Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Hidden Irish Indie Hits: #2 - Kharma 45

Part two of STL's new quest to expose the cream of Ireland's indie talent which has slipped through the cracks over the years.

Having kicked things off with the brilliant Are You Gonna Sleep Tonight? by Conor Furlong last week, this week brings a change of pace with a blistering tune from Northern Ireland's Kharma 45.

Having signed to Warner Bros. Records after only a hatful of gigs, the buzz surrounding this Derry/Strabane based 4-piece grew and grew.

With considerable press gained across the board, they released three excellent singles, the pick of which was 'Ecstasy' - a vibrant, passionate indie classic. The band recorded their debut album, but unfortunately this record was never to see the light of day as they disbanded in 2008, with lead singer Glenn Rossborough leaving to pursue a solo career.

I remember seeing Kharma 45 at Oxegen 06 and being blown away. Despite being on early in the day they attracted a huge crowd and amid glorious sunshine, they whipped the place into a frenzy as the lead singer blared this tune into a mega-phone. I was convinced they were going to be huge but alas, it wasn't to be and Kharma 45 are another to add to the 'what if?' pile.

Never the less, 'Ecstasy' is 4 minutes of anthemic electro-tinged brilliance, and is a track which thousands of bands would love to have as an epitaph.





Be sure to check out the spaced-out remix from Mo Le Starre also.


  Kharma 45 - Ecstasy (Remixed by Mo Le Starre) by Mo Le Starre

2 comments:

  1. coincedentally i was just sent this tonight by a friend.

    not heard them before so hit google and found your piece. think the remix loses the vital rough edges but the original's a really great track

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  2. Yeah it's quality alright and it sounded even better live I have to say.

    I like the remix myself but it's definitely all about the original, pity it never worked out for them.

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