My first encounter with Longford band Brave Giant was when they performed their single, The Time I Met The Devil, on The Late Late Show on RTÉ back in March 2017. I was instantly interested in what I saw. The Time I Met The Devil was instantly accessible indie folk tune with a catchy chorus and stomping drum beat, a song that was destined to sound amazing in a live setting.

Brave Giant are made up of Podge Gill, Mark Prunty, Ross McNerney, Emmet Collum, and David Kilbride, and after undergoing various different line ups and band name changes they eventually came to life in their current guise in 2014. Subsequent years of gigging around Longford would see them begin to develop a solid reputation as a band worth taking notice of.

The band would eventually break onto the Irish mainstream music scene in 2016, and since then the band have seemingly been on an upward trajectory. Their debut EP, The Lordy Lordy EP, landed in late April 2016 and immediately began to generate interest in the Longford group, with the title track receiving regular airplay on Irish radio.

2017 has already seen the band sell out two dates in the popular Dublin venues, Whelan’s (April, 2017), and The Academy (December, 2017), with the latter demonstrating how formidable the band are in a live context.

October 2017 would also see the release of the second single by the band, the upbeat and infectious Way to Love.

My favourite song by the band up to this point would have to be this gorgeous track off their debut EP, The Lordy Lordy EP. My Last Cigarette is simple and to-the-point, but there is a sweetness and a sincerity to the song that makes it such a lovely listen.

Brave Giant have said previously that they are just a group of friends having a bit of fun while making music and, as a listener, it’s very hard not to get swept along with them as they do.

MK