Louth band Kern have released a new single from their False Deceiver album which we have recently reviewed here on Tradconnect.  

The single is called “The Hard Wind” and is released on the 100th anniversary of the first day of The Battle of the Somme.

“The Hard Wind” tells the story of a young Irishman who joins the British Army in 1914 and survives the horrors of World War I, only to return to a country forever changed by the events of the Easter Rising. Mike Harding called it “a really fine and brave song … really interesting, powerful and complex”.

The band features Brendan McCreanor on uilleann pipes and whistles, Barry Kieran on fiddle and SJ McArdle on vocals and guitar. All three are from Louth, and this is reflected in their repertoire, which includes tunes and songs from all over the county as well as new self-written compositions. The album manages to combine their varied backgrounds in a modern and contemporary way, and sets them apart from from many of their contemporaries.

“What's really magical about this band is that we've all approached it from different angles” said Stephen when we spoke to him.  “We brought ourselves fully into the recording without any of us feeling that what we do, or who we are, is diminished in any way by it. That's an incredibly rare thing in a band - to be fully yourself, working to your full potential and contributing fully to your fellow musicians. It has also made us very close and has strengthened our friendship.”

Find out more by reading our launch article from February.

The album can now be purchased from their website www.kernmusic.com or from iTunes andGoogle Play

It is also available as a free download for broadcasters that are part of our Download Centre.