The London Ear 244 // Junk Drawer + Stefan Murphy

The London Ear logo in front of the London city skyline

I was delighted to be joined on this week’s show by two excellent guests. Stevie Lennox from Junk Drawer and Irish music scene stalwart, Stefan Murphy.

Chat with Stevie Lennox from Junk Drawer

Junk Drawer Promo Picture of the band gazing into the ether

Belfast band, Junk Drawer, are on their way for a show in London on May 24th. You’ll find them in The Finsbury alongside The Magic Loyus, Drew Davies and Ollie Trevers.

The show also coincides with the release of their single ‘Year of the Sofa’, which also appears on the compilation album ‘A Litany of Failures’.

It was great to catch up with Stevie Lennox and chat about the band and where they are, as well as the Belfast music scene.

Steve’s knowledge is second to none and he uses that to great effect as co-editor of online music publication, The Thin Air.

Find out more about Junk Drawer on Bandcamp, Facebook and Twitter.

Chat with Stefan Murphy

Stefan Murphy promo shpt

If I start writing about Stefan Murphy, I’m liable to veering into fan girl territory.

I have a huge amount of respect for Stef, both as a musician and as a good guy.

Stef has previously worked under the names ‘The Mighty Stef’ and ‘Count Vaseline’ but this is the first time that Stef has released music undet his own name, Stefan Murphy.

It’s a few years since I last saw Stef. I moved to London and he moved to Atlanta, Georgia.

I was delighted to catch up with Stef for a chat before his gig in The Slaughtered Lamb in London last week. It was a great gig, with support coming from Rob Corcoran and Ciaran Dwyer (Knoxville Morning).

Stef’s new single is ‘Dry Cider’, written about his friend, David Murphy, who died in 2017.

You can catch Stefan Murphy on tour with his band The Athletes of Soul, all around Ireland in the next week or two. (Will add dates when I’m not on the phone)

You can find all the dates here and more info about Stef on Facebook, Instagram, on Bandcamp.

The London Ear // Show 245 May 19 2019 Playlist

Here’s what happened on this week’s episode of The London Ear.

1. Ryan Vail, Elma Okestra, Moya Brennan: Colours
2. Chat with Stevie Lennox from Junk Drawer
3. Junk Drawer: Year of the Sofa
4. Shrug Life: 2009
5. Fontaines DC: Dublin City Sky
6. The Mighty Stef: Downtown
7. Chat with Stefan Murphy
8. Stefan Murphy: Dry Cider
9. Video Blue: Guts

Listen On Demand to The London Ear

Thanks for listening, The London Ear broadcast on DAB radio, Saorview and outside Ireland you can listen online. You can listen to the show again on the RTE player. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 1300. You can find us on the RTE 2XM website here.

Don’t forget, if you’re Irish, outside Ireland and involved in music, arts and culture, get in touch. The London Ear is for you, it’s my job to get your voice heard.