
Behind the music - Nathan O'Regan
It's the second track to be lifted from his forthcoming debut album Olive Branch, set for release 19 September on Belfast label Zenith Cafe Records.
Having just completed a support tour with Lucy Spraggan, Nathan will be performing at festivals over the summer before embarking on the Olive Branch tour in September and October, including a date at The Workmans Cellar, Dublin on 8 October and other Irish shows including Mullingar, Castlebar, Limerick and Belfast.
He wrote Better Day for his partner when she was pregnant with their first son.
"It was written just before we had Arthur, and we were living in this tiny little house just outside of Belfast. It felt like we were boxed in," he says.
"You couldn't step in a straight line, you were climbing over things to get anywhere, and we just didn't know where a baby was even going to fit. I just wanted to tell her everything was going to be ok eventually and to keep the faith."
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I was born in Cork but moved to Belfast when I left school. I'm the proud Dad of two little boys, Arthur, who's three and Oscar, who's five months old. I love cooking and think if I didn't work in music I would have wanted to work in a kitchen of some sort.
How would you describe your music?
I'm so incredibly bad at answering this question but I'll try: I try as much as I can to keep my lyrics conversational. If I can't imagine myself saying it, then I normally won't sing it either. Style wise, people have told me I sound a bit like James Morrison, Gregory Porter, Springsteen.
Most of the stuff that I think has informed the music I like making are probably from my Dad's record collection. Marc Cohn, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel all have left big impressions on me. Storytelling at its finest with the lyric front and centre at all times. More recently, I'm obsessed with Lake Street Dive, Leif Vollebekk, Stephen Wilson Jr, to name a few.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Eric Clapton Live At The Marquee in Cork. I think I was about 14 or 15. I remember the day of the gig, I had the flu or something similar working on me and my Mum thought I shouldn't go but I was adamant that I wasn't going to miss it. We went really early to get near the front and about 20 mins into Clapton's set, it was so hot in there that I fainted. I remember waking up being carried by a paramedic who was screaming "WHAT DID YOU TAKE?" at me. Their instincts were correct so I replied honestly, "two Lemsips."
What was the first record you ever bought?
American Idiot by Green Day, followed quickly by everything else they'd released. I used to sit for hours with them on repeat and try and work out the guitar parts. I was obsessed
What's your favourite song right now?
This is going to sound super specific, but right now its a song called Dela by Johnny Clegg. We've been letting our son Arthur watch some movies and he's obsessed with George Of The Jungle and there's a scene at the end where that song plays and he absolutely loves it. It's the first non-nursery rhyme song that he genuinely loves and it brings me a lot of joy watching him dance around and sing it. I'm not sure if I love the song or if I just love that we're not being asked to play Baby Shark all day long anymore, but in any case, it's a banger!
Favourite lyric of all time?
I have too many to pick just one, but the first one that comes to mind is from a song called Elegy by Leif Vollebekk where he sings, "Gonna find a way to climb out of this basement / Gonna find out what that smile on your face meant." More just from a place of being a fan of songwriting than what that specifically means, but I've never heard someone rhyme "basement" with "face meant" before and it completely blew me away! It's pretty elite stuff I thought.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
'A music industry on their knees': Organiser says smaller festivals need government support
GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO step in to help support smaller, independent music festivals in Ireland, according to Philip Meagher, founder of music festival Forest Fest. The festival, which returns to Emo, Co. Laois for its fourth year this weekend, will see Franz Ferdinand, the Manic Street Preachers, Travis and Orbital headline the main stage, while many up-and-coming Irish acts will be supporting. 'A lot of people in the music industry are literally on their knees because of the spiralling costs involved. Without the proper support structure in place, it's hard to see a future for the smaller, independent festivals going forward,' said Meagher. His comments come as other music festival organisers in Ireland have said that mounting costs are making it harder for them to keep going each year. There has been calls for the Department of Culture to roll out a 'more transparent' funding model for grants which many organisers say would help to safeguard the future of smaller festivals. Earlier this month there was confusion about whether major player Beyond The Pale would go ahead, while a number of beloved smaller festivals are not going ahead this summer, including Sea Sessions, Body and Soul, and Wild Roots. 'Extremely challenging' 'It is extremely challenging and the costs associated with putting on an event of this type and size are astronomical,' Meagher told The Journal. It is time now for the government to 'look at supporting smaller festivals around the country to assist with that cost', he said, adding that these festivals give opportunities for young bands in the country. 'It gives them an outlet to perform in front of large audiences. Without the independent festivals, there isn't that route for bands because the more established, bigger festivals don't seem to curate their events around the younger, up-and-coming acts. So we'd like to think we play an important part in that,' he said. 'It would be money very well invested by the government, because they get a huge return from the point of view of tourism, from the point of view of the catering industries [and from] the music industry itself,' he added. Advertisement Earlier this year, the government announced a Small Scale Local Festivals grant of €5,000. 'That wouldn't even pay for a water tanker,' commented Meagher, who believes the government need to dig deeper. Concert goers at Forest Fest in Laois Over-35s not hanging up their festival wellies just yet Meagher explains that unlike some of the larger festivals in Ireland this summer, Forest Fest is geared towards an 'older demographic'. In the era of 'day-clubbing' events, where those in their mid-thirties and above are hitting the nightclubs during daylight hours, Meagher said that the older generation is not hanging up its festival wellies just yet either. 'The whole idea is to provide a top end festival for an older demographic. I just found that a lot of festivals are geared more towards the 20 to 35 bracket, that there wasn't really a particularly designed event for the 35 and up demographic. 'So we basically set about raising an offering based on music of a particular generation, going back to the 80s, 90s, and also the best of the up-and-coming acts as well,' he said. Meagher said when people reach a 'certain age', where they might have had their families, they might have some free time now. 'They want to relive their youth and they're more than able to do it, they're well able to party and have a great time,' he said. RTÉ should broadcast from music festivals Showcasing Irish festivals by the national broadcaster is something Meagher said should also be considered, stating it would be a 'great idea' if RTÉ could broadcast from independent music festivals during the summer months. 'I've been watching the BBC coverage over the last number of years [of Glastonbury], it always makes for great television. And certainly I'd be very, very open to the national broadcaster visiting us and setting up on site. 'I think people would be very, very interested to be able to see behind the scenes at a festival and what exactly goes on and then to hear some live performances. I think it would be a wonderful idea,' said Meagher. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal


Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rory McIlroy hailed for hilarious Happy Gilmore cameo with WWE star Becky Lynch
Happy Gilmore 2 was released on Friday and Rory McIlroy was taken down a peg by Ireland's WWE superstar Becky Lynch. The cult movie sequel hit Netflix on Friday after months of hype on the back of the 1996 comedy classic starring Adam Sandler as an unorthodox and aggressive hockey star turned golfer. A host of the best players in the world appear in the sequel and, despite some extraordinarily harsh words from critics on the movie, viewers have hailed McIlroy for his part. The plot tells the tale of Sandler as Happy Gilmore, coming out of retirement to raise money to send his daughter to ballet school. He is paired with golf superstars McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau as the traditional stars of the sport to take on the new 'Maxi League' golfers. That group includes Irish WWE star Becky Lynch. The WWE star is Rebecca Quin in real life, a native of Limerick. "You guys get your clothes from the lost and found at comic-con," asks McIlroy on stage as the golf teams face off ahead of the contest. Lynch steps forward and grabs McIlroy by the nipples, asking, "Where'd you get these melons? Your mom." DeChambeau intervenes, shouting, 'don't you touch my boy's t*****s, those are my t*****s," before a mini brawl breaks out. One fan online reacted: "Never thought I'd see the day when Becky Lynch gave Rory McIlroy a double purple-nurple." "A Rory McIlroy /Becky Lynch face off wasn't on my bingo card for 2025," said another." Another fan stated on social media: "Rory McIlroy in Happy Gilmore is hilarious. A film that takes you away from the goings on in this world, really enjoyed it" "John Daly is sensational in it. And a surprisingly comic turn from Rory McIlroy of all people," said another account. Social media personality Paige Spiranac makes an appearance, as does Kansas City Chiefs ' tight end Travis Kelce. Despite the stellar line-up and huge promotional outlay, early reviews have been particularly harsh of the movie. A review stated: "When it comes to "Happy Gilmore 2," Netflix's latest comedic collaboration with "SNL" sensation Adam Sandler, you'd be better off taking a cue from Happy's golf rival Shooter McGavin (Christopher MacDonald) and simply eating a piece of s**t for breakfast." Ouch. Maybe don't give up the day job, Rory. A more balanced Guardian review reflected: "The sequel is unlikely to convert newcomers but there's more than enough to entertain its cult fanbase." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.


Sunday World
2 hours ago
- Sunday World
The 13 major Hollywood productions now shooting across Ireland
Netflix smash hit Wednesday is about to hit our screens and it's one of a glut of Hollywood productions to be filmed here The new series of Netflix smash Wednesday comes to our screens next month and is set to showcase Ireland in one of the biggest productions ever to come to this country. Choosing Ireland as the new location for series two is no mean feat for the country's profile internationally - the first series of the standalone Addams Family series starring Jenna Ortega was a giant hit for the streamer. Wednesday ended up becoming Netflix's most-watched original series, passing out Stranger Things 4 and Bridgerton season one in winning over fans. Ortega is joined by Steve Buscemi, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lady Gaga and Billie Piper in the show, which comes to our screens from August 6th. The series was filmed over several months across many locations in Wicklow and Dublin, with Powerscourt, Enniskerry and the gothic Charleville Castle in Co Offaly all set to feature. News in 90 Seconds - July 25th The Irish locations look fantastic in the new series, according to co-showrunners and executive producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. They described the locations as 'truly magical' and the perfect backdrop for the series. 'It adds a sense of timeless beauty, wonder, and epic spectacle to the world of Wednesday,' they added. 'It's no coincidence that Dracula author Bram Stoker hailed from Dublin, and his stories were inspired by the stories of Irish folklore.' As fans wait for Wednesday to arrive, several other movies and TV shows filming around Ireland are coming to a screen near you soon. They include: Christy (Cork) This buzzy new drama features the stars of Cork's Kabin Crew, with the stars of last year's viral smash among the cast of a tale filmed in Cork city and the Northside suburb of Knocknaheeny. Christy tells the story of a teenager in foster care as he sets out to find his place in the world. The movie, due on our screens soon, won Best Irish Film at this week's Galway Film Fleadh. The Wayfinders (Limerick) Limerick's ginormous Troy Studios are currently home to the forthcoming major fantasy TV series which is shooting on location in the mid-west. Filming will continue until the end of the summer on the series, which follows the tale of three high school students transported to a brutal, medieval world. Cast includes Issy Knopfler (daughter of Dire Straits star Mark) and Tamara Smart, with hundreds of Irish crew working on the big-scale new show. Lisa McKee. Incidents Around the House (Dublin) Hollywood star Jessica Chastain has been regularly spotted filming on the streets of the capital this summer as part of her role in a forthcoming horror. The movie focuses on a young girl who becomes convinced she has another 'mother' haunting her family. Kung Fu Deadly (Dublin) Martial arts meets Irish humour in this movie which completed filming in Dublin earlier this summer. YouTube star Steven He - who has grown an enormous online following with his comedic videos - takes the lead role in a film which blends Irish wit and Asian storytelling. The plot revolves around two hapless pest controllers who accidentally get caught up in a band of Chinese undead aka Jiangshi who are making their presence felt in the city. Tall Tales & Murder (Dublin) Love/Hate creator Stuart Carolan and Veep's Chris Addison are joining forces on a new comedy-crime series for BBC and RTÉ. Rising Irish star Ella Lily Hyland (who previously starred in hit series Black Doves and Fifteen-Love) joins a cast that includes Aidan Gillen. The plot is being kept under wraps but centres around a number of interconnected characters in the capital. Everybody Digs Bill Evans (West Cork) Independence Day star Bill Pullman has been spotted in West Cork filming his latest movie, a biopic about the famous jazz musician. The film will revolve around the recording of some of jazz's greatest-ever albums and their aftermath. Laurie Metcalf, who played Saoirse Ronan's mammy in Lady Bird, will also star. Hokum starring Adam Scott. Victorian Psycho (locations TBC) US stars Maika Monroe and Jason Isaacs are due to these shores next month to begin filming their new horror thriller. Ireland will double for Victorian England in the movie, in which the Longlegs actress plays an eccentric governess who arrives at a remote gothic mansion. We have a feeling this doesn't go well… How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (Northern Ireland) The buzz is big for this new comedy series from Lisa McKee, the creator of Derry Girls, which recently completed filming up North. Roisin Gallagher, Sinead Keenan and Caoilfhionn Dunne play friends who reunite following the death of an old classmate - and get pulled into an adventure that brings them across Ireland. Bloodaxe (Wicklow) The cameras will begin rolling shortly on this new drama from the makers of Vikings, filming on location in Ireland for Prime Video. Jessica Madsen and Xavier Molyneax are among the stars of the new series, a historical action thriller which follows Erik Bloodaxe and his wife as they fight to wrestle control of the throne of Norway. 500 Miles (Kerry) A countrywide road trip that goes all the way to Dingle forms the backbone of this movie starring Bill Night and Clare Dunne. The action centres around a tale of two boys who run away from home in a bid to be reunited with their grandfather. Hokum (Cork) Severance star Adam Scott came to Ireland to film the new horror from the maker of global hit, Oddity, which has just finished filming in Bantry. Native filmmaker Damian McCarthy's latest frightfest centres on a horror novelist who comes here to spread his parents' ashes - unaware the location he chooses is rumoured to be haunted. Saipan (Louth, Belfast and Wicklow) The highly anticipated tale of Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy's epic falling out is coming to Irish screens soon. The movie is set to divide us all into Team Roy and Team Mick once more as it recalls the infamous confrontation between the Republic of Ireland football captain Roy Keane (Éanna Hardwicke) and his manager Mick McCarthy (Steve Coogan) during the team's preparations for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Trad (Donegal) Aidan Gillen and Sarah Greene co-star in this forthcoming drama set around a trad community in the northwest. The film follows a gifted fiddle player and her young brother as they leave their home in the Donegal Gaeltacht and take to the road with a troupe of wandering musicians.