Inspired by the Fab Four, Identity Parade's range of musical sounds is winning fans.

When Kevin Homan and Paul Gilligan first sat in the kitchen with acoustic guitars, the shadow of The Beatles loomed large. "We're massive Beatles fans," reveals Kevin. "That's how Identity Parade started. We were sitting there writing songs and thinking, 'We like this. We have to get a band together.' We asked a mate, Dan [O'Sullivan, drummer], to join and he had a friend, Conor [Nolan, guitar], who knew John [Kennedy, keyboards]. It's a really friendly environment. We're close. We all pitch in with ideas and, although our tastes vary, a sound evolved that is Identity Parade."

Kevin agrees that The Beatles' early albums illustrate how the band blended a range of musical styles that mixed country, soul, rock'n'roll and folk. "There were a lot of genres. And I wouldn't like this band to become pigeonholed. We have a huge melting pot of musical influences."

Over the last three years, the Dublin band has been going about their business with quiet assurance. Their songwriting provided the sonic raw material that began to catch people's attention. Soon, Identity Parade were playing alongside The Blizzards, The Coronas and The Republic of Loose.

One of those impressed by the band was John 'Turps' Burke, one-time mandolin player with The Saw Doctors.

"He liked what we were doing," says Kevin. "And we liked where he was coming from so we got together and we went in to work on an album. We took a mobile studio into Bermingham House in Galway and recorded six songs. Then we recorded four more in Dublin. It all came together. It feels like we're progressing nicely as a band."

Ooh Ooh, the first single from those sessions, went to No 33 in May. "We released it just to test the water," says Kevin. "We found it difficult to get radio play at first but it changed things for us. We've since been on tour around the country with Aslan, which has been great. They've been in the business for 25 years and to see them in action really opens your eyes."

The recent exposure the band has been getting helped propel their new single, Collette Collar, to 15 in the Irish charts. This week the song is No 1 on the download charts. A remarkable achievement.

"It's a tough industry to crack. But we're going to keep on pushing. We've taken a gradual approach. We got a couple of videos on YouTube, which have been getting great reactions," says Kevin.

"We love playing live and getting a reaction from people," he says. And wouldn't you just guess which gig he's most enjoyed so far. "The reaction we got when we played in The Cavern in Liverpool was breathtaking," enthuses Kevin. "People were really into the music. The crowd was jumping up and down. It was really good. That gave us a huge lift." -- EC

Identity Parade play the Jervis Street Music Festival on Saturday

- Eamon Carr