Choice 'too mainstream'? Delorentos don't think so

In the running for their second Choice Music Prize, Delorentos are also among the acts set to play the live Vicar Street event this evening.
Unlike most years, whereby (almost) all of the nominees grace the stage as the judges discuss the albums, there are a number of notable absentees.
It says plenty about the mainstream, high profile nature of this year's list, which includes U2, Hozier and Aphex Twin (yes, Richard D. James was born in Limerick). There have been inevitable complaints that the Prize should refocus on shining the spotlight on less commercially successful acts.
Kieran McGuinness of Delorentos, however, finds fault with this argument.
"Would it be fair to take Hozier out of it?" he counters. "He's probably the biggest selling album out of all of those. So what are you saying? If you're saying it's the best of the year it'd be very unfair to take Hozier out of that list. He's written a really good album. Regardless of the size of your band or the amount of records you sell... It's not your fault! It's not your choice."
"The more albums that are released of high quality, the more diverse the voting. The judges, depending on the year, vote on their favourite albums. Where they intersect is where you get the nominated albums. It's an interesting one.
"It ebbs and it flows – some years it is quite alternative and some years it is quite mainstream. If you look at past years, some very mainstream acts have been nominated. As well as very underground acts. It depends on the judges.
"You're talking about art, which is weird. You're always going to have someone like Kanye storming the stage and saying that the album they love is better than the album that won. It's difficult to know and, to be honest with you, we just try and stay out of that conversation!"
Delorentos picked up the gong two years back for their previous album Little Sparks.
"We got a huge amount of benefits from winning the last one," Kieran recalls. "It was a great thing to happen. But it would just be greedy to think we should have it again!"
So what does McGuinness think of the competition?
"Personally, I think James Vincent McMorrow's album and We Cut Corners' album are absolutely fantastic. We'd love if those guys won. I haven't heard the others as much. Obviously, U2 – I've heard their album! I presume their nomination was was just downloaded into the inbox of the Choice and they had to accept. Joking aside, it's a strong list. But there are tonnes of brilliant albums didn't get in this year like Raglans, The Minutes, Carol Keogh and Adrien Crowley... The Lost Brothers didn't get on it and collectively The Lost Brothers album is our favourite of last year."
While he is looking forward to a "good night", he says the Delos camp won't worry too much if 2014's Night Becomes Light isn't victorious.
"Our job is just to write the best music we can," McGuinness concludes. "Hopefully we have something to say that's worth listening to and what we're doing is worth something to people. We're out in our bunker in Portrane writing songs and feeling quite divorced from the Irish music scene, a little bit. That's fine with us."

The show is sold-out but it will be broadcast live on an extended four hour Paul McLoone Show on Today FM. RTE 2 will then show a one hour highlights programme at 10.55pm on Sunday March 8.