Friday 14th October: BUSHMILLS® Irish Whiskey launched its new ‘BUSHMILLS Brothers – Since Way Back’ campaign with some great friends, bringing Belfast to life with a surprise performance.
Fresh from his appearance with Snow Patrol on Jools Holland, singer-songwriter Foy Vance joined with Mark ‘Mash’ Ashbridge of Communion Belfast, to launch the campaign in their own creative style – with an impromptu busk in the centre of Belfast in front of a large crowd, who flocked to the city after seeing leaks on Facebook and Twitter.
The campaign is a local execution of a global initiative that celebrates the lives and brotherly friendships of artists and influencers across the world including acclaimed band Bon Iver, actor Elijah Wood, and electrofunk duo Chromeo and collaborates with each to produce creative, inspired content that reflects each of their passions.
Today, these internationally acclaimed acts are joined by a group of friends who have helped put local music on a global stage – Iain Archer, Bradley Quinn, Mark ‘Mash’ Ashbridge and Foy Vance.
Iain Archer, singer-songwriter / producer is a former member of Snow Patrol and Ivor Novello-winning writer of tracks such as Run and Chocolate; Bradley Quinn, the source of every behind-the-scenes image coming from Snow Patrol; Mark ‘Mash’ Ashbridge, of Communion Belfast who are a creative platform for the best of new music talent from both Northern Ireland and further afield; and Foy Vance, the local signer-songwriter who has been hailed as an inspiration by Ed Sheeran, had multiple sell out shows across the UK and numerous tracks on the Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack have all today announced their partnership with the Irish Whiskey. Their friendships have grown through school, university and touring across the globe, and they are now collaborating to create something special for BUSHMILLS.
Iain, Bradley, Mash and Foy will be appearing on ‘BUSHMILLS Brothers – Since Way Back’ billboards across the country and in press advertisements in the coming months.
They will be joined in the campaign by Irish Rugby Internationals and good friends Rory Best and Denis Leamy – who have been sending updates to BUSHMILLS Facebook and Twitter fans from New Zealand and will featuring heavily on the social media sites throughout the campaign.
Foy said: “Mash, Iain, Bradley and I are basically a group of guys all doing what we love, creating things that inspire us and those around us – just like BUSHMILLS. So it’s great to work with a whiskey we love, to create some new things with our mates. It’s what the best things in life are all about!”
Rory Best said: “I’ve been involved with BUSHMILLS Irish Whiskey for a number of years, so getting involved in ‘BUSHMILLS Brothers – Since Way Back’ was a no-brainer. Denis and I have been friends since we first played schools rugby, so I had to get him involved.”
Jenny Kiernan, BUSHMILLS Brand Manager, Western Europe “BUSHMILLS has always been proud to recognise timeless friendships and brotherhood, and the creativity that stems from both. ‘BUSHMILLS Brothers – Since Way Back’ gives us the opportunity to develop additional opportunities and outlets for our involved groups of guys to express their craft while still conveying the spirit of this reliable, warm Irish Whiskey that comes from a community that has been celebrating friendships for hundreds of years.”
Check out the BUSHMILLS Irish Whiskey Facebook (facebook.com/Bushmills1608) and Twitter (@BushmillsGlobal) pages for announcements and collaborations.