For a band that has only been together for two years, Audio Fiction have managed to court controversy as though it was a rather fine looking lady/gentleman (delete as appropriate).
Apart from upsetting politicians with their anti-war stance on ‘Tick Tock’, from their 2004 EP Songs In The Key Of Orange Alert, Dublin-born drummer Mark O’Toole pitched up in the gossip columns of New York, where the quintet are based.
Fantastically named singer Mimi Ferraro seems embarrassed about the incident, which made the New York Daily News.
“Yeah,” she mumbles, “Drew Barrymore and her boyfriend, Fabrizio Moretti from The Strokes, were in a bar, a fight broke out between him and some guy who was hassling her and Mark helped get her out of the way. The next day it was all over the papers.”
While she insists they don’t swap amusing anecdotes about chauffeurs not being on time with celebs on a nightly basis, the incident demonstrates the ubiquity of the band.
Joined by fellow Irishman Ferg O’Sullivan (guitar), Filipino Jay Young (bass) and Texan Katherine Fong (violin), they’re making their first trip eastwards when they play a short tour of Ireland to give us a taste of their unique sound. Imagine Alison Goldfrapp in a rock band with strings, and visiting genres as diverse as smoky jazz to ‘80s synth.
“The boys talk about Ireland all the time so I’m excited about going,” she raves. “Mark has already planned a schedule to show us around, but in any case, we want to come back again soon, for a longer time.”