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Unlike many homogenised artists who mould themselves and their music to fit certain parameters, Little Hours frontman John Doherty sings a wee bit in his Donegal accent and that is something he is very proud of.
“It’s definitely something I would never want to get rid of,” explains John. “I love when people sing in their own accent.
"I think it’s more honest, there’s something a bit more unique about it. I would be a huge fan of Van Morrison and Foy Vance, people who sing in their real accent. There are a million singers with fake American accents so we don’t need any more of those.”
Ireland has always known a wealth of homegrown musical talent and Little Hours unfalteringly continues that trend. Currently on the crest of a wave, the band’s popularity is on the increase and they are quickly becoming one to watch.
Coming to the end of their current tour, with just a few gigs abroad and couple of dates in Dublin left, it is then onto the festival circuit, a scene that was very good to Little Hours last year.
In 2017 they headlined the Friday of Electric Picnic, an experience John describes as “surreal”. The Killybegs man is nothing if not modest and reflecting on recent gigs, he says that he still cannot believe people are there to hear him sing.
Changes
After Electric Picnic last year, the band took on a new format. Little Hours was originally a duo of John and Ryan McCloskey. Ryan decided to depart for pastures anew.
At this point, when many others would have packed it in, John had the foresight to keep going, bringing in Kevin Herron on guitar, Christopher Edwards on bass and Fionn Hennessy Hayes on drums, which subsequently brought Little Hours from strength to strength.
“Obviously, before that I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, it was impossible to tell, but honestly I couldn’t be happier with how it’s gone,” says John of the changes to the band.
“Things have only been going up since then. Kevin, our new guitar player, he’s a guy I have known for years as well, so it’s not like it’s a stranger coming in from nowhere.
It’s amazing that everyone has really stuck by me and I’m very, very grateful for that.
Irish Country Living asks John would he agree with the pop/rock label Little Hours is sometimes given. Thinking on it for a few seconds, he says that many shy away from classifying themselves as pop, but confirms that the pop/rock genre indeed suits them best.
Perhaps, John is unafraid to accept their pop associations because it is very clear that Little Hours are doing things their own way, regardless of a certain tag.
Starting Out
In Little Hours the primary instrument John plays is the piano, but he also breaks out the guitar for some songs and can turn his hand to a couple of different instruments if needs be. Interestingly, he never took any music lessons.
His mother’s side of the family are very musical, so he just picked up whatever instruments he saw and went from there.
“There were always instruments and stuff lying about, I was always just having a go on them and learning my own way of playing them.
Obviously I got someone to show me some chords, because I couldn’t just make them up on the guitar, but it was trial and error really.
As a teenager growing up in Donegal, the career paths John considered didn’t really extend too far outside of the musical sphere.
He wasn’t the biggest fan of school and that in itself led him to the road he travels today.
“I never really had any other plans, so I’m very happy it’s working out,” he laughs. “When I was younger I was playing in bands and I never really thought I was going to be a singer, I used to be a bass player and I thought that was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
Then around Leaving Cert time I started singing and writing songs, just so I didn’t have to study for the Leaving Cert, doing anything other than work. That’s how I started writing songs and that’s where I am today.
It was at home in Donegal that John’s love for music was born and even with the fame he has achieved, to that he has always stayed true.
“I’m living in Dublin at the moment, only because it makes more sense for travelling and touring, because Donegal is obviously so far away from everything. I would love to be living in Donegal, I’m a Donegal man at heart and I always will be.”
For more information and a full list of gigs see www.littlehours.com.
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