Royal raucous night of rock coming to Waterford

A very special  gig will take place in Waterford on Thursday, August 28 at 9pm.

That night, The Royal Hunt of the Sun album launch will be held in Phil Grimes pub and it will be a night of hard rock, heft, and sheer sonic force.

The Royal Hunt of the Sun is a brand-new collaborative led by well-known guitarist and songwriter Andrew Ryan. 

Collaborating with seven of Waterford’s most prominent and electrifying musicians, the band will deliver an all-original hard rock experience like no other and it promises to be one of the standout gigs of the year.

The band's debut album launch will include and explosive live set.

The stellar line-up of musicians involved in the collaboration includes: Ailise O'Neill, Calum McGavock and Seanie Whelan (on vocals), Darragh O'Connor (guitar), James Hayes (bass), Darryl Brazil (drums) and together, they blend hard rock, blues and raw rhythmic power merged with soaring vocals, face-melting solos and relentless energy. 

In other words hard rock the way it's meant to be.

What started as a personal promise for Andrew - to finally release the songs he’s carried for years - became a full-blown musical mission.

The aim of that mission was to unleash a modern rock album destined for classic status (or Spotify oblivion!).

Don’t miss your chance to witness a no-holds-barred celebration of original music from one of Waterford’s boldest new projects — up close and loud.

An added bonus on the night will come in the form of special guest, Woody, another hard rocking local outfit who have been releasing original music since 2020, beginning with their debut EP, 'Bananas'.

That quickly earned them a loyal local following and the EP's opening track, 'Single Bed', a pop-inspired tune about unrequited love, gave the band their first taste of radio airplay.

Following lockdown, Woody burst onto the live scene with a debut performance at The Theatre Royal before becoming the house band at An Uisce Beatha, where they built a reputation as one of Waterford’s most entertaining live acts - thanks in part to their wild stage antics and charismatic frontman, Craig Dunphy.

Their debut album, 'Beans On Toast', was recorded between 2022 and 2024, with singles like 'You Don’t Get Me' and the title track gaining airplay after a feature on Déise Today with Damien Tiernan. 

Since its release, Woody have returned to the stage performing packed shows at Bank Lane, An Uisce Beatha, The Vic, and Geoff’s Café Bar alongside acts like Midnight Blind and 2Time Charlie. They are currently working on their second album, 'While I’m Away'.

Tickets for this unmissable show, priced €10, are now available on Powertik.