Originally published in Hot Press in October 2024

It’s been an impressively successful year for Macroom-born musician Bambie Thug – with show-stopping festival performances this past summer at Download, Mighty Hoopla and Electric Picnic; their critically acclaimed Crown The Witch European tour; and of course, their witchy, hyper-pop single ‘Doomsday Blue’ being selected to represent Ireland in the 2024 Eurovision competition.

The singer went on to reach sixth place in the competition – Ireland’s best Eurovision result in over 20 years. Their participation was not without controversy, with over 400 artists signing a letter calling on them to pull out in protest against Israel’s participation amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

However, the artist argued that it was "more important than ever" to have pro-Palestinian voices at the competition, even attempting to write the Ceasefire’ and ‘Freedom for Palestine’ using the early medieval ogham alphabet in their semi-final stage make-up – a move which was rapidly shut down by the European Broadcasting Union.

Since then, the alternative artist has kept busy. In fact, after a string of dates across Europe, Bambie Thug is now back on Irish soil for sold out dates in Dublin on October 31 and in Galway on November 2, before wrapping up their tour in their native Cork on November 7 – a homecoming that, despite their international success, the artist is particularly looking forward to.

“I’m super excited to be back on Irish soil, and playing for my country,” they confirm. “I also told to the team: ‘We’re going to have to up the antics now, because Irish people can have the craic!’ I’m playful anyway, on stage, but I’m just super excited to really feel a matched Irish energy. There’s something different with Irish crowds. It's undeniable.

“I genuinely think Irish crowds want to have as much craic as they can,” Bambie continues. “And maybe other countries aren’t as free with themselves. Also, I just can’t wait to be back in Cork and play for everybody there! I can tell I’m going to be emotional. I’m delighted, actually, that we’re finishing the tour there, because I wouldn't have it any other way. I’d finish all my tours in Cork, to be honest.”

For the rebel county native, going home is always a cherished experience: “Even when I go out back in Cork with my friends, people are not afraid to dance, they’re not afraid to look like an idiot. I just love Ireland.”

Last time that the ouija-pop artist talked to Hot Press, they were gearing up to hop onto the Rankin’s Wood stage at Electric Picnic, for what proved to be a jam-packed set.

“That was amazing,” Bambie recalls. “I love Electric Picnic. I went there when I was working at it, when I was 18. And actually, if I get asked to play Electric Picnic again next time, I’m going for the whole weekend. Because it’s such a well done festival, like the way there’s so many different worlds... And the catering for artists is so good! Playing Electric Picnic was quite emotional, in a really wholesome way. And yeah, it was wild!”

Last week, they hit another major milestone in their career, by being announced as the opening act for BABYMETAL’s European arena tour. These will be Bambie's biggest shows to date, and will include a gig at London’s O2 Arena in May 2025.

“They’re all arenas – the only other time I’ve played an arena was the Eurovision – and even then, it was TV, so I was performing for the cameras," Bambie tells me. "It's wild. I’m so grateful, and I’m so excited.”

How did it feel when they first got the news?

“I kind of was like ‘Wha..?’” they laugh. “I was just so excited. I took a picture with them at Download – they were playing the same festival over the summer – and I turned to my manager and I said ‘I’d love to play with BABYMETAL.’ Now I am! And Poppy as well, which is awesome.”

Experiencing such major successes so suddenly could be overwhelming for an emerging artist such as Bambie Thug – but the musician keeps their head held high, staying grounded but refusing to hide behind a wall of false modesty.

Speaking about the upcoming arena tour, Bambie doesn’t feel out of place – and rightfully so: they’ve earned their spot.

“I think it’s a great line-up,” they nod. “It’s well-matched. I feel like it’s correct. It just feels great, and I’m super grateful to be opening, and supporting, and also being given yet again another lovely platform. And I think there could be a lot of crossover in fans and communities around these two artists. It’s gonna be really cool, and I get to watch them all perform each night, which is nice!”

In other big news, Bambie has just released their new Halloween single ‘Fangtasy’, a vampire-themed banger that blends gothic horror, infectious guitar riffs and anthemic, pop-inspired choruses, that the artist describes as “nostalgia rock.”

As thematically aligned with the musician’s artistic universe as ‘Fangtasy’ is, it was almost forgotten in a folder of old demos.

“I made it three years ago on Halloween, we forgot about it, and then we found it in my demos, and we were like ‘Oh, this is actually such a good song!’

“It’s about marching to the beat of your own drum, and finally becoming aware of people who aren’t there for you, and things that don’t serve you, and just breaking free of that," they continue. "And it’s just a banger, honestly. I was just like ‘This needs to go out!’ When we found it, we were like ‘What? How did we forget about this song?’”

This idea of standing up for yourself has long been an important subject for Bambie.

“I do think a lot of my songs have that kind of theme, either prominently or under the surface of it," they agree. “I think it was actually some bad relationship I was in back then, if I’m thinking of my life. But, I mean, I’ve been on a journey of always getting better at learning my own boundaries and cutting out certain things in my life that aren’t serving me, whether it’s thoughts or actions or people. And I think that’s actually just life’s work and just continuing to stand your ground.”

For the self-described Irish witch, putting out a Halloween song, along with an accompanying dance, just felt right.

“When we were making up the dance, we were trying to think what are the big Halloween dances? Like there’s ‘Thriller’, there’s ‘Monster Mash’… And now people are doing lots of TikToks to the dance. And all the crowds will do it, ‘cause I can teach them at the shows. I wanted to have something like that – a new Halloween dance.

“It was just really fun – I just wanted to put out a song that was just fun for everyone, like across the board.”

One of the most notable features of Bambie Thug’s artistry is their ability to mix a wide array of influences into something that is uniquely their own – a genre that they describe as ‘ouija pop’.

When asked for the source of all these varied inspirations, they recall “a completely oversaturated childhood of music."

"So many sounds were being thrown at me all the time growing up," they resume. "Even from finding my own taste in things, versus what my friends were listening to, and what my mother was listening to – just ridiculous amounts of different genres in one day.

“And then my father’s taste in music which is old school rock and roll, and then musical theatre, and then folk music, and me then finding rap…" they add. "I was being a sponge to my environment all the time. I'm also influenced by movies and books, and sounds that I hear on the street. It’s ouija pop! It’s just a big soup...”

After a year full of thrilling live performances, with much more to come, I wonder if Bambie enjoys being on the road more than being locked up in a studio?

“I think they’re both different little pockets,” they explain, “I love being able to do both. Live music is really fun, sometimes very difficult, depending on how many shows you’ve done. It's very rewarding, and it allows me to be with my community, whereas recording and writing alone is a very cathartic, very important time as well. And it can be fun, if I’m making fun songs with my producers.

"I couldn’t do one without the other," the continue. "They both have different places and different reasons. But I haven’t been in the studio since before Eurovision, actually. I just haven‘t had time, but I’m really, really excited to get back. I’m excited to be able to sit down and get what the last whole year has been in my brain out, into something – I don’t know what it’s gonna be yet, but it’s gonna be good!"