Brògeal

The rambunctious Celtic folk of The Pogues, the story-telling charm of The View, the lush pop harmonies of Teenage Fanclub, the jangly delicacy of the Smiths, the yearning of a classic Oasis B-side and a Scottish brogue as defiant as the Proclaimers…  Brògeal have it all – and make it their own.

A bubbling cultural cauldron set to boiling point, the sound overflows with accordion, banjo, bouzouki, mandolin and perky penny whistle, where ancient folk tradition meets an indie Gen Z sensibility and laughs, sings and dances in the face of 21st century darkness. The death of the swaggering good-time band has been greatly exaggerated.

From small-town Falkirk in central Scotland the folk-punk-indie-pop five-piece have big ideas, with a reputation as one of the best live bands in Britain, their communal, sing-along, delirious anthems igniting mosh-pit madness throughout the UK, Ireland and beyond. Everybody loves them.

“The thing about our music is that it transcends all age groups,” notes vocalist/songwriter/guitarist Daniel Harkins. “You’ve got 14-year-old boys with their mums, they’re all going mental, you've got old punks, middle-aged women, young adults, old people, everybody's digging it, you know? There's something for everybody because you've got your folky influences, The Pogues, with this indie edge and pop sensibilities.”  

Brògeal (pronounced Bro-gale) got here via the old-school, DIY route. Borne from a friendship on a bus – Daniel and fellow songwriter Aidan Callaghan (vocals, banjo) met on journeys to Celtic football games – they formed a typically ramshackle school punk band, Shiva, who were “shit”, but the passion remained. Traditional folk fans forever, loving The Dubliners and The Pogues, ideas for a folk band evolved, soon joined by Sam MacMillan who taught himself to play his grandad’s accordion. When Covid struck in 2020, more self-taught musicianship filled the void, learning their folky craft on curious older instruments, two metres apart, in Daniel’s back garden under a leaky Asda gazebo. Emerging from Covid, two new recruits joined – local studio engineer Euan Mundie (bass) and Luke Mortimer (drums) – and the distinctive Brògeal sound took shape: fearlessly merging traditionally raucous Celtic folk with deft, harmonious songcraft, pop nous and the indie noughties energy they grew up on.

They made their first EP for themselves, ‘Dirt and Daydreams’ (2023) released on their own winningly titled CraicDen label, followed by an eponymous EP in 2024 on Is Right Records, leading to a signing with revered independent label Play It Again Sam (PIAS, home to Nick Cave, The Hives, Cameron Winter). For the last 18 months they’ve toured relentlessly, throughout the UK and Ireland, gathering ecstatic fans, have supported Paolo Nutini, The Mary Wallopers and The Lathums, found fans in both 6 Music’s Huw Stephens and Line Of Duty actor Martin Compston, been eulogised in Rolling Stone UK, Dork, The Independent, Tenement TV, Clash, NME, DIY, The New Cue and So Young.  

Brògeal released their eponymously-titled EP in 2024 and have already been featured by The Independent, Rolling Stone UK, DIY,  Dork, Clash, The New Cue, So Young, Tenement TV and more, whilst they’ve also been played on BBC 6 Music and Radio X. They have recently finished their nationwide spring tour that took in The Great Escape and a sold-out show at 1000-cap SWG3 in Glasgow. TRNSMT, Truck, Wilderness and Kendal Calling are on the agenda this summer having previously played with The Mary Wallopers, The Lathums, Paolo Nutini and The Wolfe Tones at their last ever show at Finsbury Park last summer.