After weeks of nominations, performances, interviews and a public voting round that closed this past Sunday, the winner of KCLR’s New Local Hero competition for 2024 has been crowned.
Representing KCLR as part of the search for Ireland’s New Local Hero will be Carlow duo Aaron Thompson and Sophia Jones, aka ASOPHONICS, who blend folk-rock, shoegaze and indie pop to stunning effect.
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Formed in late 2023, they’ve made a splash on the local music scene, having opened for award-winning Irish representatives Encore at the International Pan Celtic Festival before selling out their debut headline concert at Youngblood Sessions 14.
“A massive thanks to everyone – if I could give you a hug and a kiss I would! This has pushed us in a direction we needed to be pushed”, Thompson told KCLR’s The Afternoon Crew during the live unveiling on Monday afternoon.
“All of them (the acts) are so talented, we’re so lucky, even to be considered, let alone after getting it”, added Jones of the win.
Their winning entry, Washing Dishes, will gain additional playlisting on KCLR’s airwaves for the next three weeks. When asked about the background of the song, the band feel it really resonates with local audiences.
“It was actually how easy the song fell into place. Sometimes what takes as little effort as possible, means it was meant to be that way. Sometimes a song can take a week, sometimes it can take a month, sometimes it can take a couple of hours. That was one of those songs where we felt like it was written before we even ever played it.”
“Because this is a Local Hero competition, the song feels very local. It talks a lot about the housing crisis, which is very local to us, so it does feel like a ‘people’ song”, says Jones.
Vinny Bradley, presenter of The Home Run on KCLR which featured a number of the acts over the past week praised the standard of entries for this year’s competition.
“The standard of entries locally was incredibly high this year. We ended up with a shortlist of four between Asophonics, Charlotte Mackey, Sitting Room and The Southern Fold, and even getting to that point was difficult. Then to have all acts in studio for their own performances and interviews, playlisted over the last week, it certainly made the judges task unenviable. But, with the public vote, and the judging panel, Asophonics are the ones taking top marks and going on to represent KCLR in the next phase of the competition.”
That next phase sees the winning acts from all 21 participating radio stations around Ireland long-listed for another round of industry judging, after which six acts will be selected to perform at a special showcase event in The Academy, Dublin, on 15 October.
Launched in 2021, Irish Music Month is an initiative of Hot Press and the Independent Broadcasters of Ireland, and is funded by Coimisiún na Meán under the Sound & Vision scheme. The initiative is also supported by IMRO, RAAP, Live Nation, Rubyworks and Camden Recording Studios. All-in, the value of the Irish Music Month project for Irish artists is in excess of €100,000.
