George Murphy and The Rising Sons perform at Tradfest 2026
George Murphy and The Rising Sons are playing this year at TradFest 2026. They are playing on the 23rd of January in The Button Factory with doors opening at 7:30.
Something Out of Nothing is George Murphy’s latest album with The Rising Sons. They started out as a session group in pub corners but now they’ve conquered the Vicar Street stage and are only beginning their journey.
George Murphy shot to early success and signed a record deal with Sony Music at just 17 years old. He’s described his journey with music as a roller coaster, filled with highs and lows, but ultimately is grateful for every opportunity he has been given.
“It all came at me very quickly, I didn’t have the time to prepare for it, but you know in hindsight looking back, it is crazy to think that for 23 years I’ve been doing this and making a living out of it,” Murphy said.
Murphy had come back from touring and was taking a break, he had a couple months off and was missing playing music with people, so he decided to start a session in his local pub.
“At the core of the session players that there was a really great sound mixing whistles, banjos, fiddles with electric guitars, bass guitars and percussion, it was just a big wall of sound,” he said.
“I realised that this was something I wanted to explore on a level where we could perform on stages. I sat with my management team and said that this is the perfect marriage of trad folk and rock and roll,” Murphy said.
The next steps were booking venues, studios and recording an album, watching it grow from the corner of the pub to vicar street and releasing an album had been extremely rewarding for Murphy.
As a seasoned musician, Murphy was an experienced performer and was used to performing with large bands like The Rising Sons. However, he has a different relationship with this band.
“With this band you know, it was friends, neighbours and family members, there was more of a camaraderie involved. We take the mick out of each other on stage and we have the craic. That’s what the audience and the fan base love; they know we’re all pals and that we’re born off of a session. We’re just sort of having fun and enjoying ourselves,” said Murphy.
Murphy and the band have big plans for their shows in the future, they have just launched a new show and are planning on changing the way they perform.
“One thing we feel is missing from our stand up concerts is that it’s not a session anymore. It is just a concert. We want to get back to those sessions, but we want to do it on a large scale,” Murphy said.
They plan on being set up on a stage in the centre of the room and the crowd is going to be surrounding them 360 degrees.
“It allows the opportunity to create that session atmosphere with people all around us, it’s going to be very interactive and it’ll be unlike any other show that’s on the road,” Murphy said.
TradFest combines sessions, concerts and community in one festival, “It’s brilliant that the organisers have gotten together to make it an annual event, because it’s something to look forward to. Especially in January because for a lot of people it’s a dead month after Christmas,” he said.
Murphy noted the importance of being yourself and staying true to who you are when beginning a music career.
“It’s very important to be yourself and not just give in to what’s being played in the charts, if you can motivate yourself and stay unique and stand your ground, thats that I think gives you longevity in this industry,” Murphy said.
Visit George Murphys website for more information on tickets, events and releases. Take a look at the TradFest website for the extensive lineup. Visit babylonradio for more articles on culture, music and lifestyle.
