CRASH ENSEMBLE X RACHAEL LAVELLE X RÓIS *Double bill

A very special double bill featuring two of Ireland’s most captivating female voices – Rachael Lavelle and RÓIS – each performing in collaboration with Crash Ensemble.

Rachael Lavelle X Crash: BIG DREAMS An immersive live experience of Rachael Lavelle’s 2023 album Big Dreams that unfolds like a surreal odyssey; traversing themes of sleep, archery, and the nocturnal subconscious. With Lavelle’s vocals leading the charge, Barry O’Halpin’s arrangements elevate the hallucinatory nature of Big Dreams, producing a performance that defies categorization, oscillating between contemporary classical, experimental pop, and something entirely its own. 

“...transformative... not a moment passed where I was not utterly stupefied with the majesty being woven on the stage... Lavelle's voice is concretely spectacular, and the real jubilation emanating from the stage was utterly infectious.” - The Goo review, MusicTown 2024

ROIS X Crash: Keening a Dead Town‘Keening a Dead Town’ is a collection of songs marking the culmination of RÓIS’ 3 year residency as composer with Crash. Written in collaboration with writer Harry Hennessy, “Keening a Dead Town” draws inspiration from the Irish journalist John Healy and his book ‘No One Shouted Stop: the death of an Irish town’. 

‘Keening a Dead Town’ breathes life into a forgotten Ireland, blending elements of folk, sean-nós, electronics, and jazz harmony. RÓIS’ genre-bending sound transports listeners into different realms, shapeshifting with twists and turns of tempo and genre.

Duration: 100 minutes plus interval (each set 50 mins)

Rachael Lavelle is a Dublin born singer and composer who captivates audiences with her arresting voice and humorous observations on existence. Merging classical and contemporary influences, her hypnotic live performances blend electronic soundscapes with spoken word and acrobatic vocals.

Since the release of her track ‘Perpetual Party’, she was selected to perform at SXSW Online, opened for Villagers and toured with City Slang’s Anna B Savage. She has collaborated with a wide range of ensembles and artists such as Crash Ensemble, Peter Broderick, SlapBang, Saint Sister and appeared as a vocalist on Villagers ‘Fever Dreams’ album.In 2023  she released her debut album ‘Big Dreams’ which was nominated for Ireland's Choice Music Prize and received critical acclaim for its inventive and soothing art-pop style.

“Lavelle is a singular talent, whose music isn’t a carbon copy of anyone else” - Nialler9

RÓIS is a composer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and electronic artist from Fermanagh, whose songs breathe new life into a forgotten Ireland. Blending elements of folk, sean-nós, electronics, and jazz harmony, RÓIS’ genre-bending sound transports listeners to a different realm. With shapeshifting sets, no two performances are ever the same, as audiences accompany RÓIS into her sound world. Expect twists and turns of tempo and genre, and moments of sheer magic, as she conducts the energy of the room. This is a place where the ancient meets the new.

RÓIS ethereal voice has been compared to the likes of Björk, Meredith Monk and Hatis Noit. It is a vocal style rooted in traditional sean-nós singing, as she summons the dead and forgotten, with ancient ‘keening' songs. With RÓIS’ performances the old and the new are enmeshed, alongside encapsulating visuals, in the hope of creating good art. Leading audiences into a realm of mysticism and creating a space for introspection, these live experiences are completely unique. In late 2024, RÓIS self-released her acclaimed EP ‘MO LÉAN’. Written and produced by RÓIS with additional production from John Spud Murphy (OXN/Lankum), 'MO LÉAN' is a concept record, taking the listener through the grieving process from start to finish, from the chaos that loss brings, to the intense emotional outpourings and finally, a cathartic release.

‘MO LÉAN' features several new original recordings and reworks of songs and hymns based around the concept of death, life, mourning and catharsis. RÓIS re-imagines the tradition of 'keening' in Ireland that goes back to pre-christian times, a practice in which women would 'keen' a lamenting wail at the side of a coffin during a wake. After discovering the last two recordings of keening songs, RÓIS was inspired by their ethereal melodies to give them a modern reworking yet honouring the original women by sampling them in her adaption. 'Keeners' through their voices, movements and laments, conveyed the communal expression of grief and allowed those suffering a way to release their sorrow and loss. RÓIS aspires to do the same with the release and her live performances, by expressing the power of the voice to transcend death and help us relinquish our fear of it. 

Crash Ensemble is Ireland’s leading new music ensemble; a group of world-class musicians who play the most adventurous, ground-breaking music of today. Amazingly ordinary people doing extraordinary things - Crash is innovative, adventurous and ambitious. The ensemble commissions, collaborates, explores, investigates and experiments with a broad spectrum of music creators

and artistic collaborators: ‘We love to innovate, with quality always at the heart of everything we do. We are passionate about the music we play. We create experiences; exploring new ways of presenting music and bringing our audiences on new adventures. Community for us is key – our community inspires us to create and experiment more. We value our audiences and our connection with them.’

Crash perform both in Ireland and internationally. The ensemble’s music is available on their own label, Crash Records and they have recordings on Nonesuch, Cantaloupe, NMC, Ergodos and Bedroom Community labels. Crash Ensemble is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and Dublin City Council, is a resident ensemble at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, Ireland and at Kilkenny Arts Festival, Ireland.