Poor Creature didn’t have much of a typical start; formed – of a fashion – during a Covid lockdown in 2020, the band, first a two piece and now a trio, navigated their earliest iterations with curiosity and open-mindedness. Eventually finding their feet and a place out in the real world, they recorded their debut album, All Smiles Tonight, which was released in 2025. Adding to the ever growing canon of artists who are putting a new spin on traditional Irish music, Poor Creature leave a distinctive mark.
Featuring members of both Lankum and Landless, Poor Creature embrace the offerings of traditional folk, but aren’t afraid to get into the weeds as they search for the threads and themes that most resonate with them. And once they emerge with a gem to polish, they set about working, reworking, reimagining the possibilities of where the song can take them. Whilst love, loss and sorrow are recurring themes across the album, they are presented with a pervading sheen of iridescent hopefulness. Leaning into gentle psychedelia, All Smiles Tonight is a tender companion.
The band tells us: “We are humbled and utterly stoked to be anointed by Roadburn, where Tilburg will finally gaze upon the works of Philomena Begley and the Louvin Brothers. And rejoice. Or despair. Whatever suits. Satan is Real!”
We’re thrilled to have Poor Creature make their Roadburn debut this coming April. Live and in the flesh – a far cry from the isolation of their starting position – the trio will bring their beautiful, intimate sounds to Tilburg to share with us.
