Republic of Loose - Influences, Praise and Style

Influences, Praise and Style

Republic of Loose's genre has been defined by various sources as blues, funk, metal, R'n'B, pop, rock and soul. They are influenced by acts such as Bobby Brown, James Brown, Al Green, Howlin' Wolf, Michael Jackson, Prince and The Rolling Stones. They perform as a six-piece band complete with backing singers. The chant, "Loose! Loose Loose!", is commonly heard from the crowd during their performances.

Republic of Loose have earned the admiration of several musicians. Damien Dempsey called them the "best band in Ireland" after performing alongside them. Sinéad O'Connor, in an e-mail to the Irish Independent, asked to become a member of what she described as "simply the best Irish band ever". Bono has described them as "sophisticated soul bootboys", "trailblazers" and proclaimed that "the Celtic Twilight turned into Celtic soul with Van Morrison, then Republic of Loose grabbed the Celtic Tiger by the tail, swung it around their heads and threw it out the window into the cosmos". Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody, who called them "the best band in the country this year and for many years to come". Snow Patrol have also remixed "Comeback Girl". Praise has come from other musicians too, including Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters. Marcus Russell, manager of Oasis, is reported as having called Republic of Loose the "most exciting new band" since Oasis. Novelist Irvine Welsh has referred to "Comeback Girl" as "one of the greatest songs ever recorded". Actress Mischa Barton is also a fan.

Paul Lester, writing in British newspaper The Guardian in July 2007, described Republic of Loose as an "Irish OutKast" to be filed next to Danny Wilson, Hall & Oates and N.E.R.D and least likely to be compared to The Pogues. John Meagher, writing in the Irish Independent in April 2008, said the band were "out of step entirely with prevailing trends almost like they stopped listening to music after hearing the young Prince and early Dexys Midnight Runners". Vocalist Mick Pyro has commented that there are very few musicians performing "authentic modern soul" and that the band's aim is to "combine the energy of the New York Dolls with the funk and soul qualities of The Roots". When writing a piece on The Script in August 2008, Brian Boyd of The Irish Times claimed that they were "as un-Irish sounding as The Republic of Loose ". Internationally, they have established fan bases in London and New York and have achieved regular airplay on Los Angeles radio in the United States, as well as France, Indonesia and the Philippines. Bunim/Murray Productions has licensed their music for use on American television. They have, however, refused several indie contracts in the United States.