The Whatmans

The Whatmans from Navan in Ireland have been around for about four years. John Brennan (Vocals) , Padar Mulvey (Guitar), Franny McGinn (Bass), Aidan Carolan (Drums) and Elizabeth Oakes (Keyboards) mix shoegaze and Rock, creating material about their perspective of life around the world. They are making an impact across the UK, Ireland and North America as their wide spread touring has taken them to new and diverse audiences.


The Whatmans

Navan, or should I reverse that to Navan, yes it is a palindrome (I spend too long playing with words – one of the few Palindromic place names in the world) is home to some interesting bands, which as I have mentioned on other articles, sits too close to Dublin, yet too far away, for bands from this neck of the woods to get any sort of an easy break. Anyway, you aren’t reading this to hear me droning on about irrelevances, what are The Whatmans like?

Committed, hard-working, creative, relevant and tight…. Erm… As regular readers of the site know, I write with my ear-phones on listening to the music as I type and I am enjoying it too much to want to actually knuckle down. High energy rock is harnessed without the vitality of the music being compromised. This is a professional group of artists, who take their music seriously and are aiming to provide a powerful sound which resonates with their listeners. Uncomplicated by frippery, yet adding depth of composition with flair. The Whatmans, have not forgotten why they got involved in music in the first place, as it retains a playful energy, which is the classic root of new bands, but after four years, they have rounded this superb weave, which unlike the recent history of carpet making in Navan, is unlikely to become threadbare any time soon.

They manage to swerve between the heavy reverb guitar of shoegaze, through the power politics of 2nd wave punk to swinging open rock of the likes of Queen with no effort, taking the listener on a superb ride, while the vocal focusses on issues around the world, yet manages to avoid sound preaching. In other words The Whatmans flirt with musical clichés, which they brush aside with aplomb.

It is always a pleasure to write about bands who expend energy in developing their craft and audience with no expectation that someone else will step in to the breach. It takes true commitment and belief in their music and The Whatmans I hope retain that belief as they have for sure, something to add to the world of music.
- Indie Band Blog

De Ierse band The Whatmans begon een paar maanden geleden een bijzonder krachtig persoffensief. Het enthousiasme van de band en haar promotors verdiende wat mij betreft sympathie, maar zonder een goede plaat ben je natuurlijk nergens. Dat weten The Whatmans ook wel en daarom leveren ze met hun debuut Fire Up The Masses direct maar een geweldige plaat af. Het debuut van de Ieren staat vol recht voor je raap rock ’n roll die je compleet van je sokken blaast. Het is muziek die zich laat inspireren door het beste uit een paar decennia Britse rockmuziek en die met zoveel bravoure wordt gebracht dat er niet veel fantasie voor nodig is om je voor te stellen dat The Whatmans over niet al te lange tijd klaar zijn voor de grote podia, festivals en stadions. Fire Up The Masses walst als een stoomtrein over je heen met muziek die net zo makkelijk 10, 20, 30 of 40 jaar geleden gemaakt had kunnen worden, maar geen moment gedateerd klinkt. The Whatmans maakt op Fire Up The Masses spierballen rock ’n roll vol heerlijke gitaarriffs, gierende gitaarsolo’s, een lekker zeurend orgeltje, roffelende drums, stuwende basloopjes en lekker rauwe en vaak wat vervormde vocalen. Zeker wanneer de gitaren breed uitwaaien en de basloopjes heerlijk inventief zijn ligt de vergelijking met de grote Ierse broer U2 voor de hand, maar The Whatmans doet me achtereenvolgens ook denken aan The Who, The Kinks, Oasis, The Verve, Kasabian, Ride, Suede, The Cult en nog een dozijn andere smaakmakers uit de geschiedenis van de (Britse) rockmuziek. Er zijn momenteel waarschijnlijk honderden bands als The Whatmans, maar geen van deze bands slaagt er in om op de proppen te komen met een serie rocksongs die net zo goed en memorabel zijn als die op Fire Up The Masses. Bij Fire Up The Masses had ik eigenlijk hetzelfde gevoel als bij beluistering van U2’s Boy heel, heel lang geleden. Het debuut van The Whatmans is een fantastische plaat van een band die alleen maar heel groot en nog veel beter kan gaan worden. Voor het zover is moeten de platenmaatschappijen wel wakker worden, want in de Nederlandse platenzaak is het droomdebuut van The Whatmans momenteel niet eens te vinden. Desondanks ben ik er van overtuigd dat de band volgend jaar grote zalen en festivals plat speelt. Fire Up The Masses staat dan al lang in de boeken als een legendarisch debuut van een grote band. Erwin Zijleman - De KrentenUit De Pop "HOLLAND"

Once you banish any too cool for school-like thoughts from your head and embrace the essential posture on the debut release from Navan classic rockers the Whatmans, it has to be said that Fire Up The Masses is a pretty strong collection of songs. The record begins impressively at a blistering, bass-driven pace. While they do run out of steam a little around the mid-way point with the repetitive ‘Devil Shoes’ and ‘Get You Off,’ the old school raunch‘n’roll stylings of ‘Come Along’ and the title track will appeal to anyone who is compelled by the sheer power of the riff. There’s some great, high-pitched vocals throughout too, courtesy of John Brennan. A guilty pleasure? Go on, indulge yourself
- Hot Press "IRELAND"

Oh the Irish.

What a lousy bunch of shitbirds.

You feel for them for a number of reasons: prone to addiction, weirdly fascinated and mind-controlled by potatoes, often very very pale, normally completely impossible to understand when they speak because they are genetically born with larger tongues... shit I could go on here.

But the Whatmans man. They're my new favorite band from Ireland. Further proof that Irishies will do anything to get off that god forsaken rock so many of our ancestors called a homeland so many years ago. This album Fire Up The Masses is fucking GIGANTICALLY fucking AWESOME.

So many things get taken advantage of on this album:

The hi-hat takes a fucking beating like a wife who wouldn't listen throughout. The drummer makes this about the band rather than himself and it rewards the album with a consistent, huge cock keeping rhythm, while the attention-hungry Fucks in the band scream and revolt out front of the drum set.

The guitars attack like a cousin to Wolfmother, but with the class to sell out a bombed out pub in Belfast, not some shanty in shit-for-citizens-Australia.

The vocals are that of a glue-huffing addicted sanskrit major who puts more time into his hackey sacking than actual sanskrit. It's fucking rock and roll in all its glory. There isn't a hint of faux in any of this shit, it's just fucking music.

"Can I rip off your knees?" the drunk Irishman screams at me on the track "Follow Me". The answer is no, of course, but FINA-fucking-LY A fucking BAND WHERE THE LEAD SINGER WANTS ME TO FIGHT HIM WHILES HE SINGS AT ME'S! Fuck YES!

This is gritty "I'm Irish, but I know which one is the salad fork you fucking mook" rock. I hear Rush, I hear Wolfmother, I hear Deep Purple, I hear myself masturbating in a sauna.

I have a favorite band from Ireland. Would I let them sleep on my couch? Fuck no. Would I book them at South By SYFFAL? A resounding Fuck YES.
- SUFFAL Website "USA"

Oh the Irish.

What a lousy bunch of shitbirds.

You feel for them for a number of reasons: prone to addiction, weirdly fascinated and mind-controlled by potatoes, often very very pale, normally completely impossible to understand when they speak because they are genetically born with larger tongues... shit I could go on here.

But the Whatmans man. They're my new favorite band from Ireland. Further proof that Irishies will do anything to get off that god forsaken rock so many of our ancestors called a homeland so many years ago. This album Fire Up The Masses is fucking GIGANTICALLY fucking AWESOME.

So many things get taken advantage of on this album:

The hi-hat takes a fucking beating like a wife who wouldn't listen throughout. The drummer makes this about the band rather than himself and it rewards the album with a consistent, huge cock keeping rhythm, while the attention-hungry Fucks in the band scream and revolt out front of the drum set.

The guitars attack like a cousin to Wolfmother, but with the class to sell out a bombed out pub in Belfast, not some shanty in shit-for-citizens-Australia.

The vocals are that of a glue-huffing addicted sanskrit major who puts more time into his hackey sacking than actual sanskrit. It's fucking rock and roll in all its glory. There isn't a hint of faux in any of this shit, it's just fucking music.

"Can I rip off your knees?" the drunk Irishman screams at me on the track "Follow Me". The answer is no, of course, but FINA-fucking-LY A fucking BAND WHERE THE LEAD SINGER WANTS ME TO FIGHT HIM WHILES HE SINGS AT ME'S! Fuck YES!

This is gritty "I'm Irish, but I know which one is the salad fork you fucking mook" rock. I hear Rush, I hear Wolfmother, I hear Deep Purple, I hear myself masturbating in a sauna.

I have a favorite band from Ireland. Would I let them sleep on my couch? Fuck no. Would I book them at South By SYFFAL? A resounding Fuck YES.
- SUFFAL Website "USA"

One thing that doesn’t get talked about much these days is a great argument starter: Who’s the biggest band in the world right now? In the past twenty years, there have probably been 30 bands that at one point in time could say that they were the biggest band in the world. Although, since the anti-big movement of the 90's, not many bands have sought after that kind of thing. However, the few that have offer a similar sound: stadium ready choruses, thunderous but never heavy guitars, and plenty of chest beating. The Whatmans truly want to be the biggest band in the world. And in Indie music that is a contrarian, if not admirable, point of view. But, with all the hallmarks, The Whatmans make an impressive debut in Fire Up the Masses.

From the guitar swirl and texture on the near instrumental title track, to the bleating impassioned vocals of John Brennan, the Whatmans show gratitude to some of the UK’s biggest bands, namely Oasis, the Verve, and those that followed in their wake. Opener “One for the Music” is hackneyed in its title, but is huge with its swirly guitar and incessant beat. Everything you want in an opener. “Come Along” sounds like the Killers if they rocked. And it’s damn catchy. “Messiahs and Monkeys” tries to make a point, but misses. But, godammit if it doesn’t sound great. “Thinkin Champagne” is similar, vaguely about class, but is a swinging heavy rock song that is big and catchy. In fact, the whole damn album is that way. The high harmonies on “Get You Off”, and the buzzy, feedback riddled “Follow Me” follow the same formula. Second single “Kiss the Mind” is blissful pop, with its nearly wordless chorus, and pounding beat. “Devil Shoes” the lead single follows. And it’s even better, with its bass driven verses and chiming chorus. “Soldier” is the epic on the album. Clocking in at almost eight minutes, it’s the one miscalculation on the album. It’s near cheese, in its ultra clean production and repeated “Bang, bang/ I’m a soldier…..of war” chorus. I see what they are going for here, but it doesn’t measure up to the rest of the album. Though the big rocking breakout is nicely executed, the track as a whole isn’t worth its salt. The swirling title track brings us back to the meat of the album to wrap things up nicely.

If you like your rock and roll big, but not heavy, Fire Up the Masses is right up your alley. Its huge choruses and big guitars are well worth the investment of your time. The album is lean, at ten tracks and under 40 minutes. And outside of “Soldier” it never feels labored. It’s invigorating, fresh and familiar all at once. The Whatmans clearly want to be great. They want to be huge. And Fire Up the Masses is the album that people will point to when they are huge and say “I loved this album when I first heard it back in 2011.” Trust me.
- DOA Web site "USA"

The Whatmans are Navan's latest indie rock outfit. They consist of John Brennan on vocals, Padar Mulvey on guitar and backing vocals, Francis "Frany" McGinn on bass and Aidan Carolan on drums.

With the release of their debut single 'Devil Shoes' catching the ears of some top music reviewers, and record companies from Warner Bros and Universal to MTV2, the band are quickly making a name for themselves as the next big thing.

Dubbed as "what Oasis would sound like if they had imagination", the band live up to their hype through their live shows and of course the most important thing, their music.

"This year we have achieved all we set out for," Padar Mulvey. "We got signed by Matchbox Recordings Ltd who are a Universal-related company. Universal and Warner Brothers have said great things about us. Both are keeping a close eye on what we do all the time. They are in contact regularly with Matchbox Recordings."

Reviewer Dermot Long wrote: "From songs like 'One For The Music', 'Korea' and one of the best written songs 'Soldier', the band have captured a sound that U2 would be proud of. John Brennan has vocal chords that will make you sit up and take notice. His voice is different to everything else and to me its roughness and readiness to destroy any microphone is a gift most singers can only dream of. He has the arrogance and confidence on stage of a young Manchester hero, and uses every lyric to full effect.

Padar Mulvey, the guitarist and writer of the tunes for The Whatmans, has a sound that rages through the room like a runaway steam train. From jingle jangle sounds to roaring, flaming guitar solos, Padar pushes his guitar to the limit and beyond. His passion is evident in every guitar riff, and lyric he writes.

"Frany McGinn and Aidan Carolan are the sort of rhythm section that every band should have. Bass riffs that are as catchy as swine flu and drums that bring a new meaning to the word pounding, these two know how to play their instruments."

Mulvey says: "We brought out a single this year at the start of October called 'Devil Shoes'. This was brought out by Matchbox Recordings and Universal. It has received great reviews from all critics well known in both Ireland and Britain."

The song can be downloaded on iTunes and other on-line music stores. The video, which can be viewed on YouTube, was directed by Vincent Gallagher and produced by Dave Leahy. The Whatmans released the single in The Village to a sold out venue and played The Whatmans Christmas Party in The Backroom Sessions in The Lantern Navan.

"Next year, we intend to bring out one or two more singles and then release the album," Mulvey says. "We have British and Irish tours in the making, and if all goes to plan maybe an American tour."

- Irish press