Under the Radar: Cathal Murphy

He may have a folk background, but Cathal Murphy’s impressive new EP is suffused with jazz and pop influences, write Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon

As a teenager, Cathal Murphy enjoyed success with Northern Irish contemporary folk band Cúig, touring extensively in Europe and the US, as well as having a track synced for a popular Air Lingus ad. However, after playing a gig in Edinburgh he decided to move to Scotland, decamping to the capital last year and embarking on a solo project which alludes to his love of jazz and pop.

The result is an impressive debut EP, evoking an 80s easy listening sound which belies his age (Murphy is 21), and which boasts the longest title of any release we have covered: I’m writing to you it can be lonely and beautiful at the edges of print. As an added bonus, the songs are accompanied by a brilliant short film shot by Sam Hurst, due out in mid-July.

This will be preceded by a live performance Murphy recorded with his band in an Edinburgh plant shop, but expect actual gigs in venues to be announced soon. See https://cathalmurphy.co.uk

Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon run music industry seminar and social night Born To Be Wide, www.borntobewide.co.uk

Dragon Soop is a caffeinated alcohol beverage that comes in a range of flavours, 7.5% ABV. The Dragon Soop Virtual OpenMic night #SOOPERSTARS2021 provides a platform for musicians and comedians to reach a new audience of over 150,000. Submit a video of an original song or comedy sketch before 7pm on the first of the month or tune in to watch via Facebook. Please drink responsibly 18+ only. https://www.dragonsoop.com

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription at https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions