Local Portlaoise band The Controversy joined us for a special musical feature on this week’s LoveLaois Podcast.
Work-experience student Samanta Danne made her official debut as the host as she sat down to interview the rising Laois act.
Fresh off their 2025 Electric Youth win that gave them an amazing opportunity to perform at the Electric Picnic, Samanta gets to know the group — drummer Adam Reilly, singer Erin O’Dwyer, bassist Neive Leith and guitarist Aidan Dermody — and their experiences as young musicians in Laois.
They talk about how they first met through Friday Jam sessions and how they played their proper first gig together as a band while competing in the Electric Youth competition.
Each member opened up about their musical backgrounds, writing their own original music, how they balance band practice alongside other commitments like school, and the wide-ranging influences – from Jazz to Rock- that have shaped them individually and collectively into a fresh, innovative band.
In true newsroom fashion, Alan also made an impromptu appearance to ask Aidan more about his Costa Rican background, as he’d just moved to Ireland two years ago.
The band also spoke about what it’s like to grow within the Laois music scene and the support they found locally like Music Generation.
They even bravely answered– with plenty of hesitation – the question of naming their dream collaborations with musicians both dead or alive.
With their next gig set for Sally Gardens on March 7, this is the perfect time to get to know more about this up-and-coming Laois band, The Controversy.
To follow them on social media, you can find them on:
Tiktok: @thecontroversy_official
Instagram: @the_controversyofficial.