Tag Archives: The Great Balloon Race

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The Great Balloon Race – Cork folk/psychedelic

What you may need to know…

01. Last time we checked in with The Great Balloon Race, they’d just released single Chocolate Beans, a venture into jazzier climes.

02. They’ve finally put the last bits in order for their second album, Gently, Gently, releasing via May 5th on Leeside label KantCope.

03. Streaming above is the live video of Daryl and John, filmed by Blair Massie, as featured on the new long-player.

04. Catch them live on May 5th at Coughlan’s on Douglas Street, Cork, launching the long-player. Available for digital download or in a cassette/download bundle.

Thoughts: First thoughts on listening to the album in advance are those of a band finding their feet and moving with assurance into new waters.

The Great Balloon Race

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The Great Balloon Race – Chocolate Beans

What you may need to know…

01. Hailing from Cork, where they’ve been active for the past few years with various line-ups, psychedelia/folk four-piece The Great Balloon Race head in a more blissed-out, jazzy direction with new single Chocolate Beans.

02. Following on from 2012’s Cardboard album and last year’s Daryl and John single, it’s available now, for free/pay-what-you-want download on Bandcamp, and free download from Soundcloud.

03. An accompanying video,  above, was directed by Cork film-maker and photographer Blair Alexander Massie. This is their second collaboration, having worked on the live performance video for Daryl and John.

04. The band are launching Chocolate Beans at legendary venue Connolly’s of Leap this Sunday, with support from promising Cork noisy/synthy unit The Barchester Chronicles. Doors at 9pm, €10 in.

Verdict: Part of a small but vital clutch of bands that comprises Cork’s psych-rock (and related ephemera) scene, The Great Balloon Race have been one of the city’s best-kept secrets of the past few years. Here’s hoping it doesn’t stay that way much longer.

The Great Balloon Race