Lights, Camera, Action!

By Joe Kavanagh

Although 2007 has seemed like something of a fallow year for Irish rock music when compared to 2006, several acts have emerged who show the potential to break through on the international stage.

Foremost among those threatening to make the leap into global success is Director, whose cleverly crafted songs have already harvested them a record deal with a major label and a host of influential backers in the UK and European media.

The story of Director begins only a couple of years ago in the relatively serene north Dublin seaside town of Malahide, where four longtime friends decided to focus all their attentions on a career in music.

Michael Moloney (vocals, guitar), Eoin Aherne (guitar), Shea Lawlor (drums) and Rowen Averill (bass) took their musical lead from classic songwriters such as the Beatles, Steely Dan and Randy Newman, along with modern acts such as Grandaddy, Beck and The Strokes.

In Aherne's own words the band's mandate is simple: 'Music is meant to excite people, it's there for people to enjoy. That's what we try to focus on.'

Taking time to work on their songs, the band's songs exhibited cohesion beyond their experience by the time they made their live debut on the local circuit.

With just a few rough demos in circulation and a growing live reputation the band's name began appearing in the Irish media in late 2005 as a potentially important Irish act capable of breaking out of the national scene.

Record company interest inevitably followed and the band put pen to paper with major label, Atlantic Records, in a reputedly lucrative deal that put them on the same label that had so successfully - if lamentably - broken James Blunt on the international scene.

It wasn't until April 24 of 2006 that the public at large was afforded an opportunity to appreciate what all the buzz on the underground was about, when Director made their debut with lead single, Reconnect, which served as a formidable opening shot.

Instantly catchy, the song is a virtually flawless example of well-crafted indie-pop, exhibiting all of the band's influences and drawing comparisons to likeminded acts such as Weezer and Editors.

In an effort to retain full artistic control over all aspects of their work, the band impressively produced the single as well as writing and (almost inevitably) directing the accompanying video.

It proved an immediate success in Ireland, entering the top ten the first week of its release.

The stylishly up-tempo track, backed with Atlantic's PR machine, even managed to make a solid impression on a UK market that holds a typically indifferent view of Irish rock bands.

The video went into heavy rotation on MTV2 and won the band admirers throughout the British media.

The band consolidated their success by heading out on the road as the opening act for England's Hard-Fi, on the Irish and UK legs of their sold-out tour.

The band's live show continued to improve adding confidence to the unbridled and energetic exuberance that always typifies their performances.

As summer approached Director again took to the road for an Irish tour with The Blizzards; friends of the band and another highly regarded Irish act in their own right. The tour was essentially used to hone the band's set in anticipation of a busy year and to test out the material for the debut album, which the four-piece had been sporadically working on over the past few months.

In the words of Averill: 'We take everything we do very seriously and any music which bears the name Director is the result of long hours of careful consideration.

Like anything, music requires development and you only make progress by putting in the time; but when you finally hit that magic combination the result seems effortless.'

Director released their debut album, We Thrive On Big Cities, in October of last year, delivering a collection of songs entirely worthy of all the hype.

The ten song collection proved an instant hit with critics and music fans alike as it climbed to #2 in the Irish album charts, held out of the top slot by the Killers' hugely popular Sam's Town.

By January of this year the band found themselves on a roll, acquiring a nomination for the Choice Music Award (Ireland's equivalent of the Mercury Music Prize) and winning the Meteor Music Award for Best New Act, within a six-week span. Since then the band has begun making waves on the international scene with a series of high-profile tours opening for acts such as Modest Mouse and Razorlight, in addition to an acclaimed performance at the recent music extravaganza that is the Oxegen Festival.

For those that passed off the band's debut album as an anomaly, Director released a brand new single in May of this year, titled, Be With You, which is without a doubt their strongest release to date and has proven so popular that it will be added to their debut album's track listing for its British release later this year.

With Europe seemingly within their grasp, the band's attention has now turned toward the US with Atlantic record execs already formulating a plan of attack on the world's largest music market, most likely in the form of high-profile support slots with big name acts. Now the real work begins.