THE ACADEMIC

In the organizer's words:

The Academic simply remain true to themselves, even through change. Their sound may have changed over the years, as has their attitude to life between teenage frivolity and entering true adulthood. But these anthemic rock-pop songs by the Irish still set standards. This also applies to their latest album "Sitting Pretty" from last year. The sound spectrum has expanded considerably since the debut album "Tales From The Backseat", which reached number one in their home country (the new album, incidentally, also reached the top of the charts, of course). Slightly echoing voices and psychedelic guitars are now just as much a part of the repertoire as the currently fashionable retro aesthetic, which draws on the fullness of the 80s and 90s. But the basic attitude of The Academic remains the same. Basically, it's just four friends in a room playing rock'n'roll together and trying to explain their world to each other. But they do it so well that they are followed by so many fans around the world who understand exactly what moves the quartet. And because the world is changing and in many ways has not become a nicer place in recent years, The Academic also find themselves in darker sounds. But they wouldn't be this band if they couldn't resolve this tension with a melody, a riff or an uplifting bass line. Or as frontman Craig Fitzgerald puts it: "Ultimately, it's about finding your feet, feeling the weight of time on your shoulders and trying to enjoy the good times and meaningful relationships along the way." Ultimately, you can feel this fundamental optimism from every song these guys play. The Academic are coming to us on tour in April.