10 Best Rock Bands From Ireland
2. My Bloody Valentine
The head honchos of shoegaze, a band that redefined noise, and one of the most influential acts of the past 40 years, My Bloody Valentine have achieved a lot despite long periods of inactivity and only three full studio albums to their name.
Their debut, Isn’t Anything, was a bolt from the blue. Kevin Shields’ perfectionist qualities could make recording sessions a slog, but the heavy layering of distorted guitars paid off. Things got even better with Loveless, a defining album of the ‘90s which nearly bankrupted Creation records, such was the demand on studio time.
The album is a wall of sound, with the instruments blown up out of all recognition then softening for moments of beauty like “I Only Said” and closer “Soon”. It’s a massively complex and beguiling record, hard to figure out who’s doing what, but the sound is incredible.
The band disappeared for years, resurfacing for their trademark ear splitting gigs, then returned with 2013’s m b v. Somehow this managed to follow up a masterpiece on the scale of Loveless, with standout "If I Am" as good as anything in their catalogue. They’ve been quiet ever since, but hopefully they’ll be back.