Kate Prendergast is a young, rising Irish multi-instrumentalist with a gift for crafting deeply evocative songs, blending indie folk, blues, country and alternative rock. Her music is a raw and soulful mix of personal reflection and sharp storytelling, shaped by influences ranging from Bob Dylan to Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and Kingfishr.
She burst onto the scene in 2024 with her debut single ‘Past Letters’, quickly followed by Undergrowth, Lavender Country, Ignition, and Retold Tale produced in collaboration with producer Declan Legge at Big Space Studios under the Stray Dog records label. Her songs have become staples on Irish, UK and International radio, resonating with listeners for their emotional depth and rich sonic textures. Whether performing solo or with a band, Kate captivates audiences with her haunting voice and magnetic stage presence.
Selected as a showcase artist for Your Roots are Showing – Ireland’s Folk Conference 2026, nominated by Radio Wigwam for Best Folk and Acoustic Act 2026 and with two new songs ‘Glass and Glue’ and ‘Perfect Plans’ to be released in early 2026, Kate continues to carve out her place in the music world – fearless, introspective, and impossible to ignore.
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Dani Ivory returns with “Get Through,” a raw, heartfelt anthem about choosing your partner even when love feels complicated, heavy, and far from perfect. The song captures a deeply specific yet universally understood emotion: standing beside the person you love as they struggle, knowing there’s only so much you can do, yet refusing to walk away anyway. Tinged with neo-soul, country and Americana influences, Ivory delivers another hit in a new landscape.
Ivory’s vocal lands with emotional weight from the very first lines, setting the tone with unfiltered honesty: “I really want to write a love song, but I can’t seem to get it right, I really want to tell you I miss you, but you’re drunk out of your mind.”
It’s a devastatingly real opening. There’s no attempt to soften the edges or romanticize the situation — she simply tells the truth. From there, the song deepens as Ivory makes clear that her love isn’t conditional or convenient: “There’s no other way around it, we can’t hop, skip, or go backward, we looked our whole damn lives and found it…”
One of the most powerful moments comes when Ivory turns the lens inward, acknowledging her own flaws and contradictions with striking vulnerability: “And I wish I was stronger not to enable you, but I’m human too, I’m no better than you, I still choose you, so you can meet me halfway and we can get through.”
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Leo Brazil has been creating his own music since he was a child singing into a tape machine. Drawing on a love of classic pop, rock and roll and soul, Leo writes thoughtful songs with a lyrical focus and a confident musical individuality. Running a label out his home studio brewing up a unique and colourful evolution of sound, 2026 sees two album releases; the introspective wonky folk solo album Alone and the bombastically heavy psych-rock of the dinosaur inspired band Bone Wars. Leo plays keyboards, drums and violin but live he sticks to guitars and banjo to conjure up emotive ballads alongside rousing ear worms and foot stomping guitar freak outs.
'Unsinkable Sam' is the new release by Leo Brazil from album ‘Alone’ Out Now. Unsinkable Sam is a dreamy piece of folk rock with an alternative woozy psychedelic edge that explores dreams, memories and trauma through a naval tale from the second world war and stands as a tribute to animals caught up in humans' struggles and conflicts.
Unsinkable Sam was a cat aboard the battleship Bismarck during world war 2. After the ship was sunk he was picked up clinging to a piece of wreckage by HMS Cossack. He repeated the experience shortly afterwards when Cossack was torpedoed and then a final time when he was rescued from the sinking of Ark Royal. After his third sinking he retired to the navy base in Belfast.
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London-based six-piece Birds Flying Backwards return with ‘If I Ever Needed Someone’ (Today Feb 23rd), the fourth and final single from their forthcoming debut album Lovebirds, released March 11th via Real Love Recording Co. Building a reputation for their blend of alt-country, indie-folk and psychedelic-rock, Birds Flying Backwards are already firmly established as one to watch. The new single ‘If I Ever Needed Someone’ leans into the more folk and Americana side of the band's sound bringing an organic, earthy warmth through a layered acoustic guitar, banjo, piano, bass and drums.
Warm, worn-in sounding picked strings and the dual Joe and India’s radiant harmonies give the song a reflective yet quietly confident feel which is central to the overarching feel of the album. Speaking about the single, the band explain: “‘If I Ever Needed Someone’ is about finding yourself after heartbreak, and the resoluteness and self-assuredness that it takes to move on. Taking cues from Cut Worms, Daniel Romano and Wilco, it shifts the record from loss towards resolve - the moment when the dust finally settles.”
The track was mixed by Joe Wyatt at Abbey Road Studios, whose credits include The Smile and The Beatles Anthologies, and mastered by Timothy Stollenwork, known for his work with Kevin Morby, Drugdealer, John Andrews and The Yawns, and Arthur Russell, further enhancing the band’s warm, organic sound.
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