DUG Announce Album & Share Video
HEADLINE SHOW AT THE LEXINGTON, LONDON - NOVEMBER 24, 2025
FESTIVAL DATES INCLUDE ELECTRIC PICNIC AND MOSELEY FESTIVAL
(07.08.25) There’s a moment, buried in a family WhatsApp exchange during lockdown, when a joke became a spark. Lorkin O’Reilly’s mum had shared a photo of her newly drafted will. His father responded with a picture of his own: a napkin scrawled with the words “Have at it!”Years later, that half-serious scribble would become the title of DUG’s debut album - and the name of its most honest song.
"Have At It" came from a text message my dad sent to our family WhatsApp group during COVID. At the time, there was that short phase when everyone thought COVID could spread through surfaces. My mum was really worried, so she decided to get a will written. She took a photo of it and shared it in the group chat. In response, my dad sent a picture of his will - a napkin with the words "Have at it!" scribbled across the front!”
That phrase - half throwaway, half talisman - now holds the centre of DUG’s debut album, produced by Mike Halls (Clean Cut Kid), and released September 19 via Claddagh Records / DECCA (home to ØXN, Lemoncello, and Niamh Bury). The title track is out today alongside the duo’s first official music video - Watch here - and a haunting B-side cover of Ian Felice’s “In Memoriam.”
Comprised of Californian multi-instrumentalist Jonny Pickett and Scottish-American artist Lorkin O’Reilly, whose solo work has quietly generated over 26 million Spotify streams, DUG have firmly established themselves as one of the most unique and relatable forces in the alt-folk music revival, thanks in part to singles like ‘The Big Sundown’, ‘Jubilee’ (shortlisted for two Grammy nominations) and most recent single “Livelong Day”.
Formed in 2023, DUG’s origin story is already becoming folklore of its own: two sold-out shows at Whelan’s in Dublin before they’d even released a single; a sound so cohesive it feels like it’s always existed. Their music draws from traditions rooted on both sides of the Atlantic - in one breath echoing the great American folk troubadours, in the next, channelling the elder statesmen of Irish folk. Irish influence runs strong throughout, but it’s paired with one of the most distinct and original takes on contemporary folk you’ll hear today.
That’s no accident. DUG’s shared musical heritage spans oceans: members born in America and Scotland, arriving in Ireland by different routes. O’Reilly spent nearly a decade writing and recording music in upstate New York, having left his native Edinburgh - Irish mother, Scottish father - before returning to Ireland to begin a new chapter.
And you can hear that lived musical experience in their creativity. Resonator guitar and banjo, the building blocks of DUG’s arrangements, lick and spin, with intricate finger-picking patterns whirling to a compelling whole. Their music breathes, vamping in sync.
Having shared stages with Iron & Wine, and Divorce, and performed at this year’s The Great Escape, and more recently at Wilderness, ‘Have At It!’ lands in the midst of multiple tour dates including a slew of Irish & UK Summer Festivals including Electric Picnic in Stradbally, Moseley Festival in Birmingham, and the Americana Fest 2025 in Nashville. DUG will spend much of 2025 on the road including a debut tour in October in Australia, and a headline show at The Lexington in London on November 24.
Full list of live tour dates available here with European, U.K., and U.S. live dates listed below.
“Have At It!” (single) is out now.
Pre-Order “Have At It!” (album) HERE
WATCH “Have At It!” (video).
Images & Artwork Available HERE
European, U.K, & U.S. Live Dates:
August 9 – The Gathering – Derry, Ireland
August 16 – Kilkenny Arts Festival – Kilkenny, Ireland
August 24 - Another Love Story - Dublin, Ireland
August 28 - Electric Picnic – Stradbally, Ireland
August 30 – Moseley Festival – Birmingham, UK
September 9 – Americana Fest 2025 – Nashville, USA
October 23 – Left of the Dial – Rotterdam, Netherlands
October 29 – The Academy – Dublin, Ireland
November 24 – The Lexington – London, UK
Connect with DUG:
Spotify: DUG
Instagram: @dugworld
TikTok: @dug_world
Youtube: @DUG_world
Web: dugworld.com
