East London’s trendy Moth Club has hosted some iconic performances over the years. The main room can be tough to navigate, but tonight Muireann Bradley has the packed audience in the palm of her hand. Although she's shy and modest onstage, her technical skills are flawless—her fingers glide effortlessly over the frets of her acoustic guitar, evoking the spirits of Mississippi John Hurt and Memphis Minnie. There's just one caveat—she’s not old enough to drink at the bar.
Jump ahead a year, and Muireann has just celebrated her 18th birthday, with her debut album ‘I Kept These Old Blues’ re-released under the historic Decca Records. “It’s been… pretty busy!” she says with a humble chuckle. “I’ve just wrapped up touring the largest venues I’ve performed in so far. It’s nice to be busy!”
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Speaking with CLASH from her family home in Donegal, Muireann displays a refreshing naivety about the music industry—thanks in part to her father also being her manager. “I’ve been pretty relaxed about it all. My Dad has been with me the entire time, and he helps keep me centered, I guess. It’s really comforting to have someone alongside you while touring. It’s made things much easier.”
Indeed, the bond between father and daughter is profound. As a child, Muireann recalls long car rides filled with the sounds of her music-loving family, with her Dad playing countless tracks of American country blues. “From as far back as I can remember, my Dad has had a fascination with old country blues and ragtime. Just blues in general! I became obsessed with it too at a young age. He played music, so there were always guitars in the house.”
“I grew up listening to him play all these classic blues tunes by Mississippi John Hurt or Reverend Gary Davis. He would play them in the car on the way to school! He’d pull up to school with Blind Lemon Jefferson blaring. We were immersed in it during our upbringing, and I was the one who really connected with it.”
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The blues has deeply influenced Muireann's musical instincts. As a solo guitarist—though she sings as well—she channels styles from the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s in a fresh perspective. “It’s my folk music. In Ireland, there are homes filled with traditional music, and that’s how this music resonates with me. It's abundant with soul and emotion. You can truly feel it when you listen to those old records.”
Muireann picked up the guitar as a child, but her interests also extended to sports—she practiced Brazilian Ju-Jitsu alongside her brother and boxed competitively in Ireland. “I was really passionate about it for quite some time. I competed for a while in both boxing and ju-jitsu. I did fairly well! However, when COVID hit, everything was put on hold, so I redirected my focus back to the guitar.”
The long hours spent at the boxing gym instilled a certain discipline in practicing her blues guitar runs. “Absolutely. Martial arts is all about discipline. Playing guitar requires practice, which can sometimes feel tedious—doing the same thing repeatedly! So there’s definitely a need for discipline.”
During the pandemic, as Muireann dedicated long hours to refining her skills, her father recognized she was tapping into something unique. After sharing a few videos online, this petite girl from County Donegal dazzlingly performed intricate blues classics, capturing the attention of the guitar community. Legendary musician Stefan Grossman expressed his support, stating that the torch had been passed to a new generation, leading to her appearance on Later... with Jools Holland’s prestigious Hootenanny.
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Just a few weeks later, CLASH arrives. We’re present in the audience at the Moth Club as Muireann enchants the hipster crowd of East London; an A&R representative from Decca is there as well. The rest, as they say, is history.
Re-released for broader vinyl distribution, ‘I Kept These Blues’ is an exuberant homage to the blues pioneers. The album includes a bonus track where Muireann showcases a classic by Memphis Minnie. Its appeal has extended beyond guitar aficionados—there’s a sincerity and authenticity that even non-blues fans are drawn to.
“You can observe that at festivals,” she notes, “because many attendees aren’t necessarily there to see you. They’re there for the festival experience and some of the larger acts. It’s strange; when I start playing, there might be very few people present, but by the end of the show, the crowd fills up. It’s fascinating how blues music draws people in.”
Referring to her appearance on the Irish television staple The Late Late Show with Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott—“they’re both so lovely”—as “one of the highlights of my year,” she reveals her ambition
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The super trendy Moth Club in East London has hosted some iconic performances throughout its history. While the main room can be challenging, this evening Muireann Bradley is set to take the stage.