Angus Stone is going Irish

Now in its fourth year, Arthur’s Day (Friday 28 September) is the global music event that marks the remarkable legacy of Arthur Guinness, who in 1759 signed a 9000-year lease on the St James’ Gate Brewery in Dublin for an annual rent of

Sydney’s Angus Stone paid homage to Arthur Guinness by recreating two classic Irish tracks – The Blower’s Daughter by Damien Rice and Dreams by The Cranberries. Guinness fans headed to www.facebook.com/GuinnessAustralia to hear samples of both songs and cast their winning vote. And it was The Blower’s Daughter – Angus’ personal favourite – that won over fans and an expert judging panel to become the Arthur’s Day Anthem. Available for download on iTunes as a single, proceeds from The Blower’s Daughter will go to Angus’ chosen charity, SurfAid International.

After this experience, Angus has become inspired to do more covers as the experience profoundly affected his songwriting. Currently playing sold out shows around the world, here’s what Stone had to say about the collaboration: “With covers, you really have to give the songs space and let them breathe and I was surprised with how much these songs spoke to me.”

“The Blower’s Daughter is my favourite of the two and I’m really proud of what we did with it. I’m also good mates with Damien so it was really cool to cover one of his songs and I’m looking forward to hearing what he thinks of it.”

Angus is currently touring Europe and Australia, culminating in an appearance at this year’s Falls Festival.