In Conversation With:
EDEN
Our music editor, Naoise Osborne, got the chance to chat to EDEN. The Dublin-born 24-year-old has just released his second full length album, no future. In the lead up to a run of shows at Dublin’s The Olympia, we chatted touring, Dublin’s music scene and song-writing. You’ve had a whirlwind few years, travelling and touring a lot, doing a world tour and several tours of the US. What has that been like for you? Are the shows getting bigger each time, more of a production or an event? Yeah, it’s been a pretty wild ride. The first time I played in London was a free concert for 200 people. The second time was to, maybe, 400 or 500, and the third time was to 2400. And then, the kind of show we have been able to put on has also gotten to an amazing level. I can’t wait to play this new show we’re working on for the first time. What has been your favourite place to play so far? There was something really special about my first show in Dublin at The Academy Green Room. There was also a show I played in Brussels years ago at a Botanical Gardens that was pretty amazing. Is there anywhere that’s on your bucket list to play? Anywhere you’ve dreamed of playing? I’d really like to get to South America and Asia. I’ve done festivals in Japan and Korea, but I'd really like to do my own shows out there. Honestly, the biggest dream was to do the 3Arena and Brixton Academy; I’ve done Brixton and I don’t think I’ll ever get to the 3Arena because of the direction I’ve gone in, so I’m pretty content to be honest. I’m at a pretty great level. What are your thoughts on the Dublin music scene? A lot of artists feel the need to go to London or the states to get their big break. But a lot of your work has been done or based here; is there something about Dublin that is conducive to or contrary to the creative process, in your experience? When I started making music there really wasn’t much of a scene - at least that I was aware of. Fast forward to now and it’s really buzzing. I think Dublin has always been a hotbed for artists and musicians, but for this new generation of artists it’s just taken a while to establish communities and a sense of shared culture. For me back in 2014-2016 I was either looking in the wrong places or it just wasn’t really there. Following on from the above, do you have any advice for artists in Dublin, or anywhere, trying to break into the music scene? Keep pushing. No one can find your work if it’s not in the world, and once you start that don’t stop. Avoid the hesitancy to hoard things ‘til the ‘time is right’ or ‘til you have the right backing/support etc. If you believe in it just go, the world will follow.
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