Anna's Anchor - The Merries
Limerick indie outfit Anna\u2019s Anchor launched their fourth album, The Merries, on 7 July, 2023 via Strange Brew. Once a solo affair, this ever-evolving musical project now resembles a collaborative community with frontman Marty Ryan as the band\u2019s lynchpin. Anna\u2019s Anchor are celebrating their new record with a tour across Ireland, bringing their raucous full band sound to the R\xf3is\xedn Dubh in Galway on 12th July, The Workmans Cellar in Dublin on 13th July, Debarra\u2019s in Clonakilty on 14th July, and Dolan\u2019s Warehouse in their hometown of Limerick on 15th July. Tickets are on sale here. The Merries documents some of Ryan\u2019s happiest memories, but his desire to record them came from a fever dream of pain and uncertainty. Ryan suffered a frightening head injury in 2021 shortly after moving to the US to pursue a PhD in music education. While he\u2019s healthy now, memory loss and long term issues were an initial concern. Ryan wrote a list of important moments after the accident happened as a way to ensure he remembered those experiences that were precious to him. Strangely enough, none of these events had ever featured in an Anna\u2019s Anchor song before, despite the band being three albums and a slew of EPs deep.