Cursed Murphy, aka musician, spoken-word performer and writer Peter Murphy, will play his first live show in eight months in the Orchard Peace Park, Enniscorthy on Friday August 27th. The set will be neither a solo performance nor the line-up that recorded the acclaimed 2020 debut album Cursed Murphy Versus the Resistance, but will feature an especially configured ensemble, including guitarist Dan Comerford, violinist Jasmin Gangnus, and guests. Immediately after this hometown show, Murphy and cohorts will depart for a week of shows in Wuppertal and Berlin, Germany.
On its release last summer, Cursed Murphy Versus the Resistance, which contains the singles Foxhole Prayer, The Bells of Hell, This Cursed Earth and Climb, received stunning reviews from the Irish Times, RTE, Hot Press and the Sunday Times among other publications, as well as national airplay from Paul McLoone, Dan Hegarty, The John Creedon Show, Late Date and Arena. The album also generated acclaim internationally, featuring on the Global Garage radio show, The Big Slice (Manchester), and in the French mag Muzzart, with fan testimonials coming from Sweden, Australia, South Africa, Hong Kong and the US.
The album sessions commenced over two years ago when Murphy and Comerford (also guitarist with Frankenstein Bolts), joined forces with four members of the German-Irish drum crew Bloco Garman – the Gangnus sisters Rebecca, Tamara and Jasmin, plus Kevin Dillon – and producer and musician Johnny Fox (Ger Fox Sailing). Kilmore duo Bascivlle also produced and played on the album’s closing track We Are Dead Stars.
“We all liked a lot of the same stuff,” Peter says, “spoken word, folk, scuzzy punk and hardcore metal, Brazilian rhythms, German electronic music, industrial music, big beats, dystopian film soundtracks. For want of a better description, we started referring to ourselves as a mutant ninja spoken word punk rock ‘n’ roll band. I think if this album has any kind of theme, it’s a refusal to roll over or give in, no matter how grim the circumstances. When Covid hit we were, like everyone else on the planet, completely blindsided, but we made a decision to release our album regardless, making videos in isolation. The response has been phenomenal.”
“Fiery poetry and prophesy. Fantastic album.” – Paul McCloone, Today FM.
“Love this! Soothing and dreamy until the apocalypse envelopes all at the end.” – Butch Vig, producer (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth) on This Cursed Earth
“Brilliant debut from avant-garde adventurers… An inspired mix of left-field electronica, punk guitar rhythms and atmospheric soundscapes, the album successfully mines similar themes of social and political upheaval. ” – Hot Press
“Cursed Murphy Versus The Resistance is not an album made to be ignored… It yells, it screams, it howls, to be heard… The album conveys many of the frustrations and loss felt by a génération perdue.” – The Last Mixed Tape
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