Pretty Happy

Pretty Happy is a 3-piece sister-brother-best friend art-punk band from Cork known for intense theatrical live performances and embracing the idioms and energy of their home city. In the last year they have opened for Future Islands, Gilla Band, Pillow Queens, The Mary Wallopers, and toured Europe and the UK with Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth, Body/Head), and performed at Primavera Sound, All Together Now, Raw Power in London, Electric Picnic and Other Voices. In November they open for Pavement in Dublin.

Off stage, Pretty Happy like to engage in other artforms including directing their own music videos, curating festivals and directing and producing feature length documentaries. In June this year they curated QUARE a celebration of queer art in Cork with one-day open-air event in St. Anne’s Park in Shandon for Cork Midsummer Festival. The band also made a documentary entitled Leeside Creatures about Cork punk and post-punk heritage (something very close to their heart) for the Triskel Art Centre’s WRITE RECORD PERFORM residency. 

On stage, Pretty Happy tap into a primal cultural mania. Their songs, always filtered through an absurdist lens, cover such topics as drink spiking, suburban angst and rape culture. Their intense live show intends to mirror the ebbs and flows of the human condition. Most important to the band, is the use of humour in their songs. Inspired by the essential Irish trait of finding humour in every situation no matter how sad or horrifying it may seem.

Pretty Happy are heavily inspired by their home city of Cork. The people of Cork are nicknamed the Rebels due to their stubborness to conform. The band take this rebellious identity to heart in their characteristic musicality and their cork accented stream of consciousness ravings.

Whilst their music at times may have a jagged edge, the band strives to promote inclusion. Everyone is invited and welcome at a Pretty Happy show.  

For their forthcoming debut EP, the trio teamed up with producer John ‘Spud’ Murphy (Lankum, Black Midi) at Hellfire Studios in Dublin. The new material, due for release in late 2022, will reveal a more expansive textural sound. Earlier in the year the band re-recorded live favourite Salami and b-side Angelus also with Spud. 

“Distils the essence of Pixies and sprinkles Cork’s undiluted psycho-geographical accent all over it... one of the best new-ish bands in the country” - Tony Clayton-Lea, The Irish Times

“Pretty Happy are a diamond in the rough... surely destined for bigger things” - Lauren Murphy, Sunday Times

“Brilliantly surreal” – Tom Robinson, BBC6

"So good. Such an amazing band.” - Sofia K, KEXP

"One of the country's most dazzlingly original acts." -Hot Press Magazine

"Pretty Happy are .... developing a reputation for the energy of their live shows and Abbey Blake’s emerging distinctive pedal-driven electronic guitar style." - Ellie O'Byrne, Irish Examiner

"Something of a best-kept secret." - Lauren Murphy, entertainment.ie

“New wavey post-punk which delights.”- Nialler9

‍