THE WALLS

Formed by two founding members of The Stunning - brothers Steve and Joe Wall – the band’s debut album Hi-Lo was released in 2000. U2 offered them a support at their second show in Slane Castle in 2002 after the band sent them copies. In 2002 the single ‘To the Bright and Shining Sun’ was used on a TV commercial and became a top ten hit in Ireland. Their second album ‘New Dawn Breaking’ (2005) hit number 5 in the Irish charts. The movie Begin Again starring Keira Knightley & Mark Ruffalo features the track ‘Drowning Pool’ over the opening credits. The song ‘Open Road‘ proved a favourite with Nic Harcourt on his KCRW show ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic’ and in 2006 he invited the band to Santa Monica to play in studio. Their third album ‘Stop the Lights’ came out in 2012, with the first single ‘Bird in a Cage’ becoming a firm favourite with Irish radio.

The band released the single Chrome Heart in April 2022, their first release in ten years since the ‘Stop the Lights’ album was released in 2012. The band have spent much of the past two years sifting through their recorded archives and compiling an album of rarities and previously unreleased material. An album ‘Stray Sparks’ is due for release later this year.

Apart from playing with The Walls, drummer Rory Doyle records and tours with Hozier. Steve developed a career as an actor, appearing in the TV series The Witcher (Netflix); Raised by Wolves (HBO/Ridley Scott); Vikings (MGM); Tin Star (Sky Atlantic). He recently played the Jazz musician Chet Baker in a Dutch feature film My Foolish Heart, about the trumpeter’s last day in Amsterdam where he died in 1988. Joe Wall is a core team member of BIMM Music College, Dublin and bassist Jon O’Connell is an in-demand musician/producer in Co. Clare in the west of Ireland.

Some quotes about The Walls:

“Their debut, Hi-Lo, has just turned 20 and is a gem of a record. It marked a progression in the duo’s writing, adding some grit, sonic experimentation and lo-fi textures to their innate knack for writing songs bursting with melody.” - STEVE CUMMINS Journalist Sept 2020

"The third offering from The Walls is a finely-wrought assortment of slick sonic treats.......on ‘Stop the Lights’ they push the boundaries of their craft: this is their most adventurous work to date…..Delightful". HOT PRESS MAGAZINE

"An ambitious record with countless layers and textures, so lovingly created (the artwork is beautiful), that truly reaffirms the belief that great long plays are still being written and produced…sublime." - Stop the Lights reviewed by Louder than War 10/5/2012

“The Walls offered one of the more convincing sets of big rock and graceful punk, including "Drowning Pool", an excellent take on the music biz. The lead singer nailed music's emancipating power: "the most important thing at the end of the day is to rock out!" - THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE, Mar 17 2006

“So, at an important point in their career, The Walls have made a great album. Two guitarists, bass and drums - music just doesn’t get any better than this.” - New Dawn Breaking reviewed in SUBCULTURE MAGAZINE 2005