Brian Brody

One of Ireland’s most original and eclectic outfits, Brian Brody & the Drunk Ensemble will release their fourth album Cupid’s Sense of Humour on BB Records on January 21st, 2020. Fronted by veteran singer-songwriter Brian Brody, who first formed the band more than a decade ago, the Drunk Ensemble features an ever-changing cast of virtuoso musicians playing instruments not commonly associated together to complement his powerhouse vocals. “Cupid is quite a new departure for the Drunks in the sense that it’s almost a concept album,” Brody explains. “These songs of love, loss and hope trace the journey of two people as they embark on a disastrous romantic relationship together. Without wanting to spoil the ending, it’s kind of a Romeo & Juliet type affair – but there’s a lot of humour in it, too. The songs hopefully speak for themselves, but our planned live show will be using visual projections and dancers to help tell the story in a more theatrical way.” Born and bred in Dublin, Brody has had an interest in musical theatre since the beginning of the millennium when he cut his teeth as a musical assistant to legendary actor/director Pat Kinavane in Down To Earth Theatre Company. “Pat turned me on to the likes of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Breht and their Threepenny Opera,” he recalls. “From there I became aware of the Vaudeville movement and started listening to the likes of Edith Piaf and George Bressons – which inevitably led me on to Jacques Brel and Scott Walker. Suddenly David Bowie made a lot more sense to me.” These mixed influences led Brody to form the Drunk Ensemble in 2007. “I wanted my music and lyrics to be as visual as possible to make the performance of each song truly come alive. And I needed some talented drunks to help me achieve that!” While he also sings and performs with folk-rock outfit Macushla, Brody’s debut release with the Drunk Ensemble was 2008’s Songs for Black Romance. He has since gone on to release two more acclaimed albums and perform countless live shows – most memorably his series of DaDa gigs in Vicar Street, and his memorable reinterpretations of Scott Walker’s classic 4 album in the Grand Social and Whelan’s. Playing music composed by Simon Quigley, the current line-up of Drunks features Gilbert Haddon (cello), Goshia Gasior (violin), Junshi Murakami (harp), Kelan Walsh (clarinet), Daire MacManus (double bass), Simon Quigley (piano/organ/mix sounds) and vocalists Miriam Ingram and Una O’Boyle. With the new album dropping on January 21st, and a nationwide tour already in the advanced planning stages, 2020 promises to be an extremely Drunken year