Free Galway shows as Emmet Scanlan launches new EP
Emmet Scanlan & What the Good Thought will play two free shows in Galway this month to celebrate the release of their latest EP, From the Inside Out. The first is in The Crane on Friday, October 17, followed by Tí Neachtain on Sunday, October 19.
Emmet moved to London three years ago after spending the guts of a decade in Galway. The move was prompted by seeing Irish bands who were big at home having to start all over again when they went abroad.
“In a sense what I was trying to do was come over here and cut out some of that work for myself,” he says from London.
For his Galway shows Emmet will be joined by Eddie Hoffman, from Brazil, on drums and Londoner Adam Hayes on bass. The pair were with him when he played The Crane back in April, and have fond memories of that show.
“You hear it all the time from bands that come from outside of Ireland: ‘The crowds are phenomenal.’ Irish people think it’s a big spiel, but the lads that I’m playing with had never played in Ireland before,” Emmet says.
“We played in The Crane and they genuinely put it down as one of the best they’ve ever done, and they would have played in the Academies in London to a few thousand people.”
Emmet had to make some personnel changes to What the Good Thought when he moved, but two members sometimes join him from his Galway days – guitarist Peter Akerstrom and percussionist Alan Priems.
“I thought I’d be over and back every two months to play gigs, and have the lads come over here,” Emmet says. “That was the case, but it’s trickier than I anticipated."