Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

Seba Safe is the moniker of Portumna native Michael D’Alton – a singer/songwriter who has gained huge notoriety in recent years for his blend of folk, pop and R&B. Having spent years developing his skills in Dublin through university and the gig circuit, Michael left the city during the pandemic. It was this period that produced the songs from Rainy, a six-track EP he released at the end of June.

This Saturday, Seba Safe plays Monroe’s to kick off a busy month’s touring schedule across Ireland and the UK. It presents an opportunity to play the songs from Rainy to a home crowd, though they are by no means new additions to Michael’s catalogue.

The EP came off the back of a deal with Nettwerk Records who helped fund recording time with London-based producer and engineer Duncan Mills (Jake Bugg, Florence and the Machine and Jamie Callum).

“It was great,” Michael says of releasing Rainy. “The songs were written about two years before and it was the EP I wanted to do first with Nettwerk, my label. They were holding back on them, so I was very anxious to get them out and it’s a lovely feeling releasing them into the wild now.

“Recording them as well was brilliant with a guy named Duncan Mills in London. He’s great. It has to be said, the money aspect of [working with a label] is unbelievable. You don’t have to be pumping your own money into the studios and losing it that way. It also gives you the confidence that they’re backing you with that which is great.

Pictured: Seba Safe…Galway gig launches busy tour.