Power of Dreams

Power of Dreams

Power of Dreams are a Dublin pop/rock band formed in 1989 around songwriter Craig Walker and his brother Keith Walker. Their early line-up develops around the two brothers, and later recordings include Ian Olney on guitar.

Early releases and label history

The band’s first notable release is the EP A Little Piece of God, issued on Keith Cullen’s Setanta Records in 1989. It is later voted Single of the Week in British music weeklies such as Melody Maker and Sounds, which leads to a deal with Polydor. The band also signs with Polygram, and later releases appear on Sony.

Albums and sound

The debut album, Immigrants, Emigrants and Me, receives strong reviews internationally. Craig Walker is praised for lyrics that sound unusually mature for his age, while the group is noted for a spiky indie pop style. The album sells well in France, Japan, the UK and Ireland, and the band tours extensively in support of it, playing in more than 20 countries, including Japan and the US. Another account of the same period places the tour at more than 30 countries, including Japan and North America.

The follow-up album, 2 Hell With Common Sense, is produced by Dave Meegan and has a heavier sound, helped by the addition of Ian Olney on guitar. Positivity extends the band’s soundscapes further, with songs including “Cathy’s World” and “Evil Evol”, which deal with everyday and less commonly addressed subject matter. Become Yourself continues that development and is described as completing a set of recordings that traces a lyrical path from adolescence to parenthood.

Activity and later years

Over the four years after the debut album, Power of Dreams release three more albums and continue to perform internationally, including four return visits to Japan. The original four members then go their separate ways in 1995. The band later reforms in 2010 for anniversary shows celebrating the debut album.

Power of Dreams are associated with shoegaze, jangle pop, indie pop, alternative and dream pop, though their described output is centred on pop and rock songwriting with an indie pop edge.