The Academic

With their self-released debut album, ‘Tales From The Backseat’, The Academic announced themselves with an unlikely bang. Buoyant guitar hooks and earworm melodies coalesced with Craig Fitzgerald’s lyrics about teenage romance and tribulations in rural Ireland to place the band firmly amongst many ones-to-watch lists.

Early on in The Academic’s career, they played huge shows with the likes of The Pixies and Noel Gallagher and definitely felt the pressure of taking to such big stages. Playing with The Killers at stadiums earlier this year though “is the most comfortable we’ve ever felt onstage,” says Craig. “I don’t know what that says about our delusions of grandeur though.”Still, you wouldn’t bet against them. Having already conquered their homeland with their independently released debut effort, The Academic are back with the same hunger; now bolstered with the benefit of experience and a few more tools at their disposal. “It’s the idea that your music can take you further than you've ever been before,” Stephen says of their ambition, ‘that’s what lights a fire under me.’