Introducing our first EP, The NOW Hustle EP
During the second half of 2022, The Diaries came up with the idea of just turning up at venues unannounced and asking if they could play a short show there and then and pass the hat. In this way we were able to play multiple shows in a single day as we hit a town and played in every bar that would have us – the record was five shows in a day. The concept became known as The NOW Hustle and was mostly how we played across Ireland during that time, as well as in Germany, Belgium and Holland. The NOW Hustle EP is the best recorded representation of how these events were generally received by delighted and surprised audiences as we suddenly smashed into their – until then – quiet evenings. It was recorded at one of our last shows in Ireland before we made our move to London in December 2022. The implication is there, but we’ll state it anyway. No-one in the audience that night had ever heard any of our songs before, and none of them knew us personally in any way.
We’re in the middle of recording our studio debut album.
Selected Live Performances
We drove up to Edinburgh to play at the biggest culture festival in the world. Eight hours drive there, eight hours back, and slept in the car while there. All for you to be able to enjoy two songs! That’s how we do it.
At the inaugural Phil And Di’s Open Mic Party at Wonderville
We played for a West End theatre crowd for the first time on June 18 2023.
All amazing professional performers and this is what happened.
From the Acoustify open mic, Bishops, Fulham, April 13, 2023.
Our second time out with this event and we closed the show.
And we have no idea what we’re going to play as we let the audience pick the songs from random cards laid face down.
As we’re just finishing another studio session at home, the phone rings and Peadars in Moate is calling us telling us that the lads over there are expecting a show. We didn’t know, but we’re there rocking up the place 30 minutes later.
When we arrive, it’s a quiet Wednesday night and six lads are sitting watching the football. Most of them have never seen us or heard any of our songs before. Suddenly they’re transported to a rock concert and they’re all screaming and singing along. The football has been totally forgotten.
And this from the week before in the same venue
Trying something new in Berlin, we put our songs in a little glass and asked the audience to draw them for us. This is what happened…
… And my head is OK. I only hit it a tiny bit – Maja
We’d only gone out for an innocent pint at our local but the regulars absolutely insisted we play. So we soon found ourselves running home for a guitar and a PA speaker. It didn’t take long for it to turn into a crowd.
Headlining the Scene of the Rhyme event
This was our first time playing on an organised lineup and we weren’t supposed to be headlining. However, one of the promoters saw us by chance at an open mic the week before but didn’t realise we were The Diaries who were also booked for his upcoming show. When we turned up for his show, he had a bit of a moment as he recognised us, then said, ‘You’re going on last tonight. No-one can follow you.’
Our first ever open mic performance. From Berlin during our first European tour.
Wow. Just what to say about this?
We played our first London show on Thursday March 9 at Theatre Deli with The Dial Up Club.
As a result, ladies and gentlemen, we can now introduce you to:
Maja (And The Diaries): The Musical
Brought to you by Adlibretto: https://adlibretto.com/
It happened like this. After we played, Adlibretto, the main act of the night, got up. They are an improv musical theatre group. They homed in on Maja and took material from asking questions about her work and life, and from what she told them about The Diaries, as well as from the performance of us they’d just seen; if you watch the show, you’ll see a cheeky reference to I Like You (Better When You’re Naked) which they’d just heard.
So we have Phil on piano, then Amelia, Tim, Jimmy and Neil
https://www.theatredeli.co.uk/delibroadgate
And this for The Dial Up club hosted by Alexander Williams
https://www.facebook.com/thedialup/?locale=en_GB
This is what we do
We believe society wants and needs new music that comes from the heart
Streaming pays next to nothing
Bars generally don't pay original acts, but we understand and have no problem with that
Which is exactly why we have the hat
Please think of the Donate button as the online equivalent of the hat and help keep us on the road
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