Tea Lane Graveyard has stood on Celbridge ground since the 7th century. It’s small and graceful and beautiful on a bitterly cold, icy winter night. It’s dark at four o’clock, but the graveyard has been strung with fairy lights and lanterns leading to a church at the land’s centre. Inside has been blasted with heat and decorated for Christmas. However, all eyes go to a large poster hung across a centuries-old mausoleum proclaiming ‘Yurmah’.
Tea Lane has become not only a landmark of historical significance but an influence in local culture as it has now become a music venue. Usually, the performers are a little older, and the audience too. However, a band of twenty-somethings pulls in a crowd of twenty-somethings.
Michael Murphy, Yurmah’s lead singer and guitarist, is from Celbridge and set up the gig to support his old primary school Scoil na Mainistreach. The audience was asked to donate rather than pay for a ticket, and every cent of the over 600 euro raised went to the school.
The band formed, not in Celbridge, but in DCU’s Jazz and Contemporary Music course. The lads, Michael Murphy, Al Power, Tyler Murphy, Leon Buckley, and Joey Leamy, have been on a run of successful gigs. Their last major gig, a pre-Halloween concert at The Grand Social, packed out the venue. Despite their success, it’s a tough business. The scene is getting bigger, and there are plenty of bands also just starting out, who are doing just as well as Yurmah.
The band’s at the stage where it’s all do-it-yourself, and figure-it-out yourself. It’s a double-edged sword; more work outside of the music itself, but retaining as much autonomy as possible. They “wouldn’t exactly say no” to getting signed by a record label, but it would have to come where the music remains right at the forefront. A manager seems like a far more relaxed option. It’s mostly a “Michael Murphy Production”, says Leon, with Michael taking on most of the band’s responsibilities behind the scenes. “I don’t want to put the responsibility on someone if I have a vision”, says Michael when it comes to delegating. Small things can be delegated; whether it’s Michael’s cousin designing the band’s logo, or his Mam creating the poster for the gig. Or even Michael’s girlfriend Sophie and I chucking fairy lights around the room while trying not to step on any equipment up on the makeshift stage. “I’d rather a gig go wrong and it be my fault”.
Delegating is important not only for all of the other work that goes into making music and performing but in to the performance itself. Michael recorded a solo album over the summer, titled ‘strawberry daiquiri’, under the name michalín. Whether to play those songs with Yurmah is always a question on his mind. “It would be a shame if he didn’t play them”, said Joey, as Leon agreed. There is very much a mutual agreement between the band that solo pieces are more than welcome to be played. Michael admits the only reason that he recorded the album himself was because he couldn’t see the rest of Yurmah as easily as in college.
The college connection between the members of Yurmah is so vital because it’s not your basic music degree, it’s a jazz degree. But, there are pros and cons. The technique they learn at DCU could see them far ahead of their musical peers upon graduation The theory is “next level” in the college. Leon believes, BIMM for example, is all about performance which can’t really be taught. But the course is missing out on the business side. The lads will have one module in fourth year about business
management in the music industry when they need it now. Instead, “we have to learn it the hard way”, says Al. Learning by doing is so important but I think they would have preferred some advice before they kicked off.
2025 should be a good year for Yurmah. Recording songs, new and old, more professionally is on the docket. Loads more gigs, including competing in Battle of the Bands to support Niteline on February 20th. And hopefully, Tyler brings the double bass out to a gig very soon!
Check out their music Here, images by Sophie Henry.
