Next weekend will see the return of the one-day In The Meadows festival in the IMMA in The Royal Hospital Kilmainham. Iggy Pop, Slowdrive, Lambrini Girls, and Billy Nomates; as well as a host of Irish acts including The Scratch, Gilla Band, and Sprints. This year sees the introduction of Outside The Meadows, a curated series of intimate sets showcasing the next wave of Irish talent.

This year’s edition features three standout acts over two nights: the raucous energy of Madra Salach and the sharp-edged songwriting of Skinner in The Cobblestone and Thomas House respectively on 5th June, followed by the raw charisma of female fronted Galway abstract garage outfit Shark School in Thomas House on June 6th.

Ahead of their shows, Shark School’s Nora Staunton (guitar, vocals) and Peggy Forde (bass) sat down with Goldenplec to discuss what’s been an exciting year for the band. Formed in 2023, Shark School blends basement show chaos with performance art, with their two singles so far, ‘Choose Life’ and ‘441’ highlighting the bands electric potential. In Forde’s own words, the band’s sound is similar to if Wet Leg and Nirvana had a child and raised it with catholic guilt. “Someone described me as Wednesday Adams mashed up with Courtney Barnett, and I was beyond flattered” Staunton laughs, smiling. 

“We’ve been busy behind the scenes”, Forde explains of the past few months, “from the outside it may seem quieter than usual but we’ve been working away in the shadows”.

“Things are on the way, definitely.” Staunton adds, “Things are caught in the current in the sea and it’s moving. Something fishy.”

When asked how the band formed, the pair laugh between themselves before launching into a larger than life story of each member (the band is completed by Cathal Curran on drums) reaching for the same book in the library before reading it on each other’s laps. The reality is likely far more subdued. In February of last year, they released their debut single ‘411’, inspired by their frustration at their local bus route.

They followed this up in September wit ‘Choose Life’, which took a far more brash approach. “‘Choose Life’ is so much more fun to play” Staunton admits, “People used to sing it before it was out, in Galway, and that was really cool! They all knew the words, and I don’t even know the words. Nora doesn’t even know the words and she wrote them.”

The band have spent the past few months on and off the road, touring both Ireland and the UK. Despite their vast live experience, the pair admit Outside The Meadows is on another level.

“We’re really looking forward to seeing Iggy Pop” Forde remarks,whilst Staunton adds that they are “ready to Iggy Rock and we hope he Iggy Pop’s in to see us”, before covering her face with embarrassment of her own wordplay.

“To not give you a sarcastic answer, to see our names alongside the likes of Iggy Pop, Lambrini Girls, Gilla Band, The Scratch was amazing” She quickly adds, “I got so emotional when I saw that, I know it’s silly because we’re not even playing on a different day in another venue, but being part of it is crazy”.

“They are all bands we’ve been to together and moshed to, so it’s really cool to, not be even remotely at their level, but to be in a group with them is really cool” Forde admits, earnestly, “We just can’t wait to be a part of it”.

Outside The Meadows is on sale now here. Final tier 3 tickets for In The Meadows, available here.