Bren Holmes

Dublin-born musician Bren Holmes, now based in Los Angeles, launched his professional path during the 1990s by taking up the bass in the long-running Celtic rock ensemble the Young Dubliners. Three decades later he stepped away to issue his debut solo effort, the 2021 album Everything You Never Wanted.

Holmes had first united with fellow Irish expats Keith Roberts and Paul O’Toole in the late ’80s to establish the Young Dubliners. The trio applied their distinctive approach to Irish music by adopting the Pogues’ template of fusing rock and punk energy with both traditional tunes and newly written material. They ranked among the earliest American Celtic rock acts, reaching listeners nearly ten years before groups such as the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly gained prominence. While serving as bassist throughout the band’s extended history, Holmes steadily collected a substantial catalog of original songs. Sensing the moment had arrived for a change, he exited the group in 2020 and commenced work on his first solo recording. In his new role as singer and songwriter, Holmes merges traces of the Irish folk-rock sound from his prior outfit with elements drawn from Americana. Everything You Never Wanted appeared in September 2021.