REPUBLIC of Loose bring their funky and soulful sounds to Trinity Rooms this Friday, October 10 to celebrate the success of their latest album ‘Vol IV: Johnny Pyro and the Dance of Evil’.

A band that gleefully trailblazes through the melting pot of 21^st century sounds, the Dublin collective blend everything from Celtic hip-hop, Southern fried rock, soulful vocals and Sly & The Family Stone-tinged funkadelics.

The core of the band numbers seven – Mick (vocals), Benjamin Loose (bass, vocals), Deco (keyboards), Dave Pyro (guitar, vocals), Brez (guitar, vocals), Coz Noleon (drums and percussion) and Barnes (drums and percussion), with percussionist Gargos and backing singers Orla La and Eve Ill Jones along for the trip.

“ It all originated from when I was in college, in bands, and going through all kinds of torture about authenticity and what it meant, and trying to find proper voice for the person I was. I started educating myself and reading a lot of stuff and I realised that – I know this sounds highfalutin – but authenticity was a construct. And a bogus construct at that, invented by a bunch of wack-jobs outta their heads on opium and nature in the nineteenth century,” proclaims Republic of Loose frontman Mick Pyro.

“Once I’d made that revelation, I felt completely liberated. I just stripped down my brain for all the things I liked in music, which all came down to James Brown and The Rolling Stones; they were the cornerstones I could build a foundation on,” he adds.

By going their own way, Republic Of Loose has forged their own originality and naivety, with a hip-swinging centre loved by men and women. Their music has its own authenticity because it’s forged from passion and empathy, not from style and careerism.

“To me, the Stones went straight to the source, and the fact that they were from such an alien environment to what they were trying to engage in, it made for this weird, new hybrid. We’re not throwing ourselves at the wall and going goofy with it; it’s just forget the irony and the parody of it, and why not completely immerse ourselves in the music that we love and block out all bull and fashion, and create our own values? We know we didn’t look right for R&B, which spurred us on even more. Plus the women at rock gigs are non-existent. Its good to watch women dancing,” Pyro confesses.

“The indie mentality is that if you have a little bit of fun, you can’t be profound or meaningful. With us, it’s mixed up; there’s a huge amount of humour in there right next to lots of truth and seriousness. For me, the music is party dance music, but the lyrics explore stuff like personal politics - what it’s like to be alive, rather than po-faced ‘we really mean it’ love songs. We place a lot of emphasis on detail and everybody in the band is on top of their game. Nothing goes down without it being really thought about,” he says.

Republic of Loose’s mesmerizing live performances have led to tour supports with The Neville Brothers, The Thrills, The Zutons, Scissor Sisters, Alabama 3, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Snow Patrol, The Roots, and Dilated Peoples, plus festival appearances at Glastonbury, T In The Park, The Fleadh, Oxygen and the Transmusicale, Nice Jazz and Furia Sound festivals in France.

Currently at number one in the Irish Charts with their new single ‘The Steady Song!’, Republic of Loose are not to be missed when they take to the stage at Trinity Rooms this Friday, October 10. Doors open at 9pm and the band will be on stage at 10pm sharp. Tickets cost €17.60 and are available at the Clubhouse, Ticketmaster and Empire Music.

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