Theatre: Incarnate

photo: Cian Mac Coille

Irish quintet Theatre go for a widescreen sound on their debut EP Incarnate, which fits the lyrics like a glove as the emotions run high. They put folk, post-punk and shoegaze in a blender and topped it off with the crystal clear lead vocals of Maeve O’Shea. Whether she tackles bittersweet childhood memories (You Are), religion (Messiah) or turns the meaning of a 16th Century joyous hymn (Gaudete) into something dark and foreboding thanks to Dara Gooney's inspired guitar licks, it is never straightforward. They are fully aware that straying from sign-posted roads is far more interesting than playing it safe.

This is a band that is not feeling around where they want to go. They have hit the ground running, fully formed, with a bunch songs that earned them a place on the rock club circuit pretty damn fast. All they need now is more material for a full-length and their label to shell out the money for a physical release.

Theatre: You Are

Irish quintet Theatre's new single You Are goes through hills and valleys, with a gnarly grunge guitar and all out folk-tinged vocals, with pastoral interludes acting as opportunities to let it sink in.

The lyrics were inspired by singer's Maeve O’Shea childhood in West Cork, reminiscing about wandering the streets on her own and the mundane act of doing the dishes. She would have been happy with a song back then as a cure for her boredom, but fast forward to 2026 and here it is. The video was directed by Greg Purcell .

Theatre: The Fall

Irish quintet Theatre go for a wall to wall late 80s sound on their debut single The Fall, a song about facing the ruins of a broken friendship. It turns out that the breakup is actually good news, as the other involve party was a toxic asshole. They have been gigging endlessly to build a fanbase and that paid off, landing them a record deal with Echo, a hip BMG imprint. The video was directed by Keelin Sutcliffe.