Die britische Rockband The Virginmarys, bestehend aus Danny Dolan und Ally Dickaty, hat mit ihrem neuen Album „The House Beyond The Fires“ einen tief emotionalen und persönlichen Meilenstein gesetzt. Das Werk ist eine Hommage an Dannys verstorbenen Vater Tommy Dolan und spiegelt sowohl persönliche Verluste als auch gesellschaftskritische Themen wider. Im Gespräch mit uns dem Frontstage Magazine geben Danny und Ally Einblicke in den kreativen Prozess hinter dem Album, die Inspiration durch Tommys Vermächtnis und wie der Wandel zum Duo ihre musikalische Entwicklung beeinflusst hat. Dabei sprechen sie über den emotionalen Kern ihrer Songs, die Herausforderungen, die sie geformt haben, und die Botschaft, die sie mit ihrer Musik transportieren möchten: In einer oft ungerechten Welt bleibt die Hoffnung, dass man nie allein ist und es immer in Ordnung ist, nicht in Ordnung zu sein. „The House Beyond The Fires“ zeigt The Virginmarys auf ihrem bisher reifsten und intensivsten musikalischen Weg – ein Album, das berührt und gleichzeitig nachdenklich macht.
Frontstage Magazine: The album has a strong personal component, as it’s a tribute to Danny’s father, Tommy Dolan. How did this loss influence your creative process and the development of the songs?
DANNY: The title came from Ally. He just said one day not long after Tommy had died ‘I think we should call the album the house beyond the fires’. Tommy had a fireplace shop in Manchester called ‘the house of fires’ so that’s where the title stems from. I’d had a concept for a cover/single art for ages of someone stranded in the sea, freezing cold with the feeling of loneliness, lost, desolation, gone forever, nothing more. The cover came from that really but we obviously added the torch as a nod to the ‘fires’ and with the white dress kinda wanted it to feel like a ghost/death/last boatman vibes. The cover photo was taken in a reservoir right behind Tommys house so technically beyond the trees in the background above the girls head in the cover shot is where his house actually is so the shot is relatable to the title in a few different ways metaphorically and factually.
Frontstage Magazine: The title of the album refers to „The House of Fires,“ Danny’s father’s store. What role do memories of this place and its significance play in the music and lyrics of the album?
ALLY: The House Of Fires was a notorious shop in Manchester, largely because of Tommy’s personality. He would have huge signs above the shop that anyone passing by would talk about.Tommy was Manchester through and through and a lot of his influence runs through the band. The chorus to Dance To The City pays tribute to him and his memory is throughout the whole track and album.
Frontstage Magazine: Your lyrics are known for their social commentary and introspective themes. How have the personal losses and challenges you’ve faced shaped the lyrical depth of this album?
ALLY: Real life affects real lyrics, it can’t help but shape your writing, it just depends how much you choose to acknowledge them, how honest you want to be through your art. Music should communicate deeply, it’s one of the greatest things in the world, it can change peoples lives and in some cases save them. I go with my heart and write about what I feel and see in the most honest and artful way possible. I’d say the personal challenges, losses and social themes are everything in my writing, outside of that it’s about using the best words in the best places and then how well I can deliver them.
Frontstage Magazine: As a duo, you’ve taken a new creative path. How does The House Beyond The Fires differ musically or in production from your previous works?
ALLY: We’ve grown more than ever since becoming a two piece, we’ve had to work with a lot of different sounds and shift things around to compensate. I’ve almost relearned how I play the guitar, being more concerned with the bass line and groove element to my playing. We’ve worked so hard these last few years refining our sound and this album feels the closest to pulling off the vision in our head. I’ve become a lot more into the production side of things which has helped in how I play and write. Becoming a duo has almost brought back the spark, like we’ve started over again.
Frontstage Magazine: The album seems to be a deeply emotional journey. What message do you want to convey to your listeners with The House Beyond The Fires?
ALLY: It’s an emotional roller coaster for sure. Our music is very intense in places, I think it’s built out of frustration, like caged animals trapped in the way things are. Endless day to day lies and hypocrisy spread by the powers that be. This society is blatantly not set up for everyone, the system serves those who make the rules and even then they can’t follow them. Our message would be, there is still incredible hearts and souls in this world, don’t let this world grind you down. It’s ALWAYS okay, not to be okay. You are never alone in how you feel.
Fotocredit: Deborah Ellis
