"Well, first there came the father, / And with the father came the sin, / And from that beginning every sin’s been wrangling to get in. / Now they drain all sense of reason into an algorithmic stew, / With a belly-aching, ankle-shaking slight of ridicule..."
The bold dense storytelling and feral badassery of "Peepshow", by fervent Wexford-based songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer Conor Miley, starts out intense but only cuts deeper with every sonic inhilation. From the onset, the pounding fuzzy bass line, like a monster wedge anchor, connects you and doesn't let go as Miley spins and spits out his words that exists somewhere between a political rousing diatribe and that wild eyed guy at the downtown liquor store who regularly screams at monsters only he can see. I truly love the quiet loud moments, the assaulting guitar jabs and the screaming vintage organ sound that feels like caustic klieg lights emblazoning the darkness.
“'Peepshow’ was written over a number of weeks through constant drafting and redrafting of the lyrics. Musically, it was built around a dirgy bass figure that gradually increases in intensity before breaking down and rebuilding toward its final climax. The arrangement mirrors the emotional escalation within the lyrics, allowing tension to accumulate and release in waves.”
Well, first there came the father,
And with the father came the sin,
And from that beginning every sin’s been wrangling to get in.
Now they drain all sense of reason into an algorithmic stew,
With a belly-aching, ankle-shaking slight of ridicule.
But, the world keeps spinning,
As the words come stinging, slinging by,
And the boys keep singing,
Flinging joy up to the sky.
See, they keep seeing illusions,
It’s illusionary times,
Where each fantasy is bad poetry laid out in perfect rhyme.
It’s the edict’s endless virtue,
It’s the dictum’s grumbling verse that echoes ‘round the battle grounds,
On the new salvation’s birth.
But, the world keeps turning,
Their bellies churning for a fight,
Here’s the boys returning,
Hurling songs into the night.
So, I strip myself of glory,
Leave all splendour to the dead,
So, the rabble raff come to my gaff,
They’re calling for my head,
They’re eyeballing my doorbell,
They’re pillaging my shed!
It’s a real laugh,
It’s the modern way,
It’s a piaffe in a street melee,
It’s a rehash of an old ballet,
It’s a peepshow.
Now the winds of change are squealing,
The waves are pirouettes,
And a bitter breeze blows through the trees like a weeping clarinet.
So, some have huddled closely in amongst the mountain pine,
Where a fool gets branded, reprimanded and cast out to the lions.
But, the world’s rotating,
The moon’s awakening to see the boys debating,
Migrating from its apogee.
So, they howl out in its honour,
And dance in the lunar glow,
They’re rounding up the band,
Set foot and let the people know
It’s a real laugh,
It’s the modern way,
It’s a piaffe in a street melee,
It’s a rehash of an old ballet,
It’s a peepshow.
We say:
“One, two, hit it when they break through.”
So, I gather up the fallen at the mouth of the abyss,
The divils, dopes, the misanthropes,
Yeah, we’re going on the piss.
And so, we steer a course for pleasure down some haunted alleyway,
When the rasping groan of sub bass tones calls like Parthenope.
Now, the holy racket draws us into the bosom of a bar,
Where Azrael picks out a spell upon the neck of her guitar.
And when I raise my hand to order,
A man says “Bit of hush”,
So, I watch her spit some fucking shit ‘bout shaving off her bush.
The boys are getting kind of lairy,
Yeah, It’s getting out of hand,
My percussionist takes out his sticks,
He’s climbing up the stand!
And with an healthy dose of porter and a shot of dopamine,
He thumps the kit like Buddy Rich,
Crying “Fuck the IFP”.
Oh dear! That’s got the patrons swinging,
It’s got them scratching in the fog.
And the infantry comes barging in,
As some hopeless dialogue swings between the gods of virtue like a creaking pendulum.
And in the mezzanine plays out the scene of the rebel and his drum,
And in the mezzanine plays out a scene from the War of ’21.
It’s a real laugh,
It’s the modern way,
It’s a piaffe in a street melee,
It’s a rehash of an old ballet,
It’s a peepshow.
We say:
“One, two, hit it when they break through.”
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
https://open.spotify.com/artist/02cLjpWz5GtRZv8pQK4E5H
https://www.youtube.com/@conorjmiley
https://www.instagram.com/conorjmiley
https://x.com/conorjmiley
https://www.facebook.com/conorjmiley
Conor Miley is a Wexford-based songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer originally from Dublin. His music draws from folk, indie, and electronica, crafted in expansive arrangements that deliver emotional depth, intricate textures, and compelling narratives. His lyrics explore the spectrum of human experience, earning him praise for creating music that has both a “rich, intriguing sound” and is deeply immersive (Sunday Independent, Hot Press).
Having grown up learning classical music, Miley studied jazz in his formative years before first emerging on the Irish music scene as a founding member of We Raise Bears. Their 2016 debut EP received widespread acclaim and radio play across BBC Radio, RTÉ Radio 1, 2FM, TXFM, and regional Irish and UK stations. The band performed at festivals including Hard Working Class Heroes, Other Voices, Electric Picnic, and Vantastival, sharing stages with artists such as We Cut Corners, Cathy Davey and Conor O’Brien. BBC Radio Ulster highlighted the band’s “uniqueness in sound, a character, a confidence and an intelligence,” capturing the emotive and politically aware lyricism that would come to define Miley’s early work.
Following the dissolution of We Raise Bears and a personal turning point—becoming a father shortly after a relationship ended—Miley immersed himself in writing and recording his debut solo album, Thousand Yard Stare (2023). Across 11 songs recorded in homes and mobile studios across Dublin, Kerry, and Roscommon, he played, wrote, and recorded all parts, orchestrating strings, brass, and drums that were recorded with Christian Best (Mick Flannery) in Cork. The album, which earned praise from Hot Press, Nialler9, Lost in the Manor, Chordblossom, Iggy Magazine, and The Wild is Calling, explored love, loss, heartbreak, hope, and life as a single father, receiving extensive nationwide airplay. Its title track, ‘Thousand Yard Stare’, was playlisted on RTE Radio 1, further cementing Miley’s reputation as a rising voice in Irish music.
In 2026, Miley embarks on a bold new chapter with two upcoming singles, each accompanied by live studio videos that capture the immediacy and intensity of his evolving sound. These releases mark a shift from the reflective intimacy of his debut toward a more dynamic sonic identity, while retaining the intricate arrangements and emotive storytelling that have defined his work. Having undertaken a nationwide tour in support of Thousand Yard Stare, further gigs are in the pipeline. Praised for live performances that “captivate audiences with his emotive music that blends folk, indie, and electronica” (Void Magazine), Miley continues to command attention with a presence that is both technically assured and emotionally compelling.
"Peepshow", impressively recorded as a LIVE performance, pushes against you from 360 degrees like you are in one of those moshpits you stepped into accidently while holding your precious savory drink, trying to not spill one drop. Conor's exquisitly deep novel-esque lyrical purging feels more like bloodletting than just narrating a song, it something else altogether. Bravo.
-Robb Donker Curtius
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):
LINER NOTES (excerpted / bracketed):
[Written to be performed and recorded live with a full band, ‘Peepshow’ departs from the more layered studio approach that defined much of Miley’s earlier work. The song addresses political polarisation and the rise of tribal behaviour within contemporary discourse, examining how reason can be replaced by identity, comfort and collective validation.]
[‘Raise Your Red Flag’, the first instalment in the series of live videos, received national Irish airplay including Radio Nova and was featured on Louder Than War Radio’s Editor’s Choice. ‘Peepshow’ continues the project’s focus on live performance as a response to AI generated music, emphasising tension, imperfection and human interaction at its core. After an intensive period of writing and refinement, Miley assembled a band to capture the tension and energy of musicians performing together in real time. Following a short rehearsal period, the group entered Monique Studios, Cork to record a live performance, allowing the dynamics of the ensemble to shape the recording. The session was engineered by Christian Best (Mick Flannery), whose work has contributed to a number of acclaimed Irish recordings.]
[The song is accompanied by a live studio video filmed at Monique Studios, with cinematography by Michael-David McKernan (Elaine Mai, Daithí), a longtime collaborator whose visual work has accompanied several of Miley’s releases. The video foregrounds the physical and emotional exchange of musicians performing.]
[‘Raise Your Red Flag’, the first instalment in the series of live videos, received national Irish airplay including Radio Nova and was featured on Louder Than War Radio’s Editor’s Choice. ‘Peepshow’ continues the project’s focus on live performance as a response to AI generated music, emphasising tension, imperfection and human interaction at its core. After an intensive period of writing and refinement, Miley assembled a band to capture the tension and energy of musicians performing together in real time. Following a short rehearsal period, the group entered Monique Studios, Cork to record a live performance, allowing the dynamics of the ensemble to shape the recording. The session was engineered by Christian Best (Mick Flannery), whose work has contributed to a number of acclaimed Irish recordings.]
[The song is accompanied by a live studio video filmed at Monique Studios, with cinematography by Michael-David McKernan (Elaine Mai, Daithí), a longtime collaborator whose visual work has accompanied several of Miley’s releases. The video foregrounds the physical and emotional exchange of musicians performing.]
Lyrics:
Well, first there came the father,
And with the father came the sin,
And from that beginning every sin’s been wrangling to get in.
Now they drain all sense of reason into an algorithmic stew,
With a belly-aching, ankle-shaking slight of ridicule.
But, the world keeps spinning,
As the words come stinging, slinging by,
And the boys keep singing,
Flinging joy up to the sky.
See, they keep seeing illusions,
It’s illusionary times,
Where each fantasy is bad poetry laid out in perfect rhyme.
It’s the edict’s endless virtue,
It’s the dictum’s grumbling verse that echoes ‘round the battle grounds,
On the new salvation’s birth.
But, the world keeps turning,
Their bellies churning for a fight,
Here’s the boys returning,
Hurling songs into the night.
So, I strip myself of glory,
Leave all splendour to the dead,
So, the rabble raff come to my gaff,
They’re calling for my head,
They’re eyeballing my doorbell,
They’re pillaging my shed!
It’s a real laugh,
It’s the modern way,
It’s a piaffe in a street melee,
It’s a rehash of an old ballet,
It’s a peepshow.
Now the winds of change are squealing,
The waves are pirouettes,
And a bitter breeze blows through the trees like a weeping clarinet.
So, some have huddled closely in amongst the mountain pine,
Where a fool gets branded, reprimanded and cast out to the lions.
But, the world’s rotating,
The moon’s awakening to see the boys debating,
Migrating from its apogee.
So, they howl out in its honour,
And dance in the lunar glow,
They’re rounding up the band,
Set foot and let the people know
It’s a real laugh,
It’s the modern way,
It’s a piaffe in a street melee,
It’s a rehash of an old ballet,
It’s a peepshow.
We say:
“One, two, hit it when they break through.”
So, I gather up the fallen at the mouth of the abyss,
The divils, dopes, the misanthropes,
Yeah, we’re going on the piss.
And so, we steer a course for pleasure down some haunted alleyway,
When the rasping groan of sub bass tones calls like Parthenope.
Now, the holy racket draws us into the bosom of a bar,
Where Azrael picks out a spell upon the neck of her guitar.
And when I raise my hand to order,
A man says “Bit of hush”,
So, I watch her spit some fucking shit ‘bout shaving off her bush.
The boys are getting kind of lairy,
Yeah, It’s getting out of hand,
My percussionist takes out his sticks,
He’s climbing up the stand!
And with an healthy dose of porter and a shot of dopamine,
He thumps the kit like Buddy Rich,
Crying “Fuck the IFP”.
Oh dear! That’s got the patrons swinging,
It’s got them scratching in the fog.
And the infantry comes barging in,
As some hopeless dialogue swings between the gods of virtue like a creaking pendulum.
And in the mezzanine plays out the scene of the rebel and his drum,
And in the mezzanine plays out a scene from the War of ’21.
It’s a real laugh,
It’s the modern way,
It’s a piaffe in a street melee,
It’s a rehash of an old ballet,
It’s a peepshow.
We say:
“One, two, hit it when they break through.”
The Chicken Wheel will take you to the AP Go Fund Me- and any amount is so appreciated!
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://open.spotify.com/artist/02cLjpWz5GtRZv8pQK4E5H
https://www.youtube.com/@conorjmiley
https://www.instagram.com/conorjmiley
https://x.com/conorjmiley
https://www.facebook.com/conorjmiley
Conor Miley is a Wexford-based songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer originally from Dublin. His music draws from folk, indie, and electronica, crafted in expansive arrangements that deliver emotional depth, intricate textures, and compelling narratives. His lyrics explore the spectrum of human experience, earning him praise for creating music that has both a “rich, intriguing sound” and is deeply immersive (Sunday Independent, Hot Press).
Having grown up learning classical music, Miley studied jazz in his formative years before first emerging on the Irish music scene as a founding member of We Raise Bears. Their 2016 debut EP received widespread acclaim and radio play across BBC Radio, RTÉ Radio 1, 2FM, TXFM, and regional Irish and UK stations. The band performed at festivals including Hard Working Class Heroes, Other Voices, Electric Picnic, and Vantastival, sharing stages with artists such as We Cut Corners, Cathy Davey and Conor O’Brien. BBC Radio Ulster highlighted the band’s “uniqueness in sound, a character, a confidence and an intelligence,” capturing the emotive and politically aware lyricism that would come to define Miley’s early work.
Following the dissolution of We Raise Bears and a personal turning point—becoming a father shortly after a relationship ended—Miley immersed himself in writing and recording his debut solo album, Thousand Yard Stare (2023). Across 11 songs recorded in homes and mobile studios across Dublin, Kerry, and Roscommon, he played, wrote, and recorded all parts, orchestrating strings, brass, and drums that were recorded with Christian Best (Mick Flannery) in Cork. The album, which earned praise from Hot Press, Nialler9, Lost in the Manor, Chordblossom, Iggy Magazine, and The Wild is Calling, explored love, loss, heartbreak, hope, and life as a single father, receiving extensive nationwide airplay. Its title track, ‘Thousand Yard Stare’, was playlisted on RTE Radio 1, further cementing Miley’s reputation as a rising voice in Irish music.
In 2026, Miley embarks on a bold new chapter with two upcoming singles, each accompanied by live studio videos that capture the immediacy and intensity of his evolving sound. These releases mark a shift from the reflective intimacy of his debut toward a more dynamic sonic identity, while retaining the intricate arrangements and emotive storytelling that have defined his work. Having undertaken a nationwide tour in support of Thousand Yard Stare, further gigs are in the pipeline. Praised for live performances that “captivate audiences with his emotive music that blends folk, indie, and electronica” (Void Magazine), Miley continues to command attention with a presence that is both technically assured and emotionally compelling.
With a career spanning acclaimed bands, solo work, and high-profile singles, Conor Miley remains a compelling and versatile artist in contemporary Irish music, combining expressive songwriting, rich arrangements and a genre-spanning sound that resonates deeply with listeners both recorded and live.
Conor Miley, Wexford Ireland, singer songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, deeply drawn lyrics, indie rock, alt rock, feargach punk, post rock, folk, indie, electronica, "Peepshow", contemporary Irish Music,
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