Laois bands to hold fundraiser gig for children's charity

Portlaoise, Portarlington and Mountmellick bands will host a fantastic gig for a fantastic cause

Three emerging Laois bands have announced a charity fundraiser gig in Portarlington.

This March, Cúr (formerly Cur Dogs), Byro (formerly known as Coolboy) and Alright Then will take to the stage in The Anvil Inn Portarlington, with all event proceeds going towards the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation.

Event organiser and Cúr bandmember Adam Culleton spoke to the Leinster Express / Laois Live on this fundraising initiative.

I attend university in Galway, and I’ve noticed that there aren’t a lot of opportunities for bands in Laois to showcase themselves,” he explained.

Pictured: Laois alt rock band Cúr, made up of Adam and Martin Culleton from Mountmellick.

“I wanted to give local musicians the chance to take to the stage, that’s also for a good cause,” Mr Culleton explained.

Mr Culleton spent a lot of time mulling over which charity to choose, before deciding upon the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation.

The foundation provides in-home nursing care and respite support for children up to the age of 6 with severe to profound cognitive delay. This may include children with brain injury, genetic diagnosis, cerebral palsy, and undiagnosed conditions.

“I did a lot of thinking about the charity to choose, and I wanted to fundraise for a charity where you can see first hand the work they do,” he explained.

“It was a hard decision to make, but you can see first hand that they're making a real difference, and they support people on a local level,” he said.

Pictured: The fundraiser gig will take place in The Anvil Inn, Portarlington

Cúr is the biological brainchild of brothers Adam and Martin Culleton. Formed during the dreary nights of the pandemic, the brothers have played all over Ireland from Roisin Dubh to Electric Picnic.

Cúr are heavily influenced by 90s music as well as blues. They band say they strive to make music that is real and raw.

“We write the songs and are the face of the band, and we have revolving band members playing drums and so on,” he explained.

The alt-rock band take inspiration from artists such as Damien Dempsey and Fontaines DC, with homage to Irish folk and 90’s alternative.

Joining Cúr on stage is Portlaoise band Byro, consisting of singer, Tadgh O’Dwyer, guitarist, Fionn Devoy, bassist Alex Power and Ruairí Phelan on drums.

Pictured: Portlaoise band Byro

Since forming in Autumn of 2023, the lads have been playing in various different spots around their hometown Laois and other counties.

They performed at Forest Fest in Emo and have played many sold out shows in Laois and surrounding areas. Within this time, they have attracted a very dedicated fanbase which is still growing.

Performing their own original music, they made it through to the final of Hot Press’ “Local Hero” competition.

The band released their first single ,under Coolboy, in the Summer of 2024, with “High Tide.”

Following this, the lads, now under their new name Byro, plan to focus fully on writing, recording and performing their own original music while branching out to different areas and audiences.

Portarlington artist ‘Alright Then’ is a blend of indie folk and rock.

Their string of singles detail a mature sound grounded in simplicity. Lyrically, Alright Then convey tangents of a twenty something year old.

Pictured: Alright Then

The group is a core of Conor McLoughlin, Colm Geraghty and Cillian Deegan. Their latest track ‘If You Are To Lose’ is available on streaming platforms.

This unique mesh of talent across contrasting genres makes for a night of fantastic music, for a fantastic cause.

The fundraiser will take place at The Anvil Inn, Portarlington, on Sunday March 16 at 7:30pm.

Tickets are available at €5 each through Eventbrite, and are €7.50 at the door.