Fresh off the success of his acclaimed Northern Ireland Music Prize-nominated album, ‘Welcome To The House Of I Don’t Know,’ Gareth Dunlop has returned with ‘Live From The House Of I Don’t Know.’ Featuring stripped-back, live renditions, he invites listeners to embrace the songs in their most personal format.
In this honest conversation with Gareth, we discussed revisiting the songs, the recording experience, and what’s next….
Hi Gareth, how are you?
Doing fine and dandy!
Your new album, ‘Live From The House Of I Don’t Know’, is out now, featuring reimagined versions of tracks from ‘Welcome To The House Of I Don’t Know’. What inspired you to revisit these songs and create new renditions?
When we were making the studio album we spent our evenings together in the Strangford house… using it as more of a base of operations to chat through album production and how we were going to tackle things in the studio the next day. Most evenings I’d have a guitar in my lap as we sang through ideas and I think the notion of coming back to that house for something was on the cards pretty quickly.
Initially we’d planned to film some live sessions of the album tracks and it kind of spiralled into its own release.
What was the experience like returning to these tracks, and how did you approach them differently this time around?
It turned out to be an incredible experience but to be honest I was pretty nervous going into it… I wasn’t really certain if it would work.
The limitations of recording live in an untreated living room meant we had to approach everything differently. Because of mic bleed – everything had to be played at a pretty low volume which in turn had a massive effect on the arrangements. Everything became an experiment in ‘less is more’.
Each song was recorded in a single take, live with your band in a house overlooking Strangford Lough in County Down – a space described as having a worn-in charm. How do you feel that secluded environment shaped the album’s overall atmosphere?
It’s a slower tempo of living in general down there by the coast…very few distractions… just the sound of the waves.
The sound of the living room itself kind of dictated how we approached each take. Anything too bombastic or loud and the room almost fought back against us… I think that, mixed with the remoteness of the house, definitely rubbed off on us all and influenced the project.
While the goal of the record is to feel raw and stripped-back, did it take time to land on the perfect take for each song?
Most of the time was spent problem solving and just trying out ideas before we went for take. Once we felt like we’d cracked the right approach we generally took 4-5 takes of each song and picked the best one.
By breaking each track down to its essentials, the emotion and personal lyrics feel even more exposed. Do you think this highlights the album’s core themes of self-reflection, love, and loss?
I think it does… or at least I hope it does… Stripping everything right back doesn’t give the lyrics anywhere to hide. The songs feel closer to how to they were written.
You’re currently on tour with Duke Special across the UK – have there been any standout moments or favourite memories from the road so far?
It’s been an incredible tour! Duke has some of the nicest fans in the world! Every gig has been so lovely…
Memorable for the wrong reasons would be breaking down on the M6 and getting towed 60 miles in the opposite direction… we made the gig just in time!
You’re becoming a prominent voice in the Northern Irish music scene, recently earning a nomination for Album of the Year at the 2024 Northern Irish Music Awards. Which Northern Irish artists are you currently listening to and loving?
I’m loving an awesome band called Vera at the minute! Great songs, production and sound! Another local band I’m really loving is Polar Bolero – I got to play a show with them a while back and they blew me away!
What main emotion or feeling do you hope listeners take away from ‘Live From The House Of I Don’t Know’?
For anyone who’s heard the studio record – I hope they hear this live album and discover the songs again in a new light. That’s how I felt when we were recording it… I heard things I hadn’t heard before and took some new meanings in the lyrics.
And finally, looking ahead, what’s next for you after this release?
I’ve got some festivals dates coming up throughout the summer and I’m getting ready to hit the road with Crash Test Dummies for a few shows in May! Aside from that I’ve earmarked a couple of weeks in the studio to try out some new songs before we start prepping for the UK tour in November.
