Lankum are a contemporary Irish

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

group from

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, consisting of multi-instrumentalists Ian Lynch, Daragh Lynch, Cormac MacDiarmada and Radie Peat. Originally a duo consisting of the Lynch brothers, known as Lynched, the pair released their debut album, ''Where Did We Go Wrong?!'' in 2003. Returning to Ireland, after a spell of international touring, the brothers deepened their interest in Dublin's

Irish traditional music session Irish commonly refers to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the island and the sovereign state *** Erse (disambiguati ...

s which introduced them to vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Radie Peat and violinist Cormac MacDiarmada. Recording as the core four-piece band, they released the albums ''Cold Old Fire'' in 2014 and '' Between the Earth and Sky'' in 2017. In 2018, they were named Best Folk Group at the

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

Folk Music Awards, while Radie Peat was named Best Folk Singer. The band were nominated for the RTÉ

Choice Music Prize The Choice Music Prize (), known for sponsorship reasons as the RTÉ Choice Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded to music from a band or solo musician who is born in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland or holds an Irish passport. ...

Irish Album of the Year in 2017 for their album '' Between the Earth and Sky'', and won the prize in 2019 and 2024 for their albums '' The Livelong Day'' and '' False Lankum''. The band's fourth studio album, '' False Lankum'' (2023), was released to widespread critical acclaim and increased the band's exposure significantly. It was nominated for the

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...

and placed highly on several end-of-year lists. In 2024 the band released a live album ''Live in Dublin'', recorded across three sold out nights at Dublin's Vicar Street.

History

Early years, ''Where Did We Go Wrong?'' and Irish traditional sessions (2000–2014)

Leaving school at the age of 19, multi-instrumentalist Ian Lynch moved to London and spent a year street

busking Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuity, gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performa ...

and living in squats. Upon returning to

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, he learned that his brother Daragh Lynch had begun learning to play the guitar, and the pair soon started writing songs together: "We started writing these really puerile half-joke, anti-authoritarian

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

songs, and one that was in the style of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

, about destroying the government in a cosmic way." Named after the brothers' surname, the duo began performing and recording under the name Lynched. Their 2003 debut album, ''Where Did We Go Wrong?'', was released on the independent label, Psalm O’The Vine, and became a small success, allowing the pair to tour: "We did a few gigs around Europe; crusty punk festivals, and then a tour of Mexico and America for three months. I was 23, and it was fucking mad." The brothers deepened their interest in the many

s taking place in Dublin's pubs and bars, with Ian Lynch noting that this was "one of the most inspiring and influential things for Lankum, there would be no Lankum if it was not for the sessions." At these sessions the pair met singer and multi-instrumentalist Radie Peat and violinist Cormac MacDiarmada. The four core members of the band came together through mutual unemployment and the connections made from playing at the sessions. Radie Peat noted, "That’s the circumstances that brought about us in the band: a lot of time, not enough money, on the dole. Trying to find something to do with your time and playing a lot of music. Grim, but not that grim. Grim, but having quite a good time."

''Cold Old Fire'' and name change to Lankum (2014–2016)

The band released their debut album as a four-piece ''Cold Old Fire'' (2014) under the original name, Lynched. The album started as a recording by the original duo of the Lynch brothers, with Cormac MacDiarmada and Radie Peat joining the band officially during the sessions: "I just remember it clicking so well that we were like, shall we just ask them to play on the whole album? Before we knew it we were a four-piece band. It came together so well and so quickly." The album was financed in part by a Deis recording grant from the Arts Council Ireland. In October 2016 they announced in a statement that they were changing their name to Lankum to avoid associations with the practice of

lynching Lynching is an extrajudicial killing by a group. It is most often used to characterize informal public executions by a mob in order to punish an alleged or convicted transgressor or to intimidate others. It can also be an extreme form of i ...

. The statement read: "We will not continue to work under our current name while the systemic persecution and murder of black people in the USA continues." The name Lankum comes from the folk ballad " False Lankum", as sung by the

Irish traveller Irish Travellers (, meaning ''the walking people''), also known as Mincéirs (Shelta: ''Mincéirí'') or Pavees, are a traditionally List of nomadic peoples#Peripatetic, peripatetic Indigenous peoples, indigenous Ethnic group, ethno-cultural g ...

and folk singer John Reilly.

''Between the Earth and Sky'' and ''The Livelong Day'' (2017–2022)

In 2017, the band signed to

Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis, who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...

and recorded their album '' Between the Earth and Sky'', to analogue tape with producer/ engineer

Julie McLarnon Julie McLarnon (born 31 May 1971) is a British recording engineer and record producer, known for working solely to analogue tape. Founder of Analogue Catalogue Studios, she has recorded albums for artists including the Vaselines, Lankum, Jeffrey ...

, before recording the final track "the Granite Gaze", and mixing the album with producer John "Spud" Murphy in Guerrilla Studios, Dublin. It was released on 27 October 2017 and subsequently nominated for

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British rad ...

. ''

Mojo Mojo may refer to: * Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in Hoodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * ''Mojo'' (2017 film), a 2017 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by Sreesha Belakvaadi * '' ...

'' named it folk 'album of the year' 2017. In 2019, the band recorded '' The Livelong Day'' with producer/engineer John "Spud" Murphy in the Meadows recording studio, Wicklow and in Guerrilla Studios, Dublin. It was released on 25 October 2019 and went on to win the RTÉ Choice Prize 2019. In 2019, Lankum's video for "The Young People", directed by filmmaker Bob Gallagher, won Best Irish Music Video Award at the Irish Film Festival in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England.

''False Lankum'' (2023–present)

In 2023, Lankum were nominated for the

for their fourth album, '' False Lankum''. They said about the prize: “It’s pretty crazy, considering where we started off twenty years ago as a joke band playing at parties and squats…”. When asked why they thought this album had been spotted or picked up, they said: "I think it might be the first time we’ve fully nailed the sound that we’ve been going for over the last few albums…it took a couple of decades". Lankum lost the award to the

Ezra Collective Ezra Collective are a British jazz quintet composed of drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso, bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, and tenor saxophonist James Mollison, who met at the jazz youth programme Tomorr ...

. Lankum played three sold out concerts at Dublin's Vicar Street, 29th - 31st May 2023. These were recorded and released as the album ''Live in Dublin'' in 2024. The concerts were also broadcast in a RTÉ Radio 1 programme, ''Gig on One'' broadcast 13th August 2023. In November 2023, a Lankum concert in Germany was cancelled because of pro-Palestine statements made by the band. The album won the 2024 RTÉ Choice Music Prize. In May 2024, Lankum's album '' False Lankum'' was nominated for the Best Album Ivor Novello Award.

Artistry

Their music has been characterised as "a younger, darker

Pogues The Pogues are an English Celtic punk band founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. Originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish phrase ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my ...

with more astonishing power". Reviewing their third album ''The Livelong Day'' (2019) for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', Jude Rogers described it as "a folk album influenced by the ambient textures of

Sunn O))) Sunn O))) (pronounced "sun") is an American drone metal band formed in 1998 in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. The band is known for its distinctive visual style and slow, heavy sound, which blends diverse genres including doom metal, ...

and

Swans Swans are birds of the genus ''Cygnus'' within the family Anatidae. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometim ...

, plus the sonic intensity of Xylouris White and My Bloody Valentine".

Side projects

Radie Peat and Lankum's producer John "Spud" Murphy are both members of the band ØXN, along with singer-songwriter and composer Katie Kim and Eleanor Myler. The band released their debut album, ''CYRM'', in 2023 to critical acclaim. Ian Lynch hosts and produces a monthly

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

, ''Fire Draw Near'', which "investigates Irish traditional music and song in all of its myriad forms". A companion compilation album, featuring his discoveries, was released in 2021 on Rough Trade Recordings. Ian released a solo album ''...And Take the Black Worm With Me'' under the name "One Leg One Eye" in 2022 which came about during lockdown and has performed live with George Brennan. Ian Lynch's soundtrack for Paul Duane’s film ''All You Need Is Death'' was released in 2024 under his own name. Cormac MacDiarmada and Ruth Clinton from Landless play music and produce videos together as Poor Creature. They have been joined by John Dermody from The Jimmy Cake. They have a track on the compilation ''The Planet That You're On''. Cormac MacDiarmada and producer John "Spud" Murphy worked with

Wild Beasts Wild Beasts was an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in Kendal. They released their first single, "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants", on Bad Sneakers Records in November 2006, and subsequently signed to Domino Recording Company, Domino ...

vocalist and bass guitarist Tom Fleming on his second solo album, ''Endless Rain'', released under the name One True Pairing. The album was recorded in

and released on

Domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called '' pips'' or ''dots'' ...

in October 2024. Daragh Lynch has joined forces with Iona Zajac to record the song "The Burning of Auchindoun" and performed together for Tradition Now in 2022. He has also done a number of solo performances, including headlining the music for the Robert Tressell Festival in Dublin in 2024. Radie Peat and Cormac MacDiarmada play music together as Rue, including a version of Katie Cruel which later appeared on The Livelong Day.

Members

Radie Peat Current members *Ian Lynch – vocals,

uilleann pipes The uilleann pipes ( or , ), also known as Union pipes and sometimes called Irish pipes, are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms (literally, "pipes of the ...

, concertina, tin whistle, percussion, tape loops (2000–present) *Daragh Lynch – vocals, guitar, percussion, piano (2000–present) *Cormac Mac Diarmada – vocals, fiddle, viola, banjo, double bass,

vibraphone The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using Percussion mallet, mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone ...

, piano, percussion (2013–present) *Radie Peat – vocals,

bayan Bayan may refer to: Educational institutions * Bayan Islamic Graduate School, Chicago, IL Places *Bayan-Aul, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan *Bayan Mountain, an ancient mountain name for part of Tarbagatai Mountains at Kazakhstan in Qing Dynasty period *B ...

concertina A concertina is a free-reed musical instrument, like the various accordions and the harmonica. It consists of expanding and contracting bellows, with buttons (or keys) usually on both ends, unlike accordion buttons, which are on the front. The ...

harmonium The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...

, organ, piano, electric organ, harp, moog pedals,

mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which causes a length of magnetic tape to contact a Capstan (tape recorder), capstan, which pulls i ...

(2013–present) Additional live musicians *John Dermody – drums, percussion (2023–present) Former members *Cian Lawless – Lankum's manager and an early member of the band; wrote "Cold Old Fire"

Discography

Studio albums *''Where Did We Go Wrong?!'' (2003) – as Lynched (only Ian and Daragh Lynch) *''Cold Old Fire'' (2014) – as Lynched *'' Between the Earth and Sky'' (Rough Trade, 2017) *'' The Livelong Day'' (Rough Trade, 2019) *'' False Lankum'' (Rough Trade, 2023) Live albums * ''Live in Dublin'' (Rough Trade, 2024) Singles *''What Will We Do When We Have No Money'' (Rough Trade, File, FLAC, Single, 2017) *''Lullaby'' (Loud And Quiet, Flexi-disc, 7", 33 ⅓ RPM, 2023) Included with Loud and Quiet magazine, Issue 162. Other releases *''From Here: Then to Now'' (From Here Records, 2016) - with

Stick in the Wheel Stick, sticks or the stick may refer to: Thin elongated objects * Twig or branch * Walking stick, a device to facilitate balancing while walking * Shepherd's crook * Shillelagh * Swagger stick * Digging stick * Swizzle stick, used to stir drin ...

. Download and a 24 page newspaper with articles about May Day origins and both bands talk about their song choice, and interview each other. *''The Planet That You're On'' (Uncut cover CD, 2023) Uncut compilation curated by Lankum.

Awards and nominations

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...

, +Mercury Prize awards and nominations , align="center" , 2023 , , ''False Lankum'' , , Album of the Year , , , , , -

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...

RTÉ Choice Music Prize The Choice Music Prize (), known for sponsorship reasons as the RTÉ Choice Music Prize is an annual music prize awarded to music from a band or solo musician who is born in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland or holds an Irish passport. ...

, +RTÉ Choice Music Prize awards and nominations , align="center" , 2017 , , ''Between the Earth and Sky'' , , Album of the Year , , , , , - , align="center" , 2019 , , ''The Livelong Day'' , , Album of the Year , , , , , - , align="center" , 2023 , , ''Lankum'' , , Artist of the Year , , , , , - , align="center" , 2023 , , ''Go Dig My Grave'' , , Song of the Year , , , , , - , align="center" , 2023 , , ''False Lankum'' , , Album of the Year , , , , , -

RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards The RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards are annual awards presented by RTÉ Radio 1 to celebrate the best in Irish folk music. The awards were established in 2018 and include recipients such as Martin Hayes, Emma Langford, Declan O'Rourke, Moya Brennan ...

, +Awards and nominations at the RTÉ Radio 1 Folk Awards , align="center" , 2018 , , ''Lankum'' , , Best Folk Group , , , , , - , align="center" , 2018 , , ''Radie Peat'' , , Best Folk Singer , , , , , - , align="center" , 2020 , , ''Lankum'' , , Best Folk Group , , , , , - , align="center" , 2020 , , ''Radie Peat'' , , Best Folk Singer , , , , , - , align="center" , 2023 , , ''Lankum'' , , Best Folk Group , , , , , - , align="center" , 2023 , , ''False Lankum'' , , Best Folk Album , , , , , -

BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards The BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards celebrate outstanding achievement during the previous year within the field of folk music, with the aim of raising the profile of folk and acoustic music. The awards have been given annually since 2000 by British rad ...

, +Awards and nominations at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards , align="center" , 2016 , , ''Lynched'' , , Best Group , , , , , - , align="center" , 2016 , , ''Cold Old Fire'' , , Best Album , , , , , - , align="center" , 2016 , , ''Lynched'' , , Horizon Award , , , , , - , align="center" , 2018 , , ''Lankum'' , , Best Group , , , , , - , align="center" , 2018 , , ''The Granite Gaze'' , , Best Original Song , , , , , -

Other notable accolades

, +Other notable accolades , align="center" , 2019 , , ''The Livelong Day'' , , NPR Music's 25 Best Albums of 2019 , , 8th , - , align="center" , 2019 , , ''The Livelong Day'' , , MOJO's 75 Best Albums of 2019 , , 58th , , , - , align="center" , 2020 , , ''Lankum'' , , The Irish Times 50 Best Irish Acts In Order , , 8th , - , align="center" , 2023 , , ''False Lankum'' , , The Mercury Prize , , Shortlisted , , , - , align="center" , 2023 , , ''False Lankum'' , , The Guardian 50 Best Albums of 2023 , , 1st , , , - , align="center" , 2023 , , ''False Lankum'' , , The Telegraph 10 Best Albums of 2023 , , 4th , - , align="center" , 2023 , , ''False Lankum'' , , MOJO's 50 Best Albums of 2023 , , 3rd , , , -

Notes

: Ian and Darragh Lynch released ''Where Did We Do Wrong?!'' in 2003 as ''Lynched''. However, it seems that this incarnation of ''Lynched'' is not the same musical project as that of the same name which would go on to become ''Lankum'', as ''Cold Old Fire'', released in 2014 with Cormac Mac Diarmada and Radie Peat, is often described as the group's "debut album".

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lankum Musical groups from Dublin (city) Irish folk musical groups 2002 establishments in Ireland 2000s in Irish music 2010s in Irish music 2020s in Irish music