Nice to McNa-meet you!
Up and coming Irish actor and singer-songwriter Niall McNamee is a truly exciting and dynamic talent.
Based in London these days, the Irishman has starred alongside Hollywood heavyweights like Pierce Brosnan and Jackie Chan and is now set to play former Ireland goalkeeper Alan Kelly in the highly anticipated film ‘Saipan’, starring Steve Coogan (Mick McCarthy) and Éanna Hardwicke (Roy Keane).
But it’s McNamee’s musical skills we’re talking about today as the talented songwriter gets ready to support his debut album, ‘Glass And Mirrors’, with his biggest headline tour to date, taking in 26 venues across Ireland and the UK.
The Irish leg of his tour will see him play the beautiful Sea Church in Ballycotton in East Cork on 25 October.
Describing himself as “a romantic football fan who writes songs”, Niall moved to London at 17 years old, working on building sites whilst growing a fanbase playing gigs in pubs and venues across London. He began his acting career in London’s West End playing Romeo in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ before moving into film and TV, starring opposite fellow Irishman Pierce Brosnan, and even having a major fight scene with martial arts icon Jackie Chan in ‘The Foreigner’.
He also took the lead in award-winning feature film ‘Love Without Walls’, for which he wrote the entire original soundtrack.
His music brings a modern twist on his Irish heritage, mixing Celtic post-punk passion with a 21st century alt rock perspective, all bound together with a little bit of trad.
McNamee’s debut album will be released on 10 October. ‘Clapham Wine’, the first single off the album, showcases his lyrical and melodic skills, delivered with huge energy and charm.
He says: “I wrote this song about a friend’s break-up experience. A week after they split, he was messaged by his ex to say they were going on a first date with someone new. That was bad enough, but they then told him the date, the time, and mentioned the restaurant, which happened to be next door to my friend’s house in Clapham. The ex even sent a photo of the new date. My friend was devastated, so on the night in question he bought a bottle of wine and got miserably drunk in the park opposite the restaurant.”
A short tour last winter saw McNamee sell out shows in Glasgow, Birmingham, Bury, Bristol, London, and Dublin. Outside of his own headline shows, he has supported huge names in the industry, including Declan O’Rourke, David Keenan, Junior Brother, The Dubliners, The Wolfe Tones, and Louis Dunford. He’s also played Isle of Wight and Cambridge Folk festival.
Since he emerged on the scene, McNamee’s music has been added to 3000 Spotify playlists, with over 100,000 listeners, and that’s before he’s even released his first full album!