Pretty Happy is a 3-piece sister-brother-best friend art-punk band from Cork known for intense theatrical live performances, and embracing the idioms and energy of their home city. In the last six months they opened for Future Islands, Gilla Band, Pillow Queens, The Mary Wallopers, and toured Europe and the UK with Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth, Body/Head), and performed at Primavera Sound, All Together Now and Raw Power in London. In November they open for Pavement in Dublin.
Pretty Happy are diverse artists who enage with theatre, film and visual art. In June this year they curated QUARE a celebration of queer art in Cork with one-day open-air event in St. Anne’s Park in Shandon for Cork Midsummer Festival. The band also made a documentary about Cork punk and post-punk heritage (something very close to their heart) for the Triskel Art Centre’s WRITE RECORD PERFORM residency.
For their forthcoming debut EP, the trio teamed up with producer John ‘Spud’ Murphy (Lankum, Black Midi) at Hellfire Studios in Dublin. The new material, due for release in late October, will reveal a more expansive textural sound.
“Distils the essence of Pixies and sprinkles Cork’s undiluted psycho-geographical accent all over it... one of the best new-ish bands in the country”
-Tony Clayton-Lea, The Irish Times
“Pretty Happy are a diamond in the rough... surely destined for bigger things”
-Lauren Murphy, Sunday Times
“Brilliantly surreal”
– Tom Robinson, BBC6
"So good. Such an amazing band.”
- Sofia K, KEXP
"One of the country's most dazzlingly original acts."
-Hot Press Magazine
“The reputation of their energetic live shows precedes them, but even through headphones, songs like “Salami” thud into your core, feedback fuzzing and wending its way into your gray matter.”
-Clare Martin - Paste Magazine
"Pretty Happy are .... developing a reputation for the energy of their live shows and Abbey Blake’s emerging distinctive pedal-driven electronic guitar style."
- Ellie O'Byrne, Irish Examiner
"Something of a best-kept secret."
- Lauren Murphy, entertainment.ie
“New wavey post-punk which delights. ”
-Nialler9