Two fine up-and-coming singer/ songwriters, Galway’s Sano Hill and Dublin-based indie artist Tommy Cullen, will be onstage in the Róisín Dubh this Saturday night, October 12.

Sano, who is originally from Cavan and has lived in Galway for the past two decades, is a singer-songwriter, who has been praised by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for his ‘inventive, humanist lyrics sung from the gut, then embedded in rhythms to barrage or soothe the soul’.

He released his debut album – the 11-track  If Not Now, When? – last November when the indie community group New Artists Spotlight awarded it Album of the Year.

“I returned to recording and gigging in 2022 after some years off the scene and the name of the album kind of speaks to that,” explains the musician whose day job is as a film lecturer, and who took his stage moniker from the name of the hill behind his childhood home in Cavan.

Plastic Magazine described If Not Now, When? as “a superb LP that showcases the full scope of his original sound”, while Hot Press chose the track Not that Kind of Love Song as one of its Songs of the Week and stated that the track Time Out “tries to capture the sound, sense and smell of Galway in a similar vein to Van Morrison’s finest compositions about his native Belfast”.

Sano is teaming up with Dublin indie artist Tommy Cullen, described by Hot Press as “one of the most promising singer-songwriters in the country”.

His debut album Enjoy the Glow, released in April, is the culmination of his creative life to date, exploring his recent years through tales of everyday drudgery, true love, UFO sightings and trips to Ikea. The Dublin launch took place in a packed Sound House in April, following his appearance in Monroe’s the week before, when he supported Aslan. Since then, it has received widespread airplay on national and local radio.

The Róisín show with Sano forms part of Tommy’s ‘Small Rooms’ series, his second Irish tour to date.

It’s a busy weekend for Sano, as he and alternative folk artist Emily Gray will release their new single, Love Stories this Friday.

From the UK and living in Catalonia Emily, has a background steeped in pop-punk and emo influences. Her work marries folk, pop, and alternative styles, delivering emotional depth and layered harmonies.

“Working with Emily on Love Stories has been such a fulfilling creative journey,” says Sano, describing the composition as “a compelling story of love and loss” that explores both sides of a relationship.

“Emily’s voice brings a raw, emotional edge to the track that complements the story perfectly.”

They used traditional instruments like bouzouki and duduk on the track to add “a texture that makes the song feel timeless”.

For her part, Emily praises the ”honesty and depth” of Sano’s song and feels “listeners will be able to relate to its themes of love, regret, and redemption”.

The two are planning further collaborations in the coming year. Meanwhile, Love Stories is available now on major streaming platforms, while tickets for Sano and Tommy’s show this Saturday night are available at https://roisindubh.net and cost €15. It starts at 1pm.

Pictured: Sano Hill (left) will team up with Tommy Cullen for this Saturday night’s show in the Róisín.