My favourite alternative Dublin band The Eclectic made a rare return to the stage last Friday at Death Via Satellite in Eamon Dorans, bringing with them an array of haircuts, instruments and excitingly, new tracks!
Finally receiving much-deserved recognition, the fivesome wowed their way through the headline set in no time, whizzing the minutes away to a starlit, stagestruck reservoir of memory. Thankfully I had my camera to record what was an excellent show, starting off with nombres neuvo and ending with more familiar tracks Lucky Landing, Scream and The Lobotomist…dig the sampling, which begins with a soundbyte from a man who underwent the intrusive brain surgery at the age of twelve and describes its feeling as “a screwdriver in the brain“…Decide for yourself:
Republic of Loose have released information on their new album, set for release on April 25th.
Called VOL IV: Johnny Pyro And The Dance Of Evil, it’s the third offering from the ‘Loose, featuring a confirmed tracklisting of I Like Music, The Steady Song, You Do Me(and I’ll Do You), My Brain, Awful Cold, Drop, I.R.I.I.S.H, 13 Shots, Got, (They’re Gonna Miss Me) When I’m Gone, The Telephone, Things I Don’t Like, The Ritual and Poquito. Check out their MySpace for April tour dates….
DownloadMusic.ie are releasing an album of the best of unsigned Irish, fifteen tracks from DM artists showcased on a USB album. Sales will count towards the official chart, a very exciting prospect for the everyone involved (personally, I’ll go lally over a USB album placing highly and implore you to abandon CDs altogether).
Read all about it over on the DownloadMusic.ie blog….As a regular user of the site I’m chuffed to be involved on the kind invitation of Johnny Beirne and look forward to hearing the shortlist soon. A panel will each select three top tracks from a group of fifty. I quite look forward to settling down in front of a player of fifty new Irish songs but know the choicin’ part’s gonna be hard!
Getting music from practice rooms to strangers’ iPods is a new band’s biggest challenge. Internet’s role in early marketing has the power to make or break: Nirvana might reincarnate in Letterkenny but if neo-Kurt can’t type, he’s fucked all over again. Music websites are springing up like daisies and the thriving appetite for new bands in Ireland certainly derives from web exposure of free downloads on profile pages. Despite a compact population, the market for music continues to expand beyond confines of traditional media of television, print and radio. The web is now musicians’ most important tool.
Downloadmusic.ie recognised bands’ desires to take serious steps in building on such foundations, smoothing a route towards releasing music, providing a friendly, accessible interface to bridge the gap between product and player. Once singles have done well a host of new directions open up for these street-level bands, giving them the power to push their music to a mainstream audience. Inclusion on this USB album is another small step towards that goal. Here’s to them!
Since this was picked up by entertainment.ie as Video of the Week, Robotnik is a very happy…human. Created with cheap chalk and a blackboard, People Walk Away is anti-singer/songwriter Chris Morrin’s most popular track, rated #7 in the Vodafone Bright New Sounds competition. His MySpace shows busy times ahead and fun tunes on the player, so get a skiddle over if you like what you’ve seen.
Alphastates have juggled a heady couple of weeks with the impending release of Human Nature, follow-up to 2005’s Made From Sand. A shaky rendition of (I Lost My Heart To A) Starship Trooper on the Podge and Rodge Show last week left the uber-coolers a little red-faced but they’ve now bounced back on form, bringing news: users of music websites MySpace and iLike can stream tracks from the new album while 2005’s debut Made From Sand has been uploaded as seperate tracks to buy from downloadmusic.ie
Also on the download front but this time freeeebie-wise, Black Soul Strangers have uploaded a live recording of Wichita from their Crawdaddy show last week. They plan to start recording debut single Leave in April, having already started pre-production with Tom McFall (R.E.M, Bloc Party, Stars) and say everything is coming along nicely indeed…
Losing their original drummer Jimmy hasn’t set The Things back any: new EP Tiger sees the hairy scaries hit the Roisin Dubh in Galway tomorrow night (27 Mar), Tower Records Dublin at 6pm on Friday (28) and Psychotic Reaction at Crawdaddy on Saturday (29). It’s good to hear of launches further afield from home ground and indeed, The Things have big plans abroad, starting with a June jaunt to Berlin, recording new tracks for what is as yet known only as a “project”. Chilling!
Television Room return as headline acts to Revolver at Radio City this Saturday, accompanied by Cowboy X and The Ghandis. Great news for the hard-working quintet who’ve gigged a slew of dates and singles since their return to the limelight late last year. New single Modern Boys and Girls is almost trademark, jangling instruments and sunny vocals providing some of us (ie, sick, sniffly me) with a glimmer of sunshine. Be sure to download the single over at downloadmusic.ie or Sonikpollen.
It’s been a good week for The Eclectic as their excellent EP Breathe gets some well-deserved recognition over on State and Mp3Hugger. Check out their last.fm page for free downloads from their debut Songs For A Blank Canvas or stream the Breathe EP from their MySpace…just so you’re in the mood for what’s shaping up to be a storming headliner at Death Via Satellite with The Idiot and Verona Riots in Eamonn Dorans this Friday . and
IMRO’s Showcase gets into full swing with its second free gig, this Friday at the Sugar Club with LeGalaxie, Betamax Format and Grand Pocket Orchestra. Treats galore in-store from the righteous musical organisation of Ireland, all free, can be found over on the website.
Thanks to Forever Presents, Bats are very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very excited to support Chrome Horse at Whelans on Friday.
Upstairs, Subplots follow on stellar supports with Butterfly Explosion and Codes to launch new single Alarms also on Friday. They were fabulous at AC30, which was apparently the last performance of their old set list, from now on focussed on reflecting the tone of imminent, untitled debut album…
Codes have enjoyed a jaunt or two across the country in recent weeks, including Galway, Mullingar and an Irish language session on Newstalk, all to promote new single This Is Goodbye. On the agenda is a Cardiff trip to develop dragon-heads and a penchant for rugby, along with the lesser task of recording their debut album. On-board to produce is Greg Haver who previously worked wonders with Welsh luminaries Manic Street Preachers and SuperFurryAnimals. However you have one last chance to catch Codes live before they go, at next week’s IMRO Showcase (more info next week or see the website above)…
Speaking of Whelans and debuts, Readers’ Wives‘ self-titled album goes live Upstairs this Saturday. However you must first nab a listen of RW when they command the airwaves on Aoife McIndie’s radio slot tomorrow night on 103.2 Dublin City FM…
Also on Saturday, Dirty Epics and Travega take over The Stables in Mullingar.
Final gig recommendation goes to So Cow and Michael Knight who lend support to Norwegian label-mate Soda Fountain Rag (all three have released through Dublin-based yesboyicecream records) on Monday 31st March Upstairs Whelans. It’s looking to be a corker: considered a one-woman powerhouse of anti-folk, Soda Fountain Rag’s worked with Scandinavia’s finest including Jens Lenkman and Suburban Kids With Biblical Names. Her debut album It’s Rag Time! is released on April 4th and will be launched in London with the support of Michael Knight, so you’re being treated to a pre-release sorbet of tracks which all sound absolutely delicious….
Congratulations to whoever won Deis Roc on TG4 last night. I sent my text in for The Dirty 9s, had a giggle at the very clean and old Dirty Face Kids, marvelled how good-looking Ronan O’Snodaigh is when he’s shaved and popped out to make a cup o’cha…to completely miss the announcement. Bah!
And I’ll miss Yngve Wieland: he’s leaving our shores, sailing across to Albion in his steadfast guitar with only his album and some phone numbers to bide his way to London town. Convinced as much can be done in Ireland and ready for pastures new, Yngve hopes to release his debut album Tell Men This to a new audience and I can only wish him all the best of luck and late nights. Come back soon, ya hear?
I leave you with my favourite flyer of the week: The Amazing Few are going Commie at Pravda’s Blitz Club tomorrow night.
And one last video, RedKid’s Rocket Ship…check out the cool sequence at the end using Toni Ireton’s photos from the shoot!
God used foresight when he designed Cork: the sweep of hillside encircling the city was surely erected to save the rest of Ireland from the massive noise levels of Cyprus Avenue on a chilly evening of March madness.
Massive for sure: Sonus strode across the stage shortly after 9pm with jangles in their pockets and songforms so elaborate and meandering they were almost in freefall before springing back to point again. I was seriously impressed and rather glad of the canny twist of fate that saw Sonus perform at all: first choice Silo were apparently evicted from the Cork heat after allegations abounded of clashes with Cyprus Avenue’s CCTV and a clandestine violin. Silo’s frontman Philip Murray swore there was more to the story but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to convince the organisers.
Sonus therefore did not have the lengthy rehearsal timespan of the other competitors but managed a lively set on the night, respect due in large part to Alan Matthew’s animation in the throes of guitar to a slowly-filling venue.
Rough around the edges in the same way coal and crystals are and possibly more appreciable on recording, (EP <-initial demonstration-> hits the shelves this Weds 26 March) Sonus did not make the final cut at the end of this heat but were nonethless delighted to be involved. Watch out for them this summer when they plan to capture every cave and castle in the country.
Those marvellous chappies The Spikes dropped off the radar recently. All of Ireland quivered and held its breath, fearful that another great band had bit the dust. Fear not: Gareth Spike’s chapeau reliably informed me they’ve burrowed away into studio and rehearsal, tweaking the finishing touches to a long-anticipated debut album due for release this summer. Also confirmed is a slot at our own glorious epicentre of student debauchery: Trinity Ball 2008.
Don’t believe me? Here’s the first indication of good things to come: get it today!
