What are your names?
Declan Devlin – Vocals
Conaill Doherty – Lead & Rhythm Guitar
Ciaran McNally – Bass, Backing Vocals
Charlie Farrell – Drums, Backing Vocals
What is the bands name?
The Deep Strikes.
How did you come up with the bands name?
We deliberated on a name for a period of time. Eventually we had it narrowed down to two options. “The Deep Strikes” was a quote from a family member in relation to American guitarist Duane Eddy describing his guitar playing and picking technique.
What is your genre of music?
The umbrella term we like to use is “blues rock” when we try and describe us to others or are writing bios. However, we all have different musical influences that span a lot of different genres, and we are open to most musical ideas when writing.
Give us a little bio about you.
Irish blues rock band, The Deep Strikes, formed in spring 2024 craft original music on their own terms. Drawing from wildly varied musical beginnings, each member brings distinct influences to a sound that refuses to be boxed in. Self-releasing 4 singles and their debut album to date. They bring an authentic sound steeped in organic roots, their live performances showcase the musical interface when infectious grooves meet raw energy. Proudly independent, fearlessly creative and with a DIY ethos that ensures the band remains true to their own artistic vision. There’s a deep longing in their work for connection with listeners, and with the world around them.
What made you go into music?
We all are big music fans and listeners. We all enjoy playing music and when the right opportunity arose to get us all in the same room, from the first night we played we played together, we felt there was something in the room and it has all compounded from there. The band has really been a vehicle for some of our musical ideas and allowed seeds of idea to bloom into fully-fledged tunes.
Who are your influences?
We all come from different musical backgrounds. We have a wide range of influences that span many musical genres. If you want more details, check out our individual inspiration playlists on our Spotify profile.
Are you a signed?
No we are a totally independent DIY band.
You released your latest album ‘The Deep Strikes’, tell us more about the album and the meaning behind it.
This album for us is a time capsule that documents the effective last 18-month period. We have spent a long period of time putting the barebones structure of these songs together. Primarily this has been in an organic way, when a lot of the changes or specific highlight parts have came from jams in the rehearsal space. We think from our perspective the album is an auditory representation of the love of playing music and our chemistry playing music together.
Describe each track in two words.
Go Down Slow – Groovy, Dirty
Focus on The Music – Energetic, Meta
Rocket of Love – Bluesy, Stomper
Gotcha – Funky, Driven
Double Down – Jazzy, Dynamic
Long Gone – Moody, Atmospheric
Take Your Money and Run – Hard-hitting, Punchy
If You Hadda Looked Up – Playful, Hopeful
Sacred Ground – Dark, Swampy
Tuatha Dé – Ethereal, Progressive
What was the writing and recording process like?
Declan – The writing process developed naturally for me. I had never written lyrics before, and if I ever did pen down any ideas to myself before the deep strikes I probably never took it seriously……the boys created wonderful pieces of music that gave me the inspiration and challenge of putting stories to them. I found it fun creating the stories and I think that everyone should be able to relate to them in some way or another. The recording was more challenging; but it was the first time we all had done anything like this, so I know I had to try my best to learn patience pretty fast but it all worked out well in the end.
Conaill – It was great to be totally creative and free without any restrictions put in place.
Ciaran – I really enjoy the writing process, as the fledgling ideas grow wings and soar, there’s nothing more rewarding from my perspective. The recording process proved to be trying at times for any number of reasons but through collaborative work with the band we were always able to find resolution and keep pushing on
Charlie – The recording process was a huge undertaking in which we learnt pretty much on the job; but we got there. With regards to the writing, everything fell into place quite well. We had one or two of the songs that the arrangements changed after we had initially pressed record; but this was beneficial, as it created the best version of that song, once we had time to live with the changes.
Who did you work with on the album?
Nobody. This album was a total collaborative effort between the four of us. A lot of late nights, a late of sacrifices with time in order to get to where we wanted to be.
Will we see any music videos from the album and if so can you give us a teaser of what to expect?
We have discussed which of these ten songs would suit a music video. We have came up with two options that we think may work and one that we have been coming back to. Nothing is confirmed as of yet.
Do you have any live shows or a tour coming up or in planning, if so what can you tell us about it?
We have a few dates in the diary for 2026 already. We have a small string of dates for Scotland in May where we will be playing in Dundee for the Bonnie Scotland Presents’ Blues & Rock all dayer festival and a gig in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Where can we buy tickets from?
https://ticket247.co.uk/Event/bonnie-scotland-presents-blues-rock-all-dayer-at-beat-generator-live-dundee-453772
What else can we expect in 2026?
More gigs and new music
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
We would like to see progression with the band. We would like to see other musical avenues explored and we would like to be able to sharpen the songwriting and arranging axe. Similarly, we would like to hope we have more music released to the world and help build/cultivate an active audience.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Conaill – “A musician’s job is to listen”
Charlie – Discipline solves 80% of your problems; eat the frog.
Declan – Trust the process.
Ciaran – “I don’t think you can ever do your best. Doing your best is a process of trying to do your best.” – Townes Van Zandt
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
Drum key
Tambourine
Strap
Plectrums,
Guitar stand
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Yes we currently use:
Facebook
Bandcamp
Instagram
Youtube
Tiktok
