Last week we caught up with Charlie McCarthy (bass) and Ben O’Neill (guitar, backing vocals) from Gurriers before the Brighton date of their UK tour, talking SXSW, touring with Inhaler, live performance, and the songwriting process.
Alongside Ben and Charlie, the Irish band consists of Dan Hoff (vocals), Mark MacCormack (guitar) and Pierce Callaghan (drums). Gurriers released their debut album towards the end of last year, exploring heavy topics such as disillusionment with the world, the rise of the far right, and online personas. Their sound is rife with fiery punk energy, a cathartic expression of emotion which they perform live with equal vigour.
Gurriers have had a jam packed start to their year. They opened for fellow Irish band Inhaler in February, and just got back from a busy SXSW before starting their UK tour in Norwich last week.
SXSW
The band don’t shy away from standing up for what they believe in, and they were amongst a group of artists that pulled out of last year’s SXSW due to US military sponsors. This year, the festival had different sponsors, showing the impact the artists had. Ben and Charlie told us how it was “redeeming” to be back there this year, actually playing the festival this time. “365 days of waiting to go back, it was good!”. Despite being hot and sweaty and the band having a busy schedule with six gigs in four days, Charlie commented how “it was nice to go back after pulling out last year knowing it did actually make a difference. Being able to go back and just focus on the shows was really nice, to actually get the experience of it. Last year was kind of funny – we just resentfully sat around drinking beer.”
One of the showcases at SXSW Gurriers performed at was the “Music from Ireland” stage. There seems to be a unique solidarity amongst Irish artists when it comes to standing up for their values, a sentiment that the band definitely agrees with. “Especially when it regards Palestine” Charlie added. “I think across Ireland as a whole it’s a really unified thing and that obviously spreads across the bands too”. The bands who pulled out of SXSW last year, especially the Irish bands, showed particular support for each other this year too, hanging out and attending each other’s shows.
Touring with Inhaler
Touring with Inhaler, the band received an enthusiastic reception from fans, even though their music has clear differences. Reflecting on this, Ben noted “I don’t think we necessarily expected [such a reception from fans]”. “The two of us is not one I’d ever put on paper but it was really cool, the guys are super nice and they’re a great band as well”. He also talked about playing the bigger venues with Inhaler. “To go on the road with them and play these mad venues that we never thought we’d play anytime soon was just a great experience”. Charlie added how “it’s really fun playing to a new audience and seeing how people who know nothing about the band react to it”. “Although I did see stan Twitter start to get more and more familiar with us!” he joked – and if you ever find yourself on Inhaler stan Twitter you will know what he is referring to!
Live Performance
If you’ve been to a Gurriers gig, you’ll know they have an incredible live presence and an ability to drive up the energy of any crowd. The band originally started in lockdown when touring wasn’t possible, so we wondered whether this electric live performance was something they always imagined when writing the music, or if it came with practice. “I think it’s something we’ve definitely grown into more” Ben remarked. “This is only the second band I’ve ever been in [the first being ‘YARD’]”. “I think when you see an old video of us playing we’re definitely a bit more stiff on stage. The more you do it and the more you see people are vibing with it, it’s easier to be free and go for it. But, we were always still energetic.” Having only joined Gurriers a year ago, Charlie reflected on how playing live was different when opening for Inhaler compared to their own gigs. “Because of the nature of [opening for Inhaler], a lot of the time you’re just there with one lighting scene – for us it’s like walking out naked because everything we do on stage is completely visible. Normally we’re used to flashing lights and stuff so it hides it a little bit”. “It was like being at the dentist” Ben quipped, imitating staring up at a dentist. “You have to get your freak on but then really commit to it, it’s kinda scary”.
When discussing their favourite songs to play live, Ben and Charlie had different answers. Charlie identified ‘Des Goblin’, a hugely energetic song that usually ends up with at least one of the band members amongst the crowd; “or maybe Erasure, that’s really fun too”. For Ben, this is something that is always changing. “Sometimes you’re playing and you’re like ‘I love this song I never want to stop playing it’ and then the next week you’re like ‘I hate this song I never wanna play it again’”. He did express how he loves playing Come and See, which currently closes the band’s set. “It’s a great way to finish and it’s just fun – getting everyone jumping”.
Speaking of ending on Come and See, it is always interesting to hear how bands construct their live setlist, whether their discography is large or small. “It’s almost like a rollercoaster – you wanna go on a journey, you like to start high, bring it down a bit and then you wanna end on a big finish” Ben explained. Charlie agreed “I think we always think about it in terms of energy, especially live. You’re always thinking about what a crowd wants but also how to keep their attention the whole time. We front and back load the set and then put spacier stuff in the middle, even picking quieter moments between heavy songs so that people have a minute to breathe, especially if there’s mosh pits”. Watching the show later that night, it was apparent that the band achieved these aims when constructing the setlist. The songs took the crowd on the aforementioned rollercoaster, keeping the energy high – especially at the beginning and end – but also having quieter moments for the crowd to recover such as during ‘Prayers’ and ‘Interlude’ in the middle of the set.
On the Road
Gurriers released their debut album ‘Come and See’ in September 2024, and they have been busy touring it ever since. Charlie told us humorously how his favourite part of being on the road is “eating crisps” whereas his least favourite part is “eating crisps!”. Gurriers have had many highlights whilst touring so far, although Ben pinpointed playing the O2 Academy in Brixton opening for Inhaler as a particularly surreal moment; “It’s a wild venue to play in”. He also mentioned returning to the US for SXSW as another great moment. For Charlie it was meeting Roger Taylor. “That was a funny one cause I didn’t recognise him and then it clicked and just that moment-” he laughed, imitating the shock on his face.
There are still lots of places Gurriers are yet to visit on tour. The guys mentioned how they would love to go to South America, as well as Eastern Europe. They have previously played one show in Poland, which incited a debate between the two of whether they count Poland as Eastern Europe. “I think Poland counts itself!” remarked Charlie.
Pre-Show Rituals
Preparing for a live set night after night can often result in pre-show rituals. For Ben, these are mainly physical. “Gotta stretch, I’d usually just jump up and down a few times, trying to get the blood flowing. Smoke, and maybe a can of Coke just to get some sugar in my system”. “We don’t really have a ‘go team’, hands the middle kinda thing” both Charlie and Ben joked. “I think our only real thing is we try to meet up 20 minutes before we’re doing a gig and hang out in the same area, just get in the zone. Our only real ritual is just being with each other”. Gurriers have a very distinctive walk on song (Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You) that always has the crowd singing along. Charlie reflected on how this feels; “If I hear that in the wild, just out and about, my whole body snaps into gig mode”.
The Songwriting Process
Charlie previously mentioned how he loved playing Erasure live, an unreleased song which has made it onto their setlist recently. They wrote the song about six to nine months ago, whilst touring and promoting Come and See (although Ben initially tried to tell us it was as recent as one month ago). Gurriers are constantly working on new music, even when on the road. “It’s the fun part really, I think writing is my favourite part of the whole process, manically pulling at songs until you eventually find something” Charlie commented. They are very collaborative in their songwriting process as a band, something which definitely works in their favour when listening to all the layers in their music. “Someone will come up with something that’s got a riff and it’s a general idea of being like this could be cool if we did something like this” Ben told us. “Sometimes you’re just messing around and someone does something cool and you’re like “what is that – do that again”. You do the same thing for the next 40 minutes until you hate it or you love it”.
Gurriers’ sound has an intense, raw energy and balancing this aggression with melody is a challenge the band skillfully master. Reflecting on this, Charlie told us “We always try to think about what makes something like pop music land. If you take Toxic by Britney Spears, every part of it is a hook and every part of it you’ll remember in and out – and it’s kinda just trying to apply that approach”. “You’re always looking for stuff that is memorable and catchy and feels good. A part is good or shit – it either serves the song and it’s fun or it just sucks, if it’s mediocre, it’s gone”.
Inspiration for songwriting can come from anywhere for Ben and Charlie, whether it’s being at home with a cigarette, or writing on tour. “It’s interesting writing on the road, you end up finishing or starting songs in different cities a lot of the time which is nice because you have a memory attached. We worked out Dissolve in a hotel room in Brussels” Charlie noted. “I think the actual architecture and stuff made a big difference as well” Ben added. “Because even a lot of Europe has a bit more of a brutalist architecture than we get back home, so I think that subconsciously probably stuck in. Dissolve is pretty heavy and gnarly, definitely one of the heavier things we’ve written, so being around loads of concrete and intimidating buildings probably made an impact on it”. Dissolve is another one of the band’s unreleased songs and it was interesting to hear it live later that night, considering the songwriting process through this lens.
What Gurriers Have Been Listening To
Gurriers are usually placed in the punk genre, although they like to push boundaries and go beyond the expected. The band members’ varied music taste likely influences this diversity. Designing their ideal festival lineup, Ben was quick to name Beastie Boys, Nirvana, The Ronettes, and Nine Inch Nails. Charlie added Calvin Harris (three times) to that line-up, along with Japanese rock trio Nisennenmondai. The band were quick to champion smaller artists too, especially those in the Irish music scene. It is clear they choose support acts that they are big fans of, and recommended current support Theatre as well as previous support act Nerves; “They smoked us every night they were on tour with us!”. Enola Gay, Blue Slate and Cliffords were also amongst the up and coming Irish artists Ben and Charlie enthused about, as was SPOOKLET. “Go check out SPOOKLET, ridiculous production in terms of electronic stuff – some of the nicest and tastiest electronic production I’ve heard in a long time”.
Charlie told us how he has been listening to Cameron Winter’s 2024 album Heavy Metal a lot. “It’s like washing my brain or something, it’s just so different to everything else that I listen to”. That, along with Adrianne Lenker, he identified as two artists he listens to which fans may not necessarily expect. Ben has been spinning a lot of The Ronettes and Britney Spears. “I love a bit of Britney Spears. I can’t remember the name of the producer – Max something – so good, the best production ever done”.
The Most Important Question (As Always) – What is Gurriers’ Favourite Crisps?
Having previously mentioned the importance of crisps whilst touring, Ben and Charlie were affirmative with their responses. “Jalapeno and Cheese Walkers Max” said Ben, whilst for Charlie it was sour cream and onion Pringles. “They never miss but they also taste of guilt because I just can’t stop eating them”.
Gurriers are one of those bands you just have to catch live. The size of the stages they play is only going to increase as they keep building the momentum they have currently going on. When telling us what to expect from them the rest of the year they said “more live shows – keep going, we’ll be here!”.
Check out the full video interview below.