 somewhere in a secret location that nobody knows about and he's sending me some text here as well and wishing everybody luck that's on the show tonight be back again on Saturday and back in the hot it's you know when you say I'm normally in the other seat that Paul another Paul is helping me tonight and I don't have the headphones on but you know just listening to the lads the Wild Atlantic Buskers and the sound and the quality and before that as well with Aaron Wilson brilliant stuff so thanks for all your text as well we're streaming live on the Highland Radio Facebook and my next guests and they're all dressed in well they're gonna tell us all about what they're dressed in costumes and everything and it's the Ren Marabou and the Berserkers and I'm really looking forward to hearing how they got their name and all the other stuff that comes from it's sitting in front of me and on camera you're looking at from right to left to right we go with Michael Michael how are you doing good we'll chat to you later on might we get a chat out here everybody has to chat when they come on the night session nobody escapes in the middle on drums we have Torrance he's in the distance from the mic but he's going to shout for us tonight and on my right hand side he's dressed with a cape and whatever else in chains it's the Ren himself Ren how you doing great buddy thank you so much for helping us out we'd like to know we change your date as well and thank you for doing that for us but we wanted to get you up because I know it's it's it's just a brief synopsis of the band and we get a tune and we've used to talk about but the name so basically yeah the name is a is I'll try and make the short answer a short answer would be I was a solo artist for for quite a while during the pandemic you know and we're signed to a label called misanthropic records and as things were progressing I was lucky to get the boys on board and when I got the boys on board the management wanted and the label wanted us to make it a full band but they didn't want me to drop the red marabou thing so everybody's like Jesus not a narcissist that lad so yeah it's actually it was the label chose to you know keep the the red marabou but then bring the berserkers on red marabou's your name is it no it's my stage name but it would be a nickname that I would have been given over the years and I was in a band for years called marabou and that just kind of that's where I came from and then the next one is tell us about the berserkers like where's the berserkers coming yeah so this would be the the Viking theme that we go for Norse mythology is a you know I've a what would you say a kindred vibe off it I'm a Norse pagan myself you know so I believe in all that kind of stuff as my faith but it's just so interesting all the Norse stories it's just amazing and there's such a huge rich history in Ireland with that stuff so it's something that nobody ever spoke about because we regard ourselves as a Norse gale you know my ancestry would be like Irish but the Celtic Gaelic but then I have a lot from you know Norway that came down through the Shannon yeah and you know along my history would be to do with Vikings and and and like all of us here in Ireland actually we're all very tied in it's something that not many people really sing about these days in the song so we just thought you know we'd bring that theme into it and and so you're originally from is it Dublin or wisdom I'm originally from Dublin yeah but since I moved up here I found out that my great-grandmother was from Bali buffet so I'm claiming I'm from Doney Ghal now and the two boys aren't from Doney Ghal out of but we're like we're a Doney Ghal band you're like the Irish soccer team you know what we've loads to talk about I want to get into the outfits and and the album and everything else but maybe we might have a song first and we get the levels right and what are we going to play first well the first one will probably play a mixture of two songs the first part of it would be Heathen's March on which is from our second album sagas and then it will blend into a track from our first album it's called be a storm of the beaches so we thought we tried something different and we don't normally play acoustic yeah so this is a we're usually quite loud and animated so let's see how this goes we're in Maribu and the Berserkers on Highland Radio now I know that that would be pumped up tenfold if you were live on stage is that right yeah I mean it would be just headbanging and the whole ad and the turns will come over we might have a chat and come away from the drums and we mix around the chat as well I know rain wants to talk on night if you bring that mic about it cannot get that man stopped when he starts he's insane yeah look a few comments here we've Kathleen Curran says brilliant and Thomas Ruttsky says power oh Thomas Keira Curran loves it Kathleen Curran says the Vikings have landed Damien Doherty says yahoo lads and Bronn Wynne go on lads Skoll SKLL yeah she's picking up the Viking lingo as well we'll have a bit of Viking lingo ourselves before the evening chat about the we found the name and tell us about the album is just released and I saw you were handing it in to letter Kenny's Universal Books yeah we'll probably try and get them into a few other places too but and yeah no the album we finished the last album just before Christmas and it was the second one of a trilogy we had all these great well Wren had all these great songs he had about 40 maybe 50 songs and there were three albums in the works so the last album we started out just before Christmas and like I said he had he had about 20 25 30 songs so we put them down into these these 11 sort of classic tracks I mean I love the album myself personally I think it's great it's really catchy yeah it's not it's not brutal death metal type things that you would kind of associate with some Viking bands and it's very very melodic tell me because I wouldn't know a lot about the Viking music it's great just to talk to lads like yourself but the whole is a massive follow-on hasn't it because even on your Facebook you have a great follow-on on your Facebook and yeah what are we up to you know I was watching it today and seen some of your stuff as well yeah so tell us who's gonna talk about the tour for me because this Scandinavian tour that's happening and who's gonna take that question yeah yeah so the tour is a dream come true for us we've been massive fans of Vader and hate for a long time and we've just been blessed this year has been absolutely insane the it was a big part was our management split-screen management a big thank you to Kimo and Taja for working so hard for us this year so yeah through a lot of negotiation lot of talking and stuff we managed to bag this tour yeah so we're going to September September 6th or I think the first night is the 8th and will be two weeks are there about on the road with Vader and hate on the big double-decker tour of us which is outrageous it's during country it's all across Scandinavia we're starting off in Sweden then we're going to Denmark I think we're back to Sweden and back to Denmark it's a ping-pong and then we end up Norway is the last night of the tour so it's very exciting and just get get on stage and be in support for us it's a dream come true and for yourselves and Michael yourself in terms of so the band was formed when we talk in the last 15 months was it yeah just over during the during COVID as we call it came together and how did you source each other how like how does that work in terms of did you want to reach out on the music scene or not well I mean briefly yeah I can just say hello to yeah I knew cast because I knew Nigel from Kessler Kessler and my wife Roman yeah he used to work here hello bro man she just said they don't look as what she said they don't look as they're not as scary as they look as one and she's and I rain likes a chat yeah was it time 2022 just before the COVID outbreak February 2022 brahman organized a gig a charity fundraiser down in the central bar for the Australian bushfires because her yeah her her state was ravaged by bushfires and her mom was evacuated and there was a lot of you know it was very scary so she organized that and I was playing there with with with another band at night and Michael was standing in for another bass player with another band and rems there was with lovely Kathleen and I just saw him and we just kind of started up this conversation and it was kind of like a like a loving you know we just had it off straight off you know we started talking about the bands that we love and we just kindred spirit straight away I could tell you know we were meant to be together you know it sounds a bit weird but we were meant to be Vikings together because of lockdown we never we never saw each yeah six months was it longer you know I was asking the lad down before you and maybe each of you can answer this one but you know they're 12 14 and 17 and their musical interests vary from Alton to rap for Michael start with you at your age of 14 15 were you into the rock I tell you yeah I would be into indie music I think when I got to like 16 17 I discovered nirvana yeah never mind and that was it then I never look back I nick the cassette tape off me sister and I just blew my mind from then on I just wanted to be like a guitar player trashing around that was the start of that was yeah and for those listening cassette tapes you know we used to put into a Walkman wine the spool yeah you know it's like a pencil yeah the pencil you always have a pencil in your back part that's right yeah I used to hate when that tape fell off one of your favorite tapes and turns yourself music you know when you were when I was a kid mom and dad used to play everything like country Charlie pride Johnny Cash Simon Garfunkel yeah those classic you know eight eight track stereo cassettes you remember those yeah so there's a lot of there was a lot of country tabby minute philomena begley a lot of country there but as I got a little bit older I started listening to my sister's albums and she was into the undertones and black Sabbath I moved into sort of Iron Man slowly transition slowly transitioned and I discovered German heavy metal which I still love yeah and but you know there's a lot of influences I love classical music too I listen to rock manor off all the time show pad it's it's very emotive music yes and that's what music has to do to me makes has to make me feel and isn't funny times you say that because people look at musicians of all types right whether your boys on a west life and how they listen to and then you talk to musicians like you're saying you listen to a bit of classical or you know and it you're not sometimes people label us by looking at you and saying oh he wouldn't listen to that stuff and it's funny you talk to people and you listen to classical and nirvana coming in and all that what about yourself what's what's what's I'm similar to Ren I'm 14 15 got Nirvana and they're all kind of blur and oasis pulp as well at same time Beatles yeah and again another genre coming in there and the Beatles and all that sort of stuff listen we've more to talk about it said 31 minutes just half past nine on Highland Radio Monday night sessions on a Monday evening remember every Monday 8 to 10 we stream live bands and we're booked out to October at this stage if you are interested in coming on contact our Facebook page or email Jimmy Stafford at HighlandRadio.com or Paul McDevitt at HighlandRadio.com and we love to get bands on new bands and bands that have been in existence for a while you're listening to Ren Muribu and the Berserkers and uh I keep making sure he pronounced that right I want to talk about more stuff gigs coming up but could we get another tune and get Torrance back into his uh drum set if you're now watching on Facebook you're very welcome Valentine's Day is the lads anniversary there you are no lads it's true to Valentine's Day you had the love in in Valentine's Day and Louise Black says brilliant success in every every success into the future thank you very and also from Rachel a coach a coach a coach she says Honda Torrance and that's the beauty of radio radio is Facebook now as well as being radio and people listen to them as well so this is uh Ren Muribu and the Berserkers what are we uh what are we taking away now Ren yes I think we'll go with a song from our second album sagas this is called Goddess of the Underworld yeah you can bring that your volume up on your we're doing a few technicalities here give them a bit more of that bass cast yeah yeah nice take it away all right I'm liking that music though you know that yeah who yeah it is who we got here we got uh I can't see on my one Paul is turning the camera about Margaret Margaret McClintock says right Michael loves country music as well are you a liar Cass I know Margaret really well and she doesn't tell a lie right so I mean the cat's out of the bag now Cass we have a closet fan here which is it's okay and you you know what tonight you can talk about it if you want no I'm only doing it though but that's Margaret now there we are this is a safe space Cass never that safe yeah yeah John Hagerty best to luck with the album and the tour says John and congratulations on the tour delighted for you all from Kathleen Curran yeah thank you come back to Ren just come back to me and the outfits and because if you're watching now we've got a there's a lot of people listening tonight right so you have to paint a picture which you have painted on yourself anyway if you can paint a picture of people obviously there's watching to your camera so you describe your outfit and then the lads can talk about yeah um well we went a little bit into the makeup and costume stuff tonight but we didn't go all out I just said I throw on a bit uh just to give you an idea yourself yeah um so you know being Vikings and uh being uh Viking uh musicians who play Norse Gale kind of music we decided to go for a look of if you can imagine Celts with the blue war paint and uh the Vikings with the fur and you know we have the the Celts and everything that we we haven't got them on tonight but I have a little bit of something on and then we have a lot of like paraphernalia like the drinking horns and you know daggers and the whole lot we didn't bring the daggers I just had the sheets so we didn't want to freak us out so if you're listening to radio world it Ren looks like he's going to go to battle he's got that half a sheep over your shoulder yeah yeah I just picked that up on the field in the way yeah what is it a shawl is it what do you call them yeah I just call it my furs furs and the chain is part of the fur isn't it yeah that's all part of that and then obviously my millner which is my Thor's hammer and yeah so it's it's that uh it's a mixture of uh and tell me that's part of going on stage isn't it for yourself is that you go on and you dress to impress and you dress as part of what your connection is to the whole Norse and the Viking and stuff yeah when you when you go on stage you want to do a good show but you it's a show you know and it's a performance you know and um it's like I did I did quite a few shows with letter Kenny musical society years ago yeah and they taught me they Billy Patterson of course the Highland Radio connection um that whole group taught me a lot about performance and presenting to myself yeah I still can't talk very loudly but I've lost a lot of the nerves that come and when you go on stage you want to you want to give a performance and if you know when we when we go on stage uh at Bennigan's on Friday night we'll have this this Friday isn't it yeah we'll have our kilts and our makeup uh we we we did a rehearsal the other night and I had full black makeup on the eyes and it was running and I was drumming so I learned a few lessons there but yeah it's a performance you want to put on a show yeah and I was talking to an artist during the week a young artist up and coming and we were having that exact conversation about he's going to be doing a gig and I said you you just can't quote and see you've got to perform you've got to engage your audience and I think that's because I've been to gigs where bands don't engage with you and you can see just a few words every now and then is what's nice and might yourself what do you do you put on the makeup and all that as well yeah didn't do it today but most of my outfits still in the post should be there by Friday yeah Friday but the first time we'll be officially yeah so tell us it's the big this is kind of a big gig Bennigan's on Friday night for you really isn't it yeah it's our first what's our first headline gig in Derry so yeah yeah you know so tell us what tell us if we listen to what's the yeah the times and uh yeah so uh we're playing with two really cool bands aren't we boys uh string quart puppets they're actually from Derry and a great band from our mark called uh Blurred Reality uh so it should be really cool there were all three piece bands so it's going to be a big rock and you know animated night let's say great music yeah place Derry as well it's got such Bennigan's fantastic yeah tickets on the door or yeah we we were running tickets on online but then we just said come to the door and uh we'll do them a little cheaper okay just come in and uh fiver in we were going a bit higher but we said no because we're it's uh we're treating as a warm-up for our tour so it'd be great to see everybody in there who we got hi Sharon Blake says hi to Rin Maribu and the berserkers from one of your biggest fans James Curran looking forward to gig the gig in the baller when are you playing the baller yeah when's it when is the baller on 27th of August 27th of August as well okay that's another one as well uh good luck with the album says Maria Cross and Martin Anderson Turrents made a great high priest in superstar yeah thank you Martin yeah I know so they're all uh he um he was I forget who Martin was playing but Martin did a great performance she was a great performer I knew her you know day and night he's a great Pontius pilot he was Pontius yeah he was fantastic tell us a bit about the uh the the the labels you're tight you're signed to united music mafia and split screen is that right split screen management out of the management so uh yeah united music mafia are just really really cool um what would I would almost call them I wouldn't say futuristic probably a bit much but they're very uh adventurous yes yes they like to think outside the box they're they're basal florida right run by og big Sean as we call him uh Sean Whitlow he's uh an absolutely amazing uh genius in the music industry over there um and yeah no we he's he's given us so much support we can't ask for more from my label uh this was our first album with them tales of ruin yeah and uh it's just it's just astonishing what they've done first and then split screen management is our management Tajik and Kimo over and they're actually based in Italy so they're both from Finland but it's all over the place we're international yeah yeah well you can you can feel that from you and certainly with the tour and the whole lot that it's uh and it's you know we you probably know the local like I remember a few years ago myself and Paul started playing a local band called sheer buzz and they were really and you know and I've seen them perform at oak fest and then we moved we'd have banned on a few weeks ago called expedition yeah and I mean like they were they were in the bus confessor last year and they became second and they're really they're like sort of and they were in the studio here I remember I was sitting over here producing paul was in the seat here and how they were up they're nice and they're lovely guys too yeah they're playing with us at the baller as well are they brilliant and uh real quivine and all the lads there as well but the point is lovely just to see those young bands up and common and as I said to the lads a bit of confidence as well to go out there and play and to come into radio and to be able to talk as well yeah which is a big thing for them you know which is uh which is great listen we will get another one absolutely yep turn this back to your hot seat and so if you don't mind before we play this one we want to give you something um this is your little package there I'll just leave that there Paul may devils going to be ready I know we had one for him as well but sure you know this yes so this is uh made from a company from our local town here uh ulster meet co just have let's turn the camera yep yep we'll give him a how's that looking paul you see that yeah that shot yeah we're on it's a product placement you're you're your ambassadors for ulster meet yes we're ambassadors for ulster meet co and um funny we we had already recorded a track called let's drink mead um it sounds like there's a cd in there for you as well and a few little bits and bobs there's the mead for you it's not a screwed screwtops and preferably you drink them out of a drink at horn it'll make it taste nicer you know so who is this a little candy company yeah well they're based in rafah it's a it's two two local two local police lads yeah we've lived here for a long time and they I know I know them yeah kuba yeah kuba I know them yeah and they have their little um distillery rafah so your your distance in the microns but there are distilleries in rafah and it's kuba I know um yeah that's a lovely bottle as well so this is the ulster mead company king of the north I've never drank me what what's it it's uh it's a it's a fermented honey so it's kind of like a wine that's fermented grapes but it's it's got its own kind of distinct taste to it and it's it was a massive drink with the viking so it all works out well for us you know you're kind of yeah and then as as we announced that we released the track called less drink me it's always it was a you know a big they gave us a lot of promotion and stuff with the track as well it was just perfect you know it just landed nicely so thank you very much antenna paul is going to be raging yeah there's one here from any well tell me yeah yeah but look we're here we are saying drink sensibly too as well that's one of the the courses to yeah we don't we we don't really drink much ourselves yeah you know we just uh like like to sip it and drink it casually and enjoy it yes that's the best way to do it yeah absolutely we're bringing that it's it's lovely and thanks for that listen we'll get another tune yeah cool so this is all for a new album uh let's drink mead you're listening to highland radio on a Monday in the quarter to 10 it's uh ren marabou and the berserkers on highland radio and uh really enjoying tonight's session thanks to everybody who's tuned in on radio and uh on on facebook and all your lovely comments about the lads as well take it away you know i didn't know what to expect honestly so i'm really uh i have to read out some of this shaman glottless a lot of talent talentless something i can't use the second word but you know sean yeah uh queeveen boyle great band with great music looking forward to the 27th lads that's queeveen from expedition angela mcfadden good luck from the boys from angela and the gang in france and uh who else we got there and then we've got obs on that must be uh one of the lads he says the mead that mead is from the home production and not but we'll be available in the market soon yeah joy guys and thanks for your support and rachel loving the tribal rhythms the nor's vibes and the john snow snowic furry radio what's that came thrones oh yeah sorry i'm trying to i'm doing three things here i'm wondering if you text as well hi jimmy can you say hi to ren marabou and the berserkers from a big fan james curran who's looking forward to the show in the baller go on lads scoll s k a l l hello from john wallis please say hello good luck and all the best to ren marabou marabou and the berserkers and uh he's done some john wallis and somebody's very excited for k pop group blackpink's new single pink venom coming out this friday will you play it for us yeah we'll get it into us and we'll certainly have a listen to the music thank you very much for all your text and uh don't forget adin murphy is on the way at 10 o'clock and elvis special tonight on the anniversary for elvis so eight and we'll be with between 10 and 12 so we're looking forward to that what else what else have we got to uh well we've spoken about the album and we spoke how can people get the album i suppose is the question i always love to ask is it yeah it's well at the moment it's everywhere social media wise our platforms you know um spotify itunes and all that but we've actually reached just this week we've got a batch and it's on bandcamp cast isn't it yeah bandcamp brilliant so you can get the physical copy and then universal bookstores in letter kennie yep they have them as well yeah and i'm sure if you contact the facebook you'll have it on the facebook page the link and all that yeah you're playing benningin's this coming friday night so come along to that and you can pay on the door and enjoy some great music and the baller is on the give me the date again because it came out on my 27th of august 27th of august and then you're going on your european tour call it a european world tour really build it up and i'm sure you lots more the pipeline that you keep us filled in we love you guys here in the u.s is sean whitlow ah right back at you thank you sean there you are so that's from sean damien daugherty sent a big round of applause to you as well so loads of people on the facebook wishing you and out there in radio land as well wishing you luck in the coming and i'm sure and uh all the people who support you on your facebook and all your social media and we're going to hear lots more from uh ren marabou and the berserkers isn't that right yeah that's the one how do you how do you say it for me ren marabou and the berserkers torrance you say ren ren marabou and the berserkers oh yeah it's all the same Michael he's he's the quiet one lads thanks for thanks for your company this evening really enjoyed it thanks for your gift as well and uh we look to have me forward to have me back at some stage you know in radio maybe another album and all that we'll see you next week Michael yeah the kesler effect and loving that new album on the eps and that and you had a gig in the baller a few weeks ago as well or i can't remember what yeah yeah a couple of months ago yeah i went on big fin harps man as well isn't he yeah nat again so we'll talk about fin harps next week but uh listen thanks for all your uh and good luck in uh good luck in uh on the tour thank you so much for watching your facebook and uh it's really you know check out the lads it's you know again as i said i didn't know what to expect we've enjoyed that and Paul here has been rocking his production so it's great and i know you had to tone it down for the studio tonight it's the first time we played acoustic uh i i struggled a bit i haven't gotten enough frets and stuff like that you know so uh he just kind of hit yeah so excuse my my boo boo's and thanks for going to the effort to dress up as well and put on the gear of course because it does add to the performance and i think now that we're on facebook and all that we're putting up some pictures later on as well of yourselves and and the look and the stuff so could we do one more i know we kind of said three but yeah well this is an unprepared one but we'll try it we'll try it sure yeah uh we'll do a prophecy sure uh uh what is it this is uh from our first album it's called prophecy of the seer the cottage on the e-pane the cottage and we are on the the the turret yet yeah i must be one of your managers on here could be yeah could be that's the open mic open mic yeah 30 of august so there you are check out their facebook page if you want to find out more take it away from ren marabou and the berserkers island radio monday night sessions thank you very much lads to uh ren torrance and michael for coming up tonight for putting the effort for all the chat and the crack and best of luck and all the gigs that are coming up for yourselves and uh thomas robus robuski rotuski have no thanks guys for great music in the best radio in ireland with the most delicious me there you are and that's how we leave it on that yeah absolutely listen thanks everybody for um your company this evening really enjoyed it stay tuned aiden murphy is on his way with a feast of music over the next two hours and it's an elvis presley special as well he has tonight thanks to paul buckley on production first night on production he did a great job as well he's up visiting from cork and i dragged him into production here in island radio i'll be back on tuesday night with my own show center stage playing the best of irish music hope you can join me between eight and ten p m paul mc david will be here on back on saturday with his uh 12 to three show and we're back with another busy monday night sessions next monday night kezler effect avril macnamie on piano with new up and common artists from let donnie god and you never know who else could check in on next monday night so from monday night sessions live music here in highl video have a good evening and we'll talk to you again soon