Music
Press
Mike Farragher
I didn't even know you could surf in Ireland, but that was not as surpirsing as these chixxx from Donegal. They came into Connolly's and I thought, 'hmmm, two girls, two guitars. This crowd are going to hate them'. And then the chixxx started rocking the house. Onya O' Doherty's vocals are awesome- Janis Joplin comes to mind. Solidly backed by her buddy Niamh, the girls played rock, pop, country and even threw in some bluegrass. Their audience interaction was hilarious- these girls know how to work the crowd. Even the most cynical of axemen had to admit that these girls can really play their guitars- and their set was tight and obviously well rehearsed. O' Doherty's original material was impressive, and kept the crowd engaged. No one wanted them to leave the stage, and my fear for their success in big bad Manhattan was replaced by the unfortunate 5-piece band that was to follow them. There is surf in Ireland, and there are the Surfchixxx, and both are top class. - Irish News (NYC)
Our pick of the week are The Surfchixx. They will be playing the Surfrock festival in Donegal and ifyou haven't seen these girls rock, you're missing out. There's two hot ladies, so you think-'great, eye candy!'.... and then you see what they can do with their guitars and their vocals, and you want to be them. And they play all kinds of music. You won't be disappointed. Chasin' Bull, Saturday night. See you up the front.
Steve Cummins - Hot Press Magazine
Mc Grorys, Sat May 17th 2008
Matt Britton
Excitement was building in Inishowen. The Movie Crew were in town, and rumour had it, Aidan Quinn would be popping in for a pint. I dropped in, pleasantly surprised to note that there was a band booked.Surfchixxx. Two girls took to the stage, and I waited for the inevitable ballads and Indigo-girls covers to provide a gentle soundtrack to our evening. But they were having none of it. They kicked off with a version of the Pretender's 'Brass in Pocket' and no one in the bar took their eyes off them for the rest of the night. Each song was punctuated by clever repartee. One poor man who dared to make an out-loud comment about lead singer Aine's impressive...er..lungs was mercilessly teased for the remainder of the evening. It was a terrific show, entertaining, impressive, musically thrilling, and O' Doherty's original material is top class. The crowd refused to let them off the stage, demanding no less than three encores. My highlight was O' Doherty's performance of Joplin's'Piece of my heart'. My girlfriend loved their version of 'Radar Love'. Their set was full of surprises, and they seem to be able to deliver all genres of music. I went looking for star quality in Mc Grorys and I found it. Surfchixxx. You heard it here first. - Donegal Democrat
Discography
Aine O' Doherty performs as solo s/s ONYA , with original band NOLADY, and has several releases www.sonicbids.com/nolady Her debut solo cd 'Secrets & Lies' is available on iTunes and CDBaby. Nolady EP 'Little Diva' is on www.myspace.com/noladymusic Niamh Hamill is director of Irish record label Musicminders www.musicminders.com. Surfchixxx is perform covers AND/OR original material:
Photos
Bio
Surfchixxx is a two-girl band featuring well known Irish singer-songwriter 'Onya' (Aine O' Doherty). She is accompanied by backing vocalist & gutarist Niamho. They play acoustic rock, combining excellent guitar with powerful vocals and harmonies. Their influences are varied, from rock and pop to country and bluegrass. They are constantly complimented for the enthusiasm of their performances- they are energetic, fun, they really engage the audience, and they are great to look at. For a 'small' band, they can carry big audiences, and people are always impressed by the combination of musicianship, talent and humour. Very lively and engaging.
The chixxx met in 2002, in the bohemian surf town of Bundoran, Donegal, Ireland. Niamho came from Dublin to manage 'Donegal Adventure Centre & Surf School'. Onya was running local music venue 'The Chasin' Bull', writing and performing original music, and catching a few waves. The girls found much in common...two pisceans, with similar tastes in music, clothes, pastimes and especially attitude...after a few jams, Surfchixxx materialised. The first 'official' gig was on April 1st, 2005, in the Bridge Bar, Ramelton. A busy summer was followed by a US tour of Boston and New York, including performances at the Boston Irish Festival, CBGB's New York, and many other venues around Manhattan. The Chixxx returned to the USA in 2006 and added venues such as 'The Saint', Asbury Park, 'Sweetwater', SF, 'Sin E', Manhattan, The Texas Irish Festival, Dallas, 'Antones', Austin, and many more US venues to their gig list. Cities toured included San Francisco, New York, Boston, Dallas, Austin, finishing in Times Square on St. Patrick's day with a Surfchixxx party at Scruffy Murphy's. The chixxx returned home in '06 to play the Irish Summer Circuit including various festivals, parties and outdoor events. In 2007, the surfchixxx began the year with a January residency in Las Vegas, followed by performances in L.A's 'Temple Bar', 'Roxy', 'Molly Malones' among other venues. They also toured in Europe during several short tours - Amsterdam (Mulligans), Rotterdam (O' Shea's, Paddy's). They performed in Lyon, France, Rome, Italy and Bandon, in the People's Republic of Cork. In 2008, the girls did a three-month tour of favourite city Los Angeles, stopping off for perofrmances in San Diego, The Memphis Folk Alliance, SXSW and various other great gigs. They returned to Europe for the summer, headlining the ROXY/GIBSON Surf Festival at Fistral, Newquay UK. In October 2008 they toured Holland, playing Amsterdam, Ommen and Marienberg, and they return to New York in December '08. '09 included a tour in the USA in March, including Los Angeles and SXSW, St Patrick's Festivals in San Diego & Long Beach, two tours in Europe, some great performances in London, and a December tour back in New York. In 2010, the girls hope to tour in Austria, Holland, London and there are whispers of a gig in Bahrain!
Many people have been fooled into assuming that a band featuring two girls and two acoustic guitars is going to be a mellow, quiet affair....not so! These girls are unusual, in that they can really play their beloved Gibsons...and the singing & harmonies will either silence the room, or raise the roof. They are experts at entertaining an audience...some say Las Vegas is challenge, but Irish audiences are probably the toughest crowd anywhere, and that's where the surfchixxx earned their stripes. Banter, wit and audience participation add to their whole set, and every gig they have played to date has seen the same 'WOW' reaction.
Surfchixxx suit a party atmosphere- if there isn't one, they will make one. If your aim as a booker is to keep bottoms on seats, a busy bar, and be 100% certain that your customers will enjoy the music and stay, then this is the band to book.
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