Director were an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...
quartet from
Malahide
Malahide ( ; ) is an affluent coastal settlement in Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland, situated north of Dublin city. It has a village centre surrounded by suburban housing estates, with a population of over 17,000.
Malahide Castle dates from th ...
in
County Dublin
"Action to match our speech"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg
, map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...
. The group consisted of Michael Moloney (vocals/guitars), Eoin Aherne (guitars), Shea Lawlor (drums) and Rowan Averill (bass guitar). The band's 2006 debut album ''We Thrive On Big Cities'' was a critical and commercial success in Ireland. A follow-up album, ''I'll Wait For Sound'' was released in 2009.
Career
Style
Director are known for their "
art rock
Art rock is a subgenre of rock music that generally reflects a challenging or avant-garde approach to rock, or which makes use of modernist, experimental, or unconventional elements. Art rock aspires to elevate rock from entertainment to an art ...
vision", having been educated in college; Moloney studied classical composition.
They have been likened to
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris.
Sumner and Hook formed the band after attend ...
due to their "monochrome sound".
They have also been praised for reproducing the "clipped, emotional blankness" of
Wire
Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm
A wire is a flexible strand of metal.
Wire is c ...
.
The debut album, ''We Thrive on Big Cities'', has been compared to the music of bands such as
The Feelies
The Feelies are an American rock band from Haledon, New Jersey. They formed in 1976 and disbanded in 1992 having released four albums. The band reunited in 2008, and released new albums in 2011 and 2017.
Although not commercially successful, the ...
,
Mission of Burma
Mission of Burma was an American post-punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. The group formed in 1979 with Roger Miller on guitar, Clint Conley on bass, Peter Prescott on drums, and Martin Swope contributing audiotape manipulation and acting as ...
,
Television
Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...
,
Pere Ubu
Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their d ...
and
Pixies
A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas arou ...
,
whilst second album ''I'll Wait for Sound'' drew comparisons to
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting).
Depeche ...
and
New Order.
''We Thrive on Big Cities'' (2006–2008)
Director produced their debut single, "
Reconnect" which led to a music video. It was released in Ireland and the UK on 26 April 2006. It was to be the first of three singles to reach the Irish Top Thirty Chart and stayed in the Irish chart for twelve weeks. The success of the single led to the band opening the Main Stage at
Oxegen 2006
Oxegen 2006 was the third Oxegen festival to take place, following the dissolution of its predecessor Witnness in 2004. It took place on the weekend of Saturday, 8 July and Sunday, 9 July at Punchestown Racecourse near Naas in County Kildare, ...
.
Director's debut album, ''
We Thrive on Big Cities
''We Thrive on Big Cities'' is the debut studio album by the Irish pop rock quartet, Director. It was released on October 6, 2006 in the Republic of Ireland.
It peaked at #2 on the Irish Albums Chart, and since its release, the album has gone ...
'' was recorded alongside Stefano Sofia in
Grouse Lodge
Grouse Lodge is a recording studio near Rosemount, County Westmeath, Ireland. Designed by Andy Munro it has two studios and living quarters in nine stone outhouses, integrating the existing 275-year-old stone structure.
Artists
It has record ...
in
County Westmeath
"Noble above nobility"
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country
, subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...
.
Moloney wrote the songs.
The band later spoke of their regret at having produced the album themselves instead of opting for a "bigger and rockier" sound.
It was released on 6 October in the Republic of Ireland and included their debut single, "Reconnect". Within the first week of release, the album had reached number two in the Irish album sales charts,
conceding the first place to ''
Sam's Town
''Sam's Town'' is the second studio album by American rock band the Killers. It was released on September 27, 2006, by Island Records. Regarding the album, frontman Brandon Flowers noted that he "wanted to create an album that captured, chrono ...
'', by
The Killers
The Killers are an American rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingd ...
; the album went on to go Platinum and spent a total of 29 weeks in the Irish chart. Over 20,000 albums were sold in Ireland alone.
Director played a sold-out show in the 1,600 capacity
Ambassador Theatre on 9 December 2006.
The album's success led to the band securing support slots with UK bands such as
Hard-Fi
Hard-Fi are an English indie rock band, formed in 2003 in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey. The band's most recent lineup before going on hiatus consisted of Richard Archer (lead vocals and guitar), Kai Stephens (bass guitar and backing vocals) and S ...
and
The Fratellis
The Fratellis are a Scottish rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
...
.
A UK and European release followed in 2007.
The second single taken from the band's debut album, "
Come with a Friend
"Come with a Friend" was the second single by the Irish art rock quartet, Director. It was released on 29 September 2006. Although not as popular as the band's debut single Reconnect, the single charted in Ireland at number twenty-six, and wen ...
", was released on 29 September of the same year. The third single from the album, "
Leave It to Me", was released on 5 January 2007 but with no corresponding video. Both these releases were solely in the Republic of Ireland. Director were invited to participate in the 2007 series of
RTÉ
(RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...
's annual ''
Other Voices'' music show.
The album was nominated for the 2006
Choice Music Prize
The Choice Music Prize (), known for sponsorship reasons as the RTÉ Choice Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded to the best album from a band or solo musician who is born in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland or holds an Irish pa ...
for Irish Album of the Year. It was also nominated in the Best Irish Album category at the
2006 Meteor Awards
The 2006 Meteor Music Awards took place in the Point Theatre, Dublin on 2 February 2006. It was the sixth edition of Ireland's national music awards. The event was later aired on RTÉ Two on at 21:00 on Sunday 5 February. The awards show was hosted ...
at which the band won the award for Best New Irish Act and performed their single "Reconnect" live. Director later split with Atlantic Records due to limited international success.
2008–2009
Director's single "Be with You" was released in Ireland on 11 May 2007. It was scheduled to be added to the track listing of the album ''We Thrive on Big Cities''. The single is also due for a UK release, but the date is still to be announced. Director's summer 2007 shows included
Slane Castle
Slane Castle (Irish ''Cáisleán Bhaile Shláine'') is located in the village of Slane, within the Boyne Valley of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The castle has been the family seat of the Marquess Conyngham, Conyngham family since i ...
X-Fighters on 26 May
and the Main Stage at
Oxegen 2007
Oxegen '07 was the fourth Oxegen festival to take place, following the dissolution of its predecessor Witnness in 2004. It took place on the weekend of Saturday, 7 July and Sunday, 8 July at Punchestown Racecourse near Naas in County Kildare, R ...
on Saturday 7 July and several sold-out tours in Ireland, as well as support slots with
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. They consist of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (musician), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, ...
and
Razorlight
Razorlight are an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in London by lead singer and guitarist Johnny Borrell. Along with Borrell, the current line-up of the band is composed of founding members Björn Ågren on guitar and bassist Carl Delemo ...
. They headlined
Indie-pendence
INDIEPENDENCE is a festival "weekender" which takes place on the outskirts of Mitchelstown in northern County Cork, typically on the August Bank Holiday weekend. The festival features a variety of artists as well as comedy, spoken word, a small ...
in August that year.
They also played on the main stage at the 2007
Trinity Ball.
Director played a number of headline gigs in Irish venues in December, including Dublin, Dundalk and Mullingar.
''I'll Wait for Sound'' (2009)
Director released "Play Pretend" as a taster track from their second album in 2008.
They performed three songs from that album at the
O2, Dublin, in March 2009.
Director released their second album, titled ''I'll Wait for Sound'', on 8 May 2009.
The cover art was created by Albert Reyes.
The album was preceded by the independent release of the single, "Sing It Without a Tune", on 1 May 2009.
They wrote ten songs at a farmhouse in
County Leitrim
County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...
and completed the recording of the album over seven weeks with US producer
Brad Wood
Brad Wood is an American record producer located in Los Angeles. He has produced many albums, including Liz Phair's ''Exile in Guyville'' and Placebo's debut.
Career
Wood is from Rockford, Illinois, United States.
In 1988, Wood, along with ...
in his
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
home.
Michael Moloney said:
You can expect a much harder sound than the first album but mixed with some of the softest, most delicate tracks we’ve ever recorded. I think we’ve captured more of the live essence of Director on this album. We’ve just released a song call ‘Play Pretend’ as a free download. It’s quite an intense track and an indication of the kind of rocky sound people can expect.
The band embarked on an Irish tour in May.
They performed as Saturday night headliners on the IMRO New Sounds Stage at
Oxegen 2009
Oxegen 2009 was the sixth Oxegen festival to take place since 2004. It took place on the weekend of Friday 10 July, Saturday, 11 July and Sunday, 12 July at Punchestown Racecourse near Naas in County Kildare, Ireland. Kings of Leon, Snow Patro ...
.
Another Irish tour followed that October.
Discography
Studio albums
Singles
Awards
Choice Music Prize
Choice Music Prize
The Choice Music Prize (), known for sponsorship reasons as the RTÉ Choice Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded to the best album from a band or solo musician who is born in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland or holds an Irish pa ...
,
nomination
Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list.
Political office
In the ...
for 2006
Album of the Year Album of the Year, often abbreviated to AOTY, may refer to:
Awards
* ARIA Award for Album of the Year, Australia
* Brit Award for British Album of the Year, UK
* Grammy Award for Album of the Year, US
* Juno Award for Album of the Year, CA
* Lati ...
, -
, 2007 , , ''
We Thrive on Big Cities
''We Thrive on Big Cities'' is the debut studio album by the Irish pop rock quartet, Director. It was released on October 6, 2006 in the Republic of Ireland.
It peaked at #2 on the Irish Albums Chart, and since its release, the album has gone ...
'' , , Irish Album of the Year 2006 , ,
, -
''Hot Press'' Awards
Most Promising Act and Best Debut Album in the 2007 ''
Hot Press
''Hot Press'' is a fortnightly music and politics magazine based in Dublin, Ireland, founded in June 1977. The magazine has been edited since its inception by Niall Stokes.
History
''Hot Press'' was founded in June 1977 by Niall Stokes, who co ...
'' Readers' Poll
, -
, 2007 , , Director , , Most Promising Act , ,
, -
, 2007 , , ''
We Thrive on Big Cities
''We Thrive on Big Cities'' is the debut studio album by the Irish pop rock quartet, Director. It was released on October 6, 2006 in the Republic of Ireland.
It peaked at #2 on the Irish Albums Chart, and since its release, the album has gone ...
'' , , Best Debut Album , ,
, -
Meteor Awards
2007 Meteor Awards: Best New Band
, -
,
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
, , Director , , Best New Band , ,
, -
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Director
Irish rock music groups
Atlantic Records artists
Musical groups from County Dublin
Musical groups established in 2005
Musical quartets
People from Malahide