The Blizzards

Close to double platinum album sales. Support slots with Kasabian and Kaiser Chiefs. Two sold-out headline shows at the Dublin Ambassador. A Meteor win for Best Live Act. Over their four years together, The Blizzards have achieved one of the most impressive rises to the top. 

A Public Display Of Affection's platinum success speaks for itself – though it doesn't hurt to mention that the punk pop anthems 'Trouble', 'Miss Fantastia Preaches' and 'Fantasy' were three of the biggest singles of 2007, both in terms of sales and radio play. Yet the group are down-to-earth enough to know that there's always room for improvement, which they've addressed head on with their blistering sophomore album Domino Effect.

"We were told by a few people that the first album didn't reflect the energy of the live shows, so that's what we were aiming for this time around," explains frontman and songwriter Niall Breslin, aka Bresy. "We set a limit on our time so we could capture the personality of the songs. We also used the old Led Zeppelin rhythm section trademark of pushing the tempo of the tracks to give them more energy and vibe."

"We didn't want a clean cut, pitch perfect record. We just wanted something that represented the band's live shows." Yet clearly the fivesome made the LP as pedantic as it is passionate, as examined as it is energetic, as detailed as it is direct. "It was an arduous process," admits Bresy. "There were times when I thought that we'd never finish it."

The group were forced to decamp to several different studios during their quest for sonic perfection. They even hired carpenters to build an indoor booth in one, hoping to achieve a better sound. That ploy didn't work, but their nomadic recording life eventually paid off. Says Bresy: "We couldn't be happier with the end result – it's exactly what we were aiming for."

Indeed Domino Effect shows a tight band that knows how to play to their strengths. Once again under the steer of godlike producer Michael Beinhorn, the man behind Red Hot Chili Peppers', Hole's and Soundgarden's seminal albums, there's more tongue-in-cheek humour and falsetto harmonies to be enjoyed. Lyrically, the stories told are based on Bresy's personal experiences, from 'Three Cheers For Modern Medicine' about his fear of flying, to 'The Reason (How Do I Qualify)', during which Republic Of Loose's backing girls mock 'feel free to go back and talk to your friends'.

Followers of their live shows will have nothing to worry about – the title track, 'Domino Effect' and lead single 'Trust Me I'm A Doctor' are already marked out as future live favourites, with bigger and better choruses than ever before.

Meanwhile the shockingly touching 'Postcards' has a maturity that will astound newcomers as well as longtime fans. Indeed, it's the song which anchored the writing of their second record and pulled the band tighter together.

"We're more confident songwriters now," explains Bresy. "Before we were naïve in the recording process, we were just finding our way around. This time, we took a much more honest approach to the recording process and learned a lot about ourselves as musicians and people."