Sorry but that was the most boring post ever and had to go. I’m using my blogger’s prerogative to delete and finish on a decent note. Cos I can
With wider eyes and less of a nicotine habit, I sat down to begin my Irish music blog in mid-2007. Just home from Castle Palooza, my camera cards were full, my dictaphone had chopped interviews with Fight Like Apes and The Kinetiks and my head was absolutely bursting with ideas. Almost two years’ photography experience behind me at that point, I’d come to realise the real display of talent and strength lay in the unity of our domestic music scene.
All my life I’ve had a special, romaticised vision of Ireland. Music played a big role at home, good and bad - My mum always told me Sarah by Thin Lizzy was #1 when I was born in June 1981 and for years I’d tell people my dad was a bassist in a rock band. Imagine my horror to discover it was actually Shakin’ Stevens‘ You Drive Me Crazy.
That back-to-front standard has stood me well over the years - I’m not your well-rounded, balanced music fan. For a start, I’m deaf. Morning, noon and night my ears hiss with tinnitus’ incessant drone, blatting out all sound below a certain decibel. Music, in headphones and right fucking up front at gigs, has been a salve, literal escapism.
I also have two young children and really greedy cats and know that I skated all-too-close to another life of working in a Spar deli. Music literally saved my life and as I fell harder and harder for this bright future, I wanted to repay, devote myself to its cause so it could never truly leave.
I just didn’t know very much about it. I’d need a yellow Dummies book to recount all the lessons and tests Irish music industry required - what the hell do the Virgin Prunes have to do with Estel? Why weren’t Delorentos just a boyband? Why don’t we slag off Paul Brady but Bono’s fair game?
Our musical heritage is based above all, on quality. Once so insular and closed in to itself, Irish music was a hedge school, the old teachers passing on the wisdom of bards with bodhran and fiddle to pupils, that constantly evolving drum beat was all our nation had for many years. Centuries of turbulent politics and a traumatised pattern of immigration fed the rebellious spirit of folk songs to an inevitable climax - the arrival of Rock in the 60s. With such a formidable giant in Irish Traditional, intruders daring to challenge its grasp would need a silver arm to break our own high standards.
And yet Rock triumphed. Thirty short years have witnessed the implosion of tradition, Ireland broke free of hundreds of years musical insulation and now in the 21st Century, our creativity has truly begun to flex. Heavy metal and contraception are accepted, electronica and head shops are found in every town. We are part of this new movement of the moment.
For everyone else, it’s just there. For me, it’s become my whole life, I’m still affected by The Immediate’s break-up, I loved following the careers of Delorentos, Director and another thousand, memories of great nights with Noise Control, travelling the country with the first strains of ASIWYFA in my ears, gentle glory of Halves and Tenaka, discovering the brilliant Science of BATS and Adebisi Shank’s Math Rock, string-tugging pound. And so, so, so many more - the student gigs and competitions, hanging out with bands so thrilled and glad people actually came to see them that it didn’t even matter if their music wasn’t great - you’d still have a fun night out. The ones who still always mailed and said hello even if I’d never made it to their gigs - namely Matt Lane.
This becomes a hard post to write when I try to explain why I’m leaving.
As a single mum in an incredibly messy house, I’m really tired of working on a daily-publish routine. It’s too distracting. My kids’ teachers are not impressed.
I wanted major changes to my site that were incompatible. Though I cannot thank Hot Press enough for taking a chance on me, I need to digest all I’ve learned. I want to write…really write. I’d like to try and really challenge myself to cover new ground and make the most of what I’ve learned.
And I don’t want to annoy people for no reason and I can feel tensions building. Like Lily Allen, I need learn when to shut the fuck up. I’ll argue to death for something I believe in…so I’m gonna get my facts straight.
I’ve just been myself though, loving the music, loving the people and the chance to actually involve myself in some beneficial way of paying back all the joy Irish music has brought to my life. All the times I’ve felt a thrill, a drop of sweat on my lens, a smile, a jiffy envelope and wham-bar EP. The brilliant album launches, the crazy parties, the hugs, the spats, the clinking beer bottles. The nights of good sleep because Butterfly Explosion or The Jimmy Cake make far sweeter lullabies than infinite ringing.
Well done to Funeral Suits‘ Mick, Greg and Brian for their frantically fast-paced efforts last weekend with four phenomenal gigs, first supporting Green Lights‘ Whelans farewell on Friday before flitting to Limerick, Dublin and Belfast with Franz Ferdinand.
Major shouts to the lads who rescued me from Sunday afternoon ‘Franz are playing tonight and I don’t have a ticket’ doldrums. Not only that but they managed to wrangle a photopass for both their own and the Franz’ set. Not easy with MCD at 630 on a weekend night but they did it!
A successful week for Irish music all-round! Firstly congratulations to Jape on winning the Choice Music Prize - many have already said it went to the nicest man in Ireland and of those on the final shortlist, he was certainly amongst the most deserving. Halfset made a really good album and R.S.A.G. certainly set tympanics trembling with Organic Sampler but in the end the award went to one whose music played truly massive role in 2008. Despite fear and suspicion on the night due to the presence of David Holmes and The Script, Richie Egan is now wealthier to the tune of ten thousand fruits and a smooth celebratory trophy declaring Ritual the most critically-acclaimed Irish album of 2008. Thank you Jape.
There’s an interview with Choice founder Jim Carroll over on Analog. It’s a decent read…have Phantom really been binning bands’ CDs? In this age of carbon neutrality I thought unwanted promos found a home in charity shops. It’s all a wicked lie!
Salulations are also in order for Falter Ego who won the DIT Battle of the Bands in Think Tank on Wednesday (by the by, how fantastic is the new Cylon ceiling in the Eustace Street club?! Totally makes up for the naff Diet-Cokesque mural and porn-star toilets…!) Falter Ego beat off competition from Bojangled, Flying Columns and The Harm to win the first heat. Myself and two judges from Drop-D were level-pegging at 3/4 time and prepared for a fight amongst Indies when the three metallers rocked on and settled the score with four great, catchy songs. Look forward to hearing from you lads but if I can make one teeeny suggestion - introducing online visitors to your music with “The Official…Myspace Page” is a bit naff. Just sayin….
Before I launch into the plethora of upcoming releases and shows, take a moment to consider Parhelia’s words on the effects of illegal downloading on small bands.
The Dublin post-rockers released Shifting Sands in early February and yet to date there have been over 500 downloads from one filesharing site alone - more than the album’s total legitimate sales. That ain’t cool. Support your local music industry people - it’s the only way to survive without selling out.
The other gigging biggie is The Urges in Whelans, also tomorrow - biggie because it’s their last Irish date before they descend on the not-so-sleepy town of Austin, Texas for SXSW….did you know the city has a bat population of 1.5 million? Sounds like a kind of haven!
If you don’t know the Choice Music Prize takes place tonight you better have an excuse along the lines of having been off hunting for water on Titan, opals on Venus or at least decent pint of beer in Dublin.*
Anyway, yaddah yeah…tonight in Vicar Street, twelve judges will decide who wins the coveted prize for best Irish album of 2008. The contenders are:
*sulk* I had a whole plan to go along under the premise of snapping, having stolen The Vinny Club’s muscleman suit to smuggle in under my photographer clothes so I could storm the stage during one of the dreadfully boring performances in order to douse phosphorescent lighter fuel across my cleverly-bulkier person whilst roaring “ADEBISI SHANK“ to be ejected, screaming and vindicated to St James’ Hospital burns unit. But I’m not arsed. I have better things to do tonight. It’s bin day tomorrow.
New video from supremely talented Gemma Hayes - she’s a special favourite for many. This is Home, second single from The Hollow of the Morning. It was shot on location in Californiain the same area where Gone With The Wind (”I’s a-scairt a cows!!”), one of my all-time movie faves was also filmed. Which is just kinda cool and interesting, a funny choice considering Casablas is a thousand miles from Tipperary. Lucky, lovely Gemma. The song’s great too…
Animated by Mark Scully of Zealots, this is a deadly short film to Renegades by Your Arch Enemies. Setting their rock-bop songs to oddball vids are exactly what YAE do well and these really engaging graphics culminate in a sort of Mr Benn on peyote cliffhanging headtrip.
And I love red and orange together, *clashclashclash*!
Dundalk’s Chrome Horse have made it to the finals of the International Songwriting Competition with Reflections Of A Madman. Congratulations are in order as they join the ranks of 287 finalists who beat off stiff competition from over 15,000 others to reach the crucial stage and Chrome Horse now reside in the last 16 of the Rock category.
The ISC is one of the world’s most respected songwriting competitions including judges such as Robert Smith of The Cure, Black Francis of The Pixies and Jerry Lee Lewis amongst others. It’s great to see they’ve got a chance to shine here. Check them out yourself by hitting their website: their entire Songs From The Last Revolution album is available free in either download or CD format!
