Cobh band The Burma gearing up for Glastonbury Festival spotlight  

Fans of the BBC’s coverage of Glastonbury 2024 should keep an eye out for The Burma, a rising Cork indie rock act making their first Glasto appearance.

They’re first up on the Acoustic Stage at 11.30am on Friday, June 28, playing in front of a crowd of anything up to 7,000 people, the capacity. They’ll be followed by Tanita Tikaram, Scouting For Girls, The Bootleg Beatles, and others.

Later that night, those fans who had breakfast with The Burma will be feasting on main-stage acts like Dua Lipa, LCD Soundsystem, and PJ Harvey.

Ever since we were announced on the bill, our music has been turning up on music blogs and on people’s Glastonbury playlists 

“It’s really great to be on the bill, to see our name announced on the posters alongside all those big headline acts,” said Cian Doherty, drummer with The Burma. “Ever since we were announced on the bill, our music has been turning up on music blogs and on people’s Glastonbury playlists. We’re getting a huge boost from turning up on people’s playlists on Spotify.”

The Cobh-based band took time out of their rehearsals for Glastonbury to chat about what this breakthrough appearance means to them. Are they planning any changes for the show?

“We’ll have to have a meeting about our wardrobe choices,” quipped guitarist Peter Piggott. “I suppose we’ll play something new from our third album, which we’re currently working on.

“There’s a 30-minute slot for all the bands playing on the Acoustic Stage. We’ll be playing all the bangers we have and doing all we can to go down well.” 

So it’s not a tailored acoustic setlist?

“That’s just the name of the stage. We’ll actually be doing our full electric show,” said singer Tony O’Donovan. “There will be some folk, acoustic, and retro music on the Acoustic Stage, but it’s a room that’s also suited to a full rock show.

“I’m really looking forward to playing there. I’m also really looking forward to staying around and seeing all the other acts. It feels incredible that we’re playing the same stage as Stornoway, who’ll be on in the afternoon. I was always mad about their music.”

Peter adds: “We’ll stay around for Saturday also. I’d say we’ll go and see Russell Crowe’s Indoor Garden Party.”

The Australian actor? “Yes, he’s also in a band,” says Peter.

The Burma head to Glastonbury fresh from another successful appearance at the Doolin Folk Festival. They’ve played the popular Co Clare festival six times now. On top of enjoying the buzz of the festival, it’s also a trip home for drummer Cian.

“It’s a seven-minute walk from our family home,” said Cian. “It’s always a hometown gig for me. It’s great to be able to just walk home after the show.”

Tony and Peter were both born in Cork. Cian was born in Boston and his family moved to Doolin when he was aged four. Cian completed a degree and a master’s in Music at the Cork School of Music (MTU). This was when he met the other members.

All three are now living in Cork. Tony and Peter live in Cobh, where the band has a sizeable following, hotly hoping and pushing the band towards stardom. They’re firmly rooted in Cobh.

In fact, they’re named after The Burma Steps in Cobh. If you’ve ever been to Cobh, then you’ll know that it’s a town built on a hill. As such, it’s not short of steps.

All three studied music in college, and gained early popularity as a college bar act and in other music venues in the city. They’ve been a band for 12 years now, though the first few years they had four and even five members.

“There were five in the band at one stage, then some left,” said Tony. “We found then that it was working well with just the three of us. We saw eye to eye about most things to do with the band. So now we draft in others when we need them.

“Colin Noone has played bass guitar at all our gigs in the last few years. He’s an excellent musician.”

He certainly is. In fact, they’re all excellent musicians. I was at their headline Live at St Luke’s in Cork. A very impressive show from a band full of promise. Glastonbury is a very welcome next step in their skyward trajectory.

The St Luke’s show was a launch gig for their second album, Crazy Dreams & Cruel Realities. Just like their first album, Sucker For Stars, it was a top-five Irish Independent Album.

Music fans are picking up on the band. So too are the music press.

Hot Press wrote: “The Cork trio shimmer, jangle and sneer in all the right places.”

Clash Magazine wrote: “A desire to express something different — couple this with a poignant sense of intimacy.”

And, most impressively, US giant Rolling Stone heaped praise on the “dancey, glowing indie rock” that this energetic band produces.

“The Rolling Stone name is so famous, We use that quote every chance we get,” said Cian. “These kind of things are few and far between, to be honest.

“We were really stunned when Hot Press picked up on us and gave our second album a really good review. We are really getting a great lift on the back of the Glastonbury billing.”

They’re hoping that more gigs will follow Glastonbury. The band’s success can also be gauged by the quality of bands for whom The Burma has played support to in the past.

The Burma has opened for The Academic, The Strypes, Delorentos, Ryan Sheridan, and The Blizzards. You could argue that they’ll soon be within their rights to add Dua Lipa to that list. Well, that might be stretching it just a little.

The band has also regularly toured the Irish Festival circuit with slots at Other Voices, All Together Now, Indiependence, Forest Fest, Wild Roots, Doolin Folk Festival and many more. They played a sold-out show in The Canal Bar, Camden, UK.

“With music, you really have to live it. You’re really not making a living at it. You’re doing everything you can to just try to break even,” said Cian.

“You’re not making an income from the streams, so you’re really looking to what you can make from the gigs and anything you sell at those.

“It could be quite tough in the early years if you allow yourself to think negatively about it.”

So, like most musicians, you’ll also bump into the members of The Burma earning a crust in other roles.

Some will also know Cian from his work as part of Christy Moore’s touring crew. Cobh locals will know Tony from his part-time job in The Wholey Ground Café. Peter’s main source of income is from working as a gigging musician.

Meanwhile, far from their everyday realities, their thoughts turn to Glastonbury’s Acoustic Stage at 11.30am on Friday, June 28.

Yes, an 11.30am start to the day; it’s early, but they won’t be alone. All of the stages kick off at the same time, so there will be a surge of early risers keen to engage.

“Hopefully, people who come to see a show that early in the morning are people who really want to discover new music,” said Tony. “Playing so early, you could see it as a blessing or a curse.

“I’m focusing on the fact that they’ll all have fresh heads at least. All of the stages will be kicking off at 11.30am and the crowds will be coming in fresh to see their first acts of the day. We’ll be playing to our strengths and doing our best to put on a great show.”

www.theburmamusic.com