The line between the sacred and the secular can feel surprisingly thin for Oisín Walsh. The front man for the Irish musical duo Spearside once seriously considered a life in the priesthood, a path he discovered wasn’t uncommon among the artists who inspired him. Now, he finds a similar energy – a desire to connect, to deliver something beyond the everyday – in performing music. This exploration of faith and artistic expression forms a compelling undercurrent to Spearside’s emerging sound, a blend the band themselves describe as “psych hardcore.”
Walsh, 28, grew up in Trim, County Meath, Ireland, a town he describes as idyllically quiet – “It’s all little flowerpots and people sweeping,” he says – and steeped in history. Trim is home to a significant Norman castle, famously used as a filming location for Braveheart. The town’s placidity, he suggests, lends itself to introspection. “It’s hard to be from a place like this and not be pretty chill,” Walsh explained. But the quietude also fostered a creative drive that ultimately led him and his brother, Cian, to form Spearside.
The band, rounded out by Dylan Zoivich on drums, produces all of their music from a home studio in Trim. Walsh, a trained sound engineer, admits a degree of self-doubt about their DIY approach. “We really don’t know what we’re doing,” he confessed, questioning whether they’d even recognize their sound if professionally produced. He referenced Anton Newcombe of Brian Jonestown Massacre, who aims to create recordings with “headroom to improve in the future,” as a guiding principle. This willingness to experiment and refine is evident in their evolving sound, which they’ve deliberately avoided rigidly defining.
The initial pull toward the priesthood, Walsh explained, stemmed from a recognition of a common thread among musicians he admired – a tendency toward spiritual questioning. “It’s not a million miles apart, being in a rock ’n’ roll band in front of an audience and being on an altar,” he reflected. “It’s the impulse to preach—while that sounds horrible. It’s the impulse to endeavor and deliver something that’s beyond what you can conjure up—to be part of a community and something bigger.” he realized he lacked the necessary discipline for religious life, and a personal relationship further solidified his decision to pursue music.
Despite stepping away from a potential vocation, Walsh maintains that performing music offers a comparable, albeit secular, experience of transcendence. “Being in a rock band is a pseudo-religious experience,” he asserted. “The unity between what’s happening on the stage and what’s happening in the crowd is like a religious service.”
Finding Their Sound: From Psych Hardcore to “Hatchet Man”
Spearside’s musical journey hasn’t been a straight line. They’ve navigated various influences, initially landing on what Walsh describes as “formless, shapeless, heavy guitars with songs—the same idea everyone’s had a million times.” The breakthrough came, ironically, during a period of physical separation. While Oisín was living in Italy and Cian in Manchester, the brothers began to coalesce around a more defined sound. This evolution culminated in the 2025 four-track EP, Hatchet Man, which includes a cover of Tubeway Army’s “Are Friends Electric?”
Hatchet Man marks a shift toward a sound that’s difficult to categorize, but Walsh readily accepts comparisons to Queens of the Stone Age and Pinkerton-era Weezer. He and his brother, Cian, have a dynamic built on constructive conflict, finding “healthy outlets for our violence, like Gaelic football,” according to Walsh. He emphasizes that the band is a space for collaboration, not the kind of destructive sibling rivalry often portrayed in rock mythology.
Walsh is remarkably candid about his creative process, dismissing external opinions as “largely irrelevant,” and prioritizing his brother’s feedback above all else. This insular approach, while unconventional, seems to be working. Neighbors in Trim, accustomed to the band’s rehearsals, have even offered encouragement. “One neighbour recently told him: ‘I was actually listening the other day. It’s not bad. You’re getting better.’”
Looking Ahead: A Debut Album on the Horizon
Spearside’s as-yet-untitled debut album is slated for release in 2026, building on the momentum of Hatchet Man. The band continues to record in Walsh’s home studio, embracing the limitations and familiarity of their surroundings. Their willingness to experiment and refine their sound, coupled with a unique perspective on the intersection of faith and artistic expression, positions Spearside as a band to watch. The band’s next step is completing the mixing and mastering of the album, with a release date expected later in the year.
What do you think of Spearside’s unique approach to music and their exploration of faith? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and be sure to share this article with fellow music enthusiasts.
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