Green Curtain Project: Wifeswap
Dublin-based four-piece Wifeswap are quickly carving out their place in the city’s vibrant music scene. Having earned spots at Whelan’s Ones to Watch and shared stages with Peter Doherty and Been Stellar, the band are firmly on the rise. The project, founded by frontman Joe Brody, has evolved through several line-up changes and now features Jasper Ryan on guitar, Cian Bates on bass, and Lorcan Connolly on drums. Despite only releasing their debut single, “Inertia,” at the end of 2023, their electrifying live shows carry the confidence and chemistry of a seasoned touring act. With momentum building fast, I couldn’t resist catching up with Joe and the rest of Wifeswap to ask them a few burning questions.
1.Where are you based?
We’re all from around Ireland but based in Dublin now, we met here and have made a home out of it together.
2.How did Wifeswap begin? And how has it changed since its conception?
Wifeswap began as my (Joe) project through friends I had made in college. I wrote all of the songs and brought them to the group, with the idea that members were free to come and go, which inevitably ended up happening. Eventually we ended up with the line-up we have now. I still do the majority of the writing though Jasper and I have begun working on some of our future material together recently. I’m not sure a whole lot has really changed, just that I am working with my closest friends now but the emphasis on substance over aesthetics still remains.
3.What inspires you to make music?
Living. Ultimately I make music for myself as a means to understand myself and the world around me and I guess that the reason to share it with others is a combination of the selfish and selfless. It’s exhilarating and terribly addictive playing live and the hope that something I make brings someone out there some kind of solace or revelation are really the main motivations behind sharing what I make with others. Music is intrinsically linked to community and the human condition and can never be completed I suppose, finding some kind of place in the world and having a purpose must fit in there somewhere because of that, I guess.
4. What has been your greatest achievement as a band so far?
Remaining true friends throughout the financial burden and the stresses that come with being a band on a smaller scale perhaps. That and remaining true to what we want to create despite not finding immediate success, not feeling pressures to fit into a scene that we haven’t really found a space in or even recognise. Though, independently funding and releasing a 7” record as well as supporting Peter Doherty and Been Stellar who I totally admire as songwriters has been great as well. I’m really proud of the guys and their own evolution and growth both as people and musicians though and I can’t emphasise that enough.
5. Do you ever feel any pressure as a young, emerging band coming from a city with such a rich legacy of talented artists?
Yes and no. I don't care for vanity metrics such as streams or followers, I only really evaluate others' art. I think most of the strain comes from a financial perspective. I work shift work in a kitchen. Shift work is almost inevitable when you’re attempting to juggle music, being able to afford being alive and your own personal life. You have to kind of sacrifice any career progression in order to hope to eventually emerge instead of being emerging. It becomes incredibly draining very quickly. Though tying back to my original point, I think you can take two bands like Whipping Boy and Fontaines D.C and see the disparity in their “success” despite being both very talented but again my main motivation is to create music in order to understand myself, so I don’t worry about legacy or sales or digital metrics, so I don’t feel any pressure to live up to anything else. I would like to feel that one day I have topped some of the great writers of Ireland, though I don’t think that anyone that consumes and creates art will ever feel that way.
6. What’s the greatest piece of advice you’ve ever gotten from a fellow musician?
“The end is in the beginning and yet you go on” - Samuel Beckett. I’m sure he must have sung at least once in the shower which makes him a musician in my eyes
7. What are some other up and coming Irish bands the public should be keeping an eye on?
Gag reflex are absolutely incredible and I’m sure they’re going to be in everyone’s face soon. Pebbledash are a band that are perhaps a little beyond up and coming at this point but in case anyone has missed them, I feel that I must share the joy that comes with experiencing the awe that their music brings. They share two members with Therapy Horse who we had the pleasure of playing with who left my jaw on the floor of Fred Zeppelins. Martina from Martina and the Moons does and has done all of our artwork so far and I think her band are truly incredible, I feel really blessed to have her presence and input bless our work. I think both Skyless and Listowel should be on the rise soon based off their early singles though I’ve been unfortunate on catching them live lately. Cowboy by Anemoia and its accompanying video has been one of my favourites of this year and I’m glad to have shared the stage as Wifeswap with their frontman Gerald Higgins. Dream Boy never cease to improve and amaze me and I think Annie & the Witness are very much severely underrated, I’m very much hoping for signs of a release soon. Kapayja have just shot out of nowhere for me in the last few months, I saw them very early on, but they’ve become this very different band and I just get sucked in whenever I get to see them live. They really seem to be faultless whenever I’ve seen them recently.
8. What is one goal you’d like to achieve one year from now?
I’d love to travel a bit more, spend more time reading and writing and make a generous amount of progress towards being able to make this whole thing sustainable. That’s not one but I think all of those things are on my mind for the upcoming year.
Lorcan - I would love to be able to make this all more sustainable and start playing shows overseas
Jasper - I’m not really the type to dream of fast cars and throwing televisions out of hotel rooms so really I just hope to continue writing, recording, and performing together. I hope we'll have more opportunities to travel and play outside of Dublin. I have had such fun in Belfast both gigging and recording and I would love to experience more cities and more scenes that we haven't yet had much contact with.
Cian - My goal for next year is definitely to be writing more consistently, finding that balance between working full time and dedicating consistent hours towards my creative goals has been something of a challenge for me this year. But I’m looking forward to working on making that a reality.
Thank you again to Joe, Jasper, Cian and Lorcan for taking time out of their busy schedule to answer my questions. If you’d like to check Wifeswap out for yourselves, you can click HERE to find them on Spotify, and Instagram HERE.
Written by Jack Murray - @Jack.mrry
Copy Editor - @Nial Carey
