Florence Road - Four Irish Girls Take Trento by Storm

On Thursday, September 10th, we met the Florence Road at the Warner studios in Milan. The young Irish group, made up of four twenty-two-year-olds – Lily Aron (vocals and guitar), Emma Brandon (lead guitar), Ailbhe Barry (bass) and Hannah Kelly (drums) – were back in Italy to perform at the Poplar Festival in Trento. In recent months, Florence Road have been making more and more of a name for themselves, releasing a highly acclaimed second EP, playing some of Europe's most important festivals, and topping the Irish radio charts with “Hanging Out To Dry” (the first all-female band ever to achieve that feat!), a track that has already racked up nearly 30 million streams on Spotify. We sat down with an ambitious, fast-rising band who clearly know exactly where they're headed.

Welcome back to Italy! Welcome back to Milan! This is your second time here with us, right? Do you remember the first?
Lily Aron: Thank you! We're happy to be back, and we remember our first time very well. We were on tour with Wolf Alice, just under a year ago. It was a beautiful evening, the Italian crowd responded so enthusiastically and we really didn't expect that!
Hannah Kelly: I remember that before playing at the Alcatraz we had a day off, and we spent it in a park just outside Milan, surrounded by nature, to relax. Then we came back here again another time with our friends.

I remember that evening very well too, because last November I was at your show in Milan, when you opened for Wolf Alice… an extraordinary show! I already knew your songs, but a good part of the Italian audience had probably never heard you before that moment. And yet, by the end of your set, you'd won everyone over. I can personally testify to seeing several people searching for “Florence Road” on Spotify, YouTube, Instagram or TikTok… You really made a huge impression on the Alcatraz crowd!
Florence Road: (laughing)
Lily Aron: Wow, that's amazing! The audience's response really was surprising.

And now you'll be playing at the Poplar Festival in Trento! It's curious, because Trento is a small mountain town, surrounded by the Dolomites. It's a pretty unusual place for a rock show, don't you think?
Lily Aron: Oh yes, absolutely! We're really curious about it!

Have you ever played somewhere like that before, in the middle of the mountains?
Ailbhe Barry: I think in Switzerland. Or maybe it was in Finland.
Hannah Kelly: We were about three hours from Helsinki, right at the edge of Finland… It was crazy, because we were basically playing on this huge lake.

You've toured Europe with Wolf Alice and then the US with The Last Dinner Party. What were those experiences like? What did you learn from them?
Lily Aron: It was incredible. We definitely grew a lot as a band, and getting to play in front of so many different kinds of audiences was amazing. I think, especially from Wolf Alice, who are our absolute favourite band, we learned a real kind of resilience above all. We watched them go from show to show, always staying so kind and generous. We really respected them for that, and I think we'll carry that lesson with us into our own upcoming shows.

And since then you've really been incredibly busy, because you also kicked off your first European tour as an opening act… though it never made it to Italy!
Lily Aron: No, not yet!

This year you've also played major festivals like Primavera Sound, Reading and Leeds, Rock en Seine and Electric Picnic, you've been racking up sold-out shows one after another both in Ireland and the UK, and last month you were even in Japan! How did it go in the Land of the Rising Sun?
Emma Brandon: Going to Japan was a real dream. And then all the food was so good… You know, sushi, ramen, we love it all!
Hannah Kelly: We had a show at 11 in the morning and we were genuinely surprised by the people who showed up. It was beautiful. Japanese fans are amazing. They're incredibly passionate.

I almost forgot to mention it: congratulations on your new EP! "Fall Back" was already a great calling card, but I think with "Spring Forward" you've stepped things up another notch. All four songs are really strong, in my view. "Miss", for instance, is a little masterpiece, while "Hanging Out To Dry" is probably the track I've listened to most this year. All your fans seem obsessed with it. What's the secret? Did you expect it to be such a hit?
Lily Aron: Thank you so much! Well, when you write a song you never really know if it's going to connect with people, if it's going to resonate. But definitely, while we were recording it, we felt it had something special, and we hoped the audience would pick up on that too. We're really, really happy it's had its moment.

I want to talk now about something in your music I particularly appreciate. Your bridges really strike me, because they're so catchy, almost like extra choruses. They shift the structure of the song and bring in new emotions. It's as if there were several other songs hidden inside your songs. Is that something you work on a lot?
Lily Aron: Yes, we love a killer bridge! I think it's fun to be able to add another melody on top of the main one. I feel like I always have a million melodies running through my head, so it's great to be able to fit another one into the same song.

And speaking of bridges… your latest single, "7563", has a really outstanding one! I love that part, live it's absolutely gripping with that almost martial rhythm.
Lily Aron: Yeah, that's a track we always love playing live, we usually use it to open our shows.

I think it could end up being the opening track of your debut album too… Are you working on it? Can you tell us anything, or is it still all top secret?
Lily Aron: (mimes zipping her lips shut) Yes, it's all top secret, but we're working hard on a lot of new music and we're really proud of it. We can't wait to share it when the time is right. We're already playing some of the new songs live, and it's always exciting to see how the crowd reacts.

"7563" is also your directorial debut! (The video was in fact directed by Lily and Ailbhe, ed.). Did you enjoy being behind the camera?
Ailbhe Barry: It was so much fun! I really loved being able to do something like that and make sure every shot was exactly the way it needed to be. It was a really rewarding job.

Ailbhe, does your nose still hurt? Emma, how's your head doing? (In the video both of them get hit by a tennis ball, ed.)
Florence Road: (laughing)
Emma Brandon: It still hurts a bit! I still get shivers thinking about it… I try not to think about it. But yeah, it was really cool and I'd definitely love to do it again.

By the way, these days in Italy there's also the Venice Film Festival going on, in case you wanted to take part…
Lily Aron: Great idea, let's do it!

You have a very contemporary sound, but at the same time you can hear the influence of 90s alternative rock in your music. Which bands from that era influenced you the most?
Lily Aron: I'd definitely say the Cranberries, as far as I'm concerned. It's a pretty obvious choice, almost a given, but… definitely, for me, they're a huge influence.
Emma Brandon: We also love throwing in a bit of grunge in our songs.
Hannah Kelly: Yeah, we listen to a really huge range of music, so you can probably hear different influences and shades coming through.

Your music inevitably has a very Irish stamp to it, and I think you're proud of your roots. I also know you studied Irish Gaelic at school. I only know one phrase: "Grá mór" (literally: "great love"). I learned it thanks to you, obviously. Can you teach me another one?
Lily Aron: Oh, okay, which one should we pick? Well, it's a really simple word, but when you're toasting you can say "Sláinte". When you're toasting with wine, say "Sláinte"!

Perfect, "Sláinte" (pronounced "slawn-cha", ed.). And would you like to write some songs in Irish at some point?
Lily Aron: Yes, absolutely! We've talked about it, we've already done a bit of it and we'd definitely love to do more in the future.

I think it's fair to say this is a great moment for Irish rock music. There are currently bands out there like Fontaines D.C., Inhaler, Murder Capital, Just Mustard, Cardinals and… well, Florence Road, of course. Can you recommend any new Irish bands our readers should keep an eye on?
Ailbhe Barry: Yes, our friends Esmeralda Road. They're really good, a band with huge potential and a really interesting sound, I think everyone should see them. Also Rafters, who are from Cork. And For Nina are fantastic too.
Emma Brandon: CRISPR Kid are great too. They're very distinctive.

What about the all-time Irish artists or bands you love most?
Lily Aron: That's such a hard question!
Hannah Kelly: I'd still say the Cranberries…
Emma Brandon: Sinéad too…
Ailbhe Barry: Yes, Sinéad O'Connor. And then Van Morrison, he's a classic.
Lily Aron: Yes, all the ones we've mentioned. They're our top three. We can't pick just one!

You're also an all-female band, and personally I'm a big fan of that. In a world as traditionally male-dominated as rock, female bands have often been underrated in the past, yet they've made a huge contribution, from the girl groups of the early '60s onward. And I think it's important for younger girls to keep picking up instruments, writing songs, forming bands and tearing it up. What do you think about that? Were there any all-female bands from the past who inspired you?
Lily Aron: I think being an all-female band is fantastic. It seems to me that's exactly why we never argue. We communicate really well, and things between us go perfectly. But we're also all great friends and we know each other so well that it really helps us a lot when writing music and while touring. Sometimes it almost feels like we're one person sharing the same brain! (laughs). And I think it's great to be able to set an example for younger girls who, like you said, are just starting to play an instrument. If we can encourage them in any way to do it, to play drums, guitar, and tear it all up, that would be amazing!

Along the way you've already gone through several phases: from a high-school band, to posting covers on TikTok, to becoming a solid international presence today. What's the next step? What are your plans for the future?
Lily Aron: We have big plans! Making an album is definitely our main goal right now. Releasing a record and taking it out into the world is something we're aiming for. And then coming back to Italy, coming back here and seeing even more of the world, playing more and more shows… 2027 is definitely going to be a busy one!

Let's go back for a moment to "Spring Forward". To me it feels like a kind of coming-of-age record, especially in terms of the lyrics. Is that really the case?
Lily Aron: Yes, honestly the whole EP is about love, both its beautiful sides and its ugly ones. And I think that's the most common theme when you're growing up, when you experience love for the first time and also face the pain of a relationship ending for the first time.
Ailbhe Barry: And it was written over the course of about two years: there are some of our oldest songs and some of our newest ones. So yes, it's a kind of coming-of-age record, like you said.

Can you recommend a coming-of-age film or book with an atmosphere similar to your songs?
Ailbhe Barry: "Lady Bird".
Lily Aron: "Lady Bird", yes. And we love Saoirse Ronan.

Now I'd like to recommend a film to you. It's an Old Hollywood picture called "Splendor in the Grass". It's an early-'60s melodrama directed by Elia Kazan, so at times it might come across as a bit over the top by today's standards, but I think it's a truly beautiful, powerful story about first love… and about how intense and difficult it can be to live through when you're young. The lead character, Deanie (played by Natalie Wood), might inspire a new song for you… or maybe just a few lines. The title of the film comes from a poem by William Wordsworth. You have to watch it!
Lily Aron: Wow, that's lovely, thanks for the recommendation! We'll check it out!

Thank you so much for your time, Lily, Emma, Hannah and Ailbhe! It was a real pleasure.
Lily Aron: Thank you, it was a great interview.

I hope to see you again soon in Milan.
Lily Aron: Yes, yes, we have to come back! We need to headline a show here!

Maybe one day you should play in Florence too. Florence Road in Florence would be a dream!
Lily Aron: Yes! That would be something special, we have to do it! "Florence Road in Florence": a perfect match!

Have you ever been to Florence?
Emma Brandon: Just me. I loved it so much, I adored it. It's a gorgeous city.

In the meantime, we'll see you tomorrow in Trento, at the Poplar Festival! Have fun! Enjoy the show!
Lily Aron: Thank you so much! See you tomorrow!

The day after our interview, Florence Road's performance was the highlight of the second day of Trento's Poplar Festival. The four Irish girls confirmed all the progress they've made in recent months, opting for a tight setlist with no room for ballads. Plenty of attention was instead given to new songs, starting with the latest single "7563" (devastating live) and "No Better Woman" (performed for the first time at the "A Color's Show" event, promoted by Levi's), right through to the still-unreleased "White Smile" and "Surprises Surprises". While charismatic frontwoman Lily Aron remains the band's main driving force, it must be said that her bandmates have also grown a lot and now play with a confidence that's surprising for such a young band. The crowd was quite engaged, greeting "Hanging Out To Dry" with particular enthusiasm — it has clearly become something of a small hit in Trentino too. Not bad for a track that wasn't even chosen as a single at first. In the end, the biggest singalong moment came with "Goodnight" and "Break The Girl". And then there was that promise, made at the end of the show: "We'll be back soon!". Could that already be the first hint of a new tour, perhaps alongside the long-awaited debut album?

(September 16, 2026)

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