Kodaline

Kodaline is an Irish alternative rock group from Swords, Ireland. The band forms in 2011 and consists of Steve Garrigan, Mark Prendergast, Vinny May, Jr. and Jason Boland. It begins life under the name 21 Demands before adopting the Kodaline name.

Early history

The group comes together in Swords, near Dublin airport. Steve Garrigan and Mark Prendergast meet as children, when they are the only boys in the school choir. They later recruit Vinny May, Jr., and the line-up is completed by the addition of bassist Jason Boland.

Before becoming Kodaline, the band reaches the final of the RTÉ television programme You're a Star in 2005 and finishes second. As 21 Demands, it makes chart history in March 2007 when the debut single Give Me a Minute reaches number one in the Irish Singles Chart, becoming the first independently released track to do so.

Releases and recognition

Kodaline releases its self-titled EP before issuing the debut studio album In a Perfect World in 2013. That album includes All I Want, Pray, Love Like This and High Hopes. High Hopes is the oldest song on the record and is based on breakups the members experience at the time.

The band later releases an alternative video for One Day at the start of 2014. It receives the EBBA people’s choice award and an award for best Irish act in January 2014.

Media use and live work

Kodaline’s songs appear in television series including Grey’s Anatomy and The Vampire Diaries. All I Want is also used in a Google Zeitgeist advert in 2012, and the song’s video helps turn the band into a YouTube sensation.

The group tours widely, with sold-out UK shows, and plays festivals including T in the Park and V Festival. It also plans further touring after the release of its second album Coming Up For Air, which the band announces for 2015.

Style and name

Kodaline is described in terms of alternative rock, folk rock, indie rock and rock, with a sound that also draws on acoustic and indie influences. The band’s name is said to have no specific meaning.