“It’s tough to narrow down what has to be the golden age of Irish music though. A lot of really great stuff happening now!”

Originally based in Dublin, The Notas moved to London to perfect their craft. ‘Sick In Sin’ is the group’s first piece of new music for several years, and now it seems they’re set to re-establish themselves with a sound and aesthetic that looks like that they’ve found out who they really are as artists.

With band members backgrounds ranging from Pakistan, Nigeria Zimbabwe, France and Ireland, the band have an eclectic sound, defined by their respective cultures.

We’re happy to be bringing them home for their first live show in Ireland for a long time. They play Wah Wah Club on Friday January 27. Doors at 7pm. Click here for more information.

Below is a quick Q&A with the group, and they also give us their favourite Irish artists of the moment.

On your ‘hiatus’, were you still playing music together?

We were, but it was generally a streamlined version of the band. Sometimes it would be just four of us, sometimes three, but we’re all back together now.

We were mainly trying to produce new music while away rather than play live gigs. We thought a change of scenery might inspire us and help us find our sound and thankfully it did.

How long where you away from the stage for?

I think all of us together it’s been nearly 2 years? We supported Ghostpoet in the Button Factory but Ali wasn’t there, and then the gig before that I think someone else was missing so it’s been a really long time. We played a few intimate gigs in London but that was like I said a streamlined version. It’s good to get the whole family back together again.

What made you start performing live again?

We just thought it was the right time. We have all this new stuff in the pipeline that we’ve been working on since going on the hiatus that we’ve been dying to get out but we wanted to make sure it was perfect or the closest to perfect it can be.

How has your sound developed?

I think we’ve dropped the whole indie disco circa 2010 vibe. You know the like early Foals stuff and math rock thing. We have always listened to a lot of rap, hip hop and electronica but you’ve never really heard it in the music we were making.

I think the music we’re making now you can heard that a lot more. It’s much funkier as well and although darker is way more dancier.

Can you give us the 10 Irish artists you’re really into right now?

It’s tough to narrow down what has to be the golden age of Irish music though. A lot of really great stuff happening now!

Girl Band

Soulé

Paddy Hanna

Wyvern Lingo

Otherkin

Bad Bones

Hare Squead

Meltybrains?

Barq

Bobby Basil