Fresh from the release of their new single ‘Not As Cool’, Dublin indie-punk three-piece Plastic Cowboys evolved from a solo act into a vibrant, heady live set-up, with the new single at its core.

Facing something of an uphill battle in Dublin’s niche punk scene, they lean on that live show, whilst exploring relationships and hangovers in their punchy tracks, with an album somewhere on the horizon.

I caught up with all three, Ciaran (vocals and guitar), Darren (bass) and Joe (drums) during the shutdown…

Congrats on the new live video for ‘Not As Cool’. I guess you’re missing playing live?

Darren: Thanks very much, we recorded it a while back so it feel’s great to have it out. Definitely playing live with the guys is my favourite thing to do, and I especially miss playing ‘Not As Cool’ to a live crowd, as that is when the show gets a little bit chaotic.

Can you tell me a little bit about what your live show is typically like in a non-studio setting?

Joe: Our live shows definitely follow through with the energy we create together. A tight sound with high energy coinciding with Ciaran’s songwriting is key to our bands live show. It’s something we tried to recreate in the studio setting as best we can, ‘Not As Cool’ being our latest example of that.

How much material do you have now, and what are the themes behind your music?

Ciaran: We’ve got a batch of about 18 songs at the moment ready to be recorded, and some new ones that I’ve written during the lockdown that I’m itching to play with the lads. Some of these songs go back years from when I first wrote them. For example, I wrote ‘Not as Cool’ around the summer of 2016, so it’s great to be in a position to finally release it.

I tend to write about my experiences in one way or another so the recurring themes throughout our music would probably be relationships, and being hung-over.