Waterford folk artist Tadhg Williams announces hometown gig to mark launch of debut EP

Rising Waterford folk artist Tadhg Williams has announced his first headline show in Waterford in almost five years.

The show, at Luca Records & Decks on Friday, December 13, will also mark the launch of his long-awaited debut EP ‘This Record is a Nixer’, on limited edition vinyl.

“Obviously I’ve played a few times in Waterford over the last few years, odd gigs here and there but I haven’t done my own show in Waterford since I launched my first single in February 2020. I’m buzzing. Delighted that it’s in Luca Records as well - Harry and Ryan have done an incredible job in revitalising the Waterford music community, and the shop has become a hub for all the musos. Should be a class night," said Tadhg.

READ ALSO: Waterford set to twinkle brightly this Christmas as Winterval programme is revealed

“I feel like this EP has been a long time coming. Things get in the way - money, jobs, life - I feel like this EP now is an accumulation of my early twenties. I always wanted to take some of my songs and record them acoustically, with an added bit of texture in piano and strings. There’s more life in these songs yet, I’m not done with them. But this felt like an appropriate first step," he added.

The cover art on the EP features Williams’ grandfather, Alan Morrissey, as an 11-year-old on Woodstown beach in County Waterford. 

“There’s so much joy in that photograph. The innocence and freedom of childhood. Given the songs on the EP are very much about the different mental challenges of your early adulthood - being financially independent; trying to understand and being frustrated with politics, religion; heartbreak; and the simple difficulty of how to enjoy life - I felt that picture was a perfect juxtaposition. While we navigate all these different challenges, that kid is still inside us all.

“I try to keep that image of my grandfather in my head at all times as a reminder that while life has its challenges, it is in itself utter joy.”

Speaking about the limited edition vinyl release of the record, Williams said: “‘I’m a total vinyl nerd. To be honest, I wanted to press vinyl of this EP for myself rather than for any other reason. This is my first proper collection of music. It felt appropriate to have a physical representation of it. And to have my grandfather’s face on the front of a record feels very special as well.”

Tadhg Williams is a folk songwriter from Waterford but has lived in Dublin for six years.

Described as “a luminary in the contemporary folk music landscape” by Pure M Magazine, he has earned widespread critical acclaim for his most recent singles, including plays on RTÉ Radio 1, Today FM, FM104, Beat 102 103, iRadio and Radio Nova, and articles in RTÉ and Hot Press Magazine.

READ ALSO: Programme of events confirmed for Imagine Arts Festival which is returning to Waterford city

Since Williams released ‘The Summer Song’ in 2021, he has worked to develop his stage craft, supporting a variety of acts from Mary Black and The Stunning to Kingfishr and Niamh Regan, and has completed an undergraduate degree in history - a huge source of inspiration for his songwriting. 

In 2023, a small Irish tour road-tested new songs alongside a band, before going into the studio with producer, Geoff Warner-Clayton (Gavin James, Kingfishr, Driven Snow), to further develop these songs.

They have been mastered by iconic producer John Reynolds.