STILL FLOWERING

Hothouse Flowers' Fiachna Ó Braonáin is pretty sure the band have played Coventry before.

“I seem to remember that our beloved lead singer may have ended up on stage wearing nothing but an acoustic guitar at one point during our last appearance. But my memory is very hazy. You'll have to ask him!”

Sadly, lead singer Liam Ó Maonlaí isn’t here for What’s On to ask, but the anecdote highlights how anything seems possible once the fired-up Hothouse Flowers get on a stage. Formed by school pals Fiachna and Liam in the mid-1980s, the band cut their teeth as buskers on Dublin's streets. Quickly gaining a reputation for their electrifying mix of Irish folk/roots, rock, soul, gospel and blues, they released their debut single, Love Don’t Work This Way, on U2's Mother label after being spotted by Bono on TV.

However, arguably their biggest break came when Ireland hosted the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest. It was the year an unknown Celine Dion won (representing Switzerland) and the UK came second (thanks to Scott Fitzgerald). Hothouse Flowers made a storming interval appearance.

“There's no doubt that Eurovision brought our music to a huge audience overnight," says Fiachna. "Making the video was a wonderful experience in itself... travelling to a host of European countries in a very short space of time... it was very exciting, and we were very honoured that Don't Go was seen as a timeless song - even before it was released.”

The single gave the band their first UK hit and charted the world over. Further hits followed, including I'm Sorry, Give It Up, and a cover of Johnny Nash's I Can See Clearly Now. But while their recordings undoubtedly capture something of Hothouse Flowers’ appeal, it's arguably live where the band really shine.

“I think the live stage is certainly our natural habitat!” agrees Fiachna. “We've enjoyed all of our times in the studio, and we've spent many hours in rehearsal rooms over the years creating and reaching for what the next song might be. But there's nothing like getting up in front of a live audience and filling that shared space with a feeling that is elevating and transporting. It's what we live for!”

While 'The Flowers' continue to tour, their last LP was 2016's Let's Do This Thing - only their second studio album in 20 years. But currently out on the road again, the prospect of new music is very possible.

“Hopefully getting back on tour, we'll get the creative juices flowing again,” says Fiachna. “We often write during soundchecks when we improvise for one another, and that almost-sacred time very often brings forth new song ideas.

“Things seem to take a little longer as we all have our separate lives as well, but certainly by spending time together my hope would be that seeds for a new album would be sown!”

For Fiachna, his 'separate life' includes a family, solo career, and a regular show on Ireland's RTÉ Radio 1.

“My wife and I have two young children, so that keeps us going pretty constantly. And presenting my radio programme is a constant source of joy and exploration and community. I feel very privileged to have developed that over the past decade.

“I'm hoping to write and record some new songs myself, maybe for a solo album. I'm also working on some new music with my great friend Tom Dunn of the Irish band Something Happens - we've been doing some shows together, along with Alan Connor, and there are more in the pipeline. And I recently presented the RTE television programme, The Tradfest Sessions, which will be screened here in Ireland in the summer and worldwide in the coming year.”

Alongside those commitments, the busy Fiachna has also branched out into acting, appearing in the long-running Irish soap Ros na Rún.

Recalling how he landed the role of Luke in the popular Irish-language drama, which screens on the TG4 channel, he says: “I was asked to audition during the first lockdown, in 2020, so I acted out a scene, which I filmed on my phone, and sent it to them!

“I couldn't believe it when they called me to say I’d got the part!

“I found the experience very nerve-wracking at first, but got used to it as time went by. It was an incredible experience being dropped into something so new, especially when Covid rules were being strictly enforced throughout the production - social distancing and mask wearing was enforced on the set at all times, except for when we were going for the take - but in a weird way it brought the cast and the crew closer together ultimately.

“I've done two seasons, and they've asked me to be in the next season, and I've agreed!” While Fiachna's own multifaceted career continues to grow, Hothouse Flowers nonetheless remain a constant force, the musicians united by a decade-spanning connection.

“The main thing that has kept Hothouse Flowers together for almost 40 years is mutual love and affection,” Fiachna says with pride. “There's nothing like the feeling of being in a band of brothers, where we have each other's backs musically while we're on stage - and that only exists because of the deep friendship that we share, which goes back to our much younger years.

“We've seen a lot of life go by, and we've shared a lot of highs and lows during that time, and to still have the opportunity and the desire to make music together is a wonderful thing!”