Artist: Grand Pocket Orchestra

Download the debut EP from Ireland's newest lo-fi pop supergroup Skelocrats.

Stream: Indiecater Euro 2012 Compilation – Sing Up for the Boys in Green

Apr 17, 5:47am

Indiecater Records has rounded up some of Ireland's finest bands (as well as a couple of blow-ins) to release a superb compilation of Euro 2012-flavoured tunes.

Grand Pocket Orchestra – Ronald & Sylma

Feb 22, 5:00am

Having found their niche through sheer wondrous oddity in debut The Ice Cream , Grand Pocket Orchestra became a jangly, upbeat ode to carefree power-pop. 'Odd Socks' was a clear highlight of the debut: a jangly mess of a track that held together with the kind of hooky chorus that wedged itself deep in the cerebrum for hours. While Ronald & Sylma lacks a stand out track of such standard, the overall quality comes across as more refined and markedly higher. The calmer approach to musical construction on offer here isn't to say that GPO's [...]

Listen to Grand Pocket Orchestra's new album – Ronald & Sylma

Feb 15, 8:21am

Listen to Grand Pocket Orchestra's new album – Ronald & Sylma

If Grand Pocket Orchestra's The Ice Cream was a jerky spasmodic debut that averaged a song every two minutes for its 36 minute duration Ronald & Sylma is its slightly older, more asssured brother or sister with richer hooks and less frantic energy expended in the moment. Instead, the album unfolds across 39 minutes of guitar pop with confidence and more of a focus. According to singer Paddy Hana that was the idea: I don't know if you heard our [...]

Grand Pocket Orchestra confirm new album

Jan 17, 4:54am

Having impressed us immensely with their debut album The Ice Cream , State is delighted to hear that Grand Pocket Orchestra will be releasing a follow up next month. Coming our way via the mighty Popical Island, Ronald & Sylma will be out on February 24th. Talking of the record, the band's Paddy Hanna says "I don't know if you heard our first album but it was quite messy, heck we wanted it to be messy, we like messy debuts. But we knew for sure that the follow up should be slightly more focused, better [...]

Album News: Ginnels – Mountbatten Class

Oct 3, 2011, 11:08am

Mark Chester releases his second album under the Ginnels moniker, and it's just as good as his first.

Jape / Grand Pocket Orchestra – London

Jul 26, 2011, 7:51am

Despite the torrential rain outside, the living room-like surroundings of the Old Queen's Head in Islington makes for a cosy night in. The London Irish Centre, along with Werewolf Promotions , has lined up an evening to satisfy those with nostalgia for the eccentric stylings of Ireland's fine musicians. Slightly unhinged indie and electro might not be what we were traditionally known for, but it's certainly a comforting reminder of home when jerky quintet Grand Pocket Orchestra take to the stage. Instrument swapping and melodic indie-quirk make this mumbling, organised mash of a performance absolutely endearing and [...]

Grand Pocket Orchestra – Ooh La Te Woo

Jul 14, 2011, 5:36pm

mp3hugger

Tweet I would have posted this sooner owing to its pure brilliance but held back because I needed to work out what it sounded like. I knew there was a forerunner but for several days the gears in my head were just not turning up with the correct source. Then, after a particularly ragged football game the clouds cleared and out popped Julian Koster and his Singing Saw who together created one of the oddest Christmas albums ever. You may [...]

Grand Pocket Orchestra - Ooh La Te Woo

Artist: Grand Pocket Orchestra
Title: Ooh La Te Woo
Link Text: Grand Pocket Orchestra - Ooh La Te Woo
File Name: Grand Pocket Orchestra - Ooh La Te Woo.mp3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Grand Pocket Orchestra - Ooo La Te Woo

Jul 12, 2011, 4:22pm

the torture garden

This is buckets of fun. This is like cycling along the promenade by night, with the sun on a bit of rope, shining everything around you. This is when you are so downright happy and possessed by a glorious disposition that you don't even notice you're alone, or that other people aren't brimming with the joy of how beautiful everything is Right Now. When you sing with a silly voice just because you can. When you have no work to do and know exactly where your place is. This sounds like a bit of a mess, I admit, guitar scars [...]

grandpocketorchestra - Ooo La Te Woo

Artist: grandpocketorchestra
Title: Ooo La Te Woo
File Name: SoundCloud

Grand Pocket Orchestra – 'Ooo La Te Woo'

Jul 12, 2011, 10:11am

Since GPO released their debut The Ice Cream last year and solidified their lineup they've been going at full speed: lots of gigs, a song on Popical Island #2 and a solo project in the form of Ginnels . 'Ooo La Te Woo' is a preview of their forthcoming album and the fact that the song starts with what sounds like an awesome troupe of cats crooning in unison is reason enough for you to press play. Download: Ooo La Te Woo by [...]

grandpocketorchestra - Ooo La Te Woo

Artist: grandpocketorchestra
Title: Ooo La Te Woo
File Name: SoundCloud

Aid Japan Fundraiser with Squarehead, We Are Losers, Toby Kaar & more

May 4, 2011, 4:59am

Grand Pocket Orchestra - I Deal in Bits and Bobs

As Japan continues to deal with the aftermath of the recent string of tragedies - earthquake, tsunami, aftershocks and nuclear issues - people from around the world have stepped up in all kinds of ways to raise awareness and funds. Organised by State's Photo Editor Loreana Rushe , the music community of Ireland have rallied together for a benefit night to raise relief donations and to maintain awareness for the cause - all proceeds will go to Aid Japan. The event takes place this Saturday, May 7th in Dublin's Twisted Pepper. There will be two [...]

Album Review: Ginnels – Ginnels

Mar 1, 2011, 5:50am

Mark Chester's solo project Ginnels have released a warm and charming low-fi indie-pop debut.

Listen to Ginnels – debut album from GPO's Mark Chester

Feb 21, 2011, 12:15pm

Have a listen to the debut album from Mark Chester of Grand Pocket Orchestra under his side project Ginnels. Delightful stuff. You can get the album through Bandcamp .

ginnels - Ginnels

Artist: ginnels
Title: Ginnels
File Name: SoundCloud

A crash course in . . . Whelan's Ones To Watch

Jan 12, 2011, 5:20am

The Point Of Everything

catscars 'the company of wolves' live score extract theboxsocial dec 09

Starting today, Wednesday, and running for the next four days is Whelan's Ones To Watch Festival. More than 30 Irish bands will take to various Whelan's stages to show everyone just how strong 2011 is going to be. Some bands you may be familiar with, and more you will never [Read more]

Starfrosch: Various Artists - Jingle Bell Rack

Dec 11, 2010, 5:29am

Starfrosch Podcast

Starfrosch: Various Artists - Jingle Bell Rack

Christmas sure has that certain knack of bringing people together, and from all corners of the globe, and from all varieties of the Rack & Ruin musical spectrum. Vlantis, a RnR newcomer starts off proceedings with the joyous, fast, fun, frenetic opener "Hush Child, The Snow is Gone", a track based on one which Vlantis (Joe Jacobs) wrote with his friend Chris Ward at an earlier date. Grand Pocket Orchestra are next up, with another ridiculously catchy number entitled "Yum Yum", their coming year will be one to watch with interest. We slow things down a [...]

Link Text: Play the Brad Fielder track
File Name: bradfielder-xmas10.mp3
Bitrate: 192 kbps

Link Text: Play the T Bear track
File Name: tbear-xmas10.mp3
Bitrate: 160 kbps

Artist: Gnomefoam
Title: Snow Day
Link Text: Play the Gnomefoam track
File Name: gnomefoam-xmas10.mp3
Bitrate: 320 kbps

Artist: The Macadamia Brothers
Title: You're All I Want For Christmas
Link Text: Play The Macadamia Brothers track
File Name: macadamia-xmas10.mp3
Bitrate: 320 kbps
Year: 2010

Video: Grand Pocket Orchestra – 'I Deal in Bits and Bobs'

Dec 2, 2010, 8:37am

Missed this while I was away... Directed by Nicky Coghlan. You can still listen to their album The Ice Cream .

Video: Grand Pocket Orchestra – 'I Deal in Bits and Bobs'

Nov 26, 2010, 3:55am

It's the latest single from The Ice Cream and the video to 'I Deal in Bits and Bobs' finds Grand Pocket Orchestra getting piled high in, em, bits and bobs by some hooded ninja-types (kind of??). Clocking in at over 3 minutes, 'I Deal in Bits and Bobs' is a lengthy epic for GPO and it's a fine-crafted pop tune to boot. The video was direct by Nicky Coghlan and as usual for the band it's colourful and super-fun.

State vs… AU – live report

Nov 20, 2010, 3:57pm

It's all about that thing. The three bands at tonight's show with our closest allies AU all have their own way of doing things, the essence that defines them. For Cloud Castle Lake it's all about the big music. When we saw them last month at HWCH they suffered from a black hole of a venue but the warmer atmosphere of the Mercantile suits them a lot better. As with the headliners there's a definite Marmite effect (especially in the vocal department) and they still need to work on their stage craft but what tonight does [...]

State vs AU….Grand Pocket Orchestra, The Lowly Knights & Cloud Castle Lake – free gig next week

Nov 9, 2010, 8:30am

Having done battle with them on the decks at this year's HWCH, next week will see us once more lock horns with AU Magazine , this time bringing real live bands into the equation. State vs....AU takes place at the Mercantile on Dame Street on November 19th and will feature Grand Pocket Orchestra in the State corner, the Lowly Knights battling for AU and Cloud Castle Lake in the Introducing.... slot. As ever it costs nothing to get in and this month will kick off at nine sharpish, so don't be late. [...]

State vs AU….Grand Pocket Orchestra, The Lowly Knights & Cloud Castle Lake

Oct 22, 2010, 11:43am