Bio
Ever since figuring out the Crazy Frog Theme on piano at the age of 12, Marc Gallagher has always seen the quirky side of music.
With an upbringing of Queen and NOW CDs, Marc’s songwriting style was shaped by the sensibilities of 2000’s pop. Spending the next 14 years picking up anything that made noise, Marc grew proficient on 10 instruments before primarily selecting the ukulele as his weapon of choice.
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Marc has plied his trade around bars, weddings and parties with one of the most diverse repertoires around. With countless shows under his belt, Marc has entertained audiences of all kinds with over 800 covers in his back pocket.
2023 saw Marc releasing multiple self-produced singles to critical acclaim, including "Change Your Mind", "Candlelight" and "I Never Saw My Father Cry", all while navigating changes in his personal life with two life-altering house moves in one year.
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He also headlined a ukulele festival for the first time at Shrewkfest in Shrewsbury, a bold reflection of his increased standing and notoriety among audiences.
2022 saw Marc's career reach new heights, averaging 5-7 live performances per week including supporting the incomparable Jake Shimabukuro at Grand Northern Ukulele Festival. He released 2 personal singles in "Sad Elephant" and "I'm So Glad You're Still Here" to widespread critical acclaim, and concluded the year on the cover of UKE Magazine.
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Through his online work, Marc has captured the attention of the ukulele world and beyond, earning recognition as an endorsed Artist of Pono Ukuleles, MiSi Pickups, and Ear Trumpet Labs Microphones.
Instrumental covers have gained notoriety, with well-received ukulele solo performances of “Stairway To Heaven”, “Hotel California” or even the “Wallace & Gromit Theme”. These renditions have wowed audiences throughout Europe, with one cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” going viral and achieving over 40,000 views.
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As of 2019 Marc maintains an online presence with weekly cover videos in often impressive locations. He also performs frequent collaboration videos with stalwarts of the Manchester music scene and the ukulele music circuit, earning wide public acclaim. Such collaborators have included Jake Shimabukuro, Abe Lagrimas Jr, Andrew Molina, Danielle Ate The Sandwich, Victoria Vox, Charlotte Pelgen, Peter Moss, Phil Doleman, Percy Copley among countless others.
2019’s “Songs From a Happy Winter” offers a direct rebuttal to its 2017 shittier summery counterpart. Taking influence from Brad Paisely, Paul Simon and Annenmaykantereit, this album reflects Marc at his most refined, with songs flirting between pop ballads and German rock. Playing every instrument-save for drums-Marc demonstrates his varied musicianship through his powerful arrangements.
2018 brought an evolution in the form of “Level Up”, with full band accompaniment and a mature set of diverse songs. Dancing between pop, folk and some soft rock elements, the “album to smile to” compared “night and day” to the previous year’s outing.
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2017 saw the release of “Songs From A Shit Summer”, a deeply personal concept album which played like a sonic journal over a tough time in Marc’s life. Stripped back to the bare bones of just uke and voice, Marc’s painful stories sold out on CD within the first month. This album also bagged Marc the Red Sails Songwriting Award in Northern Ireland.
His 2016 debut album “Hello Cruel World” saw the song Baseball Game earn video play in SXSW in Austin, Texas. Marc also achieved BBC Radio Airplay after gaining attention for a streak of 100 gigs in 3 months with no days off.
Marc’s musical accolades have seen him perform his energetic and emotive brand of Pop-Folk at festivals and tours in 11 countries, including Ireland, Germany, Austria and even the USA. Through a tireless work ethic, Marc has been putting in the miles on his travels, and the engine isn’t stopping anytime soon.
