One of the fastest rising bands to emerge on the Irish music scene are playing a highly anticipated gig in Portlaoise this Friday.
Laois band Anita will be appearing at Ramsbottom’s, Portlaoise, with the gig set to get underway at 8pm.
The show will celebrate the launch of their new single, ‘Momentary‘, with a special guest appearance on the night from Brinda Irani.
Anita is comprised of five members:
- Antoni Calka, 17 (Portlaoise) – lead vocals and rhythm guitar,
- Jane Phelan, 17 (Mountrath) – lead vocals and bass guitar,
- Evan Kelly, 19 (Balacolla) – lead guitar,
- Matthew O’Rourke, 17 (Portlaoise) – lead guitar,
- Andy Keane, 16 (Cullenagh) – drums.
Members of the band spoke with LaoisToday ahead of their Portlaoise gig to tell us a little bit about the band and themselves:
“I was born in Dublin and only moved to Portlaoise in 2018. Myself and my whole family are Polish,” Antoni said.
“Music is a huge part of my life. I’ve been singing and playing guitar for years, and honestly, I can’t imagine life without it.
“Whether I’m performing or just jamming, it’s where I feel most alive and comfortable – I also love martial arts and kebabs.”
Mountrath girl, Jane, said: “I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember, and I’ve played a bunch of different instruments over the years.
“However, I discovered a special love for the bass guitar when I picked it up in 2021.
“Besides music, I’m really into traveling, martial arts, and linguistics.”
Guitarist Matthew said: “I got into playing the guitar in 2020 because of my music teacher helping me discover my passion for music, I’ve picked up another couple of instruments over the years.
“The stage is my favourite place to be. Apart from music I also have a love for fitness and I’m really into history.”
The youngest member of the group, Andy, told us: “I started drumming officially in 2018 in Music Generation Laois with my teacher being Ross O’Mara and have loved it since.
“I’ve been on the stage since and I couldn’t love it more.
“I take a huge liking to lots of different genera’s and styles of drumming and outside of music I take a huge liking to Celtic – I’m very passionate towards football.”
The elder statesman of the group is Evan, who has been playing guitar since he was 12.
“My biggest influences musically are bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Muse and Megadeth, as well as jazz musicians such as Django Reinhardt and Joe Pass,” he said.
Anita formed in August of 2023 after a the group won Music Generation Laois’s Electric Youth competition.
That secured the band a spot on the Hazelwood stage at the Electric Picnic that year.
“From there, we decided to stick at it and after hundreds of hours of jamming and playing together – mostly in a garage – we eventually evolved into the band we are today,” Antoni said.
So, where did the name ‘Anita’ come from?
“Jane is the only girl in the band and so we jokingly decided to name it after her mammy but the name actually ended up sticking,” Antoni said.
“So now, if you ever get a chance to see us play, chances are the real Anita Phelan will also be in the audience with you.”
Antoni says the band’s style and sound is “a mix between indie rock, hard rock and heavy metal but we rarely stick to one genre even within the same song.
“We also have other influences ranging from pop, musicals and even jazz that we haven’t properly explored yet but would love to in the future.”
You can keep up with Anita across all their social media platforms:
- Instagram: the_band_anita
- TikTok: band.anita
- Facebook: The Band Anita
- All streaming services: -Anita-
SEE ALSO – Laois students excel as ‘Grannie’s Revenge’ shortlisted at Young Filmmaker of the Year awards
