Singer Moncrieff on backing Adele, a shout-out from Elton John and how tragedy shaped his music
Now he's returning to the South East to perform in a headline show on the Live at Breakwater stage, alongside Gavin James, Amble, The Waterboys and The Whistlin' Donkeys. He's come a long way since dropping out of law school after his first year.
The singer is a hurling fan and jokes, 'the one thing Wexford and Waterford people have in common is a bit of disdain for Kilkenny'. And he knows that this is a pretty reliable place to start when warming up the audience up ahead of an epic show.
Moncrieff came to music later in life, and since 2017 he's been living in London. 'I felt I wasn't very good, so I think London offered a steeper learning curve and a place to throw myself into. If I had stayed at home or in Ireland, I probably wouldn't have gotten there, because I just had too many home comforts.'
As a young man and the youngest child of the family, Moncrieff lost his brother Hugh and sister Laura to Cystic Fibrosis. These tragedies have naturally had a profound influence on his life and music.
'I think it changed everything about me. My brother and my sister helped shape my life. I was 15 when my sister passed away and 18 when my brother passed away. I started making music properly, the year after my brother passed.
'There was just a bunch of emotions that could have overwhelmed me. Music saved me in that regard and helped me put words on emotions that were too big to talk about that point in my life.'
Apart from being driven by the challenge, London, a city of millions was an environment where it was 'easier to fail… London offered a blank slate, and nobody knows who you are. There's no real expectation, because nobody gives a shit about you'.
When he first moved over at 19 years of age, Moncrieff was doing that Irish thing of apologising to people who bumped into him, thanking the bus drivers and starting conversations with random people over a pint. 'London can be a very unfriendly and lonely place, and I'm not sure I would have went if it wasn't for music,' he said.
However, if he hadn't made the move perhaps Chris would have never become Moncrieff.
London calling: A blank slate for success
'It's a long story. When I first moved over, I went to this open mic night in East London. I put my name on a list and waited to go on. The first person came on and they were fucking incredible, I thought 'I'm not cut out for this'. When I went up, I sang a song that was dedicated to my brother and sister.
'A random guy, a good bit older than me came up to me afterwards and bought me a pint. When I was talking to him, it felt like the universe was talking to me through this guy. He tried to give me 20 quid for a cab home, and then I did the Mrs. Doyle thing saying 'Ah no, you're grand'… But that guy's name was William Scott Moncrieff.'
For the first time, the singer believed that he hadn't lost his mind chasing a dream and was on the right track.
Catching Elton John's attention
In 2017, Elton John, who has sold more than 300 million records worldwide, featured Moncrieff's song Symptoms on his Rocket Hour Show on Beats 1 Radio.
'It was very surreal. It was early on in my career and when it got the email, I thought, 'wait a minute, the Elton John?'. It definitely spurred me on.'
His route to becoming a back up singer for Adele is even more peculiar.
'The music scene in London is smaller than you think. I was trying to write music, going to open mics and working in a restaurant. I made some mates and one of them just sent a message when I was getting a ferry from Fishguard to Rosslare because I had no money for a plane and he said, 'hey man, what's your availability like next week for an Adele gig'. F**k me, man, it was mental.'
Breakwater homecoming
Moncrieff's Breakwater gig is going to feel like a 'homecoming' for him. 'There'll be so many people from home there and it's going to be incredibly special.'
For anybody walking through the streets of Wexford during the Fleadh, they will encounter exceptional street performers, buskers, and musicians young and old holding audiences captivated in impromptu gigs.
Moncrieff has been on that journey. What Live at Breakwater is about is providing the opportunity that artists like him deserve to jump on a large and formidable stage and celebrate their talent.
'It's really cool to be able to share the stage with people that I know throughout the course of my life. This feels like a massive gig. I think it's going to be the biggest show I've ever done.
'I haven't done a hometown show in Waterford, so this is the closest thing. It's going to be f**king special, I'm putting everything into these shows to make it a memorable experience for the fans.'
Music is a serious business for Moncrieff, but coming back to the South East means immersing himself into the craic.
'There was a couple of things, I was told I need to try. Where can I find the best spice bag? And somebody mentioned something about a rissole.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Pioneering documentary-maker George Morrison dies aged 102
The pioneering documentary-maker George Morrison has died, aged 102. He is best remembered for Mise Éire, a documentary produced by Gael LInn and whose celebrated score was written by composer Seán Ó Riada, and its follow-up, Saoirse. George Morrison was born in Tramore, Co Waterford in 1922. His mother was an actress at the Gate Theatre in Dublin and his father was an anaesthetist. Taking his cues from both sides of the family, he initially enrolled in Trinity College to study medicine. He soon left his studies behind, however, to pursue a career in the creative arts. His initial foray into film-making was an ultimately uncompleted production of Dracula. George Morrison was to cross paths with Micheál Mac Liammóir and Hilton Edwards, two of the major Arts figures in Dublin during the first half of the 20th century and the founders of the Gate Theatre. Mr Morrison began working on documentaries in conjunction with the Gate Theatre film ventures as an assistant director and editor. In 1959, the documentary Mise Éire was released. It is considered to be George Morrison's seminal work, with a celebrated score by the composer Seán Ó Riada. The documentary was produced by Gael Linn, pioneering film-makers at the time. Its release coincided with a renewal of interest in Irish culture and identity and its first showing was at the Cork Film Festival. Using actual newsreels and newspapers from the period between the late 19th century and 1918, George Morrison presents a history of one of Ireland's most turbulent periods, culminating in the 1916 Rising and Sinn Féin's electoral victory in 1918. It is openly nationalistic in tone and pays homage to Patrick Pearse's poem of the same name which was written in 1912. It was the first full length feature film ever produced in the Irish language. Mise Éire's follow-up was Saoirse, which looks at the divisive Civil War period. A third historic documentary called Rebellion followed in 1963, and his later works included a maritime film Two Thousand Miles of Peril (1972) and a documentary on James Joyce's Ulysses, Dublin Day (2007). He is a member of Aosdána and in 2009 received the Industry Lifetime Contribution Award at the Irish Film and Television Awards. He is predeceased by his wife, Theodora Fitzgibbon. Last year, the Sinn Féin TD in Waterford, Conor D McGuinness, organised an event to honour George Morrison at the Altadore Nursing Home in Dublin. On learning of his death today, Deputy McGuinness said: "George Morrision was a celebrated, groundbreaking figure. He was a proud Waterford man, who was born and raised in Tramore. "It's for Mise Éire and Saoirse he will mostly be remembered, but he produced many great works during his lifetime. "I was happy to nominate him last year for a civil honour from Waterford County and City Council.
The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
'I lived out in the sticks in Athenry. Two donkeys outside, free potatoes'
MOST PLAYERS WHO move to Connacht live in Galway, but Ciaran Booth isn't like every other rugby player. He marches to his own beat, literally. 25-year-old Booth, who now plays in Sydney with top Shute Shield club Easts, is the drummer in an indie rock band called The Monday Night Club. They've got a couple of EPs on Spotify. One of Booth's biggest goals in life is to cycle around the world. The former Ireland U20 international has a lively Instagram account called Ciaran Does Things, where he shares some of his outdoor adventures. So it's no surprise that he ended up living somewhere a bit different when he spent three-and-a-half years with Connacht, who he joined in 2020. 'I lived out in the sticks in Athenry,' says the affable, outgoing Booth as he sits in a restaurant in Bondi Junction. 'The lads used to always rip me for it. It was a bungalow with two donkeys outside, some chickens, a turf fire, free potatoes, free eggs. Rent was €500 a month and it was only 20 minutes to Galway. 'I'd train all day with the lads in Galway but by the time I got to 3 o'clock, I was ready for some quiet time.' Nowadays, back row Booth and his girlfriend, Lucy, are living in the hustle and bustle of Bondi Beach, one of the busiest suburbs you could find. He sometimes misses the peace of Athenry, the greenery of Ireland, and its people, but rugby and life in Sydney are good. Easts, the defending champions, are sitting clear at the top of the Shute Shield with one more round to go until the play-offs. They'll be hard to dethrone. Booth reckons those years in Galway were the best of his life so far. He won five senior caps for the province and loved learning from coaches like Mossy Lawler, Cullie Tucker, and Eric Elwood. Booth is a native of Manchester and initially came through the academy with Sale Sharks, but he has Irish blood from his dad's side of the family. Booth's granny is from Ballinasloe in County Galway and his granddad hails from Strandhill in Sligo. Booth's parents have a house in Strandhill, so they would visit three or four times a year when Ciaran was growing up. Back then, Flybe used to fly direct from Manchester to Strandhill. Booth played for Connacht five times. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO So as Booth was making his way in Sale, he came onto the radar of the Irish Exiles, although he nearly missed his chance when Wayne Mitchell, the Exiles' talent ID officer at the time, came to watch him play. 'Wayne came to one of my Sale games and I didn't know who he was,' recalls Booth with a laugh. 'He was like, 'How are you doing? Good to see you.' I just said, 'Good, cheers, see you later' and walked off. 'Thankfully, he got my number and called me a few days later!' Advertisement Booth had been focused on playing for England, but he missed out on their U18s to his bitter disappointment, just before the Irish door opened. Given his roots, it made sense and he was soon playing for the Ireland U18s. He jumped swiftly to the U19 side and then got a late call-up to Noel McNamara's Ireland U20 squad for the World Cup in 2019, despite still being a year young, after Scott Penny was ruled out injured. Things were suddenly accelerating for Booth as he joined the likes of Craig Casey, Ryan Baird, and Thomas Clarkson at the tournament in Argentina. He came off the bench in a win over England. 'That was like childhood trauma cured,' says Booth. 'That was a massive release, a very special moment.' David Nucifora, the IRFU's performance director at the time, spoke to Booth about a potential move to one of the Irish provinces. And then, the next day against Italy, Booth started at openside. He jackaled at an early breakdown. Disaster struck. Anyone who saw Booth's horrific knee injury at the time can probably still remember it. The first Italian player tried to croc roll him and fell to Booth's left, dragging at him as he fought to stay on his feet. Then, a couple of seconds later, the second Italian player thundered in at full speed completely from the side on his right. Booth's left knee folded. 'I can still hear it,' he says with a wince. 'It sounded like a Coke can getting crunched.' Booth had always been diligent with his injury prevention work. He rarely had injuries. But there is no prehab that can have prevented a horror injury like this. 'It's the most painful thing you've ever felt. It's the sudden realisation of, 'Oh shit, this is what it feels like, this is happening. 'My first thought… you could hear me on the ref mic, saying, 'No, no, no, no.' You just know a year of your life is gone.' Booth playing for Buccaneers in the AIL. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO The knee was mangled, says Booth. His ACL was ruptured. His MCL was ruptured. His PCL was ruptured. There was severe LCL damage, too. Some might have feared that it would be the end of rugby, but Booth just got busy getting better. He needed two operations, including an allograft for his PCL, which involves using a dead person's ankle ligament as a replacement. It took Booth 18 months, or 547 days, to make his return and it came for the Connacht Eagles against Leinster A. Nucifora and the IRFU kept faith in Booth after his injury and there was a chance he could have moved to Ulster, but Connacht was the right fit. 'Once you get back, you're like, 'Shit, I've got to get good again,'' says Booth. He raves about his time in Connacht, where he spent two seasons with the academy and then moved onto a senior deal for the 2022/23 season, during which he played twice in the URC and three times in the Challenge Cup. 'Just the smallest details were all they cared about when I was in the academy,' says Booth. 'It wasn't about the big picture. 'Andy Murphy, one of the S&C coaches at Connacht, always used to say, 'I'm not training you to be the best rugby player this weekend when you play in AIL. I'm training you to be the best rugby player in five years' time.' 'Mossy and the lads were just relentless every single day, sessions nailing the basics, catch-pass, breakdown, everything. 'You can see it the whole way up the chain to the Irish team, the smallest details, the tiniest little things like catching your passes square, keeping your feet in the breakdown, you can see where it all comes from. And it works.' Booth reckons he might settle down in Ireland when he's done with the adventures. He still chats to the crew in Connacht and Cathal Forde recently stayed with him on a visit to Sydney, payback for when Booth used to sleep on Forde's couch after nights out in Gaklway. He was saddened to be released by Connacht in 2023 and his time with Jersey Reds in the English Championship was short-lived because they folded soon after Booth joined. He ended up playing for Caldy in the Championship and then back with Sale as injury cover. Booth is now playing in Sydney with Easts. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO The connection to Sydney was former Munster centre Alex McHenry, who was also in Jersey when the club went into liquidation and then won the Shute Shield with Easts last year before moving to Melbourne. Living in Bondi had an obvious appeal. As well as playing for Easts this year, Booth is coaching rugby at a school called Waverley College and leading strength classes at 98 Gym in Bondi. But this is not a permanent step out of full-time professional rugby for Booth. The Shute Shield is high-quality and Booth mentions how the likes of Cormac Daly have jumped from the club competition into Super Rugby in the recent past. Booth is also keeping his ear to the ground for any pro chances in France, the US, and Japan. 'It has been a complete breath of fresh air here, rugby-wise,' says Booth. 'Everyone's super competitive, the coaches are really good, and I'm more fired up for games and training than I've been in a long time. 'Now, I just want to play professional rugby. I'm at the point now where if I don't play for Ireland, which was always the goal, but if that doesn't happen, I'll live. 'You never know, there's people that come back at 30 and get back in, shit happens, but now I just want to play professional rugby at the highest standard I can.' Whatever comes next, it seems unlikely to be boring. Ciaran does things differently.
Extra.ie
2 hours ago
- Extra.ie
WATCH: Irish Mammy shares gas story about trying to get an 'ordinary' cup of tea in London
An Irish mammy is going viral for having a rant about trying to get an 'ordinary' cup of tea in London and, well, being unsuccessful. The video was shared by her daughter, singer-songwriter Caroline Kay, and so far, it has amassed more than 475k views. Sharing the video to TikTok, she wrote: 'My very Irish Mammy tried to get an ORDINARY CUP OF TEA in a trendy London cafe, bless her #irishmammy' There are many trendy cafés in London Pic: Getty Images In her own words, Mammy Kay is seen sharing: 'So anyway, I just asked her for a pot of boiling water, a [tall] mug, a tea bag, and a little bit of cold milk. 'So then I get a pot of boiling water, beautiful pot. And I get a low, wide cappuccino mug, not a tall mug. And then I get this little, little, small, little pottery thing with a whole load of tea leaves in it. I said, tea bag. 'So I said, I just want a cup of tea… an ordinary cup of tea. Now, my fault was I should have probably gone with the tea leaves back to her and said, 'Will you just give me a tea bag?' @carolinekay117 My very Irish Mammy tried to get an ORDINARY CUP OF TEA in a trendy London cafe, bless her. #irishmammy ♬ original sound – Caroline Kay 'So I said, you know what? I'll put the tea leaves into the strainer. But then, of course, when you put the strainer back into the kettle, the water is down below the tea things. So then I emptied all the tea leaves into it. 'All I want is cup of tea: A tea bag, boiling water, and a little bit of cold milk. That's it. I'm happy. And we're in England like, the place where it's supposed to be great cup of tea.' Needless to say, the comments were quickly filled with others who could relate to Caroline and were sharing some of their stories about their mum's coming to visit them from Ireland. Is your mam as fussy as Caroline Kay's when it comes to a cup of tea? Pic: Getty Images One user wrote: 'Oh girl stop! I live in Cambridge (I'm Irish) and my mam is a nightmare. No one ever gets it right. Always just wants a black tea in a mug and a cold bit of water but always gets milk. Then Never will order what's on the menu, just wants a sausage sandwich.' Another shared: ''And we're in England like' has absolutely killed me because WHY is it so hard to get a good cup of tea in London.' A third commented: 'The eye roll, head thrown back and sigh is iconic. Pure Irish Mammy.' You know what'll happen now? She'll be bringing a little tupperware with her to the cafe's in London filled to the brim of Barry's teabags! Mark my words!
