Alongside his new single, Small Violence, accompanied by a video from the talented Ellius Grace, Junior Brother (Ronan Kealy) announces his new album ‘The End‘ (September 5th), and his signing to Strap Originals, a label forged with love by Pete Doherty of The Libertines.
Talking about the signing, Strap say: “We’re beyond excited to have this extraordinary Irish artist join our label. One of the most unique and powerful voices out there.”
Junior Brother also shared his excitement saying, “I’m delighted to be bringing my record “The End” out on such a great label – I look forward to sharing the same roster as such favourites as Peter Doherty, Real Farmer, Warmduscher and loads more. Excitin’ times ahead!”
Speaking about the new track, Junior Brother says: “Small Violence follows a character pulled in by a small few who enjoy using violent words to stoke real violence further down the line. The intro riff was heavily inspired by the Opening Titles of “The Blood on Satan’s Claw”, a Folk Horror from 1971 which I highly recommend to anyone except the sensible.”
The video opens to a battered and bleeding Kealy dragging himself along the street under the gaze of a statue of ‘Big Jim’ Larkin, an Irish Trade Union leader, socialist and reformer. The contrasting visual couldn’t be more bleak and fraughtless…Larkin’s arms outstretched, with his vision of unity and equality gone to shit with the rise of the far right and the downtrodden of society trampled upon even more in an increasingly disorientating world.
For this album, Kealy took inspiration from Irish folklore, especially that of Fairy Forts (more on below), thought to bewilder and lead the unwary astray…uncannily like social media today, that place power in the hands of the few to control and twist the views of the world. As we’ve said before, Kealy’s voice is ringing out starker and truer and more distinctive than ever; this marks an exciting new chapter.
The End is a deeply instinctive yet carefully considered response to the chaos of modern life, with Junior Brother weaving the recent years of upheaval into the eerie folklore of Fairy Forts. These ring-shaped earth mounds, scattered across the Irish countryside, are known to possess an energy that can bewilder, curse, or even lead the unwary astray. Stepping into one is to risk losing yourself—both physically and spiritually. To Junior Brother, this ancient folklore mirrors the disorienting reality of today’s world.
“The sound of the album is supposed to take the organic instruments of Irish traditional music and lift them somewhere else,” Junior Brother explains, “like the otherworldly Irish music sometimes heard from Fairy Forts at twilight on country roads, impossible to recreate upon hearing.” The End captures this essence, blending the raw textures of traditional Irish music with spectral, unearthly elements.
Much of the album’s inspiration was drawn from UCD’s Folklore Collection on duchas.ie, “I delved into the manuscripts—endless eyewitness accounts of Fairy Forts being stepped into and the land altering, the familiar mutating,” Junior Brother shares. “Farmers, teachers, the sober, the smart—all losing their way home one way or the other.” In these uncanny tales of displacement and confusion, he found striking parallels to the instability and distortion of contemporary life.
Thematically, The End explores forces that work against nature, the rise of the far-right, and confrontations with mortality. Through the lens of rural Irish folklore, the album reflects the bewildering madness of the present moment.
“The title The End represents the moment after being led astray, when the grip of madness releases you and you suddenly see your way home,” says Junior Brother. “It may reflect the doom of a world gone mad, but it also represents the end of darkness, and the start of a new road.”
Album pre-order: https://orcd.co/jbtheend
Sign up to Junior Brother’s mailing list: https://junior-brother.kit.com/6dbb50fac9
Junior Brother – Ireland, the UK, and EU Dates:
April
25 BELGIUM, Sint Nikllas De Casino, Supporting Peter Doherty
26 PARIS, Le Trianon, Supporting Peter Doherty
May
14 BRIGHTON The Great Escape Strap Originals Stage
June
6 GLASGOW, Glad Cafe
7 STIRLING, The Tolbooth
8 SCOTLAND, Wasteland Festival
July
6 LIMAVADY Stendhal Festival NI
August
9 ANTRIM Under the Drum Festival NI
September
12 CORK The Pav Sounds From a Safe Harbour Festival Album Launch
13 DUBLIN Grand Social Club Album Launch
14 DUBLIN Grand Social Club Album Launch
20 LONDON South Bank Centre QE Hall with the Incredible String Band
21 DROGHEDA Vantastival Festival
October
10 TRALEE LASTA Festival Síamsa Tire
November
9 CLONAKILTY DeBarras Samhain Festival
14 GALWAY Róisín Dubh
15 LIMERICK Upstairs at Dolan’s Warehouse
21 DERRY Sandinos
22 BANGOR Open House Festival
23 DUNDALK Spirit Store
26 BIRMINGHAM The Victoria
27 LONDON Hootananny
28 LEEDS Hyde Park Book Club
29 MANCHESTER Gulliver’s
Tickets available at: https://www.juniorbrother.com/tour