A musician who gained attention at the end of lockdown with videos of him playing on the streets with unusual instruments is set to release his first EP.
Michael O’Daley, from Strabane, suddenly attracted attention in April 2021 when the unique sound of his handpan drumming caught the ears of locals in Derry city centre.
Now he’s set to release his first EP at his hometown’s Alley Theatre after videos of his street gigs were viewed by thousands online, and he’s set to tour Northern Ireland in a campervan, playing in town centres with both the handpan and the diggery-doo.
Read more: Musician who gained attention through Belfast Live street performance video to release EP
“People’s moods were really low during lockdown and the handpan is a really calming instrument. It’s similar to a harp and I’m now combining it with a diggery doo, a 12-string guitar and a bodhran.”
“I started playing music with guitar in a band about 20 years ago, and when you play in a band you learn a little bit of everything.
“The handpan is like a full band and I had done a music course in Delhi so the theory was in my head and playing the handpan came very naturally to me.
“The Diggery Doo has a stand, so I used to play the Diggery Doo and the handpan together. My sister lives in Australia and we lived in an Aboriginal park and when I got my handpan it was in the same key so we could play together.”
Speaking to Belfast Live in 2021, O’Daley, who was 28 at the time, said she had worked a variety of jobs before dedicating her free time to her “musical dreams”.
Now, he says it “feels good” to be launching the EP at Strabane’s Alley Theatre on September 29th with supporting acts and poets.
But he still wants to continue playing on the streets.
“My plan is to organise a physical event and then call the local council to decide where it will be held,” he said.
O’Daley describes his musical style as a fusion of different “indigenous styles” from around the world, including Celtic influences using the bodhran, which he calls “tribal sonic funk.”
Musicians are also keen to use the handpan for “therapeutic” purposes, thanks to its soothing sound.
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