style haircuts and hours spent listening to Harney’s older siblings’ vast CD collection—everything from metal to classic rock, KISS to Nirvana, ‘60s to ‘90s. It’s no wonder, then, that Blue Slate’s debut EP is so rife with sonic references, while also solidly defining the band’s raw, yearning sound. The title track draws inspiration from the Velvet Underground as Harney sings about body dysmorphia: “I look in the mirror / Something’s wrong to see.” ‘Beaker’ documents a claustrophobic relationship, and the analog tube amps used while recording evoke the likes of Sparklehorse and Grandaddy. Both ‘Marina Del Rey’ and ‘Lead us into Temptation’ ruminate on substance abuse—the former of which is named for where Dennis Wilson drowned during his own struggles with alcoholism. The EP closes on the vulnerable ‘Charlotte’s Song’ (featured as Dan Hegarty’s Track of the Week on RTÉ 2fm), which seamlessly blends New Wave wistfulness and rich, shoegaze textures.

Blue Slate’s mesmerising live shows and impressive singles earned them a spot on the ever-exclusive Hot Press “Hot for 2024” list. The genre-defying rockers have played across Europe, including in London, Paris and at Rotterdam’s Left of the Dial festival. Blue Slate cemented their status as one of the most promising up-and-coming bands in Ireland when they played a sold out headline show in The Workman’s Club upon returning from London. They have also supported the
likes of the UK’s Big Special.

With the Irish music scene more prolific than ever, it takes true talent to be heard over all the noise. Blue Slate not only set themselves apart, but make it look easy thanks to their effortlessly infectious, guitar-driven hooks and piercing lyricism.

BabyRat
Bursting out of the heart of Cork City, BABYRAT is cutting through the noise with razor-sharp riffs, anthemic choruses and the kind of edge that power-pop has been missing.

Sonically landing somewhere between The Strokes and Olivia Rodrigo, BABYRAT’s timeless hooks are fused with unapologetic lyrics that are thrust forward by the band’s future-nostalgia sound.

BABYRAT delivers “an infectious energy with a confidence and chemistry that is unmatched” – Mia Tobin Power, University Express.