Fangclub are an

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

band formed in Rush,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, signed to

Vertigo Records Vertigo Records is a record company with United Kingdom origins. It was a subsidiary of the Philips/Phonogram record label, launched in 1969 to specialise in progressive rock and other non-mainstream musical styles. Today, it is operated by Uni ...

History

Fangclub are a Dublin

band with members Steven King (guitar/vocals), Kevin Keane (bass) and Dara Coleman (drums). In keeping with the punk/grunge style of their music, Fangclub took a D.I.Y. approach to their burgeoning career by packing themselves off to the coastal village of Ballyheigue in Kerry to record over 25 tracks. In early 2015 while on one of their DIY tours, they came to the attention of Universal Music's Irish team. Suitably impressed that Fangclub had already recorded an albums worth of music, Universal signed the band in August 2015. Largely comprising songs from their original D.I.Y. efforts, their second EP, Coma Happy, appeared in 2016. They then took to the road, headlining a sold out show at

Whelan's Whelan's is a pub and music venue in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Profile Numerous international artists have played at the venue, including Jeff Buckley, Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, Kate Nash, Townes Van Zandt, Damien Rice and Allen To ...

, Dublin and concluding the festival season with two sets at Electric Picnic. Fangclub made their U.K. live debut in 2016 with Welsh group Pretty Vicious, and also toured with Twin Atlantic. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2017. The album reached number 5 on the Irish album charts and received positive reviews from critics, with

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

calling it "one of the best hard rock albums of 2017". In January 2018, the album was nominated for the

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 ...

. On the live circuit, Fangclub have supported bands such as Metallica, Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies, Muse, Biffy Clyro, Twin Atlantic, Nothing But Thieves, The Cribs, Swmrs and Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes. The band released their second album ''Vulture Culture'' on 5 July 2019. ''Vulture Culture'' received positive reviews, with

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 ...

writing; "this 11-track opus is most certainly the jewel in the Irish alt-rock kings’ crown to date."

Reception

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' have stated that "Fangclub are a fully formed thrash pop monster; melodic, frenzied and phenomenal. Imagine a beefed-up Tribes, or Cloverfield glam. If Fontaines are piloting the new Irish punk blitz, Fangclub are the Big Boys in the bomb bay." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' wrote that the group "are obviously a leftover band from the 90s grunge scene who slipped through some sort of time portal and are stuck here, thrashing their guitars against the raging of the sun."

Members

Current * Steven King – lead vocals, guitar (2013–present) * Kevin Keane – bass guitar (2013–present) * Dara Coleman – drums, percussion (2013–present) Touring Members * Ed Scanlan – guitar (2019–present) FANGCLUB - ART

Discography

Studio albums

Singles / EPs

Awards and nominations

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 ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fangclub 2013 establishments in Ireland Musical groups established in 2013 Irish musical trios