eightball.ie proudly presents Republic of Loose

Saturday, February 05
Trinity Rooms

www.republicofloose.com

Disregarding appearances, Dublin, Ireland’s Republic of Loose could be mistaken for an American hip-hop collective. With a 12-strong roster, seven core members, and five “associates,” the group has done little to play down the association. Like the Rolling Stones (an admitted influence) before them, Republic of Loose’s key influences are unashamedly contemporary and unashamedly American, their music a curious blend of gangster rap, smooth popular soul and classic funk, with a healthy dose of the surreal thrown in for good measure.

Republic of Loose began as Johnny Pyro & the Rock Coma, an informal arrangement of musicians under the direction of singer Mick Pyro (real name Michael Tierney) and guitarist Dave Pyro (Dave Haughton). In 2001, “the Pyros” renamed the band Republic of Loose and made three quick additions to their ranks: guitarist Brez Breslin, bassist Benjamin Loose and drummer Coz Noleon.

In late 2003, Republic of Loose issued their first single in Ireland, the smooth soul number “Girl I’m Gonna Fuck You Up.” In 2004, they released their first full-length album. This Is the Tomb of the Juice with the assistance of producers Gareth Mannix (Angels of Mons, Delorentos) and Paul Thomas (U2). Keyboardist Deco (Declan Quinn) contributed to the majority of the album’s tracks, and was rewarded with full membership shortly afterwards. The group was presented with the Hope For 2004 Award at 2004’s Meteor Irish Music Awards.

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