Brought to you by Le Crunch Apples from France.
"To see your audience growing larger and larger with each gig is incredibly exciting."
Brave Giant have had a big two years since winning the Le Crunch Apple of my Eye contest in 2016. The band's cover mash-up of Bob Dylan's 'Is This Love?' and Daft Punk's 'Digital Love' won them the competition along with a lot of fans.
The boys have continued their ascent ever since, with an appearance on the Late Late and gigs all around the country being particular highlights.
JOE caught up with the band to discuss how their lives have changed since that win and what's next for them.
You guys have had an amazing 2017, what were your highlights?
2017 was a crazy year for us, looking back there were so many highlights to choose from! Obviously performing on The Late Late Show was a really exciting experience. The show is an institution and it's been the springboard for so many other bands over the years. I don't think we've experienced a rush like that collectively as a band before. Apart from that, selling out two shows in Whelans in April and then selling out The Academy, together with selling out regional shows was just super. To see your audience growing larger and larger with each gig is incredibly exciting. That was one thing, in particular, we took away from 2017.
What are you planning for 2018?
The beginning of 2018 will see us back in the recording studio laying down some new tracks, tracks that we're really looking forward to releasing as they go down really well at our live shows. It's a good gauge of seeing what songs could potentially do well when you see a crowd's reaction to it firsthand. After that, we'll be going back on the road for festival season and hopefully another tour as well.
The legendary Joe Rooney from Father Ted appeared in your music video for ‘The Time I Met The Devil.’ How did that come about?
We played a show in The Workmans Club in December 2016 and found out after it that Joe was actually at the gig. So we decided to contact him to see would he be up for appearing in the video and to our delight he was! That shoot was probably one of the funniest and most memorable weekends we've had as a band. We had a great cast and film crew involved and the reaction the video got is a testament to the work everyone put into it. Joe really stole the show though and it was brilliant to get to work with him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpQ9IlmeKHA
Clip via Brave Giant
What’s your favourite track you released last year?
'Way To Love' and 'The Time I Met The Devil' really are two songs that are close to our hearts. Both are songs we really enjoy performing live so we really put an awful lot into them when we were recording them individually. I think 'Way To Love' will always hold a special place for us though since it got to No.1 on iTunes. To see it above the likes of Pink and Ed Sheeran in the charts was something special.
You played a gig at the Academy in December, what was that experience like?
The Academy was just the perfect way to top off an unforgettable year. It felt like a reward for the hard work we've put in the last few years, that we've reached the next step as a band and that we've progressed from where we were this time last year. Despite that progression, you're always looking to go further again. A great man once said, "We didn't come this far, to come this far."
Do you feel that winning the Le Crunch competition back in 2016 helped you?
Absolutely yes, it gave us a launch pad to get our music out there and grab the attention of people. We still perform the song we won it with at our live shows, and the big novelty cheque we got is hanging up in our practice room and will never ever come down!
Do you have any tours coming up for 2018?
We'll be back on the road like caged animals once we finish up in the recording studio. The recording process is exciting, but you can't beat the buzz of playing live. We can't wait to do it all over again this year. We'll be announcing all upcoming shows very soon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
If you'd like to follow in Brave Giant's footsteps, find out how you could enter the 2018 Le Crunch Apple of My Eye Song Contest here.
The Le Crunch Apple of My Eye Song Contest is proudly sponsored by Le Crunch Apples from France. The apples are available nationwide in a number of different varieties - Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Granny Smith and Red Delicious! Check them out on @lecrunchapples, Facebook and YouTube. T&Cs apply.
Brought to you by Le Crunch Apples from France. 
