Nashville band to play north Mayo venue

Great excitement is brewing among fans of alternative country and folk music in Mayo ahead of the May Bank Holiday weekend as none other than Nashville trio Styrofoam Winos will play their only Irish show in Connaught at The NCF, Ballina, on Sunday, May 3.

Styrofoam Winos will be performing at the prestigious Kilkenny Roots Festival before their show in Mayo’s newest independent venue.

The band is a trio of songwriters, multi-instrumentalists, and longtime friends Joe Kenkel, Trevor Nikrant and Lou Turner. They originally bonded a decade ago over their mutual adoration for Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Leonard Cohen and dollar bin country records. Legendary US songwriter Will Oldham, AKA Bonnie Prince Billy, is one of their biggest fans.

Their second album, Real Time, released in 2024, features some classic alt country tracks like 'Don’t Mind Me', 'Magic Mind' and 'Angel Flies Over'.

The first single off the new album, 'Pearls', was inspired by the Frank O’Hara poem entitled 'Today'.

Music fans in Mayo will love the band’s radically communal approach to gigs as they uniquely rotate vocal and instrumental roles between all three members.

Lou Turner and Trevor Nikrant are also members of Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band, who'll support Kurt Vile in Dublin’s Vicar St in September.

Advance booking for Styrofoam Winos, who will release new album Any River in June, is recommended for their Ballina show. For ticket info, visit thencf.art/events.