BoolaBoom: 13 horns, 10 samba drummers, and a whole lot of Cork attitude

Irish Examiner

5 days ago

What happens when a 24-piece brass band meets house music? Shuffle, a carnival-esque, anthemic track that wouldn't feel out of place on a dancefloor, and the latest from Cork band BoolaBoom. BoolaBoom is a super-sized brass and percussion big-band – 13 horn players, ten samba drummers and one repinique, to be exact – and a budding collaboration between some of Cork's top jazz musicians and drummers from the Cork City Samba Band.
They launched in early 2023, with a legendary first performance. 'Outside the GPO on Paddy's Day,' Darragh 'Doc' O'Connor, a long-standing member of the Cork music scene and chief organiser and conductor, says. 'Hundreds arrived. It got to a stage where we were slightly worried about health and safety, which is always a good sign. There was actually a momentary panic that we were going to be in the newspapers the next day for the wrong reasons. Turns out we got away with it, just about.'
The band's members hail from a medley of countries – Ireland, Brazil, France, Chile, the UK, the US and New Zealand, 'we actually also have someone from Waterford which is pretty diverse, we have a rule not to mention the hurling' –to create a symphony of world-class musicianship. Though a small number of hard-working, scene-stealing brass bands already exist in Ireland, BoolaBoom differentiate themselves by playing across myriad genres––house, techno, jazz––as well as eschewing covers in favour of original music. 'Faithless' Insomnia does get a go every so often, though,' O'Connor laughs. 'Has to be said.'
Shuffle is the titular track of the band's most recent EP, released in May to acclaim. Their 2024 single Summerhouse, remixed by French house maestro Llorca, also earned praise from the likes of Irish and international music fans; Dan Hegarty to Laurent Garnier, Beta Da Silva to Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy.
With O'Connor, BoolaBoom – named for the Irish bualadh 'to strike' and Boom, the sound the Brazilian surdo drums make – are in exceptionally fervent hands.
O'Connor, an electronic engineer by trade, boasts extensive knowledge of the Irish music scene and was previously taken notice of by French label Brick Rouge with soulful, jazzy house band Cartoon.
'A jack of all trades' is how he describes himself. 'One who isn't afraid of making phone calls and waving my arms around to keep people to keep people entertained.'
Darragh O'Connor, BoolaBoom. Picture: Simon Curran
With BoolaBoom, he and the band's members manage to get amongst the people by busking and performing myriad outdoor events, an entirely new skillset from licensed venues. 'You get to play for all the people who would never go into a pub or club,' he says. 'We've actually garnered a decent Indian following, who wouldn't traditionally have pub culture. There was one time when we noticed a few of them on their phones the entire gig, only for them to come up to us and show us that they were on Zoom calls to home, showing them what real live Irish music is like.'
Brass bands were thought to have been borne of a few interconnecting sliding doors moments in 19th-century Britain. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the invention of the valve that revolutionised brass instruments meant players returned to civilian life, despite dreams to keep playing. Meanwhile, the Industrial Revolution meant business-minded individuals quickly exploited the new technologies, creating jobs and rising living standards.
As such, people gradually lost the opportunity to partake in traditional rural entertainments and pursuits, and so they turned to brass bands to feel alive again.
Today's brass bands exist within similar parameters. Speaking to real, human connection in a time when opportunities for such are few. BoolaBoom are regularly described by critics and punters as an excellent festival band – house music icon Kerri Chandler personally asked them to perform with him at his sold-out Cyprus Avenue show after seeing a video of them busking – but perhaps what people really mean is that they remind us of what could be as opposed to what is. As arts funding continues to be compromised, outfits like BoolaBand continue to open their doors for anyone to receive a free education.
All they ask for in return is for us to listen. 'We always say what we want to do is play good gigs to as many people as we can,' O'Connor says. 'And as a 24-piece band, the money is rarely good, if anything. That said, our payment is in dopamine, craic and playing good music. And once that continues on, we'll keep playing.'
BoolaBoom will play at All Together Now on August 3.
Shuffle is out now. See www.boolaboom.com