The Scratch

the scratch

The Scratch are a band that sound like no one else you’ve ever heard before. The Dublin four-piece — Conor Dockery, Cathal McKenna, Daniel Lang, and Gary Regan — turn music on its head and pour their hearts and souls into their art to forge something original and new. Musicians making the leap from acoustic to electric are well-documented, but The Scratch did it the other way round — and signed to Sony Music Ireland, joining the same roster as Bob Dylan.

Formerly a full-blown metal band called Red Enemy, three of the five members re-formed with a new vision. Swapping electric gear for acoustics, they began jamming in their kitchen, creating music laced with humour, honesty, and an overwhelmingly positive spirit. Their spontaneous, gear-free approach led them to busk across Ireland, eventually going viral after a performance at the Rory Gallagher International Festival in 2017.

In 2023, they released Mind Yourself, produced by James Vincent McMorrow. It debuted at #1 on the Irish vinyl chart, earned a 9/10 from Hot Press, and was nominated for the Choice Music Prize. In 2025, they supported Dropkick Murphys at Alexandra Palace and played Download Festival — and for The Scratch, life is only just beginning.