Codes are an Irish indie electronic quartet from Dublin, consisting of Daragh Anderson, Eoin Stephens, Niall Woods and Raymond Hogge. Their debut album Trees Dream in Algebra was nominated for the 2010 Choice Music Prize.
Codes | |
|---|---|
 Codes performing at Electric Picnic 2011 in Ireland. From left to right: Paul Reilly, Raymond Hogge, Daragh Anderson and Eoin Stephens | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | Indie Rock Electronica |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | Interior Records 2008 – 2009 EMI Ireland 2009 – 2010 |
| Members | Daragh Anderson Eoin Stephens Raymond Hogge Alex Mummery |
| Past members | Paul Reilly Niall Woods Stephen Burke |
| Website | codes.ie |
History
editFormation
editCodes formed in late 2007 when all members – who had been friends for several years – found themselves available to compose and play music together. Previously, Daragh and former member Paul Reilly had played in an early version of the group, alongside Alan Greene and Stephen Burke. Raymond – who had just recently moved to Dublin left a band that he was involved with.
Debut album (2008–2010)
editIn early 2008, they released two independent singles –"This is Goodbye" and "Guided by Ghosts", that both entered the Irish top 50 at number 32 and number 43 respectively.[1] Both singles were well received critically, helped towards a growing fan base and secured the band their first major shows, including a slot on the IMRO Showcase Tour[2] and the Oxegen music festival in Ireland.[3]
In late 2008, the band began to demo songs for their debut album. Not content with waiting for a record label to pick them up they decided to go ahead and record and finance their debut album themselves, resulting in each member taking out a loan to fund the recording.[4] The album was recorded in November 2008 at Modern World Studios in Gloucestershire, UK, with Manic Street Preachers producer Greg Haver.
In early 2009, the band secured a short touring support slot with UK group Keane, culminating at the O2 Arena in Dublin. The band still cites these shows as the biggest they've played at the time, with over 10,000 people seeing them each night.[5] The group had also begun to play their first headline shows in small venues in London shortly after.
Around the same time, the band were pitching their album 'Trees Dream in Algebra' to several labels before finally licensing it to EMI Ireland for a 1-year period in May 2009. Shortly after, it was announced that Codes' debut album 'Trees Dream in Algebra' would be released on 18 September 2009. Upon its release, the album was met with acclaim from critics and fans alike. It was nominated for the 2010 Choice Music Prize in Ireland, voted best Irish album of 2009 by Phantom FM and helped the band get noted as one of HMVs' "Next Big Thing for 2010".[6]
Touring (2010–present)
editThroughout 2010 the band toured extensively, playing festivals such as Oxegen, Castlepalooza, Sea Sessions as well as their first series of headline shows across Ireland, while also securing support slots with L.A. indie group The Airborne Toxic Event, in both the UK and Ireland. While promoting Trees Dream in Algebra in the United Kingdom, the group were also busy writing new material for their second album with some songs already being showcased at current shows.
Summer 2012 saw a change in the line-up of the band with the departure of Paul Reilly, for personal reasons, and the joining of Niall Woods.
In February 2013, the group uploaded a live version of a new track called "Triangulum" to their website. This new track showcased the groups' dramatic change from an alternative rock sound to one far more aggressive.
Awards
editCodes's debut album Trees Dream in Algebra was nominated for the Choice Music Prize for Irish Album of the Year 2009 in January 2010.[7][8]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Trees Dream in Algebra | Choice Music Prize: Irish Album of the Year 2009 | Nominated |
| 2010 | Trees Dream in Algebra | Phantom FM Best Irish Album 2009 | Won |
| 2010 | Codes | entertainment.ie Awards, Best Irish Band of 2009 | Won |
| 2011 | Codes | Irish Festival Awards, Best Irish Band 2010 | Nominated
|
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| IRL [9] | ||
| 2009 | Trees Dream in Algebra
|
18 |
| 2015 | AALTARS
|
27 |
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRL [9] |
UK | UK Indie | |||
| 2007 | "Edith" | 39 | — | — | Independent Single |
| 2008 | "This Is Goodbye" | 32 | — | — | |
| "Guided By Ghosts" | 43 | — | — | ||
| 2009 | "This is Goodbye" | — | — | — | Trees Dream in Algebra |
| 2010 | "Starry Eyed" | — | — | — | Trees Dream in Algebra |
| 2014 | "Astraea" | — | — | — | TBA |
References
edit- ^ Codes enter Irish Singles Chart at number 32 with "This is Goodbye" [1]
- ^ "IMRO announce showcase acts". Hot Press. 21 March 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
- ^ Codes play Oxegen 2008 Archived 26 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Codes chat to IMTV about their debut album". IMTV. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
- ^ John Meagher (30 January 2009). "Review of the week: Keane * * *". Irish Independent. Retrieved 1 February 2009.
- ^ "hmv predicts the next big thing.... 10 new & breakthrough music artists to watch out for in 2010 * * *". HMV. 30 December 2009. Archived from the original on 27 September 2012.
- ^ Charlie Taylor (13 January 2010). "Bell X1 on Choice prize shortlist". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
- ^ "Choice Music Prize nominees revealed". RTÉ. 13 January 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
- ^ a b "irishcharts.com - Discography Codes". Irish-charts.com. Retrieved 19 October 2021.