NO ENCORE

Happy Day of Fools of April to you, dear listener! Craig Fitzpatrick has fled the building and possibly the country - the truth is we don't know.  Frankly? We don't want to know. Dave Hanratty is joined by the rampaging force of nature that is Zara Hedderman. It's their first episode together in six months! And after this one - it just may be their last. On the agenda - the tragic passing of...

The sun sets on another month, but dawns on a new Before The ENCORE . Rejoice, rejoice dear listener. As always, I aim to unmask parts of the music industry and provide an insight into certain areas that may not get the most air-time in order to spread a bit of awareness about what drives the people in their roles and areas of expertise, how they got there and all the other fun stuff in between. T...

Back at it again. Dave Hanratty and Craig Fitzpatrick reflect upon music itself this week in a shocking, twist-laden five-hou–  Just kidding, it's around about the usual length.  On the musical agenda this week – pop songs that proved revolutionary, a pop queen looking to cement her own iconic status, and all the usual fun and games from the news world. ACT ONE: Craig goes to the movies!...

Better late than never, eh? NO POPCORN  finally returns to run the rule over the year 2021 from a cinematic point of view.  Who will win the John Travolta Award for Most Curious Failure of a Performance? How about the Best Needle Drop in a movie? What of the films we simply could not find the strength to endure? And the ones we did indeed love? All these and more take centre stage on a f...

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY, EVERYBODY~! Yes, it's been and gone for another year but Dave Hanratty and Craig Fitzpatrick convened on the big night to record this episode, sensibly avoiding the chaos beyond their respective four walls. Instead, a chaos of a different kind in the form of a busy week in music news and a Top 5 that takes in the magical highs and the frankly shocking lows of the Irish publ...

NO ENCORE  3:16 SAYS WE JUST PODCASTED YOUR EARS! Or something along those lines. We're back and raring to go with a Top 5 that veers from the angelic to the demonic, in a manner of speaking.  There's also a news round-up that gets spectacularly derailed in vintage 'Dave talks about a film for a bit instead' fashion. Don't miss our latest episode of  NO AUX CORD  – and a killer...

I know, I know, it's a week late, but despite my tardiness Before The ENCORE is back! This month I speak with my studio-mate Cormac Butler , producer extraordinaire, songwriter and mix engineer of Faction Records. Cormac has an extensive and wide-ranging discography from All Tvvins to James Vincent McMorrow to Sorcha Richardson to The Academic to Gavin James & The Coronas . We often chat among...

You gotta keep 'em separated. Or, in this case, bonded for life. NO ENCORE  is back for another week and the boys Dave Hanratty and Craig Fitzpatrick have a lot to chew on despite sensationally  not  attending Irish music's biggest night.  The RTÉ Choice Music Prize is still on the agenda, though. As is lots of other news and yet another Top 5 that throws at least one half of t...

Clench your fists and gaze skywards, it's time to shout, shout, let it all out. For those, dear listeners, are the things we podcast about. NO ENCORE screams back in triumphantly for another week with our personal tribute to the majesty of the power ballad. Well, maybe not everyone thinks power ballads are majestic. We'll have to wait and see. Or, rather, listen. ACT ONE: Dave goes viral, Craig mi...

Long albums result in a long episode. Can't say we're not on-theme. Dave Hanratty and Craig Fitzpatrick battle through a heavy week and find all kinds of pockets of space in order to listen to an 80-minute Big Thief record for purposes of considered review, while  also  deep-diving into their shouts for the most notable protected long-players around. All that and thoughts on the cur...

Greetings, dear listener, wherever you are in the world. Or, more specifically, whatever place you presently occupy.  That's right, it's all about a physical space of unique characteristics on this week's show as Dave Hanratty and Craig Fitzpatrick sift through a notably tangible Top 5. We've got the usual news round-up, of course, and a brand new album review in the form of Mitski's&nbs...

NO ENCORE  returns to power up YOUR weekend – or whenever you usually listen to the show.  This week, it's all about the reliable gem that is the one-hit wonder. But what  constitutes  such a thing? Honestly, it's a little bit confusing. That's Dave's excuse for arguably making a bit of a mess of the assignment this week but then again, once the main event segment opens up...

It's 2022, and what better way to close out January than with a booster dose of Before The ENCORE ! We're back, baby. And better than ever after our Christmas Break. This month, I sat down with Bekah Molony ; an artist manager, stage designer and booker. Lengthy chat, many many topics covered and really enjoyed learning about Bekah's role in the industry. Bekah currently manages rap artist Celavie...

And breathe.  The new season of  NO ENCORE  continues apace as Dave Hanratty and Craig Fitzpatrick reunite and attempt to set the musical world to rights once more. First order of business – a personal life update from Dave that also somehow finds space for some bizarre humour. Wouldn't be like him. Beyond that we've got a notably spicy news section, an album that provokes quite the...

Over Blue Monday? Good, it’s just another day of the week. So let’s kick on with the rest of 2022 – NO ENCORE returns with a Craig/Zara/(silent) Adam power trio special. Dave will be back on the mic next week but, before that glorious moment, there’s an FKA twigs alb… mixtape to debate and our Top 5 'Days Of The Week’ Songs to discuss. If you'd like to support the show, please consider hittin...

So, this is Listmas. And what have we done? Another year over. A new NO ENCORE countdown just begun~! It's time to run down the very best long-players of the year gone by as we go from #20 down to #6 before pivoting into a Top 5 debate to decide the overall Best Album of 2021. Dave Hanratty, Craig Fitzpatrick and Zara Hedderman are in the collective driving seat one more time – please enjoy our fi...

Let me hear you SCREAM. NO POPCORN returns for the final time in 2021 with one hell of a choice for a Christmas movie – Mark Wahlberg's 2001 rags to riches hard-rock adventure ROCK STAR ~! That's right, it's the tale of a wannabe... who got to be . Is this a comedy? Are the songs any good? Do we root for Mark Wahlberg's character? Just how many things can one seemingly average man invent in his li...

Oh boy. It's that time of year once again. LISTMAS IS UPON US~! That's right – it's time for part one of the NO ENCORE end of year spectacular. As the title rather gives it away, it's the Best Songs of 2021 . Dave Hanratty, Craig Fitzpatrick and Zara Hedderman count 'em down from #20 to #6 before engaging in a Top 5 debate for the ages. What will be crowned the overall Song of 2021? The tension is...

Dave and Craig are here in the depths of winter to warm you up with a nostalgic deep dive into the year we’ve dubbed “Summertime For Humanity”. Final standard episode of the year, so we’re getting a bit meta, getting a bit silly. ACT ONE (7:24): The 2021 news ain’t done. Wanna know about a Queen member launching a foul-mouthed attack on Sacha Baron Cohen, what The Coronas have in common with a Bel...

December is but a few days old so you know what that means – it's time to go full Christmas! That's right, it's the very best and the absolute dirt worst of festive sonics, as delivered by Dave Hanratty (in full Grinch mode) and Craig Fitzpatrick (generally on the side of the season).  So, let's do it to it before it does it to us... ACT ONE (4:56):  The trawl through the news week bring...

**EDIT - audio now fixed! Sincere apologies** Did you miss me? I bet you didn't, but here's a new pod anyway! My latest edition of Before The ENCORE was one of my first ever recordings, and I was very fortunate to have had the pleasure to sit down and speak to one of my good musical friends for a lengthy chat. Robert O'Halloran is more colloquially known in the music industry as lo-fi producer ext...

We take a week off and the music world goes into overdrive. Typical. Dave Hanratty  and  Craig Fitzpatrick  reunite with plenty to discuss; from a transcendent live experience to an intimate brush with a bona fide mega-star to the new Adele album to, but of course, a spotlight focus on the legendary genre that is... DIVORCECORE~! NO ENCORE  is back, baby! Support us on Pat...

No regular NO ENCORE this week but we're back in the 'music x movies' groove as NO POPCORN revs up accordingly. Having recently turned 10 years young, Drive felt like the perfect candidate for our next cinematic overview. Long silences. Super-slick aesthetic. Shocking bursts of ultra-violence. Questionable fashionable choices. Terrific casting choices. And, of course, a killer soundtrack for the a...

Knowing me, knowing you... AHA! One of us is off this week (it’s Dave), so Craig takes a chance on our wonderful super sub (and super trouper) Zara Hedderman. In case you haven’t guessed, we talk ABBA.  ACT ONE (7:14) : We try to make some sense of the horrific tragedy that unfolded in Houston with some Astroworld discussion, before moving on to some altogether lighter fare: Will Chris Gaines...

The boys are back in sound. Craig returns from Barcelona to the loving digital arms of Dave. Podding ensues. This week, we're looking at the most misunderstood songs in the musical canon. We're also trying our best to understand, not for the first time, the appeal of Ed Sheeran. Luckily, we have Alice Kiernan on board to help us do just that. Do check out Alice's new song 'Blue' on all your m...