Profile, Playtoh

Posted on 8th Jun 05 by Contributor | 0

Artist: Playtoh
Author: Mark

A band that have attracted a sizeable fan base PlaytOh debuted at an open mike session in the Douglas Hyde" Cork in early 2002 with a mix of covers and original material. Primarily seen as acoustic based with a small band sound" PlaytOh quickly found their feet" and began a journey from acoustic melodies to an edgier indie"rock sound. PlaytOh won the Red FM Green On Red" Battle Of The Bands competition and established themselves as a Cork favourite.

The end of 2002 saw Cormac" Magz" Niall" Kieran and Johnny gain their well"earned place in the Cork music scene along with attracting serious management interest.

With a solid head and determined character PlaytOh decided that an intense tour of the country would help them develop their sound and help point them in the direction they needed to go. The following summer the band went on the road" playing over 80 shows in 5 months and appearing on any radio show that would have them. Phenomenal stuff for a young band I have to say. The band highlight The Blackbird in Ballycotton" GUBU in Dublin" The Kings Head in Waterford and the band"s debut "and sold out" show in The Lobby" Cork as the shows that really stuck out.

So what to do now" Well PlaytOh decided that it was about time they made their first album. By the end of 2003 the band had started to plan how this should be done. With an initial plan for a 3 week stint in the studio PlaytOh soon learned that if a debut album was worth doing" it was worth doing right. The band had to find and define their sound as after all it was their first album and what people would judge them on. The result of this being the fine "Fountain 2am" which contains 11 tracks each containing their own story of either love" heartbreak" happiness or sadness and whatever else it may be" The band had certainly defined their sound all right and it was going to make an impact. While the album was recorded over a period of 3 months "on and off" in Killarney in the home"studio of Ruairi O"Flaherty" PlaytOh had come up with their own style of "Indie"Pop". The mastering of this album was later done in LA under Dave Collins "who had previously worked with the Foo Fighters" Madonna and The Queens of The Stone Age" the band were certain they could have a good go at cracking the industry.

The first sign of the material on the album "for those who hadn"t already purchased it at gigs" appeared in early 2005 when they released their first single "Closer". The single was to go on to be played on many radio stations across the country getting special mention from DJ"s with regional and national stations. A good start is half the battle they say but to me PlaytOh always had this potential. They have been compared to all types of bands including The Frames" New Order" Soft Cell and more. I rarely rely on information like this when a band can be seen and evaluated live. A band that incorporate guitars" drums" violin and piano into their music they certainly seem to have to ability to churn out good pop songs and also delve a little deeper and meaningful. Their amiable approach to playing live gigs "and many of them" has seen them play at many charity/fundraising events" Colleges" Bars" Venues and most recently a support slot to Ocean Colour Scene in the Ambassador in Dublin. Now it would seem that we really do have great acts in this cultural city of ours and PlaytOh are definitely ones to watch.

PlaytOh play the Savoy theatre in Cork this Thursday the 9th of June as part of their album launch. Admission is free. The can also be seen in Virgin Megastores in Cork on Friday the 10th of June at 5:30p.m.

Stay tuned for a review of PlaytOh"s Album Fountain 2am in the near future.

By Mark McCarthy