What an average week for Irish rock. Shane MacGowan in marriage rumours, Brian McFadden explains why he refused to squirt all over Kerry and Bono gets it from the Queen.
Based in Glasnevin and founded by producer Mark Hadfield, businessman Chris Hehir and Brian McFadden, Chilli Studios proves that home digital recording hasn't yet usurped state of the art commercial studios.
From stardom with Westlife to the breakup of his marriage, and a subsequent attempt to kickstart his solo career, Brian McFadden had an extraordinarily eventful year. With his private life routinely splashed all over the tabloids and controversy currently raging over everything from his latest video to his admiration for Nirvana, he remains in the eye of the storm. In a candid interview with hotpress, he discusses living his life in the media spotlight, his decision to leave Westlife, drink, drugs, sex and the continuing fallout from his break-up with his wife Kerry.
Whereas he could have just become this year’s Darius, what’s impressive is that McFadden – aided and abetted by former Robbie W songsmith sidekick Guy Chambers – has opted for a significant break from St Louis’ school of music-for-children. It is a move that required more than a modicum of courage.
Robbie Williams has a hell of a lot to answer for. Nowadays, every trained chump in the charts feels that they too can have a stab at credible solo stardom (and bagging an unspeakable amount of money from a major label).
As gigs in Whelan’s go, this was a strange one. Brian McFadden was re-inventing himself. Unshaven and dressed in ripped jeans and a t-shirt, he clearly had the scruffy indie kid down.
