MDR: UCC’s new Indie band with an eclectic sound

28 Jan 2025

• UCC students unite to form MDR, a new indie band with a distinctive original sound.
• The indie five piece release new single 'Sleeptalk'.

A new Indie band, MDR, has burst onto the music scene at University College Cork (UCC), bringing together five talented students with a shared passion for creating original music. 

Their origin story is as unique as their sound, highlighting the power of collaboration, creativity, and a little bit of serendipity.

It all began with Kenneth Buckley, the band’s lead guitarist and third year Music B Mus (Hons) student, who had a vision of starting a band and knew exactly who to approach. He reached out to Kaitlyn O'Regan, a talented vocalist, and third year BA (Hons) Arts-Music student and fellow collaborator on college projects, convinced they would work well together. The pair spent the summer of 2023 writing and composing a set list of original songs, laying the groundwork for what would become MDR.

By September, as the acadeic year kicked off, Kaitlyn expanded their lineup by inviting her friend Joseph Golden, third year International Business with Languages student and  a bassist from Clonmel, to join the band. With their trio taking shape, they soon discovered an unexpected gem: their classmate third year BA (Hons) Arts-Music Amy McWey, who was initially known for her guitar skills but turned out to be a phenomenal drummer. Completing the lineup was backing vocalist and keyboardist, Katy Judge, a student at Mary Immaculate College, whose addition added new depth and dimension to their sound.

MDR debuted at UCC’s Battle of the Bands and hasn’t looked back since. Their music, described as eclectic, mirrors the diverse musical influences of its members.

“Even though we are an Indie band our sound is quite eclectic which reflects each member’s personal music taste. For the most part, you can expect songs that really appeal to the coming-of-age aspect of life, but we also have songs that you can let your hair down to and just sit and groove to,” Kenneth Buckley said 

In January, MDR released their debut single Sleeptalk and marked the occasion with a live performance at Winthrop Avenue, supported by Prairie.

You can stream/download ‘Sleeptalk’ on Bandcamp.com or play on Spotify.

With their blend of originality and energy, MDR are a band to watch on Cork’s music scene.