Photo Credit: Elaine Snowden

As I write this, Bressie (Niall Breslin), is sitting pretty atop the Irish iTunes’ chart with his debut solo-cd and enjoying life as arguably the most popular judge on Ireland’s ‘The Voice’. He is also working as a producer/songwriter with Simon Fuller’s 19 Entertainment in London. All three are the result of a decision ten years ago to swap the physically-battering world of professional rugby for the no-less difficult one of music.

His build may be evidence of a rugby-playing past, but Bressie’s face shows no signs of the pro career he gave up once the music bug bit. Yes, beneath the exterior lies a master of the catchy pop song, an electric live performer and a driven, savvy professional, but good looks don’t hurt in the music industry either.

He came to my attention as the frontman of Irish rock band The Blizzards, a group who, just to give one example of their quality, won ‘Best Live Act’ two years running at Oxegen (voted Best Major European Festival). After six years and two successful albums, the band parted ways in 2010 and Bressie went solo.

The result of his foray into the world of the solo-artist? Colourblind Stereo It’s electro-pop with a real heart, soaring synths and a lyrical maturity rarely found in the genre. From lead single “Can’t Stay Young (Forever)“ a track begging to be blared from your car radio on a summer road-trip, to closing song “Left The Party Too Soon”, a farewell to someone who passed too young, Colourblind Stereo is a great example of an artist who has firmly taken hold of the reigns in every aspect of their record’s creation.

I was lucky enough to catch Bressie’s first solo gig in Ireland and, even though we’d only heard his first single, he had us in the palm of his hand. A well-chosen Bon Jovi cover (the band was playing Dublin that night) and a fan-favourite from his Blizzards’ years (“Postcards”, well-worth a listen) aside, he played all new tracks and, if we’d been able to bottle the energy in the room, we might have been able to keep Ireland’s lightbulbs lit for a while.

With its angry chorus and biting lyrics, the highlight of the night for me was when he played “Animals” whipping the audience into a frenzy. It’s his current single and you can check out the video below.

If, like me, you’re looking for something to drag you out of the doldrums and into summer 2012, check out Bressie. Your search is over.

This post was written by TRT Contributor Elaine Snowden and features her original illustration. Check out Elaine’s previous post here and view her incredible artwork here.

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