The Irish Times has compiled a (bound to be controversial) top 50 of the best Irish music acts 'right now'.
In an article in today's paper they say hail a "new generation of rappers, free thinkers and pop stars-in-training ...The industry here used to be 50 shades of glum. Now it’s multicoloured and multifaceted".
Waterford's Alex Gough has beaten established acts like Hozier, U2, Imelda May and even Van Morrison to enter the list at no 23 - while Pat Lagoon enters the list at no 29!
The paper of record has written this about the local stars:
Alex Gough
Waterford is an emerging hip-hop hotbed, with 21-year-old drummer-turned-rapper Gough among the scene’s stand-out talents. As with many of his generation, he isn’t afraid to get political: his 2018 track Afraidofmoney is a commentary on the problems caused by poverty: “homelessness, poverty, alcoholism, suicide in extreme cases”.
Pat Lagoon
There are callbacks to Frank Ocean and Mac Miller in the free-floating grooves and rhymes of Waterford rapper Pat Lagoon. Another rising star from the southeast, he arrived in earnest with April’s stunning debut EP, Box Room. Depending on your perspective, the release can be read either as a cry of pain in an uncaring world or a lament for the decline in Waterford hurling.
To find out who took the top spot - check out the article here:
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/the-best-50-irish-music-acts-right-now-in-order
