Oplev DUGs unikke blanding af irsk og amerikansk folk, når duoen bag de roste singler Big Sundown og Jubilee gæster Musikcaféen.

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Venue: Musikcaféen, 3. etage
Døre: 20:00
Show: 21:00
Entré: 120 kr. // Studerende 60 kr.
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DUG (IE)

Der er en naturlig magnetisme i DUGs folkemusik. Duoen, der består af Conor (Lorkin) O'Reilly og Jonny Pickett, er ved at gøre klar til udgivelsen af deres debutalbum, efter at de blev dannet i 2023 – men man kan godt tro, at de har skrevet sammen hele livet.

Deres musik har rødder i musikalske traditioner fra begge sider af Atlanten. På den ene side ekkoer de de store amerikanske folkemusikere, og på den anden side kanaliserer de komfortabelt de ældre statsmænd inden for irsk folkemusik.

Det er ikke tilfældigt. DUG har en fælles musikalsk arv, da medlemmerne er født i Amerika og Skotland, inden de kom til Irland. O'Reilly selv tilbragte næsten et årti med at lave og udgive musik i det nordlige New York, efter at han havde forladt sin hjemby Edinburgh (hans mor er irsk og hans far skotsk), inden han flyttede til Irland i 2022 for at starte et nyt musikalsk kapitel.

Og man kan høre den levede musikalske erfaring i singler som ›Big Sundown‹ og ›Jubilee‹ (nomineret til to Grammy-nomineringer). Resonatorguitar og banjo, byggestenene i DUG's arrangementer, lick og spin, med indviklede fingerpicking-mønstre, der hvirvler sammen til en fængslende helhed. Deres musik ånder og vamps i synkronisering.

De er også pokkers morsomme. DUGs tekster tager dig på sengen og fremkalder et ægte grin i et øjebliks lethed. Når de er bedst, som på deres kommende album, er der en ægte varme spredt ud over deres unikke fortolkning af folkemusikfortællinger. Numre som ›Wheel of Fortune‹ har en let rapport. Det er som at mødes med en gammel ven, fuld af drillerier og smil.

Der er også hentydninger til mørkere øjeblikke; længsel og melankoli, til hårdt lærte lektier. At tage det tunge med det lette og være i stand til at oversætte det til en fodtappende, smittende moderne folkemusiklyd er det, DUG gør bedst. De behøver ikke at spille komedie; deres musik er naturligt legende og ærlig og inviterer dig med på deres musikalske rejse.

DUG's kærlighed til de musikere, der har inspireret dem, går aldrig for langt i retning af ærbødighed. De er et kompromisløst moderne band. Du vil høre masser af irsk indflydelse i deres musik, men du finder ingen tweedfrakker eller paddy caps her. I stedet vælger bandet at være sig selv – helt naturlige og organiske. Det er en del af det, der giver gruppens arbejde et så stærkt karisma og er med til at etablere DUG som et af de mest unikke bud på moderne folkemusik.

I 2024 skrev duoen kontrakt med Claddagh Records, et pladeselskab, hvor de befinder sig i godt musikalsk selskab. Claddagh Records, der er et datterselskab af Universal Records, har de seneste år udviklet sig til en smeltedigel for nogle af de mest fremadstræbende musikere inden for moderne irsk folk, hvor kunstnere som Niamh Bury, Lemoncello og ØXN, for blot at nævne nogle få, har hjemme.

Mika Akim (SE)

Mika Akim er blevet beskrevet som en minimalistisk Joni Mitchell og en musikalsk søster til Sam Amidon. Efter flere års studier på musikkonservatoriet fandt Mika endelig renæssance instrumentet viola d'amore og begyndte at skrive sange. Mika Akim har udgivet to albums "Till Kroppen" (2020) og "Tillsammans" (2022) og spillet live i Europa, USA, Japan og Chile. For eksempel: Michelberger Hotel (Berlin), Super Natural Deluxe (Japan), The Owl Music Parlor (Brooklyn), plxplxplx (SE), Fanø Free Folk (DK), Thelonius (Santiago de Chile).

I 2026 udgiver Mika sit tredje album "feb 28", indspillet under en dag i vennen og lydteknikerens Carmine Francis studie i New York på båndemaskine. Sangene står klart i deres enkelhed, spillet på barok bratsch, klaver og guitar.

ENG:

Dug (IE)

Experience DUG's unique blend of Irish and American folk when the duo behind the acclaimed singles Big Sundown and Jubilee visit Musikcaféen.

There’s a natural magnetism to DUG’s folk brew. The duo, made up of Conor (Lorkin) O’Reilly and Jonny Pickett, are gearing up for the release of their debut album, having formed in 2023–but you’d be forgiven for believing that they’ve been writing together for a lifetime.

Their music stems from roots in musical traditions spanning both sides of the pond. In one breath, echoing the great American folk troubadours, and in another, comfortably channelling the elder statesmen of Irish folk.

This is no accident. DUG have a shared musical heritage, with members having been born in America and Scotland before arriving in Ireland. O’Reilly himself spent almost a decade making and releasing music in upstate New York, having picked up sticks from his native Edinburgh, (Irish mother and Scottish father) before moving to Ireland in 2022 to start a new musical chapter.

And you can hear that lived musical experience in singles like ‘Big Sundown’ and ‘Jubilee’ (shortlisted for two Grammy nominations). Resonator guitar and banjo, the building blocks of DUG’s arrangements, lick and spin, with intricate finger-picking patterns whirling to a compelling whole. Their music breathes, vamping in sync.

They’re damn funny too. DUG’s lyrics catch you off guard, eliciting an honest-to-goodness chuckle in a moment of levity. At their very best, as on their forthcoming album, there’s a bona fide warmth littered throughout their unique take on folk storytelling. Tracks like ‘Wheel of Fortune’ have an easy rapport. It’s catching up with an old friend, all mischief and smiles.

There are allusions to darker moments there too; yearning and melancholy, to lessons learnt the hard way. Taking the heavy with the light, and being able to translate it into a foot-tapping, infectious contemporary folk sound is what DUG do best. They don’t need to posture; their music is naturally playful and honest, inviting you along on their musical journey.

DUG’s love for the musicians that inspired them never steps too far into reverence. They’re an unapologetically modern band. You’ll hear plenty of Irish influence in their music, but you’ll not find any tweed coats or paddy caps here. Instead, the band opts to be themselves-completely natural and organic. It’s part of what gives the group’s work such a strong charisma, and helps establish DUG as having one of the most unique takes on contemporary folk music.

In 2024, the duo signed to Claddagh Records, a label in which they find themselves in fine musical company. A subsidiary of Universal Records, Claddagh Records has spent the last few years becoming a hotbed for some of the most forward-thinking musicians in contemporary Irish folk, home to artists like Niamh Bury, Lemoncello, and ØXN, to name a few.

It should come as no surprise that a group that delights in a touch of devilment and so ardently remains true to themselves has built a thriving community of fans, both at their live shows and through their often hilarious social media.

Mika Akim (SE)

Mika Akim has been described as a minimalist Joni Mitchell and a musical sister to Sam Amidon. After several years studying at the music conservatory, Mika finally found the renaissance instrument viola d'amore and started writing songs. Mika Akim has released two albums "Till Kroppen" (2020) and "Tillsammans" (2022) and played live in Europe, the USA, Japan and Chile. For example: Michelberger Hotel (Berlin), Super Natural Deluxe (Japan), The Owl Music Parlor (Brooklyn), plxplxplx (SE), Fanø Free Folk (DK), Thelonius (Santiago de Chile).

In 2026 Mika released her third album "feb 28", recorded in one day in her friend and sound engineer Carmine Francis' studio in New York on a tape machine. The songs are clear in their simplicity, played on baroque viola, piano and guitar.