Pillow Queens gearing up for huge Dublin show for Pride
The three-piece will play the Just Eat Pride Event at the Grand Social, with support from Derry singer-songwriter, SOAK, after this Saturday's Dublin Pride Parade.
'We are excited about it,' Pillow Queens bass player and co-vocalist Sarah Corcoran told the Irish Mirror ahead of the show.
'It's nice to be playing a venue like the Grand Social again, because it's been a few years since we did something like that.
'We're having a great time. We're trying to get a set together that's just like the hits, the festival bangers. Just so everyone's in good form for Pride, so we need to make sure we keep it that way!'
For Pillow Queens, Pride is 'an opportunity to check in with how far' the group have come, and 'how much progress' there is still to make - alongside celebrating the LGBTQ+ community.
'I think Pride is an individual thing, generally speaking,' Sarah said.
'But I suppose for the band, I think we see Pride as an opportunity to check in with how far we've come and how much progress we've still yet to make, as well as celebrating our community.
'Because I think the Queer community in Ireland is a really special one, so it's a really nice chance to get to go and join the march, and then go and do our sound check and then just sort of party the night away.'
All proceeds from ticket sales for the event will go towards Irish charity Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre.
'I think resources are still very, very necessary,' Sarah explained.
'Not everybody has a supportive community in their direct vicinity, so they need to be able to reach out. And Outhouse is one of those organisations that offers those resources.
'Whether it's education you're looking for, community or support, or just an ear to listen, the Outhouse is just incredible for doing that.
'It also provides a space for the LGBTQ+ community to just come together in Dublin City, which is incredible. And their coffee is really good too.'
'It's really special,' Sarah added, talking about her own experience with Outhouse. 'It's been going for years and years, and I remember being a teenager and going in and just picking up leaflets, and it being very informative to me, coming to terms with my own identity.
'Then just meeting people there as well. They host events, they host exhibitions... Always been a great support to not only the LGBTQ+ community, but also the Irish music scene, as well, which is amazing.'
Pillow Queens are currently working on a new album, with the band getting stuck into writing new tunes and making demos.
'Tunes are still getting written, we are going to keep writing tunes until we have no energy to write anymore.
'Because it's fun, and we haven't really had the opportunity to do it before, because for the last three albums we've been in a contract with a label in North America, so there was a bit of an expectation that we'd release an album, then tour, then just go straight in and release another album.
'Whereas now we're out of contract with that label, so the pressure is completely off, and we can sort of change the speed, the direction, a little bit, the style as well, and just sort of go wherever we want to go with it.
'We're in the middle of doing demos at the moment.
'Our lovely friend Darragh is playing drums with us, he's also our producer and engineer, so he's helping us put together a demo, which is amazing because we've been learning those skills little by little over the years, but we're nowhere near as good as he is, so it's great.'
Pillow Queens will be supported on the day by Derry singer-songwriter SOAK, who they previously toured with.
Sarah shared: 'We toured with them in 2018, I want to say, around Europe. That was our first foray into the tour bus life, and we haven't witnessed it since, that was very exciting for us.
'They took us under their wing and took us around Europe, so it's exciting to get to share a stage with them again.'
Pillow Queens and SOAK will play the Just Eat Dublin Pride Event at The Grand Social on Saturday. All proceeds from ticket sales, as well as a €20,000 Just Eat donation will be given to Outhouse LGBTQ+ Centre.
The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
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