INTERVIEW: DYLAN FLYNN AND THE DEAD POETS

We spoke with Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets before their show in Birmingham on November 11th 2025, which kicked off their UK tour. The self-produced, five-piece indie rock band from Limerick consists of Dylan Flynn (vocals/guitar), Marty Ryan (lead guitar/backing vocals), Killian Moran (bass/backing vocals), Paul Breen (drums) and Chris Britton (saxophone/piano/backing vocals).

Frontman Flynn, originally a solo artist performing under the name Dylan Thomas, gradually formed the band after meeting saxophonist/pianist Chris Britton at university when switching courses from English history to music production and then reconnecting with drummer Paul Breen from one of the bands he played in throughout his teenage years. Speaking about the band’s name, Flynn explains that it simply comes from him being named after the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. He notes that many people assume it’s a reference to the film Dead Poets Society, which he admits he only watched a few weeks ago. He adds: „…but no, just the fact that I'm named Dylan Thomas and he's a dead poet, Dylan Flynn and the Dead Poets kind of came along.“

The band prides itself on being fully self-produced, working closely with their sound engineer Mike and rehearsing in the same studio where they record. In recent years, they’ve shifted towards recording guitars, bass and drums live to better capture the energy of their shows. ‘‘We‘re always trying to capture more and more of that live energy“ Flynn explains ‘‘but sometimes it’s hard because you’re doing a million takes trying to get it perfect“. Musically, the band draws inspiration from a wide variety of artists and genres: Flynn cites artists like Fleetwood Mac, Journey, Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. He goes on to say that he grew up on a lot of 70s rock but as he got older, he gravitated towards bands such as Radiohead and The War on Drugs, before naming Sam Fender as his biggest influence over the last decade. He adds that Fender is a major touchpoint for their listeners too, especially given the use of the saxophone. Bassist Moran leans into shoegaze and jazzy influences, naming My Blood Valentine, Tom Misch and King Of Blue as some of his influences. Saxophonist Britton says ‘‘I think Jeff Buckley is the best singer of all time“, while lead guitarist Ryan talks about his background in punk and hardcore bands, before citing bands such as The War on Drugs, along with electronic artists like Aphex Twin and Tycho as his inspiration. Over time, these diverse influences have shaped and changed the band’s sound. Flynn notes that some of their older material leans heavily into shoegaze and that an early EP he and Britton made carries more electronic influences, before joking ‘‘Marty still hasn’t been able to put any of the punk in“. When asked who they’d love  to support in the future, Flynn doesn‘t hesitate: Sam Fender. ‘‘You obviously want it to be a band that kind of sounds like the sound that you're going for, but you don't want it to be too closely aligned“ Ryan explains. Alongside Fender, they name acts like The War On Drugs, Bleachers, Johnny Marr, The Killers, Two Door Cinema Club and Inhaler as dream supports before Britton playfully adds ‘‘They’re supporting us“.

Their latest EP marks a transitional moment for the band. Rather than jumping straight into a third album, they chose four songs from a huge collection of material as they experiment with different sounds. Flynn explains: ‘‘We have two albums out already so we picked four songs that were each a little bit different to try and figure out what sound we wanted to go for next. So while they do all fit cohesively on the EP, I think they're all a little bit different to give people a taste of what might be coming down the road“. He adds: ‘‘There will be a new album at some point but right now we're kind of working through what songs are going to be on that and figuring out exactly what that sound is going to be“. The first single of the EP Forgiveness Is A Gun is their first co-write, born from Flynn’s 10-day writing trip to Nashville after the band played South by Southwest in Texas in 2025. Flynn recalls his time in Nashville; writing with a different person every day for ten days, something he had never done before. The rest of the EP remains self-written, Flynn says; ‘‘I think we had a really good time recording and producing them ourselves. If people like this EP, then that's a good sign they're going to like what's coming up on the next album“.

Deeply rooted in the flourishing Irish indie scene, Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets are closely connected with other rising Irish acts like NewDad, Cliffords, Kingfishr or Gurriers. ‘'I think there's been so much coming out of Ireland over the last few years“ Flynn reflects ‘‘It’s not that Ireland never had that music, it's always had amazing music, but for whatever reason, over the last four to five years, there's just been this spotlight shone on it“. He adds that many bands who’ve been playing around Ireland for years are now starting to find an audience in the UK. Bassist Moran adds „We've been really lucky that we've played with and know some really good acts at the moment“. Flynn points out that all the band members have their own projects too: Moran plays in a couple of different bands, Britton has his own project and so does Ryan. ‘‘I think the Irish music scene is super collaborative“ he adds, saying it’s common for one person to play in multiple bands, especially in their hometown of Limerick. Britton puts it more bluntly: ‘‘As my old boss used to say: Limerick is just one amount of people in different configurations making ten bands“.

As they set out on their UK tour, the band is genuinely excited by the experience. Flynn recalls looking out at the ocean after getting off the ferry earlier that day and feeling amazed that they’ve reached a point where they can come to cities like Birmingham for the first time and gather an audience. He adds; ‘‘I think we all feel really blessed this year to be able to come and play to crowds over here, because we don't take it for granted. It's taken a long time to get here, so I think we appreciate that a little bit more. We've seen both sides, so to be able to play to a full room is amazing“. Moran explains that the band pours a huge amount of work into their live sets, aiming to make every show as energetic as possible long before they even step on stage. Their pre-show rituals are mostly playful but the band always regroups with a quick huddle to share a few words and make sure everyone is in the same mindset before they step on stage.

And in Birmingham, that clearly paid off. The show captured exactly why Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets work so well live. It was their first time playing the city, yet the crowd was instantly with them: singing along, dancing and matching the band’s energy. Even when a guitar string snapped early on in the set, Flynn barely missed a beat and the band carried on with the same confidence and charm. Across the night, they moved smoothly between up-tempo tracks and slower, more reflective songs that gave the room space to breathe. One of the most memorable moments (at least for me) came with ‚I Love You (But You’re Breaking My Heart)‘ from their latest EP. Flynn introduced it as a „broken love song“ written about his hometown of Limerick and it brought a kind of emotional charge to the room. Throughout the night, Flynn stood out with his stage presence and his voice. But the night also held a small full circle moment for Ellie, the bassist of opening act Tom Hewitt, who had been in the audience as a fan at one of the band‘s shows the year prior with her dad. Now, a year later, she was on stage supporting a band she loves.

When asked how they’d explain their band to an Alien, Flynn explains ‘‘I think I'd probably play them ‚Forgiveness is a Gun‘. I think it has a little bit of everything that has happened over the course of the last few years with the band: that Americana kind of songwriting, but also this kind of driving indie rock with the upbeat drums, nice keys, saxophone, harmonies and stuff like that. I think that kind of sums up what the band is“. That sense of blend and movement mirrors where Dylan Flynn and The Dead Poets are as a band: firmly tied to their Limerick roots and the Irish indie scene, yet always nudging their sound forward. Years of graft now pour into shows that feel energetic and emotionally resonant, like the opening night of their 2025 UK tour in Birmingham. It seems like only a matter of time before they will be back in the UK, possibly on even bigger stages. On and off stage, the band comes across as humerous, down-to-earth and quietly grateful. Running jokes about pre-show rituals, aliens and instruments or stories of being mistaken for other musicians at gigs all point to a tight-knit group who don’t take themselves too seriously, even as they’re deeply serious about what they do.

Words and photos by Nadine Goetz