Inside Hot Press Chatroom Day Three

Kevin McGahern discusses his upcoming musical, 'The Trial of the Century,' which was inspired by Jedward's court case. "[It's] a musical about two aliens who come to earth... called Treliott, and they get into some trouble with the Irish court system." He also chats about his wedding this time last year. "These aul ones crashed my wedding because someone told them that Ryan Tubridy was getting married. They were so disapopointed." Kevin also chats about his time in China, namely the Great Wall. "Other than that, there's fuck all." He reluctantly speaks about his heartthrob status, "heartthrob don't suit Irish people at all." He admits that his love for the festival scene was born out of his love of rebellion. "And now we're seeing our Taoiseach at the same festivals... Leo Vradkar doing lines of ketamine with Versatile just doesn't make me feel like a cool young boy anymore."

Joe Rooney begins his set by performing a country tune. "When you're broken hearted, country music is the best." Rooney is perhaps best known for his work on Father Ted. Rooney often tours with Patrick McDonell, another Father Ted contributor. He also discusses his musical beginnings in a band, "a New Order-y type band," which broke up when he was twenty five. "I thought I was too old to be in a band." The interview turned into a stand-up routine about everything from religion to terrorism, including a song where Jesus sings about being "the motherfucking son of God!"

Loah reveals that she has "loads of collaborations in the pipeline." She also discolses that she has recently dipped her toes into acting. "I've been stepping into other artforms, I've been acting a lot." She acknowledges that many of her songs can seem alienating because her genre, art soul, is so niche, "but that's my role as an artist." She also reminisces about her musical upbringing. "Our house is amazing, my mum is super into [music]... there was always symphonies paying all day long when she was home."

Garbage dropped into the Chat room next and began by dwelling on the longevity of the band. "We still love each other, we love being with each other." They also explain how they still connect with their older material, despite cringing. "It's like... looking at your old school photos." They even share their views on U.S. politics. "If you're a decent soul, you would find the current administration repugnant." The Scottish-american group also discuss the late great Aretha Franklin. "She was a real great social aggravator and badass... We're not going to see the likes of her again." The band also discuss their hopes and fears for their future careers. "I just want to be a creative person, I don't give a shit about being famous."

Frank and the Walters reminisce about the time they "kicked a football accidentally on purpose at Lou Reed." They also explained the difficulty that comes with writing music, and explains why it may have taken longer than usual. "I'm trying to work on new songs but I have a son... and he doesn't like me playing guitar."

Fontaines D.C. disclose the difficulties of songwriting. "It's like putting your heart on the table." The band admitted that they're most excited to see Prodigy and Melt. They discuss the importance of autonomy in their songwriting. "From the start weve always eanted ti have complete control over our singles." A recent standout memory for the band was sailing along a lake in Switzerland. "I was thinking to myself, I'm from Moneghan, this is crazy."

Dawn Russell, Marcus Keane, John Collins and Jack Nolan from the Ana Liffey Drug Project dropped into the Chatroom for a drug panel. The group touch on Portugal's recent decriminalisation of drugs. Former Garda Jack Nolan urges Ireland to follow Portugal's lead. "We need to have them in treatment, not locked up behind bars."

Finally, The Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard joined us in the Hot Press Chatroom to discuss their new album. A standout track from the album is 'Honey Bee,' where Pritchard duets with his late father. Pritchard discusses his favourite Rolling Stone, his upcoming short film, his love for The Olympia Theatre in Dublin and his recent engagement. "Our song is 'Dreams' by Fleetwood Mac, which is about cheating, it's weird."