Relaxing on a plush banquette the atmosphere in the Chocolate Bar warmed me up, with its eclectic décor including 1960’s inspired leather & mahogany furniture and paper lamps of all sizes hanging overhead. An unusual feature is the tree sprouting from a corner up into the ceiling, covered in tiny fairy lights and home to a couple of snowy owls. And not forgetting the large bar running along the back wall.

My mission was to check out The Barley Mob, a new Irish band and winners of Rising Stars 2010, who were topping the bill for the Modern Times night. The gig runs on Fridays in Crawdaddy and is a showcase for bands both established and rookie. The line up featured JB and the Bandits, The Rambleers, Monica and the Explosion, with The Barley Mob headlining. Modern Times organiser David Muldowney told me “I’ve been trying to get The Barley Mob for ages so it’s fantastic to have them here tonight”.

His words are testament to the band’s meteoric rise since they formed in April this year. Cutting their teeth at the Dublin City Soul Festival in May the band have been gigging non stop since then as well as recording material. They also released the singles “You’ll Never Be Lost (When You’ve Got Music)” and “Everybody’s Music” this summer.

Moving to Crawdaddy, bringing my beer with me of course, I checked out Monica and the Explosion first. A fierce three piece punk rock band, fronted by a tall rangy Swedish lady, the band are fast and furious. The singer channelled a tomboy Courtney Love as she dug away at her electric guitar, bringing me back to the Riot Grrrl days of the early 90’s.

The pace was set with drummer and bassist providing a strong backdrop as blondie packed some punchy lyrics like “don’t wanna waste my life being somebody’s wife”. Definitely the kind of stuff to get the crowd pogo-ing front of stage! The band finish up with the stomping “I Wanna Go Home”. Ones to watch out for on the gig scene.

Next up, main event The Barley Mob. The band took to the boards like the absolute naturals they are with front man Adam Daly centre stage as usual. Looking good in a black vest charismatic Daly led the band with a fantastic opener “We Go the Distance”. First thing I noticed is how The Barley Mob’s sound has evolved since their early days.

Cohesive and animated instrumental work and pure talent, especially guitarist Andrew Moore, simply fill the room. Throw Adam Daly’s gravelly vocals and stage presence into the mix and you’ve got a recipe for a success. Straight off the bat the five piece are so into it that they connect to the audience easily. It’s this sort of energy that marks The Barley Mob out from their peers, gaining them good reputation on the live circuit.

Mashing up reggae influences with rock and acoustic vibes the band cleverly mix it up, adding “Bad Boys” mid song to get the crowd going. Stand out songs are The Barley Mob’s trademark even after less than a year in existence, catchy tunes with lyrics that stick in your brain. Daly taps into contemporary life with “Medicine Man” a song about head shops. His own ideals talk up positivity and he highlights everyday topics like relationships and politics. He even squeezes in a little rabble rousing between songs!

The band get the audience clapping with “Breath it in” and “Everybody’s Music”. But the room erupts when The Barley Mob reach a crescendo with their anthem “You’ll Never Be Lost (When You’ve Got Music)”. Adam and the boys show just how a polished act can be potent when layered with raw passion and it works for everyone as we all sway along together chanting the lyrics. Nobody wants the band to leave the stage having lapped up great music, a super live performance and of course Adam’s banter!

After the gig I retired to the Chocolate Bar where I caught up with Adam, over a much deserved pint of Guinness, for a chat about music, life and The X Factor. “I’m actually going on the radio tomorrow to talk about The X Factor” he jokes “But seriously, it is bad for the music industry!” I raised my glass to that – so true. Adam tells me about their packed schedule over the summer and plans for next year. Watch this space…

“I’ve had the time of my life” he smiles “And I can’t believe how much the band has achieved since winning Rising Stars.” It’s certainly something to be proud of, as the bands profile has rocketed since their big break. Speaking of breaks I suggest that this Christmas will surely be a well earned one for the band. “I’ll be putting my guitar down after our next gig” agrees Adam “But we’ll be back in the New Year!”

by Lorna Keating – 12.12.10

Rising Stars Winners – 2010

In their own words….

Formed in April 2010 by 27yr old singer/songwriter Adam Daly – Dublin,Kildare based uplifting/Reggae/Soul band “The BaRLeY MoB” marked their arrival onto the music scene by winning the Dublin City Soul Festival’s global emerging artist search “Rising Stars” 2010 in May,  leading to an open-air gig on May 30th at the “Soul Picnic” in Dublin’s Merrion Square to over 5,000 people…after just 5 gigs together!

Immediately after this, the band immersed themselves in gigs on the Dublin music scene, playing various showcase gigs including The Ruby Sessions and The Zodiac Sessions to name but a few and consequently we were invited to play at music festivals around the country including; “NPLD” in Sligo, “LiveStock” in Cork, and Raithlin Island’s “Jigs and Rigs” .

The band have become involved with several charities in their short time together, and have played various gigs for the people of Oxfam at their many fundraising nights called “OxJam” as well as playing fundraisers for the Pakistan Flood Victims and The Haiti Disaster.

Another charitable group close to the hearts of The Barley Mob is the “Musical Youth Foundation“, an organization that aims to ensure the musical future of children in Ireland, by providing free instruments and lessons to under-privileged kids. Recently this charity was shortlisted for a national funding scheme called “Better Together”, for which they put together a video of their work, the soundtrack of which was “You’ll Never Be Lost (When You’ve Got Music)” by The Barley MOb.

Early July, the band were invited to play their first live radio show on Dublin City FM, which was a great boost for the band. Since then they have performed and been interviewed on several other radio stations including “Global Village” on national station Newstalk 106. Their music has since been played on many local and internet radio stations, prompting an increase in their fanbase.

In August 2010, “The Mob” secured a weekly residency in The Mezz, in TempleBar in Dublin, playing all their own material and it was here they were spotted and offered an opportunity to perform in “Trenchtown Village”, the biggest Reggae stage in Ireland, at the prestigious “Electric Picnic 2010″ in September. Furthermore, they performed 3 shows at the “OxJam Tent” at the Picnic, one each day of the festival..making a total of 4 seperate gigs over the 1 weekend!

In Novemeber, The Barley MOb were chosen as Band Of The Month by online review magazine: Music Review Unsigned.

To date, they have played over 80 live gigs, and released 2 singles, the first of which, “You’ll Never Be Lost When You’ve Got Music)” went to Number 2 in the National chart on Downloadmusic.ie…and the 2nd “Everybody’s Music”..got over 1,000 hits online on the day it was released!!…and they plan to have the album done by the summer of next year.

The band are already confirmed for Dublin City Soul Festival, Le Cheile, NPLD, Rathlin JIgs and Rigs, Electric Picnic and Oxegen 2011 and are currently in talks regarding a slot at Glastonbury 2011.

So Onwards and Upwards for The Barley Mob…

Rising Stars Winners – 2009
Mob Fandango are 11 musicians who met in N.U.I Maynooth’s Music Department. Drawing on several different musical influences, these guys and gals exist purely to make music that people can enjoy both listening and dancing to. Featuring trumpets, sax, flute and five vocalists, the Mob play a variety of genres, including soul, reggae, funk, folk, pop and r’n'b. This is original music by a passionate band, designed to make you feel good in these times of economic doom and gloom. Both visually and musically entertaining, Mob Fandango are a joyous celebration of all the good things about live music, and are a breath of fresh air to the Irish music scene.

Meet the Mob