We caught up with Jack O’Rourke after his gig in Workmans on Saturday night.
Hey Jack! You have just performed in The Workmans last weekend as part of your tour, tell us about the gig.
Really special, lots of new faces in crowd and room was full, love the Workman’ vibe – like a 70s punk club in NYC – I had my cellist and my drummer – stripped back but edgy – MayKay from Le Galaxie, Loah, Cry Monster Cry and Danny Forde all sang harmonies on different songs – it was like a beautiful harmony orgy!
Your EP was released this year, will the upcoming gigs be centred around your new tunes or are you planning on playing some of your older hits?
Will be singing these 6 new songs from Ivory Towers but lots of older releases and hits too, some collaborations with Loah, Cry Monster Cry, May Kay and Kormac on the night too. I’m a harmony whore so any chance to wrap my notes around another’s!
Your tour will take you all around Ireland and over to London, how do the Irish and British crowds differ?
UK lads wear more jock straps when attending gigs. 🙂
You have come a long way since ‘Silence’, how do you think you have developed musically since?
I’ve always been eclectic, and Silence still pack’s a punch live but I’ve worked with more synths and alt-pop on this record. I like mixing it up, but I’ll definitely write more piano ballads again – it’s my roots.
You have worked with Glen Hansard, Imelda May and Bell X1, do you have any plans for future collaborations?
Sure, Kate Bush and St. Vincent!
You rose to fame speaking out for marriage equality, how do you think the Irish LGBT+ movement has fared since?
Pretty well, but we have a long way to go. I’m a secondary teacher and my school along with only 6 out of 46 invited schools attended – that’s a worrying statistic but I applaud my school for not burying their heads in the sand. But we’ve come a long way – it’s a long fight – it’s amazing how quickly mindsets have changed at home when you look at Brunei – although the Sultan’s costumes are pretty fab – maybe he’s compensating for his love of gold embroidery.
Who is your favourite Irish musician right now and why?
There are so many Irish musicians I like right now- Wallis Bird, Loah, Marlene Enright – I’d love to write with Conor O’Brien.
Follow Jack O’Rourke on Facebook and check out his music on Spotify:
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