Mick Flannery

Singing out against the rise of the forces of hate, division, greed

Mick Flannery (Ireland)

Right now the world needs great singers, and it also needs more protest singers. It needs artists who can put our fears and anxieties – and our anger – to words and music, who can give voice and sing out against the rise of the forces of hate, division, greed… Enter Mick Flannery. He’s both.

Flannery established himself as one of the best songwriters in Ireland over the course of four albums, the last two of which went to No 1. Known for his sincere, introspective writing and gravelly-rich voice, he seduces his audience with compelling storytelling. Flannery’s first four albums focused on brooding, confessional themes of betrayal and love lost, but his latest release, “I Owe You”, starts moving away from a singular focus on personal stories to touch upon a new awareness of the outside world – a very broken world.

Having lived for a time in Baltimore, Mick was affected by the story of Freddie Grey, a local man who suffered spinal injuries after being arrested by police, then died in hospital. The event compelled Flannery to start composing songs sparked by his anger at such a tragedy and other injustices he saw in the world today.

Flannery says, “I’m against greed, against the dis-empowerment of people and the commodifying of people. Our beholdness to banks, our lack of sovereignty . . .” “The wealth and poverty in the world and how it’s come to such a pointed degree and how it’s so glaringly obvious! Greedy people have just got their way and the gap between them and everybody else is not getting any smaller. How much can we take?”

As one reviewer said, “Live and on record, he has a voice that, when you hear it, you believe that he is telling the truth.” Come hear Mick Flannery’s beautiful voice sing truth about life, and to power, all weekend long.

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