Post-gig at The Waterloo was a blur of handshakes, photos, merch, autographs and fans, and Dan was more than generous with every one of them. Rather than monopolise his time in the moment, we agreed to pick things up over email. Here’s what he had to say once the noise of the night had faded as I was afforded the opportunity to dig a little deeper into the night, the album, and everything in between…
You’ve stepped out under your own name now. What’s been the hardest part of defining “Dan Byrne” as a standalone artistic identity, separate from any past projects or expectations?
I think the hardest part is trusting your own instincts again. When you’ve been in bands before, there’s always this shared identity and shared decision making. When it’s your own name, every choice suddenly feels a lot more personal. But at the same time, it’s also really freeing. The “Dan Byrne” project isn’t about chasing trends or worrying about what others are expecting from me, it’s just me writing the kind of music I genuinely love and building something honest around that.
What’s been the biggest difference between being in a band and putting your own name on the front of everything?
The responsibility, definitely. When your name’s on the front, you can’t really hide anywhere. If something works, it’s amazing. If something doesn’t, that’s on you too. But the flip side is that every win and achievement feels incredibly real. When people show up to the shows or connect with the songs, it feels very direct. It’s your name they’ve come to see, and that’s a pretty special feeling.
Has anything about going solo surprised you, both good or bad?
I think the biggest surprise has been how supportive people have been. You always worry when you start something under your own name that people might not follow you into that next chapter. But the response has been incredible. Fans, radio, people at the shows… it’s felt like people have really embraced it, which has meant so much to me.
How’s the tour treating you so far? Have there been any moments that have really stuck with you?
It’s been amazing. The energy has been unreal. We’ve had packed rooms, sold-out nights, people singing along to songs that only came out recently. Moments like that really stay with you. There was one night where the whole room was singing a chorus back to me and I had that moment of thinking, “This song started in a room on an acoustic guitar.” Seeing it come to life like that is pretty surreal.
I know that fan engagement is important to you. I see it at every gig I see you at. Has there been a moment on this tour where a fan’s reaction reframed a song for you, or made you hear it differently from when you wrote it?
To be honest yes, and that happens to me more than I could ever realise. You write songs from a very personal place, but once they’re out there they stop belonging just to you. I very recently had somebody come to me and tell eat hat one of my songs had saved their life. You can’t possibly put into words what that means a musician and even as a human being. Hearing that can really change the way you sing it forever.
What’s been the nicest surprise about taking these songs out on the road?
I think how quickly people have connected with them. When you release new music you never really know how long it will take for songs to land, or indeed, which songs will. But we’ve had people singing along almost straight away – especially from those who’ve been to a couple of shows on this run!
What’s something about you as an artist that people don’t usually see?
Probably how much time goes into the details behind the scenes. People tend to see the shows and the songs, but that’s the ‘fun’ bit so to speak. There’s definitely a lot of quiet work that happens long before that: writing, refining ideas, figuring out how everything fits together sonically and visually. I’m quite obsessive about those little details, and that’s only the live performance part. Being in a band is running a business and I very fortunately have an amazing team around me.
What do you hope people walk away feeling after seeing you on this tour?
I hope they feel like they’ve experienced something real. Rock shows should feel alive. They should feel a bit unpredictable, a bit emotional, and hopefully leave you buzzing when you walk out the door. If people leave feeling like they were part of something special that night, then I’ve done my job. I can truthfully say that I’ve always given 100% of my energy and vocals on stage, whether that’s to the detriment of myself or not haha!
What’s the moment in the set you look forward to every night?
That’s a great question and genuinely quite hard to narrow down. Typically I love when I can feel the crowd are involved and the songs from my debut EP typically get a loud impromptu singalong which fills me with happiness. Having said that, some of the new singles like She’s The Devil have been an immediate hit and have been totally incredible to play live!
Before we get into the album, what’s something you’ve been dying for someone to ask you on this tour that no one has yet?
I’m surprised more people haven’t asked about the journey behind the album itself. A lot happened in the time between writing those songs and finally getting them out into the world. It was a really important period for me creatively, and I think that story adds a lot of context to the record.
When you think about this album, what’s the first memory that comes to mind from making it?
Well, it’s a funny one and it kind of continues on from the last question. I wrote the bulk, if not all of this album within a three month period. There were several different idea and melodies I had from prior songwriting bit I effectively locked myself away in my office for three straight months. It was a lot of hard work and brainpower but I fortunately work extremely well to a deadline.
Was there a song that changed the whole direction of the album once you wrote it?
I wouldn’t necessarily say the direction of the whole album as the album itself straddles a lot of different musical identities and occasionally pushes beyond the ‘rock’ genre, but the songs with elements of this definitely made me feel like I could push the boat out and really just write the music that I wanted to write, which is how I’ve always done it since the start of my solo project.
Which track feels the most “you” right now?
That’s a hard one, because a lot of the songs represent a different side of who I am. But there’s always one or two tracks where you feel like you really captured your voice as an artist, both musically and lyrically. Those songs tend to change but the one constant for me is Death of Me, there are certain lines in that song that say more about me than I could possibly explain.
Is there a song that hits differently live compared to how it felt in the studio?
Definitely. Some songs take on a completely different life once you play them live. In the studio you’re focused on the recording and the arrangement, but live it becomes about the energy between you and the crowd. Like Animals and She’s The devil are two perfect examples of this because it feels completely tangible when on stage!
Where do these songs come from for you? I mean, is there a place or time in your life they’re tied to?
Most of them come from moments where something real needed to be said, whether that’s self-reflective, artistically or just a challenge I set myself. It could be a relationship, a period of self-reflection, or just trying to make sense of things happening around you. Songs tend to show up when you’re really paying attention to those moments around you!
Who was the first person you played the album to, and what did they say?
The first person I played the album to was my girlfriend as I was receiving the files on my way home from the studio each day. It was always a good meter to see how things had changed since I wrote them and to work out what needed doing. It was a really lovely experience to be able to work in this way too!
Huge thanks to Dan for taking time out of a busy tour to answer our questions once the dust had settled. “This is Where the Show Begins” and is set for a May 22nd release date. Available on CD, plus three vinyl options for us vinyl junkies. If Sunday night was anything to go by, this debut solo era is only just getting started and it’s going to be one worth following closely, because if this is where the show begins, the rest of the story is going to be something very special.
