She's also on the cover of the Hot Press Yearbook 2007, alongside Mick Pyro from Republic of Loose, Damien Dempsey, Niall Breslin from the Blizzards and singersongwriter Luan Parle.

Of the latter shoot, Wai O'Flynn says modestly, "I was very happy to be in their company." She's delighted with the amount of attention that she and the band are currently getting and, while she's keen to emphasise the band as a complete entity, it's hardly surprising that the attention is often focused on its charismatic frontwoman, who seems to never stop moving when onstage.

The other members of the Dirty Epics are Cormac Farrell (guitar), Richie Power (bass) and Alan Delaney (drums). The band has existed in its current form since 2005 but some ten years ago Wai O'Flynn, Farrell and Power got together as a band when they were living in Wicklow. This incarnation lasted about a year-and-a-half. Now, 10 years later, they're together again, with a fair amount of buzz surrounding them and a number of interesting gigs on the horizon.

Their second headline gig is this Tuesday in Crawdaddy and then it's onto the New Bands tent at this year's Oxegen. The decade-long separation, she thinks, has done them no harm. "When we split, I tried to get into a couple of bands but I just never found people that I was comfortable playing with . . . and maybe it was me! I don't know, " she says of the intervening time period. "I was very happy to hear from Cormac and Richie again. I think it was good because we had all matured, we'd all gone off and did our own thing and gave it a proper go."

In terms of the rock world being a maledominated industry, she doesn't disagree but she thinks the status quo is changing.

"There are so many excellent female singers and female vocalists out there. Women are not taking over but they're out there, " she says, citing Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as an example. And in terms of being the only girl in the band? "I think it's funny because I am one of them and I can totally laugh at disgusting things and regularly talk about sex, which is fine. It's very entertaining to hear it from the men's side as well my side and I think that they're quite interested in what I have to say as well, " she says.

Dirty Epics released their first single 'Demolition Man' on their own label Scar Records, as they will their next single, 'The Cure'. "It's going to be hard work but I do think it's worth it, " she says of going down the DIY route. "The music industry is so volatile at the moment . . . all the big labels are consolidating and it just seems quite strange, very up and down at the moment so we are very happy to have our own label.

It means also that we always have the rights to our own music, which is very important." But it's also an expensive way to go.

All four band members have fulltime day jobs . . . Wai O'Flynn is the national make-up artist and trainer with hip cosmetic brand Pout, who she's worked with for four-and-a-half years. Prior to that, she was doing make up on the set of King Arthur in Ardmore Studios and before that, she worked at various counters in Brown Thomas having learnt her craft at the Dun Laoghaire of Art, Design and Technology.

"It's a great course because you really get to use your imagination and be as creative as you like, " she says. "You think it's always going to be like that but when you leave college, you start doing bread-and-butter stuff like weddings." She likes her work a lot and would definitely miss it if she were to pursue a fulltime music career but there's no question which once she'd pick if faced with a decision . . . the band.

Music was always a big deal in the Wai O'Flynn family and she grew up listening to classic rock like The Doors. As a child she played the drums and sang, while her older sister Nadine played guitar. Nadine is now manager of the Dirty Epics and Sarah Jane says they're lucky to have her because she's in the know and gets on well with people. What about that age-old maxim of not working with family or friends then?

"There have been ups and downs. I'd be lying if I said there weren't but it's great to know that my sister has my best interest and the band's best interests at heart, " she says. "We get on great. I think she can be very honest with me as well, which I really appreciate" The band's sound she describes as "upbeat rock with a punk influence" and name checks Ian Drury and the Blockheads, the Cramps and David Bowie as well as the Klaxons, the Rapture (who they've supported) and Republic of Loose.

And how about the name? "I suppose it [Dirty Epics] was a bit like sex, drugs and rock and roll. We've had a few 36-hour benders and so it definitely made sense."

The rock-and-roll life, in her opinion, is fun but incredibly tough. "I think you really need to be smart. There are so many talented people out there who maybe just don't have the will-power or the knowledge. It's very difficult getting things done sometimes in Ireland as well. You really have to fight your corner, " she says. "You just have to have loads of energy. You can't be someone who's negative or hasn't got the get up and to do it, " she says with the assurance of one who possesses the latter in spades.