The Davids

Photography by @alyssaduffphotography

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Indie rock band The Davids, hailing from Armagh, are Near the Noise’s latest Artist of the Month.

We first discovered the band at Numuze and Blue Pool’s Late Night Art Takeover in December, where they played Ulster Sports Club. After looking them up, we were pleased to find they already had two tracks on Spotify - one of which we loved so much it earned a spot in our Top 25 of 2025 playlist.

From that point on, we knew The Davids were a band we wanted to keep close to the project.

MEET THE BAND

The Davids spent their first year as a three-piece, made up of Aaron Beattie (vocals and guitar), Jos Lennon (bass), and Joel Clarke (lead guitar). The trio met while studying music together in college, quickly realising they shared both musical taste and personality - something that naturally led them into writing together.

Interestingly, the band said it wasn’t necessarily the early highs that made things feel real. If anything, it was the tougher moments, when a show fell flat or a song wasn’t quite clicking, that pushed them to improve and take the project more seriously.

However, things didn’t quite feel complete until drummer Harry Whyte joined in 2024, solidifying the four-piece lineup we know today.

One thing that particularly stood out to us was the band’s name - especially considering none of the current members are actually called David. As the band explained, the name dates back to the very beginning, when Aaron and original member Callum (who both shared the middle name David) first started the project.

Despite the lineup change, the name stuck - and honestly, we’re glad it did.

“We’re too far gone to change it.”

THEIR SOUND

The band’s sound has drawn comparisons to the likes of Snow Patrol and early Coldplay - which we can definitely hear.

At its core, their music sits within indie rock, with a clear emphasis on melody and atmosphere. However, they’re careful not to box themselves into any one label too tightly.

“We try not to box it in too much, we’d rather people take what they want from it.”

When it comes to influences, their approach is fluid. Songwriting-wise, they consistently return to the foundations of John and Paul, while also pulling from newer sounds - creating a blend of old and new that’s constantly evolving.

“To be honest, it’s constantly shifting.”

Their creative process is equally organic. Aaron typically brings an idea into rehearsal, where the band builds on it together - only pursuing what feels natural.

“If it doesn’t click quickly, we tend to move on… When something does stick, we take it to a live setting as soon as we can because that’s where we really find out if it works.”

THE SCENE

While the band speak highly of the Irish music scene and the level of talent emerging from it right now - they’re also mindful of how it’s perceived externally.

“It can feel like the identity gets romanticised a bit, rather than the music just being taken on its own terms. We’re incredibly proud to be an Irish band but we think the real strength is just in the quality of music itself.“

That said, they’re encouraged by the growing attention the scene is receiving, describing it as both fresh and exciting.

They also highlighted Ashgrove and Jetvaine as two acts to keep firmly on your radar - two quite new bands which is always something we love to see.

LIVE & UPCOMING

The Davids have their sights set on playing more shows across the island, with venues like Whelan’s in Dublin high on their list and, one day, Vicar Street as a dream milestone.

Closer to home, they’d jump at the chance to play iconic Belfast venues like Limelight or Ulster Hall.

So far, they’ve already had some standout live moments, including a sold out headline show at Nan Rice’s in Newry - one they described as having “excellent energy”.

Following the release of their latest track Celestial, which we featured in our Track Spotlight series, the band are preparing to head back into the studio. The track marked another lyrically strong offering, with B-side Badger Season proving just as impressive. It’s a discography that already feels far beyond its early stage.

“Each track shows a slightly different side of what we do, so you get a better sense of the band as a whole rather than just one angle.”

All of this leads into their upcoming headline show at Union Bar on 23rd April, supported by Ashgrove and Jet Black Tulips - a night shaping up to be a brilliant showcase of local talent. We’ll definitely be there, so keep an eye out for our live review afterwards.

OUR VERDICT

We’ve said it before in our Track Spotlight series, but The Davids are firmly one of our favourite emerging local bands right now.

We can appreciate the thread of influence from early Coldplay in their sound, but they manage to keep things fresh, authentic, and entirely their own. What really stands out, though, is their mindset - their focus on growth, authenticity, and letting the music speak for itself.

“The most important thing for us is the internal progression of improvement. Just making some better art and not overcomplicating it.”

It’s this attitude that makes them so exciting to watch.

With a strong start behind them and plenty more to come, we’ve no doubt The Davids are only going to keep getting better - and we can’t wait to be singing along at their Union Bar headline show.

A very worthy Artist of the Month.

SELL EVERYTHING

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We first came across Sell Everything at The Grand Social during the NYF Dublin Guinness Music Trail.

This was our first introduction to the band and we were actually meant to head off elsewhere on the trail - but after their first song, they sort of just stopped us in our tracks.

We were honestly a bit mesmerised. Their sound felt different to anything we’d seen before and that moment is exactly why we were so keen to get them involved with our project.

We caught up with Tom (lead vocals) to talk beginnings, influences, their approach to creating, and what’s next for the band.

Photo by @onstagewithkate

MEET THE BAND

Sell Everything began pretty organically in Dublin when Tom reached out to Jack to play drums and help put some songs together. Not long after, Jack brought in the rest of the lads: Oisín, Fionn and - much later, Toby, whose background in improvised electronics and dub reggae added unexpected new life to the project.

“He made lots of really cool improvised electronic music… I asked him if he could add something to our sound and he ended up glueing the whole live set together.”

With their manager Tim joining around the same time, the group feel they’ve truly found their footing.

“We have been getting really tight and professional. We have a really solid team together now!”

And the name? As simple and bold as the band’s approach.

“It basically just looked good … when I was looking through a big list of band names … I spotted SELL EVERYTHING in all caps just like that. And I just thought it worked on every level.”

To Tom, it represents attitude and freedom - open enough for listeners to find their own meaning.

Photo by @jasmingrace_01

THEIR SOUND

Trying to box Sell Everything in to one genre would probably miss the point entirely.

“I think we have a lot of groovy and grungy tones. Bits of jazz and blues and bits of contemporary indie. But it’s pretty fun without forcing people to try have fun haha.”

There’s a natural looseness to their approach - especially live.

“I hate when I go to a gig and the act are trying to get you up … I’ll get up if the music is good and it makes me feel that way. Otherwise let’s just see what happens and see what the music gets out of you.”

Their influences reflect that fluidity. Tom cites artists like MJ Lenderman, King Krule, Bar Italia and Dean Blunt - artists who blur genre lines and resist neat categorisation.

“I find a lot of people we listen to aren’t even bands like ourselves. I think that’s nice as it keeps things fresh and keeps us floating around the box and not putting ourselves firmly in a box.”

For first-time listeners, there’s one track that captures what they’re all about perfectly.

“I’d say give Landlord Blues a listen. It has really nice guitar tones and it’s pretty raw. We made that in about half a day, chillin in my house.”

The story behind the track only adds to its charm.

“The vocals are 2 or 3 freestyles meshed together. It’s very sell everything haha. Just slap a few bits together and see where it goes.”

In true chaos, the original file was even lost.

“My hard drive had broke and I lost the file. So what you hear on Spotify is pretty much what we had done the day we recorded it and very little else added on.”

Photo by @onstagewithkate

LIVE & UPCOMING

There’s plenty happening for Sell Everything right now.

While they can’t say too much about any upcoming releases right now, other than the fact their extremely excited about what’s to come, the live side of things is already picking up pace.

The band will be playing All Together Now this summer - a full-circle moment for Tom, who mentions it’s his favourite festival.

They also recently played at Róisín Dubh as part of Florence Road’s Faoin Solas night - a show that further cemented their growing presence on stages outside of Dublin.

And most excitingly (for us, anyway), Sell Everything will be headlining our very first Noise Night in Belfast on 27th March. Sharing the bill with Dog Swim and Schtick, it feels like the perfect lineup to mark the beginning of something new.

Photo by @jasmingrace_01

OUR VERDICT

Sell Everything are the kind of band that feel comfortable in their own decisions. They see no need to over explain or over produce anything - they just trust their instincts.

What stands out most is how naturally it all comes together. The looseness and the rawness, the fact that Landlord Blues exists in the form it does because that’s simply how it happened - it all feels very real and honest rather than constructed.

There’s a sense that they’re creating without overthinking, pulling from different influences without trying to define them too much; we think that freedom is what gives the project its character.

That’s exactly why they felt like the perfect choice to headline our very first Noise Night in Belfast. We genuinely couldn’t be more excited to have them!

If you want to see it unfold in real time, tickets are available now via our website - and we’d recommend grabbing yours sooner rather than later.

DOG SWIM

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We first reached out to Dog Swim back in October - before Near the Noise had even launched. It might seem like a random choice to spotlight a band we hadn’t yet seen live as our very first Artist of the Month, but we were instantly hooked after stumbling across their performances on TikTok.

Fast forward a few months and a live show at The Grand Social later, and we knew we were right. Freya, Ollie, Alex and Mel have something genuinely exciting to add to the scene right now.

While Dog Swim haven’t officially released a track yet, anyone who’s caught them live will understand why they’ve earned the title of our first Artist of the Month, and why the hype around them is building so quickly.

We caught up with the four-piece back in December and again recently for our photo shoot to talk beginnings, influences and what’s next.

MEET THE BAND

Made up of Freya on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Ollie on lead guitar (and occasional vocals), Alex on bass and Mel on drums, the band met through college and mutual friends.

What started as a solo project for Freya quickly grew into something bigger. Bringing the others in as session musicians turned into a connection that felt impossible to ignore. Ollie mentioned that knowing Mel would be involved made him even more keen to join, having previously played in another band together and already sharing that chemistry.

Freya knew from the first practice that she wanted the guys to become permanent members, while the others summed it up simply: “when you know, you know.”

Individually, they’re all talented musicians in their own right but together, they feel like a band that’s clicked at exactly the right moment.

THEIR SOUND

Dog Swim don’t box themselves into one sound. Some tracks are soft and understated, others lean into heavier, raw grunge textures.

Their writing is a collaborative process, with each member bringing different ideas and influences into the room. Growing up on different kinds of music has naturally shaped their genre blending approach - each song tends to take on its own identity.

Their influences range from Wolf Alice and Paolo Nutini to Slow Pulp, which reflects the balance between indie delicacy and gritty rock energy that runs through their live sets.

THE SCENE

When talking about the local scene, the band were quick to highlight just how much talent is coming out of Ireland right now. They gave shoutouts to Ember, Avenue 68 and For Nina, who they played their first gig with.

They recently supported Florence Road on their November/December Irish tour, describing them as “new, exciting and full of joy” - a sentiment that matched the energy of fans keen to discover new music.

The tour brought a wave of love from listeners, with plenty of comments asking them to come back to Belfast in particular, which we’d absolutely love to see. The band are keen to play more shows across Ireland and mentioned Belfast, Cork and Galway as cities they’d love to hit next.

As for dream venues, they already feel lucky to have supported The Academic at the Olympia, marking one of their biggest career highlights so far.

FUTURE RELEASES

While they’re constantly working on new music, the band’s main focus right now is staying organic and gaining as much live experience as possible. Having only been together for just over a year, they want to make sure they’re completely happy with what they release and able to own who they are as a young band within the industry.

From Near the Noise’s point of view, they’re doing something right by building momentum before dropping official releases. Their unreleased track Just Slow Down has already gained serious traction online, with fans begging to hear it on Spotify. We were also impressed by Beautiful Fool, the first song they ever wrote together, when we caught them live.

OUR VERDICT

From discovering Dog Swim on TikTok to spending time with them in person, it’s clear that this is a band with something special brewing.

They’re hugely talented individually, but it’s their chemistry together that really stands out. On top of that, they’re some of the nicest people we’ve met in the industry. They remain upbeat, grateful and genuinely excited about what’s ahead.

We recommend catching them live now - because they’re exactly the type of band you’ll see in a small venue and later get to say, “I saw them before they blew up.”