M Stevens & The Ghasts are a Dublin-based band led by songwriter Mike Stevens. Musically inspired by the likes of Silver Jews, Townes Van Zandt, Big Thief, John Prine and Wilco, but lyrically rooted in the literature and landscape of the West of Ireland, Mike's songs are cheerfully melancholic and thematically adventurous. Provided with an often bucolic and pastoral accompaniment by the multi-intrumentalist talents of The Ghasts (Mark Jordan, Hugh McCabe, Donagh O'Brien and Ciaran Canavan), the music veers across genres and moods, organically adapting itself to the needs of the moment. Something of a shape-shifting entity, The Ghasts takes different forms at different times: sometimes one or two members accompanying Mike, sometimes a conventional rock band, sometimes an expanded orchestra with the core group augmented by violin, flute, harp and heavenly female voices (Nora Stevens, Anna Stevens and Sadhbh McCabe).

The debut album by M Stevens & The Ghasts, entitled Birds, was released to much acclaim in late 2022. Following that, the band gigged extensively around Ireland, including a stint opening for New Zealand indie-pop legends The Chills in Summer 2023. The new album, Sycamore Helicopters, was recorded with Les Keye at Arad Studios Dublin in late 2023, and will be released on Popical Island on 12.10.24. The first single, I Look For Sad Songs, is now available to purchase on Bandcamp and can be streamed from all the usual places. The band are thankful to the Arts Council of Ireland for their support in the creation of these recordings by means of the Agility Award.

Prior to the Ghasts adventure Mike was the "speccy guy" from a string of Irish alt-folk and indie-pop bands like Skelocrats, Lie Ins, Groom and Settler, as well as co-founder of celebrated musical collective Popical Island. The rest of the Ghasts have history too: their collective musical CV encompasses everything from chamber pop to postmodern metal, blistering shoegaze to retro rock, trad country to experimental electric guitar orchestration. Mike also writes fiction and has had his work published in sci-fi and literary magazines.