The Whileaways 'In All Honesty' Album Tour
The Whileaways
Release their album ‘In All Honesty’ on 3 June
And follow with an album tour around Ireland throughout the Summer
Folk stars The Whileaways have ingeniously solved the dilemma of having three lead singers by becoming, essentially, one stunning voice. Described by Hot Press as ‘being among the finest singers in the country’, Nicola Joyce, Noriana Kennedy and Noelie McDonnell return with their eagerly awaited fourth album, the lush and melodic In All Honesty released on 3rd June.
Recorded at Bann View Studios, Co. Antrim the band have once again teamed up with Beoga’s Seán Óg Graham to create a sound that has gained them a devoted following and several Irish Folk Award nominations, and which the US press has called ‘perfected simplicity’ (Irish Echo, USA). This time around the band have also collaborated with producer Alex Borwick. The result is a collection of twelve enchanting songs that are essentially folk imbued with a modern feel. Along with the unmistakable vocal trademark that is The Whileaway’s unique sound, this album also presents a fresh and more experimental approach to the production from a band who are more assured in their artistry than ever.
Of the title track ‘In All Honesty’ Noelie says: “It’s one of my father’s and probably a lot of other Irish people’s go to phrases – I’m going to be truthful with you now and go straight to the heart of the matter. I think it reflects the way we have all approached the song writing on this latest collection”
The band explain: “We have almost always written separately and the songs take on a new life once we've come together. There's a synchronicity to the whole thing. Even thematically. On this album, although there was no great plan for it to be this way, we have ended up with a collection of songs with parallel themes and emotions. Taking stock at a certain stage of life and thinking of those who went before us, what we have and what we will leave behind us. The friends and family that surround us and those we have lost who still surround us.”
Nicola Joyce penned the band’s latest single the superb, haunting ‘Toss the Bobbin’ a song that was first performed live with the RTE Concert Orchestra. Celebrating the 18th and 19th century lace makers of Headford, Co. Galway where the band reside, the song achieves something only true folk music can: it gives the past a voice in the present.
About her song ‘Tough As Nails’ Nicola says that it’s: “again about the strength of the women and about the tough outer shell that often hides a deeper pain, and how we carry it gracefully and defiantly. It's about all of us in a way. There's definitely parts of my grandmother, the powerful matriarch who raised me after my mother died when I was 13. But there's also glimpses of my friends and the women who surround me now.”
On ‘Home’ Noriana Kennedy draws from a poem written by her father Jim, a former Columban Missionary priest and published author who passed away in 2019. She explains that: “turning one of his poems into a song is another way to hear his voice again.” On her track ‘Walking on the Wall’ she beautifully reveals memories of her life, threaded together with a celebration of the sheer joy of singing; “without it I'd be a very empty soul” she says.
The Whileways take to the road in support of the album with tour dates booked in Ireland and the UK throughout the summer. Renowned for their live performances, this is not just a chance to play their new material but to connect with their audiences too. As the Irish Times said, their music ‘hollers for a chance to be heard in a live setting, so rich is its lyrical tapestry’.
