TRAVEGA

Dublin band Travega are to play a headline gig in Whelans of Wexford Street on Monday the 27th of June 2005. The gig caps the end of a hectic couple of months for the band. In January they organised a Tsunami gig in The Village raising close to €4k in aid of those affected by the disaster. It was at that gig that Travega were first noticed by Dublin singer-songwriter Declan O'Rourke, who then agreed to produce Travega's debut recording, a self-titled three track E.P. Since then they have jammed together regularly and played a number of live events. The collaboraton is set to continue as O'Rourke and Travega are to return to the studio as the band look to record their debut album. In March Travega played the Xlantic Battle of the bands in Eamon Dorans and on the back of an explosive performance in the first heat secured the support slot with Meteor Award winners, the Angels of Mons in the Venue Rathfarnham. A few weeks later Travega returned to Eamon Dorans and walked away with the Battle of the Bands, securing a total of 56% of the vote against four other bands in the final. - entertainment.ie

www.undergroundsessions.com

"The final act were a band that I had personally been waiting for all night. Travega have been doing very well on the cpu website (play their tune and make them famous), and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. From a very detailed sound check and retuning between songs, I knew these men were talking their music seriously. This was their first acoustic gig and so despite some nerves and uneasyness about some songs they easily defeated the elements. For such a young band the lead guitarist Michael pulled out some excellent riffs. Each song they played was like letting me in on a secret which was silly because I already felt special. 'Lead the Way' was the one I was waiting for and in my head there were shouts of 'wow' and 'yeah' which thankfully stayed in there and saved me from embarrasment. What I loved about them mainly was their raw touch, not afraid to try something new or mess around with their sounds. They do this naturally and seriously so dont miss out on them before they forget the little people". - undergroundsessions

WHELANS REVIEW ON GETAGIG.IE

We caught up with Dublin based band ‘Travega’ as they prepared for their first headline show in Whelan’s of Wexford Street on June 27th. The UCD students have been steadily building on their already favourable reputation and a recent win at the Xlantic Battle of the Bands final did no harm to their future prospects. The Band formed in January 2004 when the lads found a good ‘mix’ between themselves. They describe themselves as a melodic rock band with influences that include Led Zepplin, Thin Lizzy, Pearl Jam and Green Day. A lively show in Whelan’s where they seemed to strike up an almost instant rapport with the audience was as confidently dished out as you could expect from any seasoned pro. As musicians, they are tight and quite at home on stage. ‘Lead The Way’ (a possible headline track for the upcoming EP?) was definitely a hit among their following and demonstrates that this band have the talent to write and perform exactly what their fans want. During April 2005, the band spent some time at Ashtown Studios under the watchful eye of Declan O’Rourke and Robbie Sexton (Blink) to record their debut EP. This should be available in September this year, accompanied by a busier gigging schedule so keep an eye out for them. We’ll let you know about the release date and where you can get your hands on a copy as soon as we know. Andrew Scott (vocals & guitar) recalled ‘Me and Deco (Declan Davis - Percussion) were in a band that broke up and we found a more than willing compatriot in Stainesy (Michael Staines – lead guitar) to keeping a band going. We were jammin for a bit and then Stainsey got a gig and we needed a bass player so Pembo (Brian Pemberton: Bass, Vocals, Guitar) jammed with us the day before and we’ve been jammin ever since.’ Some support slots followed and then some gigs of their own. In January 2005 they raised €3500 for victims of the Tsunami disaster with a gig in The Village (Dublin) where a certain Dublin singer-songwriter - Declan O’Rourke spotted them. Soon after this gig he agreed to produce Travega's debut recording. Things seem to be on the up for this young band. They’re enjoying their music, gigs are coming their way, they’ve just been in the studio for what promises to be a great debut offering, they’ve just headlined in Whelan’s for the first time, and they are attracting all the right kind of attention from both the punters and the press alike. The next few months will be huge for them as they look to take another step forward and reach a national audience. An EP that’s sure to receive plenty of air-time and more gigs that might include support to Declan O’Rourke or Blink – who knows what kind of heights they can reach over the next year? They’ve got a cool demo that’s available at their gigs and you’d be well advised to go and check them out ASAP. Big gigs could be only around the corner for the award-winning band and it would be a shame to miss them up close if you have the opportunity. You can find out more about Travega at www.travega.com
- getagig