irish singer-songwriter mark duggan releases indie-rock single 'promenade firework show'

Waterford based singer/songwriter Mark Duggan is set to release a new single “Promenade Firework Show.” The indie-rock tune features layered guitars, a retro drum machine, and a nostalgic, 80’s rock feel.

Mark says, “My friends and I would always go to the firework show at the end of the summer in Tramore as kids. The song is a fictional story about a couple who do the same, and try to use the evening to rekindle their relationship, to shed themselves of the baggage they picked up along the way, start off clean and get on the right track.”

Mark was messing around with drum machine loops, and liked the combination of a static drum loop with a rough and ready tele-guitar sound. The drums were looped consistently while the guitar would go in and out with a looser feeling. He was inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s 1983 home demos, which would have used the same method.

Mark says, “A lot of things in the song work in pairs, to reflect the couple that the story is about. The lead guitar is doubled, with different effects on each, as is the rhythm guitar and keyboard; everything has its related pair. It's meant to be a metaphor for relationships: sometimes two people work perfectly together in tangent, and sometimes they don’t.” The song was recorded and produced in Mark’s home studio.
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Mark is a singer/songwriter from Waterford. His music combines folk and indie with electronic elements, complete with clever lyricism and thoughtful songwriting. He is inspired by the likes of Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and Joni Mitchel, and has been playing and writing music since he was young. He started releasing music in 2018 with the single “Hey Blue.” In 2019 he released “Long Way Home,” twelve continuous songs with no breaks that tells the story of a character who's been away for work for a while driving home late at night, trying to get there as quickly as possible. His most recent release was the acoustic single "As The Sun Hits The Day Down" in February 2020.​