Paul Noonan and Brian Crosby – two musicians whose creative paths first intertwined in their school days – have reunited under a new name: Pilgrims. Their debut single Bright & Bold is available now, with a full album set for release on 30th January 2026. The duo will take the project on the road early next year, with tour dates going on sale this Friday.
Noonan and Crosby first formed Juniper (with Damien Rice) before becoming founding members of Irish indie band Bell X1. In the years since, both have developed singular careers: Noonan through Bell X1 and other projects Printer Clips and HousePlants (with electronic producer Daithí), and Crosby via acclaimed film and television scores and his solo piano and ambient work. Pilgrims marks their first creative collaboration in 16 years.
“Since reconnecting on My Bones a Scaffold last year, we’ve been working on a bunch of songs that sprung from new instrumental pieces by Brian, or songs that I had sketches for. Colouring them in together. Coming from a more classical or cinematic well, Brian takes the kinds of harmonic journeys that I just don’t, and the songs are all the richer for it.
We did some shows together last April, and played some of these new things. It was there that Pilgrims was formed, in its purist form just piano and vocal. Not torch songs as such, but somewhat similar in their yearning, theatrical sentimentality.
In those small beautiful rooms, it took actually playing the songs for people, feeling that connection and inhabiting the characters for it to feel like it had its own heart and lungs.
The recordings are a little more embellished, though often we would add things and take them away – feeling that we knew what this thing isn’t, happy to be a little fuzzy on what it is.”
Bright & Bold introduces the sonic world of Pilgrims: intimate yet expansive, anchored in piano and voice. Listen here:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5RSMGzNTJipY3Ybfn1cT07?si=wlXdMRXnSGafOJh1MALrBg
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/au/artist/pilgrims/1448926994
TOUR DATES:
Jan 23rd Courthouse Arts Centre, Tinahely, Wicklow
Jan 29th Pavilion Theatre, Dún Laoghaire
Feb 5th Riverbank Arts Centre, Kildare
Feb 6th Whale Theatre, Greystones, Wicklow
Feb 7th The Social, Gaoth Dobhair, Co. Donegal
Feb 8th Hawk’s Well Theatre, Sligo
Feb 12th Spirit Store, Dundalk
Feb 14th Solstice Arts Centre, Navan
Feb 15th Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny
Feb 19th Connolly’s of Leap, West Cork
Feb 20th Live at St. Luke’s, Cork
Feb 21st Green Acres, Wexford
Mar 1st Róisín Dubh, Galway
Tickets on sale 10am, Friday 31st Oct via www.pilgrims.music
Photo credit: Rich Gilligan