Dónal Gunning: An Irishman Turned Kiwi with a Zero Bucks Given Attitude
Stoked to have had the opportunity to interview Dónal Gunning, an Irish-born, Wellington-based musician. All photos provided from Dónal’s Zero Bucks Given EPK
Recently, Dónal Gunning sat down and answered some questions for Welcome to the Gig about his new EP, Zero Bucks Given, how it feels to be the only Irish-Kiwi musician in the country, what drew him into music as opposed to accounting and what to expect from his upcoming EP tour.
-
Hi Dónal! Thank you so much for taking the time to sit down and answer some questions for Welcome to the Gig today. Before we dive in, do you want to fill readers in with a bit of background on yourself?
Dónal: Sure, why not! I’m Dónal, pronounced Dough-null, the little accent over the ‘o’ is called a fada (fadah), it’s a Gaelic name, it means ruler of the world.
I’m a musician from Dublin now based in Wellington. I draw on punk, indie, folk and rock influences. My current favourite bands are Queens of the Stone Age, Wunderhorse, Lola Young, RHCP and Soundgarden.
You’ve just released your new EP, Zero Bucks Given! Congratulations on such a great accomplishment on releasing this brilliant body of work. Do you want to run through the process of how the EP recording came together? What struggles did you face while creating?
Dónal: Thank you for that - it means a lot.
I wrote two of these songs in Ireland and two in New Zealand. I’ve been sitting on Gimme More and Satellite for nearly three years now — it’s incredibly rewarding to finally release them. Losing Weight and Your 1 were released as singles earlier this year, in March and May respectively, and received terrific praise internationally.
We struggled to nail the recording process at first — it took us three separate sessions just to get the stems down. That challenge really pushed us to become tighter and more compact as a group. Now, we’ve got a much stronger grip on our recording formula. The trial and error definitely helped us lock in as a unit, especially when it came to our live performances.
How do you feel that Zero Bucks Given sets you apart from other musicians that are also competing in a tight market of music?
Dónal: The music world is in an interesting place at the moment; we are oversaturated with a plethora of complex genres. I see the valour of keeping rock music alive, it has a unique showmanship that is lost in current popular music. You can hear this powerful showmanship on Zero Bucks Given, it translates from our performances to record.
It’s impeccable that in our ever evolving, multi-genre world that rock music keeps breathing, it is the base of arguably all modern music. We see the country music revival in the States and at home in Ireland, meaning by historic chronological standards the rock revival is just around the corner. No better time to release Zero Bucks Given and finish my debut album set for release in 2026. Zero Bucks Given is the torchbearer for the rock revival.
You’re currently the only known (to my knowledge) Irish-Kiwi musician in New Zealand, which is amazing. How have you found getting into the music scene here?
Dónal: I can confirm that I am Aotearoa’s only upcoming Irish Musician - nice ring to it!
It took a lot of grafting, particularly at the start. At one point I was gigging 6 times a week and juggling a part-time job to support myself. I started on the cover scene, playing to my advantage hitting up all the Irish pubs. After tackling the cover scene I was hungry to get cracking on my original material. Funny enough, sourcing cover gigs wasn’t overly complicated but finding slots for your originals projects, that was a challenge.
Moon Bar Jams and Open Mic nights were great places to meet musos, which definitely helped. However Wellington isn’t particularly a big city, it reminds me of Galway or Cork. With that it didn't take too long to start building up a network and find bandmates. Kiwis have been very welcoming to me on the scene.
My advice to anyone is to just get out and gig (especially at the start) you never know who you may pull up to your show! It’s all about growing your network, that and your release portfolio are your CV in music.
What bought you all the way from Ireland to New Zealand?
Dónal: I wanted a change from life in Europe — plus two crucial things: somewhere I could surf and play music. Wellington ticked both boxes. I saw musicians busking on a sunny day down Cuba Street, and after a quick trip to Lyall Bay, I was sold.
You’ve got a massive 14-date tour with your bandmates, The Bucks, incoming very shortly! How has the planning been for this?
Dónal: Busy! Lots of emails, voicemails, and texts. But I’ve learned so much through it all — you start to see roadblocks differently. Mistakes, blunders, and missed calls aren’t setbacks; they’re just part of the process. It’s all about learning and adapting.
It's funny, I wonder if my accountancy skills played into my organisation here, nothing that I was doing to organise was overly complex, more tedious and required persistence…. I best not speak too soon, we haven't even hit the road yet!
What can attendees expect from the tour?
Dónal: A showcase of modern rock, featuring guitar solos, epic drum fills, vivid showmanship and of course an Irishman, singing his heart out.
We have some great support acts booked too; Bad Schematics, Headlock Grave, Doom Swoon, Monotones, Leo Lilley, plus more to be announced!
Have you always been into music, or was there a turning point in your life where you were like, “okay, this is what I truly want to do”? I see you were once an accountant, which is a faraway land from music!
Dónal: I’ve always been into music, growing up we were forced to learn piano until grade 3, after this we could take or leave music. I swiftly left piano and gravitated to the guitar, bass and drums. I kept music up as a pastime through my 20s, playing the odd gig, jamming for fun in bands.
It wasn't until Covid struck Ireland and I started playing guitar more seriously for friends/flatmates. Here I felt I could mold a potential music career.
There was a distinct turning point - before I moved to New Zealand, I was gigging in the Algarve in Portugal. I played a show for 15/20 people in an intimate venue called Mynt Bar on a Friday night. I fed off that crowd, I discovered a newfound flow state, it was a small crowd but my god, we were in sync. I was buzzed for the whole week after. I knew at this point that this was something I wanted to do, but more importantly I could do. That post performance buzz is worth that chase, let me tell you.
This is in the realm of random questions I like to throw out there, but if you could liken your music to a movie, or even a TV show, which would you choose and why?
Dónal: The Office US & Malcolm in the Middle? Hahahaha, I instantly thought of my two current favourite shows. This is a great question, very evocative.
There's an Irish crime drama series called Love/Hate, it’s quite serious but peppered with apt tongue-in-cheek, not to mention Irish idiosynccies(!). Seems like a good fit to me.
Aside from music, what are some of your other passions?
Dónal: I’m a keen surfer, it’s arguably why I moved to New Zealand; [however], it has taken a backseat in pursuing music full-time. I'm thinking about moving to Lyall Bay next year.
I also love walking and running (I know quite basic), but when I'm not gigging I enjoy simple, more straightforward activities. I enjoy cooking for myself/mates/flatmates after a busy weekend of shows, usually steak/chips, burgers or a spicy curry.
So much of my life is absorbed in music that I often forget to make time for other passions to be honest - I think it's a package deal when it becomes your career.
I’m proud of my growing vinyl production, a bandmate just loaned me Steely Dan ‘Aja’ and Fleetwood Mac 'Pious Bird of Good Omen’ as a means to reduce screentime and further develop my music appreciation. I chuck these on after a long day and do my best to fully disconnect and listen.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Dónal: During the week - tea, bass chops, walk, coffee(!), admin/emails, practice, write, lunch, run/walk(!) Reaper tutorial, email chases, tour admin etc… come 4/5pm I’m usually set for dinner and an evening activity or band practice.
Weekends can be funny; I’m usually juggling gigs and practices! Sundays and Mondays are for me to decompress.
Where do you source your inspiration from when creating? Do you find it comes naturally to you, or do you have to dig quite deep?
Dónal: It comes naturally now when I sit down to it (it didn't for a long time). Usually a bass line, guitar chord or other sounds spark an idea... From there, lyrics follow and songs will evolve providing I keep chipping away at it through the week. It’s funny when I look back on the songs I see a potential meaning or message, but during its creation I allow myself to follow the stream of creative subconsciousness.
Across the span of your career as a musician, how many songs do you think you’ve written, and are there any that you really wanted to put out on Zero Bucks Given that just didn’t make the cut?
Dónal: Not far off 100 now, I’ve got a bedroom wall here covered in A4 sheets with songs I deemed not strong enough to release. Perhaps I'll combine the best of the worst into a separate album if I ever get a writer’s block. There were some I deemed would be fit for the album versus the EP.
What other essentials should the readers of Welcome to the Gig know about you?
Dónal: Please come say hello if you see me at a show. I love chatting about all things music with everyone. Also, that I’m only just getting started!
Would you like to add anything else to the interview?
Dónal: I commend the mahi Welcome to the Gig does for upcoming artists here in Aotearoa, good on you!
Those of you based in Christchurch come check out the show at Darkroom Thursday 20th November!
Please follow me on Instagram/Facebook for tour updates and further news.
Thanks so much, Donal for your time, I can’t wait to see the show live when you play down here in Christchurch shortly!
-
Make sure that you follow along with Dónal by heading to the links below -