Irish albums take top two spots of US Billboard charts in time for St. Patricks Day
Fittingly enough for St. Patrick’s Day, Irish Acts are in the top two spots of the Billboard independent and internet charts. Last Thursday the number one spot was taken by Flogging Molly’s latest album ‘Float’, bumping another Irish album - the soundtrack to Once with the music of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - from the top spot to number two. Flogging Molly’s album has also taken the number four spot on the Billboard top 200 album chart, the highest position for any Irish artist other than U2 since Enya’s 2000 album.
Flogging Molly, who play a brand of Celtic infected punk, are fronted by Dubliner Dave King and Bridget Regan, and consists of both Irish and American members. ‘Float’ is their fourth album and was recorded at Grouse Lodge studios in Westmeath last autumn. The band have a huge following in the US where they do most of their touring but are not nearly as well known back in Ireland. They are planning a upcoming tour of Ireland which they hope will raise their profile back home.
It’s been the opposite story with Glen Hansard and The Frames until the success of the movie ‘Once’ - they have been very successful in Ireland but have not enjoyed large scale success Stateside. This seems set to change as Hansard has recently signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell which also includes songs Hansard has written for The Frames.
Irish artists other than U2 have had mixed success in the US in recent times. Damien Rice and The Thrills enjoyed some success, with both managing to have their songs used in leading US television shows. However neither managed to get near the top of the Billboard charts despite selling large numbers of albums.
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