MUSIC Irish band Seneca line up Castlebar gig

Hope springs eternal


Seneca have been compared to Snow Patrol, Coldplay and the Smashing Pumpkins. Breaffy-born frontman Rob Hope speaks to Edwin McGreal about their US tour and more

THERE’S a good chance you’ve never heard of Seneca. The lead singer is a schoolmate of mine but I only heard of them in recent weeks. But those who have encountered the Limerick based group have nothing but praise.
“A band with a knack for taking big and bold jabs at the heartstrings, they blend sweeping arrangements with naked emotional lyrics to create a very anthemic and mainstream sound. This Limerick four-piece could have a very bright future ahead of them,” said no less a publication than Hot Press.
Praising the ‘emotive voice’ of lead singer Rob Hope from Breaffy, Castlebar, the Liverpool Echo described Seneca as making ‘melodious music that reminds of Snow Patrol, Coldplay and Crowded House’.
So the obvious question remains as the band prepare for their first live gigs in Mayo – why haven’t we heard of ye?
“We’ve been spending a lot of time in the United States,” Rob Hope explains. “We’re just back from a six month tour of the States. I guess the thing about playing abroad is you can be doing well and no one knows. There are so many good bands in Ireland that if you are not playing here, you tend not to be well known.”
But Seneca have managed to attract a cult following. With little in the way of publicity they’ve enjoyed two top 30 Irish chart hits, and their deep and powerful music will make you appreciate why they’ve been so favourably compared to Snow Patrol, Coldplay and the Smashing Pumpkins.
For Breaffy man Rob Hope, the life of a full-time musician is something he unsurprisingly relishes.
“I did Arts in Limerick, majoring in English and Media Studies. After that I was a sub teacher in English for a while, but that definitely wasn’t the career path for me – I hated it! What I’m doing now is living the dream. It is a fantastic life, even if it is very tough work.”
Now aged 26, Hope started gigging when he was 20 and first picked up a guitar when he was 16 in Transition Year in Davitt College, Castlebar.
It was after he finished his Arts degree that Hope set up Seneca with Yvonne Conaty (bass) from Galway and Clare duo Brendan O’Gorman (lead guitar) and Daragh ‘Locky’ O’Loughlin (drums).
While the band’s stated aim is to enjoy success in Ireland, pragmatism has taken them to the States. There they are based out of Denver, where their management company reside.
“In Ireland it is tough because it is a small market and there are a lot of very good bands fighting for market space, so it is hard to make a living. In the States you can play gigs six nights a week with no difficulty, but it can take its toll too.
“Our management company say that they never, ever heard of a band on tour as long as we were out of our own country. We were staying in motels and travelling in our tour bus for six months. It was a bit crazy in the end.
“Our bodies and systems were all over the place. Brendan tore his calf, I got sick with flu and food poisoning and Locky sprained his wrist, so we were on our last legs at the end. Our last gig was a festival in Wisconsin and we were absolutely shattered, but because we headlined it we had to do a three-and-a-half-hour set … not easy!”
Back to Ireland in recent weeks, Hope reckoned it was time for a show or two in Mayo. So they will travel to Emmet Maloney’s in Ballina on Friday night before what you could call a homecoming in Bar Ritz in Castlebar. There Seneca will play with The Rye and Sons of Gingerbread, with the music starting at 9pm.
“It’ll be the first time playing in front of a Castlebar crowd so the pressure is going to be on,” says Hope. You get the feeling they’ve nothing to worry about.