Villagers

Despite earning a Mercury Prize nomination and winning an Ivor Novello award, the aftermath of Villagers acclaimed debut Becoming A Jackal was a truly dark time for Conor O'Brien. Dealing with personal loss amidst a three year tour, the most promising Irish songwriter of a generation was left burnt out, detached and unsure of his future in music.

Ethan Johns

He's well established as one of the best producers in the business. Over the years Ethan Johns has lent his talents to albums by Kings of Leon, Ryan Adams and Rufus Wainwright. Now after 25 years in music, Johns is releasing his first solo album.

What an awesome fucking beard. 

Johns' golden touch saw him become one of the most sought after producers around. In addition to his abilities behind the mixing desk, he would very often play and co-write with the artists he worked with. So it seems strange that, at the age of 43, he's just releasing his debut album.

Hawklion

When music scenes run their course, bands that came from that era risk becoming irrelevant. Dublin three piece Hawklion avoided this pitfall by decamping to the studio and reinventing their sound.

In the middle of the last decade, with indie music in full swing Hawklion's former guise The Looks were one of many promising young Irish guitar bands. But the the end of the noughties saw a definite shift in tastes and the band were determined to move with the times.