Eyebrowy Animation‘s six-part series for the latest instalment of BBC’s Across The Line TV is now viewable on the programme’s website! Featuring familiar faces from Divine Comedy, Snow Patrol and The Undertones, you won’t have had more cheeky gags, dodgy sketches and unconvincing accents since you sat your Junior Cert. No one’s safe from the shrewd pair, who pounce on presenter Rigsy with a blooper reel of hilariously-regular fluffed lines.
RTE just don’t get it. I’ll go so far to say the national broadcaster is a bawling disappointment providing a lazy, uninspired schedule of programming failing straight across the board but particularly in its tacky corner of Youth Entertainment.
I realised this when our family returned to Ireland from a long spell in London. Raised on Jackanory, The Lowdown, Newsround, Knightmare, smArt, The Chart Show, TOTP and The Word (!!), I got a nasty shock that first afternoon jumping on to the couch for a slump’n’surf. Cartoons, cartoons, cartoons…imports, imports, imports. Whatever budget set aside for Irish entertainment appeared to extend to a turkey made of sacking and an occasional phone-in from Mona of Monaghan. DenTV’s for squares, twelve years later my two kids agree and refuse to watch anything but The Simpsons…and The Cafe. A show we watch together, I just about managed to get over standard cringeworthy-RTE presentation as it’s a chance for us to catch tunes from my desk and photos I’d be working on. I guess there was a special interest for me and the kids when they saw Noise Control giving it loads and we matched the animals to SEBP. That’s just us though and it’s lucky I have cool stories to spark genuine, early interest in home-grown music. What about the other kids? What’s making Irish music interesting and important 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!
Make sure you catch Eastenders early tonight because you’ll want to keep a healthy block of 10pm telly-time free. Across The Line TV, BBC2 Northern Ireland’s weekly new music show returns to our screens tonight and it’s looking to be a killer start to the season. Oppenheimer will perform Look Up live in the ATL studio, David Dewale of 2 Many DJs takes the industry hot seat and our favourite Indie piss-takers Eyebrowy provide light relief lampooning ‘A Brief History of Snow Patrol (with crap accents)’.Along with freebie podcasts each week, the Beeb are going one better than Other Voices by inviting budding artists to submit their own music videos for selection each week. Watch out for the video premiere of Skibunny’s new single Ah, Ooh! filmed by Team Fresh frontman Slaine:
This’ll be a regular fixture of my Monday nights now. Considering Mondays usually consist of massive Photoshop sessions tidying up gazillions of photos from gigs at the weekends, I can kill two birds with one stone and swot up on the latest musical talents up North whilst becoming distracted enough not to mind murderous mic stands fuckin up all my good pics. Wahey!
You, the patron. The generous benefactor with life-changing riches nestled in the clicky buttons of your mouse. Be Magwitch, Daddy Warbucks and Dr Dre of Irish music and get a skiddle over to to the Meteors’ site and vote which new band you want to win the Meteor/2fm Hope for 2008 Award.
Yesss the Meteors are considered a bit of a hoop-la and pomp but these kids work hard to make you happy so now it’s your turn!
Those in the running are…
Ham Sandwich - manic Kells quintent with a melancholic underside
The Kinetiks - rockin’ North Dublin four-piece who draw influence from The Who and The Strokes
Leanne Harte - strong, young indie singer/songwriter
Owen Brady - Soulful solo singer signed to Sony BMG
Adrian Crowley
Make sure you catch Eastenders early tonight because you’ll want to keep a healthy block of 10pm telly-time free. 
