Finally the day is upon us that the three inner city boys from the heart of town make it big. The Original Rudeboys first came to many peoples attention through a Youtube clip of the three lads performing their now hit single, Stars In My Eyes, from the comforts of a humble living room. The performance was set in a serene atmosphere immediately connecting with the audience, albeit through a computer screen. Like it or not, this is modern music. This is how you become recognised. Indeed, social networking was pivotal in the success of The ORB’s.
The band, consisting of guitar playing vocalist Rob Burch, Sean ‘Neddy’ Arkins who raps with a unique Dublin twang and Sean Walsh who adds underlying melodies in the form of haunting ukulele rhythms must be extremely thankful for the popularity of Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, in their journey to finally achieving a chart hit debut album.
The ORB’s started off by shamelessly flogging their videos on Facebook via Youtube and as more people shared their videos their dream gathered momentum and has now culminated with the release of their debut album, This Life. As the three Dublin natives became more popular they embarked on a mission. A mission to gain notoriety nationwide.
They managed to blag their way onto TV3, featuring on The Morning Show presented by Sybil Mulcahy and Martin King. Next up was featuring on RTE 1 with Brendan O'Connor during The Saturday Night Show. On top of their television appearances they tirelessly travelled Ireland advertising themselves on hit radio stations with Spin 103.8 awarding them their first big break when Stars In My Eyes was given airtime.
Their lyrics include lines such as, “we didn't wanna be another band blazing in bars, were gazing at charts, hoping one day to be a part of it”, which shows the infinite ambition and passion which Walshy, Neddy And Burch possess. They have had the chance to play at the world renowned music festival Oxegen, as well as having the opportunity of playing at the Leeds/Reading festival in England and countless other events across Ireland. They even had the honour of supporting both Sinead O’Connor and Damien Dempsey, on their respective nationwide tours.
Not only have The ORB’s taken these chances of live gigs, they subsequently have gained cult status among the younger generation of Irish music fans. As teenagers flock to meet their new music idols, it is hopeful that through their debut album, This Life, that the music world in it’s entirety will stand up and take notice of these travelling men with stars in their eyes. An edition of Hotpress Magazine earlier this year featured a cover photograph of The ORB’s, this is evidence of just how far the three lads have come in the last year.
They are, of course, still at a very tender stage of their career, only performing together for barely a year. However, with supporting performances for Snoop Dogg and Swedish House Mafia this summer among many other sold out gigs, who knows what heights The ORB's may reach.
They officially launched their debut album on Saturday 31st March 2012 at the Grand Social venue. However, if you were not lucky enough to get your hands on a ticket they will be performing many gigs throughout the year. All information needed can be found on their website, http://www.theoriginalrudeboys.com/?page_id=101. With many music festival performances and Phoenix Park shows, it's a long way from seeing the band perform one of their maiden gigs in The Pint bar on Eden Quay where a tightly packed crowd stood to watch a lively performance in a venue reminiscent of The Cavern Club, a Liverpool venue famously associated with The Beatles.
The album itself shows the talent of lyricist Neddy Arkins whom many years ago I first discovered when I came across a free downloadable album of his entitled, The Boy In The Sky. It showed his potential, it was far from record breaking but I always knew there was talent there waiting to be discovered. Now it has finally been given a chance to shine and succeed nationwide and perhaps someday appeal to an even vaster worldwide audience.
I think The ORB’s lyrics of, “And these labels say we were just too different, Dublin hip hop would never work there's something missing in, the accent is too deep, it's too strong, but now most of them are singing along”, unfortunately described my opinion back then. I never thought the music world would accept the uniqueness of Arkins’ voice, no matter how hard he worked . Has his unique style finally been accepted? In my opinion, 'chea'.
With the addition of Walshy and Burch, a whole new genre of acoustic Irish hip-hop mixed with electric beats and catchy choruses and of course the unmissable ukulele not only comes together but it bounces off each sub-genre perfectly. The trio have somehow managed to combine all of their individual talents and create a force to be reckoned with on the Irish music scene.
While trying to give a balanced and unbiased opinion of their album, I must admit I am a fan of The Original Rudeboys. Their album focuses on quality not quantity with a ten song playlist. Their more recognised songs take precedence in order of play, albeit more professionally produced versions. This does not necessarily make them better versions, but none the less they are enchanting lyrics accompanied with key guitar melodies and the mellifluous sound of a ukulele echoing in the background. In my opinion, there are two hidden gems on this album, namely, Blue Eyes and more so, Written Songs, the latter possibly having potential of being another hit single.
The album can be purchased from all Golden Disc and HMV outlets as well as Tower Records. You can also download it via iTunes which is the more preferred option of music purchase in the modern times we live in. Having said all that, I don't claim to be a musical guru. You don't have to be the biggest fan of Irish hip-hop whatsoever, but I urge you all to still give this record a chance and purchase the album for as little as €9.99. It’s about time you took notice and a shine to these kids in their prime and create your own opinion on The Original Rudeboys, a band sure to loom large on the horizon of Irish music for many years to come.
S.DAWSON 28/03/12
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