Q1. Where are you from?

We are from Lucan and Cabinteely, located somewhere in the giant housing estate that is Dublin!

Q2. Musical influences?

Well all members of the band have so many different influence’s and with so much good music from the past its hard to narrow it down to a few, but in a nutshell: U2, Thin Lizzy, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Blur, The Foo fighters, Nirvana, The National, Led Zeppelin, Kila, The Kinks, Muse, Ocean Colour Scene, Elvis Presley, Rory Gallagher, Frank Zappa, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and the list goes on and on and on……………………………………………

Q3. What’s your song writing process?

The band may have changed but the song writing is the same!!!!! Noel writes most of the lyrics and guitar riffs but other members of the band also contribute with lyrics, riffs, fills and melodies. However the most important part of the song writing process is that when an idea is brought to the band everyone contributes and while this may sometimes change the idea it ultimately becomes a Madra song!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Q4. Most bizarre gig experience?

We played a gig in the legal eagle on the same night Ireland played England in a rugby match at Croke Park in 2007. It was one of those gigs where loads of bands play in 3 or 4 areas in the one venue. Anyhow we were supposed to be on early but ended up being moved around twice before playing 5 hours late in a room the size of my kitchen!!! We were so drunk at that stage that the only part of the night we remember is Noel the guitarist spinning around on the floor like Homer Simpson and running out of the room when the gig eventually collapsed.

Q5. If you could share the stage with anyone, who would it be and why?

Anybody along the lines of Paul McCartney, Phil Lynott, Dave Grohl, Damon Alburn as they are all great musicians and I would love to have a drum battle with Dave Grohl!!!!!!!!!!

In their own words

Madra are a Rock ‘n’ Roll band from Dublin who formed in late 2006.

Originally a four-piece, we have since evolved into a more intense, tight and solid three-piece. Recently our bassist departed and Mark Phelan has come in to fill the void.

Each member brings their own diverse and unique styles and tastes in music, but it is the guitar driven, drum pounding, bass thumping rock ‘n ‘ roll of the 60′s and 70′s that shines through in our original material.

While listening to Madra, one can expect to hear anything from Zepplinesque heavy rock to melodic music in the vein of The Beatles to songs with just a hint of good solid punk like the Ramones or a touch of the alternative, a la Bowie.

Madra have spent the past four years gigging as much and as hard as possible, in venues big and small, from Eamonn Doran’s & The Sugar Club, to Pravda, The Village and local festivals in Lucan & Leixlip. We believe that music can help people and society in many ways, and have played at various charity events for groups such as Focus Ireland and The Nagarhope charity.

We are constantly writing and refining our material, and it’s all getting better and better.

From our time gigging around Dublin, we’ve come to realise that there are two types of band, the one that stands and plays their songs with little to no recognition of the audience, and the type that we like to think we fall into, which is a band who go out there with great music (its gotta have a good pulse be loud & great live) and really up the tempo and get the place rocking.

Madra are:

Darragh Dalton – Drummer & Backing Vocals

Noel Gleeson    – Guitarist  & Lead Vocals.

Mark Phelan    – Bassist & Vocals.