LYRA 'Streets of Sorrow / Birmingham Six' OUT NOW
Irish singer songwriter LYRA has unveiled her deeply emotive rendition of "Streets of Sorrow / Birmingham Six", featured on the star studded tribute project, 20th Century Paddy - The Songs of Shane MacGowan ahead of the full album launch on November 13, 2026, LYRA’s interpretation infuses the iconic track with a haunting atmosphere and cinematic vocal power.
Originally co written by Shane MacGowan and Terry Woods for the 1988 album If I Should Fall from Grace with God, in LYRA’s hands, the track shifts from a fiery folk punk anthem into a poignant, ethereal track. Known for her soaring vocals, bold production, and emotional delivery, the Cork born artist brings a fresh, contemporary intensity to Shane MacGowan's uncompromising lyricism.
“Being part of this album is a huge honour. Shane had this extraordinary ability to put beauty, pain and defiance into a song, and being invited to help celebrate that as an Irish artist feels very special.
What drew me to Streets of Sorrow / Birmingham Six was the way it’s written. It opens with this beautiful, sorrowful lament, and then there’s a real change in energy. Suddenly there’s fire in it. I loved that you could go from something so vulnerable to something so powerful within one song. It’s an unusual journey, and I found that really exciting. I’ve never been very good at doing things the conventional way, so there was something about it that just felt right for me.
With my version, I wanted that power to feel like people coming together. I wanted it to become an anthem you could put your whole heart into singing, with everyone beside you doing the same. There’s pain in this song, and you have to respect that, but there’s also such strength in standing up for something you believe in. I wanted to capture people supporting each other, celebrating each other and saying, I’m here, I’m with you. That feeling can give you goosebumps, and that’s what I was reaching for.
I’m in the middle of making my second album at the moment, so there’s a lot of singing, a lot of tea and a lot going on in my head! Having a number one debut was beyond anything I could have imagined, and now I’m figuring out where I want to take things next. I’m excited to let people hear what I’ve been working on.
To have this release be part of that time in my life is very special. If you’d told the girl singing away in school plays that she’d have her name on a record alongside some of these artists, she’d never have believed you.” - LYRA