ONE ON ONE: AN INTERVIEW WITH ESMERALDA ROAD!

The next big band to emerge from Ireland, Esmeralda Road formed in 2023 and have wasted no time in making an impact. From supporting Liam Gallagher to winning Ireland’s BBC Introducing Artist of the Year, they’ve rapidly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with. Now, they’ve swapped the charm of Belfast for the bright lights of London and are on the brink of breakthrough. Before they’re too famous to interview, we sat down with drummer Aodhan Moran and keyboardist Josh Vance to talk about what’s next for the band.

WHAST’S THE STORY BEHIND THE NAME ESMERALDA ROAD?

Aodhan: Initially we were called Moonboot but then we were forced to rebrand because there’s a shoe company with the same name. Esmeralda Road was the name of the street we used to live on so we stuck with that.

Josh: I prefer our new name anyway.

WAS THERE EVER A MOMENT OF DOUBT IN THAT TRANSITION?

Aodhan: There was definitely an initial shock of ‘oh my god everything’s over’, but that quickly faded. It was surprising because we got quite a bit of publicity from the rebrand, people couldn’t believe what happened so we gained loads of new followers on social media which was cool.

WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

Josh: It’s great when it pays off but I think it's hard to not get lost in it and overwhelmed. I mean, our Instagram’s great - we've got a good fanbase that we can talk to and there’s a rapport there but TikTok on the other hand can be a real struggle. Like we’ll spend an hour making a video and then nobody sees it.

WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST MUSICAL INFLUENCES?

Aodhan: When we started a lot of us were into the early 2010’s London jazz scene - Tom Misch, Yussef Dayes etc. We took a lot of inspiration from them but we’ve changed massively since; the stuff we’re writing now is on the heavier side so I think we take inspiration subconsciously from the post-punk era of bands like Fontaines and Wunderhorse. It’s a real mix though, Ben our bassist listens to Metallica and then I’m listening to Sabrina Carpenter so it’s a bit of everything!

YOU SUPPORTED LIAM GALLAGHER LAST SUMMER, WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

Josh: Oh man, it was mental - especially because we’d only ever played small venues before. We had two as well, we did Limerick first and then Beachour. We were probably better for the second one but both were absolutely mad, it was really really good.

Aodhan: Yeah it’s a crazy different experience playing in front of a couple hundred people and then suddenly tens of thousands, we loved it.

DO YOU APPROACH SUPPORT SHOWS LIKE LIAM GALLAGHER’S DIFFERENTLY TO YOUR HEADLINE GIGS?

Josh: Oh yeah definitely. When it’s our own gig we get to take the audience on a journey a bit more but as a support act, every second counts so we have to think about what will be the most energetic set for 25-30 mins. With people coming in and out, every song has to be a banger so there’s a bit more pressure.

WINNING BBC INTRODUCING ATL ARTIST OF THE YEAR IS A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT. HOW DID IT FEEL TO RECEIVE THAT RECOGNITION?

Aodhan: It was awesome, on the night of the awards there were so many good acts up for it so to win was nuts. It was good getting recognition for all the work we put in, it was a pat on the back for all the work we’ve been doing which was nice.

Josh: It opened the door to more followers and more radio plays as well which is great, it’s just a good thing to have in our arsenal.

HOW DOES THE IRISH MUSIC SCENE COMPARE TO LONDON’S? WHAT’S SIMILAR, WHAT’S DIFFERENT?

Josh: The Irish scene, especially in Belfast, is a lot smaller, so it’s easier to get recognised. It’s really tight-knit as well, everyone knows each other and are always happy to help eachother out. I don’t think you get the same level of community in London.

Aodhan: Yeah there’s just so many acts in London, it’s so competitive but I guess that’s only good for us.

2025 HAS JUST STARTED, WHAT DO YOU HOPE ESMERALDA ROAD WILL HAVE ACHIEVED BY THE END OF THE YEAR?

Aodhan: More music. We’ve got a lot of ideas, but the process has been slow - mixing and mastering across different studios and teams. Hopefully, by the end of the year, we’ll have streamlined that in London and be able to get out more music.

Josh: Yeah, we want to be in the studio more and on the road more. We just want to keep building momentum.

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