Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

Incorporating elements of post-rock, math-rock and emo, Bannered Mare’s sound is very deliberate; it is concise, structured guitar music – full of energy and, when the mood fits, capable of paring back to something more sombre.               The five-piece play a free show in the Róisín Dubh this Thursday, and the following day marks the release of their latest single, Pet Particular – a frantic meditation on connection and the different routes that can lead to it.

Bannered Mare are predominantly a Galway-based outfit but led by Joseph Padfield, a resident of Ballinlough, County Roscommon.

“I had a ten-year stint of not wanting to be needlessly dating anymore,” Joseph says of the new single.

“I wanted to just wait and find the right person. It’s about that experience – twiddling my thumbs and just waiting for the right person to come along. Seeing all your friends move on and settle down and find people, and just thinking oh god, when is it my turn? It’s about that and wanting more in that department.”

The patience required for that period of waiting is juxtaposed in Pet Particular by the urgent guitar lines and rhythm. It is typical of the songwriting – the band’s catalogue of music is littered with interesting time signatures, stops and quirks that keep the sound moving.

“There’s always that kind of element going through our music,” Joseph says. “We like to throw a little spanner into the works. You can dance to it, but it might feel a bit awkward.”

Bannered Mare are set to release a debut album later this year. The project has been on the go for a long time and the relationship between the band members, particularly in regards to songwriting and input, has developed as they’ve spent more time working together.

“I’ll bring songs to the table,” Joseph says. “I’ll throw like 30 songs into the group and say let’s pick what everybody likes, and we can develop it. If anyone has any ideas or adjustments, we can throw them in.

Pictured: Bannered Mare…Paul Higgins (guitar), Derek Ellard (guitar), Alan Kilcullen (drums), Kyle Dee (bass) and Joseph Padfield (vocals/guitar).