Dublin is Disrupted: Meet the Bands Who Are Turning Chaos Into the New Soundwave
Half Left Band
Members: Joey Gillen, Sofia Keogh, Oisin O’Sullivan, Daniel Bowe.
Half Left, a four-piece band made up of Joey, Oisin, Sofia, and Dan. They came together the way many college students in Dublin do; through encounters at house parties and late nights in the infamous Workman’s Club. The idea of a band to them, seemed too funny to pass up.
The backstory of their name is still a mystery. Maybe Half are Left-handed? Or, Half is just not alright? Joey explains that it is up to the audience to figure that one out. They describe their sound as danceable Alt-Rock with a focus on introspective lyrics and an infectious hook. Dry Cleaning, Funkadelic, Christy Moore, and the guy with the pan flute at the top of Jervis Street are just a few artists that inspire them. That being said, their sound brings the feeling of the noise made by tapping your card to gain entry to Kinsella hall and the sound of someone getting sick on the cobbles in Temple Bar. The true essence of Dublin.
They are in a great position with regards to original material as most of the members are songwriters in their own right. Oisin and Joey have already released music individually, while Dan brings his own creative dedication to the writing process. Sofia, though less rooted in Indie music, adds a fresh perspective and a sharp artistic instinct that shapes their sound in unexpected ways. Nearly every song they perform is an original due to their creative collaboration and flow. The main struggle they have in the industry is the cost of Petrol, which I’m sure we all can relate to. Their dream venue would contain all of their loved ones, air conditioning, the perfect PA system and would feature no flights of stairs that a drum kit would need to be carried up.
The band kindly asks the public to get in touch with them if they know a venue in the greater Dublin area with these features.
Half Left believes they bring diversity to the scene as they have both Northern Irish and Republic of Ireland members in the band. Because of this, they are getting “1 William dollars from post-peace-process-cross border-initiatives. (PPPCBI)”.
The future for Half left is looking good, but anything looks good when you are looking through rose tinted cataracts.
Writer - Shulagh Morris
Editor - Ieva Dambrauskaite
