BACK WITH A BULLET

FOUR years ago Irish singer and songwriter Mundy stood on the brink of worldwide success.

Plucked from busking obscurity thanks to a three song demo, his debut album, Jelly Legs, garnered massive critical acclaim, while the track I Bestow You was picked for the soundtrack to Leonardo Di Caprio’s Romeo and Juliet.
Then nothing.
A follow up album failed to appear and Mundy faded from the gig listings.
Until now. With a new EP, The Moon Is A Bullet Hole, just released, he’s recently completed a two month sell-out tour of Ireland, while his much delayed second album finally looks set to see the light of day early next year after his former record label shelved it.
“I was trying to write songs that I believed in, and that would also be commercial enough for the record company to release, and believe me that took a long time,” explains the songwriter of the gap between albums and the problems he encountered with his UK label, Sony.
“And after getting the go ahead to record, the songs weren’t ‘top ten’ enough, so I guess it was all down to taste and risk!
“I still have the album hidden in my bedroom somewhere in the belief that it will, and should, see the light of day.”
Central to Mundy’s enthusiastic return has been several gigs supporting fellow singer/ songwriter David Gray.
“It was the first bunch of gigs in a row for me in a long time, so it was interesting to see whether I still had the same fire or not. It was great to be opening for Gray as it gave me a huge injection of faith about music.”
Mr Gray, of course, has experienced more than his fair share of career setbacks before achieving chart success, and his commitment is something that Mundy draws inspiration from.
“Yes, especially the way his road has been full of traps and at the end of it he’s still buzzin’ from his tunes,” says Mundy, who is now, like Gray, releasing material on his own record label.
A low-key support appearance at this summer’s Birmingham Songwriters Festival with Ian McNabb was proof positive of the Irishman’s undeniable talent, earning him wild applause from a mesmerised audience.
“I met Ian through a mutual friend in London a few years ago and we both share the same publishing company,” he says of McNabb’s insistence that Mundy support him.
“I couldn’t believe how attentive the audience were, and Ronnie Scott’s is a great venue for lis-teners. Oh! And the jam we had after in the dressing room.”
Dave Freak, November 2000, Go2Birmingham