As Dublin readies itself for the Holidays In The Sun festival, Stuart Clark talks to Menace mainman Noel Martin about the birth of punk, Shane MacGowan's Union Jack and why John Lydon wasn't the most popular boy in school!
Four years on from Inflammable Material and even Jake Burns is beginning to wonder if Stiff Little Fingers are losing their bearings. Here he reveals some of his misgivings to Bill Graham
‘Looking after number one’ was the record that kick started Ireland’s passage toward punk, and the man who penned it is still vitriolic about the time and place that inspired the song.
Being dropped by a major has helped THERAPY? relocate their soul. The result is shameless – “a very simple punk rock’n’roll record,” says ANDY CAIRNS proudly.
Interview: PHIL UDELL
Tasmanian native Matt Lunson has overcome the challenges of establishing himself in a new country (not to mention his past in an Australian punk band called Hasselhoff!) to become one of the Irish music scene’s most accomplished solo artists.
The Moondogs were one of the original wave of late ’70s Northern Ireland punk bands. Now reformed, they have no less than two albums slotted for imminent release. Bassist Jackie Hamilton tells all.
Where hip and hype go together, that's where you'll find The Hives who are buzzing to tell Stuart Clark all about Kylie, curling, punk rock, nice forests and bad Norwegian jokes
To mark the occasion of the release of a near definitive punk compilation, GEORGE BYRNE fondly recalls the days when pogo was go-go and gabba gabba was hey.
French underground veteran I:Cube on launching his own label, collaborating with Daft Punk and RZA, and the diverse influences which inform his excellent new album.
Goldfinger might be the intelligent face of punk-pop with politics, animal rights and MTV baiting their subject matter. But bassist Kelly Lemieux insists that they remain balls out rock'n'rollers
In Auckland, it was punk rock, gang wars, heroin and prostitution. In Cavan, it s rolling countryside, a recording studio in a church and more dogs than you could throw a stick for. It s been a long way from there to here for BRENDAN PERRY, the former partner in Dead Can Dance who now has a solo album on release.
Interview: NICK KELLY. Pix: CATHAL DAWSON.
Perhaps the most influential punk band of the ‘70s, The Ramones were nonetheless riven with internal divisions and a variety of personal traumas, both psychological and pharmaceutical. All this and more is covered in an excellent new documentary on the band, End Of The Century – The Story Of The Ramones. Here, Tommy – the last surviving member of the original line-up – looks back on the dark times and discusses the group’s legacy with Tara Brady.
Following in the footsteps of Green Day and Good Charlotte Blink 182 are the latest punk outfit to massively expand their remit and radically alter their direction on their eponymous new album.
THE UNDERTONES have played a series of triumphant gigs since reforming. GEORGE BYRNE met the Derry punk legends, now augmented by Today FM producer Paul McLoone on vocals
Taking surf rock, doo-wop and bowery punk down the Euro-autobahn, The Raveonettes have hit on a winning combination of the wild, the innocent and the sado shuffle. Sharin Foo tells the story.
Taking surf rock, doo-wop and bowery punk down the Euro-autobahn, The Raveonettes have hit on a winning combination of the wild, the innocent and the sado shuffle. Sharin Foo tells the story.
Taking surf rock, doo-wop and bowery punk down the Euro-autobahn, The Raveonettes have hit on a winning combination of the wild, the innocent and the sado shuffle. Sharin Foo tells the story.
LCD Soundsystem's recent single, 'Daft Punk Is Playing At My House', is really, really good.
Sadly, the same can't be said of the Parisian dance duo who inspired it.
Are they genuine punks or just an amped-up, radio-friendly version of the real thing? Good Charlotte‘s twin frontmen Benji and Joel wouldn’t like to say for certain.
After all the cooked-up Milli Vanilli-style controversy over his debut Chickeneye (is it really his? Is he just the acceptable front for a geeky bedroom idiot savant? Does anyone really care?), Punk-Roc returns in defiant, boombox-rocking style.
Another of Blood And Fire's excellent collection/samplers from their range of classier '70s reggae/dub plates - and it's good! Heavyweight 3 features 14 tracks from the likes of Horace Andy, Bim Sherman and Johnny Clarke, showcasing some of the era's most exciting sounds, punk notwithstanding.
Skunk Anansie? Punk rock art-terrorists or some music mogul's idea of what an angry young female-fronted band should sound like in the 1990s? Post Orgasmic Chill might have provided the definitive answer.
They started out as a bunch of punk rock misfits called the Sex Maggots but had their biggest hit with an acoustic ballad on a Meg Ryan movie soundtrack.
They were Ireland’s original of the punk species, and thirty years on from their debut, Paranoid visions are still fizzling with anti-establishment fury. The difference, they say, is that nowadays they are more likely to channel their rage through music rather than chuck a bottle through a shop window
From frontman with incendiary collective Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy to his current incarnation as hip-hop zen master, Michael Franti has remained one of the true radical voices of the US underground.
They’re German, they’ve been making music for years, have been unfairly compared to Daft Punk, and are about to blow up with their debut album, Selected Funks. Richard Brophy meets the strike boys and says ‘gut, gut super gut!’
The legacy of a punk great is scrutinised in a new documentary Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten. Filmmaker Julien Temple explains what motivated him to make a movie about his old friend.
Northern rockers Therapy? are back in the saddle with their tenth studio album Never Apologise, Never Explain – and as Andy Cairns tells Tanya Sweeney, their rabble rousing punk ethic remains as sharply ingrained as ever.
Fresh from his recent success with the Xpress-2 collaboration 'Lazy', David Byrne reflects on a musical journey that began in 1977 with the legendary Talking Heads
Having survived classical and punk obsessions, not to mention an Adam Ant gig when she was 14, Joan Wasser may have finally found her true self in the role of Joan As Policewoman.
Brody Dalle is tired – but then she has had a pretty intense few years of it. Peter Murphy learns how The Distillers survived marital discord and peer disapproval.
Killarney-based instrumental foursome HELIOPAUSE say they’re keen to keep rock ‘n’ roll alive in the Kingdom. We caught up with drummer Jamie O’Donoghue to talk mountains, his instrumental icons and supporting fellow sticks man R.S.A.G.Punk, Mark Morrison with Muse and Bob Marley with TLC, they show real production potential.
AGEING PUNK STUART 'CIDER'N'SPIT' CLARK REHEATS THE WHITE HOT CAULDRON OF 1977 IN A DISCUSSION OF TIMES PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE WITH THOSE CHARMING MEN FROM MANCHESTER, BUZZCOCKS. PIC: CATHAL DAWSON
Acclaimed music writer Simon Reynolds has revisited the post-punk era with a fascinating set of interview transcripts. He talks about prising choice quotes from Phil Oakey, David Byrne and, after a tense stand-off, Pere Ubu’s David Thomas - and explains why the internet has taken some of the fun out of music
STUART CLARK DISCOVERS HOW IT TAKES 14 YEARS TO BECOME AN OVERNIGHT SENSATION WHEN HE DISCUSSES FAME, FORTUNE AND BELINDA CARLISLE'S SEEDY PUNK PAST WITH REDD KROSS MAINMAN STEVE McDONALD
Being assaulted by irate audience members at Donnington, working with Iggy Pop, asked to write songs for Britney – and shocking Marilyn Manson’s crowd. It’s all in a year’s work for electro-punk princess and ‘Erotic Performer Of The Year’ Peaches.
Purveyors of three-chord sci-fi punk metal, Coheed And Cambria certainly aren’t afraid of pushing the boundaries. But at its heart, their music is deeply personal, says frontman Claudio Sanchez.
In a surprise change of direction, Green Day’s latest album American Idiot sees the punk three-piece coming out fighting against a certain George W. Bush.
From punk princess to MTV starlet to French warbler, it’s been a long strange journey for Belinda Carlisle. But right now, what she really wants to do is open a donkey sanctuary.
Ahead of their much anticipated Electric Picnic spot, Bloc Party talk about going mad in Westmeath and explain why it’s time for a post-punk concept record.
Those angry young Marxist Punk-Rockers THE MEKONS are back with a new album I Love Mekons and a contribution to a pro-abortion Woman’s Rights compilation . . . but they’re no longer quite so angry or young, not exactly Marxist, and their Punk is reinforced by Folk, Country and World Music! ANDY
DARLINGTON finds out what the hell is going on in Club Mekon.
Cork outfit Rulers Of The Planet may have started out with few ambitions other than having lots of fun, but the growing acclaim being afforded their exhilarating brand of corrosive punk-rock means that world domination is an increasingly realistic prospect.
Barely out of school, Dublin sister duo Heathers are already turning heads with their melodic punk-pop. They talk about what it's like being one of the country's buzzing newcomers.
Cast as fictional conjoined twins who start their own punk band Harry and Luke Treadaway have delivered one of the year’s funniest and most moving performances in the mocumentary Brothers Of The Head.
Underground heroes for the best part of a decade, French soft-rockers Phoenix look set to break-big with their latest album. They talk about drawing inspiration from the annals, and hanging out with Francis Ford Coppola
Having delivered a storming set at Oxegen, pop-rock powerhouse NOISETTES confess a love for all things Irish in the Hot Press Signing Tent. Plus, they hold forth on their passion for everything from jazz to punk to heavy metal.
Philip Chevron's career has been nothing if not varied. From the early days with the Radiators through his collaborations with people like Agnes Bernelle and right up to his current work with The Pogues, he has proved himself to be a consistently fine songwriter and performer. In the first part of a lengthy and intense interview, he talks to Eamonn McCann about his childhood, his love of Broadway musicals, the Horslips connection, the genesis of the Radiators and his fleeting career as a journalist.
Patti Smith has been an avant-garde icon and punk poet idol for more than two decades. We thought it would be interesting to see what Cathy Jordan, the stylish singer with folk supergroup Dervish, would make of her recent performance in Jordan's hometown of Sligo.
He has warts on his face, chemical paste in his blood, viagra in his dick and a heart full of rock 'n' roll. "There are occasions when I do preach temperance," Lemmy tells a startled STUART CLARK Woooooargh! Photography: SIMON ROCHE
Once an unwitting part of the punk movement, Squeeze have survived the vagries of fashion to become pop elder statesmen, Stuart Clark takes a trip down south London way and swaps a few yarns - but not spit - with Glenn Tilbrook.
GREEN DAY have had a meteoric rise over the last 18 years, from poky Dublin dives to colossal international stadia. But despite their maturing worldview and increasing political articulacy, they’re still as exciting a kick-ass punk rock group as ever.
Glove remixes CC’s ode to letting go on ze dancefloor into a punk-funk stomper even slinkier than the original-!!!-aping punk-funk stomper. And there’s an acapella included. Do the hustle.
DAVID HOLMES new album is likely to
elevate him to the world s DJ-ing A-list.
STUART CLARK visited him in Belfast to hear tales of voodoo, punk, Primal Scream and, er, Gilbert O Sullivan.
Pictures: MYLES CLAFFEY
When Nirvana exploded out of Seattle with the classic grunge album Nevermind, they were hailed as modern primitives, punk upstarts whose hard musical edge and authentic street style were the antithesis of the dominant ethos of corporate rock. Two years on however, their reputation as Rock 'n' Roll rebels is somewhat less secure. Bill Graham sifts through two new biographies of the band, and talks to Victoria clarke, the co-author of a third which has been effectively surpressed by the Nirvana 'corporation'.
The Heineken Rollercoaster Tour is taking to the road again and this time the capital is nobody’s hometown gig. From Kells come Turn, from Limerick Woodstar and from Cork The Frank and Walters. Next stop: a venue near you.
Ahead of their Electric Picnic shows, The Beastie Boys talk about Politics, the influence of punk on their sound and explain why Ireland is one of their favourite places to play
Fashion designer, punk Svengali, musical maverick, filmmaker and occasional pervertor of justice. MALCOLM McLAREN has been all of these things – and more – in a rollercoaster career that's seen him become a hero to some and an unscrupulous villain to others. STUART CLARK tools up at Ron & Reggie's Gangland Surplus Store for a showdown with the man who manufactured cash from chaos! Scene-of-the-crime photographer: COLM HENRY.
As the punk revolution took hold in the UK, Manchester was notable for the bleak, industrial soundtrack even its most successful bands were making. But that all changed with the explosion there of a new and hedonistic culture, centred in and around The Hacienda, a club run by the city's most influential music biz entrepreneur, the boss of Factory Records, TONY WILSON. The story of the transformation of the city into the centre of rock'n'roll's emerging drug and club culture – of the change from Manchester to Madchester – is told in 24 Hour Party People. With the Happy Mondays as it primary musical focus, there's no shortage of on-screen drugs and fighting – but this is really the extraordinary saga of one of the great rock'n'roll towns, in all its gory glory… Tara Brady reports
PIGEON-HOLE THEM AS BELFAST HARDCORE MERCHANTS AT YOUR PERIL - IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS THERAPY? HAVE RELEASED TWO CLASSIC PUNK-POP EP'S THAT SHOOK THE BRITISH CHARTS, AND EVEN GOT THEM INTO THE PAGES OF TEEN-BIBLE SMASH HITS. AS THEY BEGIN RECORDING THEIR NEW LP, THEY TAKE TIME OUT TO GET NERVOUS ABOUT FEILE, GET ANGRY ABOUT THE BEATLES, AND EXPLAIN WHY THE DAYS OF THE NINE-MINUTE INSTRUMENTAL EPIC ARE OVER. INTERVIEW: LORRAINE FREENEY
Pigeon-hole them as Belfast hardcore merchants at your peril in the past few months Therapy? have released two classic punk-pop EPs that shook the British charts, and even got them into the pages of teen-bible Smash Hits. As they begin recording their new LP, they take time out to get nervous about Fiile, get angry about the Beatles, and explain why the days of the nine-minute instrumental epic are over. Interview: Lorraine Freeney.
He pioneered the art of glam-punk excess with the New York Dolls and now he's learned to grow old gracefully. Peter Murphy meets the boy from New York City, the ever cool David Johansen. Photos: MYLES CLAFFEY
. . . Here’s T.P. McKenna, one of Ireland’s most eminent actors – and a punk at heart. In an outspoken interview he savages Marlon Brando, Joseph Strick, Ian Paisley and Margaret Thatcher – and talks about his desire to be held in the arms of young girls again . . .
Interview: JOE JACKSON
So this is Christmas and what have we done... As U2 prepare to enter the final yearof the decade, Bono devotes a long night at his home in Dublin to reflecting on his life, his music and U2's extraordinary career to date. Interview: Liam Mackey
If anyone finds Juliette Lewis possibly the most annoying person in punk rock history (and it takes a good deal to beat any of Bowling For Soup), Glasweigan all-girl group The Hedrons are most suitable alternative. In ‘I Need You’, the second single preceding album One More Won’t Kill Us, there’s the same spunky attitude, bass-heavy three chord punk and throat-ripping vocals, but sans the want-to-kill-her factor. Which is always a bonus.
Having promised so much for so long, The Things have finally delivered. While previous efforts like 'Demon Stomp' and 'Psycho Lover' brought fine doses of schizophrenic blues and garage punk to the party, the Dubliners' recorded efforts always seemed disappointing when compared to their furiously frantic and fabulously ludicrous live shows. All that has changed. 'Some Kind Of Kick' is a near perfect slice of punk rock. So feverishly does vocalist Neilo howl out his sleazoid predatory lyrics, it's as if his larynx is about to explode at any minute. The type of rock tune any band would kill to have written.
For a band supposed to be playing the kind of melodic punk rock currently shifting units on a global scale, Does This Look Infected is shockingly unmelodic and short on memorable tunes.
Juliette Lewis always seemed too visceral, too wantonly scuzz, for Hollywood. Troubled stars are no novelty but Lewis paraded her confusion like a gunshot wound. Her perma-sneer and ragged complexion glowered in defiance of the dream factory. Frantic and feral , she stank up the screen like a noxious perfume.
Understandably, it’s been a while since she was asked to front a rom-com. In the hiatus, Lewis has plumped for a career in guttural punk-pop. The question posed by You’re Speaking My Language, her frantic and debauched full length debut, is this: does she really mean it?
Punk is riding a new wave of end of the century nostalgia. Yet another addition to the fray is the timely release of a new Buzzcocks album, packaged with an additional greatest hits enhanced CD containing three videos and lots of multi-media memorabilia.
Music Review | Live
47% | 15 Oct 2003
Phil Udell
The sound is pretty poor, rendering the succession of frantic punk rockers an increasingly indecipherable mess.
They must be sick of the Pogues comparisons by this stage, but listening to Blood Or Whiskey’s third studio album it’s impossible not to think of Spider Stacey bouncing his head off a beer crate and an early Shane MacGowan screeching into the microphone with two fingers aloft as the squaddies chucked their chips at him. Blood Or Whiskey evoke those sort of memories. The Rum, Sodomy And The Lash era when The Pogues stuck to their punk and traditional origins.
Felix mixes an abrasive, jacking punk/funk beat, a spoken female vocal and a screaming synth. Result: a very contemporary thrill that will move fashionable floors.
Ex-punk that I am I’m not going to berate anybody for having a go/creating their own scene/trying to get up people’s noses, but as much as they want it to be 1976 Selfish Cunt aren’t going to ferment revolution by giving themselves a self-consciously rude name/swearing a lot/sounding like a very bad S*M*A*S*H.
Fiona H. Stevenson aka Fay Wolftree Webb was the gifted Hot Press writer once dubbed the ‘High Priestess of Punk’ in Ireland in the mid-’80s. in later life, having moved to England, she had to cope with the complex and difficult reality of living with manic depression. on December 18, 2003, aged just 39, Fiona died, apparently of a prescription drug overdose. in a personal tribute to Fiona, and as a means of highlighting a major mental health concern, former Hot Press writer Paul O’Mahony here recalls his first love and enduring friend.
He’s a law unto himself is Stef, making the kind of records that nobody else could get away with. ‘Poisonous Love’ is an ode to a doomed love affair that turns into a punk sea shanty and sounds like The Men They Couldn’t Hang. It’s also great.
From the murky, punk-funk rhythms and rave stabs on ‘Raw Mission’ to the ominous synths of ‘If U Dance’, this taster for his new album shows that Mr Pascalidas’ scope is wider and more inventive than the rest of the Gigolos stable.
Right, we know feck all about the hardcore and punk originals here from the likes of Crass, The Angry Samoans, Minor Threat and co, but we sure do like the interesting, oddball, deadpan, so hip-it-hurts electronica/tech/broken/glitch/what? takes from the sometime Matmos member.
The Undertones and Stiff Little Fingers are proof that middle-age punk rock isn’t necessarily a bad idea, for the Stranglers, however, it may be time for a rethink.
Digitalism take it down the de-rigueur punk funk/disko rock route, with pervy and unsettling undertones thanks to the vocals. Midnight Mike’s mix is a more innocent, a fresh-faced, tongue-in-cheek block party disco.
Everything about The Others should set us against them – the NME’s desperate desire to push them as the next Libertines, the whole London ‘guerrilla’ scene, Alan McGee – but Stan Bowles is a pretty decent punk rock racket, if a little too self-knowing to back up the outsider mythology already being built up around them.
The German techno hedonist brings us a more diverse selection than usual with electro house classics from Tiefschwarz, NY punk funk from !!! and visceral minimalism from Basteroid.
A fine version of George Michael’s soulful ballad from the former punk siren and now Wicklow resident, this is a more commercial offering than much of her more folk-inspired output of late.
Available as a free download from their website, The Flaws' new single does little to justify their increasingly hyped reputation. Though ‘Out Tonight’ is a fine surge of pop-punk delivered at breakneck speed, it isn’t particularly memorable. Little here will set the Carrickmacross lads apart from a host of new acts plying the same territory.
Recorded in Munich and remixed in Rome, Passarani’s version fuses jacking Chicago house with punk funk slackness as a loose groove and wobbly bassline meet up. Francisco’s sleazy, breaking electro version is way off the mark though.
‘Apalm’ is lo-fi, low-slung punk funk meander with a burbling 303 line you could do without, while The Rapture’s remix of ‘Hey Now’ is bonkers… schaffel beats that suddenly become 4/4, droning FX and vocals, disco licks and acid everywhere. Too trendy for its own good if you ask us.
Their three-minute cartoon punk pop may be perfect bubblegum listening, but one the novelty wears off, you're left with comic music: all painted-on grins and jokes that have worn a bit thin
The original's a great punk-funk/go-go ditty about picking up a rather filthy lady. Phwoar. Mustapha3000 (aka Erol Alkan) supplies a smart remix tat sounds like Justice reworking Prodigy's 'Poison'. If you're confused by the above, Headman drops a usable club mix too.
Over the past year or two, the minty fresh blast of guitary poppy punk in the charts has induced delight among the jilted generation. Green Day, Offspring, Blink 182 et al have all knocked a few teeny bands out of the top ten.
Influx ex-pats Glen Brady and Dominique Keegan continue to ride the punk funk wave perfectly – ‘Listen…’ is a loose, lo-fi 140bpm thing with subtle guitars, louche vocals and a winning chorus. The Mylo mix drops the pressure for the floor.
Good old Coxo. Ever in fear of returning to his hated time as a pop icon, he wrote one of the best tunes of his life and then let it dribble out as a limited edition seven inch single earlier this year. Thankfully somebody’s seen sense and now we can all revel in the three minute punk pop glory that is ‘Freakin’ Out’.
Dundalk’s The Gurriers meanwhile, don’t do ‘stark musical backgrounds’. They do loud, brash and the faster the better. The Kamikaze EP is four tracks of US punk that has desire to be neither big nor clever and is quite good fun for what it is. Ironically, on ‘Back On The Alcohol’ they sound just like the Dropkick Murphys, an American band who are desperate to be Irish. Funny old world.
Unmissable comp and mix of classic Chicago moments – with added funk, punk-funk and disco moments. A comprehensive round-up of what they wuz wiggin’ out to in Chicago 15-odd years ago.
Who knew that a rain stick and a didgeridoo had a place on a punk and blues record? Limerick’s Fox Jaw Bounty Hunters aren’t afraid to sprinkle their jagged sound with uncommon instruments. While the tracks themselves aren’t anything revolutionary, it’s fun to listen for the eclectic elements hidden here and there.
The Radiators were the first true Irish punk band, and with most current rock acts unwilling to confront the broad political realities of today, they may well turn out to be our last.
This Epworth-controlled jam marries tribal percussion, an elastic, abrasive bassline and yelped Rapture-ish vocals for a good two minutes until the skeletal drums drop. Sounds like Talking Heads gone Shoreditch. ‘Summertime’s is something different – lo-fi punk-funk – but equally good. Tip.
I don't know whether the labyrinthine beauty and complexity of contemporary dance music has trained my ear into high expectations, but nowadays rock, pop and punk has to be top class for me to find it remotely interesting. And I'm afraid this latest offering from Green Day – their first album in three years – just doesn't cut the mustard.
You've got to hand it to them for their energy. The pace of 'Henrietta' is frenetic throughout - and it's a lot of fun to dance around to. With the current overload of young post-punk rockers clamouring for attention in the UK, The Fratellis may have a difficult time standing out. This is a strong debut single though, so if things go right for them, they could be bumping shoulders with those pesky Monkeys and Chiefs in no time.
Faithless return with their oddest single to date. Gone is the standard anthemic dance vibe, replaced by punk guitars, brass, pounding drums and even handclaps.
Any Irish band who list Half Man Half Biscuit as an influence on their MySpace site have to be worthy of a listen, although the sound of Birkenhead’s finest is hard to detect. This is fairly standard punk pop stuff to be honest, not helped by an average production job but showing signs of perhaps better to come. It’s no ‘Trumpton Riots’ though.
From New York, on a cooler than cool London indie label and remixed by the likes of Soulwax and Le Tigre, The Gossip are so achingly hip that the cynic in you really wants to hate this. Then the music lover in you takes over. This is absolutely incredible. Describing them as a punk gospel three-piece is not wrong; a rattling lo-fi tune topped off with a belting female vocal.
Few bands in history have attracted an avalanche of slippery rockspeak semantics quite like Pere Ubu, and frontman David Thomas’ seminal musical mobius trip has variously (and aptly I guess) been proclaimed as the statelier emanations of jazz-punk, post-punk (via either Detroit or New York scenes), Dadaist art-rock, demi-no wave, pre-Pixies rumbling, avant-garde and just about any hip, broad church you care to mention.
With hopes of a new Pixies record fading away (possibly a blessing in disguise), Black Francis/Frank Black returns instead with something like his 75th solo album. His own stuff has varied in quality for sure, yet ‘Captain Pasty’ is a bit more like it, a snarling punk rock record with that trademark voice still intact. Completely hatstand of course, but good to have around.
The Irish band of last year by some measure, the Blizzards’ ascent is most notable for how far they’ve come in such a short space of time. ‘Fantasy’ offers more of their spirited punk pop but it’s B-side ‘Sweet As Sound’ that proves just what they’re capable, a subtle little tune that builds to a harmony-filled conclusion and is an easy match to anything on the album. The only way, it would seem, is up.
No surprises then to discover that the fourth album from this long-time Dublin punk collective sounds exactly like you expect it to. Cue blood curdling vocals, fuzzy speeded-up guitars and car-crash drumming. But despite their “stuck in a time-warp” musical ambitions the production here is pretty impressive and they remain unrepentantly faithful to the genre
Weatherall covers all bases with his first eponymous release – ‘Feathers’ combines a raw riff Mick Jones would be proud of with punk/funk bassline and unexpected searing synths; ‘You Can’t Do…’ is brilliantly baffling New Wave-ish gothic disco, while ‘La Sirena’ is bassy, buzzing techno with a choice, chopped flamenco. Wottaman.
The Like are three nearly-out-of-teenage girls who have discovered pop-punk, but instead of taking it down some grotty toilet in Brixton or Brooklyn, they’re going to shake it in the stadiums of the world. That’s the plan anyway, and it could easily work, given the girls’ ability to blend candy-coated tunes with a snappy chord-driven, dirty guitar sound.
Uninventive disco/electro slow-jam ‘Rainbow Man’ sounds like something Daft Punk left on the cutting room floor. And it’s made by Daft Punk’s manager. Pedro Winter redeems himself with ‘Chop Suey’, a catchy, twitchy, DJ Funk-aping electro/booty cruncher.
Ah, Cork, so much to answer for. All good, as it happens. Arm The Elderly are a quartet with a fair bit of experience behind them, but a good degree of fire left in their bellies. Like their neighbours Rulers Of The Planet, this is a punk rock in-your-face experience that sounds as though it’d be quite something live. You might have problems getting hold of it outside of the People’s Republic, but have a look at their MySpace site for more info.
The hysteria that greets the arrival of Weezer to these shores and each new record suggest that they’re probably a more important band than we might give them credit for. ‘Beverly Hills’ is another spot-on punk-pop moment from Rivers Cuomo, beefed up with metal guitar riffs and street-gang backing vocals. Once again the Weezer boys haven’t put a foot wrong.
Spotted in their native Derry before they’d even played a gig, Kharma 45 are clearly taking the major label route of yore, setting up base on the mainland. The input of cash is easy to see in terms of sight and sound yet whether their take on Primal Scream style electro punk is all there yet is open to question. Sounds just like what you’d expect from a song with the word ‘man’ in the title.
One of the more interesting all-girl guitar groups in years, LA three-piece The Like blend Blondie with The Clash through the upbeat bounce of their second single ‘June Gloom’.
Sounding not unlike ‘90s Brits Lush, there’s less bombast here and a greater focus on melody then their previous outing.
Sure, the single fizzles with punk pop values but it is remarkably low on angst. Impressive.
For all the flak they get from parts of the press and large sections of music fans, you have to admit that at least the Fall Out Boy/My Chemical Romance/Panic At The Disco! axis are trying to do something different with what has become an extremely narrow-minded genre. The latest FOB is more of the same wordy, slightly too clever punk-pop but, next to the dreadful boneheadedness of Sum 41 (the cover features Mr. Avril gobbing), it sounds like high art.
When an album kicks off with the line "She broke my heart, so I ate her liver/And dumped her putrefying carcass in the river", you know you're not in for an easy ride. But hey, hey, it's The Hitchers - Limerick's very own post-modern, guitar-pop ironists - with another instalment of cartoon punk for our delectation and delight.
Although you shouldn’t judge a single by the design of the record cover, The Flaw’s decision to go with a yellow Lego man in a little Lego set was well-advised, as it will doubtlessly appeal to people’s sense of nostalgia. All style and no substance? Not at all. The Monaghan group have hit the target with ‘1981’. A very strong pop-punk record that only improves on repeat listens. In other words: an anthem in the making.
In Dublin’s Nine IX Lives, we have that rarest of things – a convincing Irish rock band. Although they nail their colours firmly to the punk-pop mast, there’s a definite metal edge at work here, right from the opening riffs and their early Iron Maiden feel. It’s not perfect by any means (the production needs to be meatier and at six tracks they’re stretching their material a bit) but this is hugely encouraging stuff.
‘The band most likely to do a Franz Ferdinand in 2005!’ proclaims a UK music weekly. This single tells a different story. Bloc Party go one further than the usual flotsam of Joy Division-inspired noiseniks and combine their angular guitar-based funk/punk with a certain amount of heartfelt sentiment.
Mullingar’s finest release a single that’s not exactly in the ‘Trouble’ or ‘Miss Fantasia Preaches’ league of catchy pop-punk. But rest assured – it contains their trademark harmonies and witty wordplay, and bounces along like a pogostick on a trampoline. It’ll no doubt keep their growing legion of fans placated while the new album makes its way into record shops. But it’s worth pointing out they’re capable of better than this.
The guitar riff which pumps Infadels ‘Can’t Get Enough’ seems to bite at your insides. Snarling above a classic house beat and a regional accent it doesn’t just come at you, it kicks out. This is sure to be a stable of indie clubs around the country. ‘Can’t Get Enough’ is dancehall-punk infused with ska and electronica. With these tunes and this attitude, Infadels can expect to be tipped as this years Hard-Fi.
The stand-out in their awesome live set, ‘Stop and Remember’ is an agitated and boisterous call-to-arms that shifts styles and tone more often than the band swap instruments.
Singer/drummer/guitarist Conor O’Brien seems to fizzle with excitement as he delivers his thumping vocal. Rising urgency eventually sees him erupt into full-on preacher mode, making for OK Computer as seen through the eyes of punk misfits.
The opening track on Bay Area goth/metal/punk outfit AFI’s new effort beckons us to join them in their macabre dance of thrash melodies and is the first indication of a simple hardcore album being fed to the sharks of over-production.
Bossa and nu-jazz/funk versions of punk/new wave classics from The Undertones, The Clash, Killing Joke, PIL, Dead Kennedys delivered by two sultry chanteuses.
Though Dave’s Radio’s follow-up to the top 20 track ‘Kids’ sits in the central lane of indie-rock, there’s a mighty dose of punk arrogance and a spooky electronic-type instrument throughout that sets this Dublin trio apart from the more, er, standard domestic bands. And you have to give props to a song whose hook bears more than a passing resemblance to ‘On Repeat’ by LCD Soundsystem. Hugely promising stuff.
With a sound located in the early ’70s, this laid-back, slice of bluesy rock from the Dun Laoghaire outfit (formerly trading as Porn Trauma) falls somewhere between Derek & The Dominos Layla and the Stones’ ‘Exile On Main Street’. Replete with vintage sounding guitars, liberal use of harmonica and soulful backing vocals, it certainly offers a refreshing alternative to the raft of copycat, post-punk pretenders doing the rounds.
X marks the spot! The spirit of the Los Angeleno post-punk pioneers fairly haunts this superlative garage-rock stomper, as Andrea Zollo’s Kim Gordon-like growl interplays superbly with the kind of spiralling guitar riffs that were last heard at a Television gig circa 1978. Fittingly, the last singles page of 2003 fades out to the sound of the young soul rebels. Merry Xmas.
Edwin James is electronic in sound but punk by nature. He set up his own label as a platform for his work and has brought his mixture of electro and techno to every bar, club and live venue in the country. Despite his DIY attitude, one gets the feeling that ‘Electronix’ is merely a warm up for the main event. James’s production is pristine throughout and he certainly has an ear for melody, but ‘Electronix’ displays too much reverence for the past. Once he steps out from the shadows of those he eulogises, we can expect to hear a masterpiece.
Cowboy X’s follow up to debut ‘Gabbi’ continues their marriage of Kim Deal vocals and Goldfrapp melodies, amid wafts of guitar-induced electronica. Peppered with hooks, ‘Between The Hit And The Miss’ references punk and radio-friendly pop before erupting into a mass of sunshine electronica. Constantly shifting styles and consistently engaging, this is pop music for the thinking man. Good stuff.
If being a member of The Clash is enough to ensure one’s reputation for life, then Mick Jones more than any of them – even Strummer – has refused to rest on his laurels. As well as producing The Libertines, the past four years have seen him work alongside Tony James (Generation X, er.. Sigue Sigue Sputnik) in Carbon/Silicon. The terrible, literal, cover aside, it’s pretty good punk-pop, the sound of two men in their fifties who know that youthful posturing is beneath them yet still refuse to grow old.
Track after track comes out of the speakers, nipping at your ankles like some overexcited dog that you can’t shake off no matter how hard you try. The production from Bloc Party/Futureheads man Paul Epworth is sparkling and the songs wed pop and punk in perfect manner, all delivered in the deliciously broad Newcastle tones of singer Paul Smith. It reaches a crescendo with the glorious ‘Going Missing’, at which point it seems that Maximo Park can do no wrong. Unfortunately, from then in they start to struggle a tad.
While part two was never going to be as eventful, there is more than enough on offer to justify its existence – SP overlord Etienne De Cercy and Alex Gopher’s ‘Overnet’ is a thrilling, punk/funk meets acid house stormer, ‘Fasttrack’ updates Kraftwerk for 2004 while ‘Soulseek’’s is a intruiging blend of synths and beats.
As Fatboy Slim is well aware, folks just can’t get enough of wacky dancing. In the past month unprecedented media exposure has been bestowed on Chicago’s OK Go, thanks to a $20 video of them dancing in their backyard.
Eclipsing even Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s infamous recording, it has since become the most downloaded video of all time. The song itself is a punchy guitar-led James Bond-type punk-funk tune. Though memorable, it’s not a patch on the video which accompanies it.
This venture is the brainchild of former punk folk-poet Patrick Fitzgerald (then Patrik) also famed for his efforts with Kitchens Of Distinction, and written and recorded in deepest, darkest Connemara.
When Danish trio Who Made Who put out a version of ‘Satisfaction’ last year, it appeared that they were just another act cashing in on the mash up sound. Thankfully, their debut album proves that they are neither cover-version chancers nor punk funk pretenders.
Sure, most of these tracks are based on loose rhythms and slack, unquantized drums. But there are enough unexpected twists and turns and nods to electro, tripped-out acid and Chicago house to guarantee that we won’t look back in a few years time and grimace when their name is mentioned.
Waterford band The Heard have recently picked up some notable plaudits from the likes of Alison Curtis at Today FM, and at times it's easy to see why. Raw production lends a hint of punk energy to their otherwise straight melodic rock songs. 'Holiday Camp' brings to mind Modern Life Is Rubbish-era Blur whilst 'Shame' has the swagger and punch of The Undertones and the melodies of The Stunning. If there is a criticism, it's that the songs lack imagination. Decent enough nonetheless.
Blink’s return is an engaging tale of hard work and honesty triumphing over indifference but, close up, the story feels less compelling. For while ‘The Tiny Magic Indian’ touts engaging emo theatrics, its ambitions in the direction of skater-punk anthemia fail to convince.
Like Humanzi, Limerick’s Vesta Varro show much promise. Their much anticipated double A-side has been delayed as interest in the UK has grown. With a sound taking in early U2, Joy Division, Wire and The Cure, they fit snugly into the current scene. Sharp, polished guitar hooks are punctuated by a strong chorus. At times ‘Blue Mirror Boy’ evokes memories of Woodstar’s wonderful ‘Dumb Punk Song’. An assured debut and a band to keep tabs on over 2006.
A heady brew of metal, punk, glam ‘n’ grunge with Brit-pop melodies to boot, Philadelphia three-piece Burning Brides appear to have all the elements of a great band.
Plan B has done for UK hip-hop, so might Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly do for punk rock. Similarly based around one young man and a bashed-up acoustic guitar, ‘The Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager’ has a terse, tense intro that suggests it might explode into some kind of emo anthem – and it duly does. We’ve waited too long for someone to rescue the singer-songwriter tradition from the bland mush it’s turned into; in this impassioned 20-year-old from Southend, we might just have found our own superhero.
On Planet Punk, there’s a hemisphere of a difference between Hüsker Dü and Busted, but it’s exactly equidistant of the two where Reekus-signed band SuperJimenez have spread out their kit. ‘Helicopters’, the Dubliners’ debut single, has enough spunk to avoid it being fobbed off as a throwaway pop record, yet bounces along like the radio-friendly tune that Mr Mould never wrote. And given that summer’s slowly slowly approaching, the single’s a perfect soundtrack to those first visits to Howth and lunchtimes in St Stephen’s Green. Cheerful stuff.
Wow! Be Your Own Pet’s debut single just doesn’t let up. At only 59 seconds long, ‘Let’s Get Sandy (Big Problem)’ seems to explode from the speakers, leaving a carcass of frantic, speed-induced riotous punk in its wake.
After such a start, b-side ‘Early Sandy (I Got A Big One)’ is hugely disappointing. It is little more than a studio outtake. You couldn’t even call it a song. Nonetheless, at an average age of just 17 and with a female singer primed for indie pin-up status, expect to hear more from the quartet over the coming year.
Canadian punk-poppet Avril Lavigne, 22, is a married woman but her concerns are very much of the lip-curled adolescent if this, her third album, is anything to go by.
A close contender for single of the fortnight, ‘Rocket Ship’ is a very loud and equally catchy old school rock’n’roll song. The Dublin quartet take their love of late ‘70s new wave and New York punk and contort it to deliver a cracking tune that never lets up in pace. The band are renowned for their frenetic delivery and chaotic shows – they have succeeded in capturing some of that energy on record. Singer Ronan Turner delivers some nice’n’sleazy CBGBs vocal creating, with some help from the other boys, a chorus that will stay in your mind for weeks.
From the moment the crash of Director’s instruments build to a wall of sound you know you’re in for something truly special. ‘Reconnect’ is one of the most impressive and intelligently constructed Irish debuts in an age. In parts as po-faced as Interpol, it is at its heart an abashed pop song fed astutely through new wave punk. Frontman Michael Moloney exudes an effortless cool with his sharp vocal delivery whilst those around him serve to make this one of the most exciting pieces of guitar music to come out of Ireland since The Edge struck the last chord of ‘Out Of Control’. Were it not for those pesky Flaming Lips, single of the fortnight without a doubt.
...Fred somehow manage to combine potentially jarring elements – spoken lyrics, a Stax-esque brass section, punk rock guitars and drums, lounge funk bass and percussion – into a magical whole
It has become a very prevalent 2001 trend to infuse house music with ’80s synths and vocodered vocals. Daft Punk returned in March with Discovery – which was either underwhelming retro or pop genius depending on how much of a purist you deem yourself to be.
Come early 2005, absolutely everyone is pinning their colours to the next-big-thing mast, and the smart money is on brother and sister Karin and Olof Dreiger, a duo who are already Grammy-winning types in their native Sweden. They may be a little late for the electro-clash revival, but their unorthodox synth sounds, spiked with reggae, Euro-pop and Japanese punk are little short of astounding.
Something of a minor classic, the debut EP from Kilkenny's Blue Ghost is almost unclassifiable. Equal parts Gorillaz and Republic of Loose, Collapse Or Keep Going floats between jazz, electronica, funk, rock, hip-hop and blues. 'The Altitude' builds with a frantic funky bass line pumping through a punk infused jazz odyssey, 'Float Feet First' is a poignant fusion of summery funk and soul, and the frequently brilliant 'Why Good Guys Die' investigates darker, more Blur-y territory. Only the lack of real vocal power dulls an otherwise fine introduction.
By this point in his career, after the relative disaster of Porno For Pyros and messy end to Jane’s Addiction, Perry Farrell should by rights have found himself as one of yesterday’s men. Yet here he comes again for another bash, this time in the bizarre company of members of Extreme and New Order. As with everything he has ever done, Satellite Party could easily hover on the brink of disaster, but ‘Wish Upon A Dog Star’ is fine stuff, helped no end by Peter Hook’s distinctive bass that drives the song into the realms of disco punk. What is waiting around the corner in terms of albums and live shows is unknown territory, for the moment though there’s life in the old dog yet.
Apparently the quartet used to rely a lot more on synths than guitars, but the recruitment of the wonderfully named Dante DeCaro on six-string evens up the balance somewhat, with keyboardist Steve Bays taking up the mic for these short, sharp stabs of infectious and off-kilter post-punk pop, with barely time to draw breath.
New Wave is the fourth album from Florida punk rockers Against Me!. It will probably go down as their ‘sell-out’ record, in that it's their first for a major label.
This would generally be the season when the new, interesting bands give up and leave it to the big guns to slug it out for the Christmas number one.
Milk Kan, however, sound as if they like a challenge, as well as a good scrap.
Others have made this point, but ‘Bling Bling Baby’ really does sound like The Streets rewriting ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’, before veering off down a punk rock alleyway.
‘Real Fake World’, meanwhile, bounces along like Billy Bragg fronting the Clash and ‘Kill All A&R Men’ sounds exactly like you might suppose it does. It’s ridiculously early to be talking about the next Arctic Monkeys I know, but Milk Kan are already looking like they could provide us with a lot of interesting times in the year ahead.
"A million miles from thrash and punk, the twelve tracks here are an unusual mix of indie rock and country, with top class musicianship adding lots of depth and colour..."
While the first Meeting was inspired by Nick Cave’s songcraft and The Pixies’ guitar duels, the second outing sees Andrew Weatherall blatantly wear his blues, rockabilly and garage punk influences.
Look, these guys are set to be cool this year, so you’ll have to like them, OK? It’s Daft Punk, Chic, New Order, Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode… you know the du jour drill. Except, instead of the usual deadpan ice queen vocals you’d expect from such a venture, there’s a pop heart beating at the core of this record.
Once Like A Spark is a brilliantly brief headrush, a mad dash through the realms of punk, rock and metal that is the perfect pick-me-up for anyone who’s tired of post-rock, fed up with the new wave of cooler-than-thou US supergroups and longing for a bit of old-fashioned blood, thunder, sweat and bollocks.
Two CDs here, one a 'best of' and the other comprised of a dozen brand new outpourings from one of the legendary Northern bands of the punk era, paint a graphic sonic picture of Belfast's social eruptions.
Get your mohawks in order: punk festival Holidays In The Sun, heading to Dublin's Vicar Street in May, has just confirmed its final lineup. One, two, three, four
Those who were thrilled by Brazilian producer Gui Boratto’s nouveau techno-trance releases like ‘Arquipelago’ and ‘The Rising Evil’ won’t be disappointed by his debut album. It further showcases his fist pumping style with the buzzsaw bass of ‘Terminal’, the menacing ‘Gate 7’ and the brooding title track, but it’s clear Boratto isn’t content with dance floor abandon. The symphonic ‘Scene 1’ and the soft-focus piano ambience of ‘Mala Strana’ hint that he wants to escape being just another anonymous techno producer. This desire is given full vent with the acoustic groove of ‘Xilo’ and the live, post-punk drums and indie vocals of ‘Beautiful Life’, which sets the tone for an imminent indie-techno explosion this year.
Rock Steady comes with aspirations towards roots-reggae by way of dancehall beats, but the band have made a wise choice in plumping mostly for luscious cherry pop here, crafting a bunch of tunes that can slot easily between nu-punk and the new Pink.
Lead by leather-skirt clad, shape-throwing glam diva Mika, the ‘Bomb deliver a supremely melodic collection of glitter-flecked garage-punk, reminiscent of early-’90s Nirvana faves Shonen Knife.
Recorded in Slane Castle in Co. Meath, this was the first U2 album on which the quartet used the studio as brush rather than canvas, with results that were often dense and impressionistic: the majestic title track, the fractious punk-funk of ‘Wire’, the slow motion fireworks of ‘MLK’ and ‘Bad’.
Idlewild's follow-up to Hope Is Important shows no signs of any difficult second album syndrome. It is a vast improvement on their debut, as Roddy Woomble and friends seem to have discovered a more melodic nature, without sacrificing anything of their spiky, almost punk edge.
And then there were two
Only Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding remain from one of the most appealing bands to emerge from Britain's post-punk boom, . . .
The death has occurred of Joe Strummer, one of the most important British musicians of the punk era. As lead singer and chief lyricist and ideologist with The Clash, he was central to making some of the finest music of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.
Overall, Tyrannosaurus Hives is a fairly perfunctory attempt to merge a few different new-wave guitar styles, with ‘70s punk as the support scaffolding. But, like many of their contemporaries, The Hives don’t seem to have the willingness to progress and experiment that mark out the truly great bands.
The twin worlds of Pink the pop star and the punk rock princess collided here tonight and made awkward bedfellows. The outcome of which one will win out is still in the balance.
It’s not particularly deep or complicated but, if it catches you in the right mood (preferably pissed off) and at the right volume (very loud), Land Of The Free is an inspiring piece of punk work.
"The newies blend in perfectly to their set, but only because their choppy post-punk sensibilities haven’t really progressed since their debut in 2004."
Thundering out of El Paso, Texas with the ferocity of a guerrilla firebomb come At The Drive In, touted internationally, somewhat hysterically if the press cuttings are anything to go by, as this year’s saviours of the US punk underground.
Whatever happened to...? Though they never had the notoriety of the Pistols or the street spirit of the Clash, the Stranglers were one of the finest bands to emerge from the punk maelstrom of the late '70s, able to develop from ear-bashing anger terrorists with guitars, to the dark balladeers who gave us the cautionary tale that was 'Golden Brown'.
Rogues’ Gallery – traditional sea songs, pirate ballads and chanteys, interpreted and performed by an eclectic mix of artists – is part high art, part punk aesthetic.
Having rocked up twenty-five years and over thirty albums of sometimes brilliant but always uncompromising progressive punk, Mark E. Smith's singular approach shows no sign of letting up.
The idea of a hip-hop act on Epitaph might have raised a few eyebrows amongst the West Coast Mohican Mafia, but Minneapolis trio Atmosphere are definitely imbued with the attitude of their spiky guitar label mates, if somewhat heavier on the funk then punk.
"Bragg is taking stock. He’s now doing it for himself, at his own pace. Those in search of revelation from an old punk with a new perspective will be left hanging."
The Used furious mix of nu-metal and skate punk may not be the most original of cocktails but it’s the way they blend the ingredients (with just enough contradiction) that keeps them from sliding into mediocrity.
You can forget just how central a role Jah Wobble played in post punk pop: as Lydon’s accomplice in PiL; as the dub symphonist of the Primals’ ‘Higher Than The Sun’; as the provider of a blueprint for Madonna’s ge-henna’d Salomé dance routines by way of ‘Visions Of You’ with Sinéad and The Invaders Of The Heart.
Make no bones about it, Box Heart Man is a cracking American rock album – not rock in the spiky haired punk or earnest grunge sense but the classic school of thinking, imbued with a sense of the nation’s musical history. Listen to the freewheeling scope of numbers such as ‘Build’, ‘Hope’ and ‘Jane’ and you instantly find yourself harking back to the glory days of the Long Ryders, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Lone Justice, rock with a sense of country and folk and a feeling of real spirit.
Make no bones about it, Box Heart Man is a cracking American rock album – not rock in the spiky haired punk or earnest grunge sense but the classic school of thinking, imbued with a sense of the nation’s musical history. Listen to the freewheeling scope of numbers such as ‘Build’, ‘Hope’ and ‘Jane’ and you instantly find yourself harking back to the glory days of the Long Ryders, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Lone Justice, rock with a sense of country and folk and a feeling of real spirit.
WITH HIS boyish looks remarkably preserved (despite the fact that he's approaching fifty) and his adenoidal vocals still intact, Jonathan Richman is still every bit the wide-eyed innocent who brought us the infectious garage punk of 'Road Runner' and 'Egyptian Reggae' over twenty years ago.
These bass-pounding songs about alienation and rebellion are the standard stuff of punk-pop, but I can’t help wondering what the pre-teeners, dwarfed by oversized Good Charlotte t-shirts (they don’t make them in extra, extra small), really have to be that angry about.
From the funky opening strains of the first song, ‘Can’t Stop’, to the slowed down quasi-punk jam at the end of their final song, mega hit ‘Give It Away’, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were clearly amped up and prepared to give their all.
The erstwhile Jam and Style Council frontman was attempting another reinvention in a career that has seen him traverse the genre divides of punk, mod and soul.
Porn references, bad ‘80s synth music and middle American pop punk dominate Hefty Fine. A lot of it we’ve heard before and the Bloodhound Gang’s only original initiative is to take the stale formulaic genre and plunge it through new depths of filth.
Art punk soundsculptors Estel have already wowed and wooed a limited edition legion of ardent admirers with a lovingly homecrafted and homemade 7". Now it’s debut album time and the artefact in question, Angelpie I Think I Ate Your Face, is worthy of the wait and expectation
How to be happy in a sad sad world? It's deceptively simple. Why not "go to the Zoo/and say 'Boo' to an Ostrich?" suggests John Shuttleworth.
Former punk chartster Jilted John, aka Graham Fellows, has reinvented himself as the bastard love-child of Richard Stilgoe and Percy Sugden.
Russell Crowe, Keanu Reeves, Minnie Driver, Bruce Willis, Eddie Murphy, Gwyneth Paltrow, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeff Bridges, David Hasselhoff, Patrick Swayze…the list of Hollywood A-Listers who’ve made unlistenable records is depressingly long.
It was therefore with much trepidation – and a fresh bottle of vitriol – that I approached this debut six-tracker from Juliette Lewis who’s suddenly decided she wants to be a punk.
Ex-Almighty man and sometime Dublin resident (he now spends most of his time in LA) Warwick has an impressive pedigree. Apart from his time with the Scottish punk-metallers, he’s played with New Model Army and even guested with his earliest inspiration, Stiff Little Fingers.
From punk rock to slapstick stand-up to having a jar with Matt Dillon and Cameron Diaz, it's been an upward curve all the way for Lee Evans. "But I still can’t make a cup of tea," he tells Stephen Robinson
Fractious post-punk is the order of the day: bits of Slits, a soupçon of Pop Group, shards of Birthday Party, screeds of Breeders, shreds of Dead Kennedys, the odd surf riff pilfered from early B52s by way of Poison Ivy or John Doe, all rendered Anglocentric via a quirky lyrical sensibility (tales of rotgut shut-ins and Valleylands paranoia and Asperger’s syndrome savants).
Along with contemporaries like Skinny Puppy or Laibach, the early Einsturzende Neubauten represented the crest of an experimental wave of music that was just breaking, to encompass post punk and electronics.
It’s easy to see A Certain Ratio as a less remarkable sister band to Joy Division/New Order. Sonically, their careers followed a roughly similar path, arriving at a danceable sound, following more post-punk beginnings.
Aongside gentlemen of similar vintage and taste such as Shane MacGowan and Nick Cave, Will Oldham (by Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Palace Brother, or any other name) is a master of adapting traditional musical and linguistic idioms to post-punk sense and sensibilities.
Graham’s Sonic Youth/Pavement fantasies may have marked him out as the exception within Blur, but appreciated in any other context, he’s defiantly traditional. Far from sounding oddball or avant-garde, Coxon now peddles gnarled indie-punk almost entirely devoid of quirks and innovation.
“When I’m in the grips of it I don’t feel pleasure and I don’t feel pain, and I don’t want to either.” Iggy Pop’s description of the power punk rock has to transport eerily befits its polar opposite tonight in the exquisite surroundings of Christchurch.
Avril Lavigne has never been the easiest of artists to figure out. Is she a skate-punk princess or a black nail-varnish-wearing Britney? Is she a real songwriter or just a pretender who insists on adding her name to the credits?
Everywhere I Go The Kids Want To Rock. Trouble is, they’re turning in droves to punk-pop-by-numbers bands like Blink 182, Limp Bizkit, Ween, and now Wheatus, for teenage kicks.
Music Review | Live
43% | 22 Apr 2004
Maurice O'Brien
Billed as a night of spoken word, rare footage and a live Ramones set with their former sticksman himself sitting on the drum stool, it soon becomes apparent that this is merely going to be another example of an ex-punk flogging a dead horse.
In frontman Richard Archer , Hard-Fi possess a wry, self-aware lyricist, with a gift for poetic bluntness. Musically, however, they remain some way short of virtuoso status – melodies plod when they might soar; their debt to reggae-flavoured post-punk can tip into pastiche.
Gallows pretty much have the monopoly on quality British punk and you can see why – the songs are generally great, the energy is overwhelming and you're not gonna see this kind of conviction anywhere else or from anyone else..
In all, YES! is an unexpected joy, a heady, discombobulating cocktail of rock opera, obstinate punk and feel-good dance vibes. Ignore, if you will, the fact that Do Me Bad Things were ‘discovered’ by the same people that ‘discovered’ The Darkness. For all its calorific riffing and Rocky Horror-esque psychedelia, the true beauty of this record is its newness (as opposed to the novelty) factor. ‘Liv Ullman On Drums’ (featuring, bizarrely, Tom Shotton on drums) is an incredible ragout of ‘70s cop show theme music with hair metal, while ‘Time For Deliverance’ is a spine-tingling AC/DC inspired-Broadway musical number.
Dressed in regulation black shirts and white ties, The Hives manage to make each of their garage punk anthems sound like the most important sub-three minutes of your life
The all-girl punk trio Fair Verona flaunt their influences like chunks of gaudy jewelry. There are flashes of The Pixies, a glint of The Breeders, and a saucy wink in the direction of The Donnas. The formula has an overly familiar ring. However, Fair Verona, who are from Tipperary but dress like escapees from a Seattle charity shop circa 1989, work it with chutzpah.
Phoenix are often mentioned in the same breath as fellow Frenchmen Daft Punk and Air, and they certainly incorporate some shades of electronic pop and disco into their sound. Tonight though, they stand before us primarily as a rock band. They are, in many ways, a perfect rock band, but they still fall short of being a great one.
In a world largely punctuated with angular, upturned-collar punk riffery, Hal are a glittering exception. For an audience weaned largely on scruffy garage angst, Hal stands alone as an affable, nicely hazy sort of record. This is the kind of gloriously textured album that confounds expectation and subtly surprises with every track.
What sorcery is this? By now, it’s accepted that every musical sub-genre gets excavated and recycled after time has put the original article at an appropriate distance, but a full-on psychedelic folk revival?? Weren’t the punk wars fought to cleanse the Earth of beads, beards, flutes and six-minute one-chord drone jams?
The Sounds Of Science is a beautifully packaged, comprehensive anthology of the work of Adam 'Ad-Rock' Horowitz, Michael 'Mike-D' Diamond, Adam 'MCA' Yauch and, latterly, Money Mark Nichita, from their early hardore days, through the Bratpop of Licenced To Ill right up to Hello Nasty. Since the start of the '80s, when the Boys first inflicted their cacophonic buzzsaw guitarfest on New York, they have experimented with genres from hip-hop through to country, from punk to bossanova, sampling everyone from Run DMC to Rachmaninoff into the bargain.
Tonight’s noisily chatty office-party crowd are certainly excited about something, but it may or may not be Life After Modelling. They should be, though: the Lifers’ short set is a compact bang-zap of straight-as-a-die Noughties post-punk, leavened by dreamlike, hand-holdey boy-girl harmonies.
Indecent XPosure are a four piece, hard core punk band. They formed in 1992 and have played around Dublin and London. Pissin’ in the Liffey is the title of this, their second tape.
‘Introduction’ opens the proceedings in a totally uncompromising way.
As the Summer festival season kicks in, our Nostalgia Correspondent recalls the heady, pioneering days of rock in the great Irish outdoors. Keep a hose handy.
The follow-up to 2001's hugely successful Discovery‚ Human After All displays non of its predecessor's pop nous – or brevity, with the likes of the title-track and closing 'Emotion' clocking in at around the six minute mark. Fine if they were brimful of invention, but Guy-Manuel de Homem Christo and Thomas Bangalter's creativity levels these days are perilously low.
On their fourth studio album, the cringemakingly titled, Take Off Your Pants And Jacket, Blink-182 wield their instruments with consummate chutzpah and no little skill
They've been called the last of the great punk rock bands, and although that's an accolade which smacks of revisionism, it does give some hint of The Pixies' colossal impact. In fact, you can still feel some of those aftershocks resonating through Nirvana, Bowie, JJ72, Fight Club and selected vodka ads.
Till now, Pogues' compliments have invariably centred on Shane MacGowan's singular songwriting. The group's erratic performances which could descend into some ramshackle acoustic heart of darkness meant the praise wasn't always extended to his fellows.
Every hip indie musician is namechecking (and soundchecking) Gang Of Four these days. But there’s more to the band than scratchy guitars and funky rhythms – as guitarist Andy Gill tells us, their unique sound was forged during a time of musical innovation and political radicalism.
Running an independent label is challenging enough, but how do you operate in a town where you can count the bands and the venues on one hand? Robbie McManus tells Hot Press what motivated Athlone-based Kissmearse Records to take fledgeling local bands under their wing.
*No artist is ever morbid. The artist can express everything.* - Oscar Wilde, preface to The Picture Of Dorian Gray (1891)
*Life's a bitch, then you die. Black hell.* - Shane McGowan Hell's Ditch (1990).
Noise terrorists Paranoid Visions have had their first hit record after 30 years. Is this mere carelessness or part of a cunning plan to subvert the nation?
He has one or two other things going on at the moment, but if The Edge happens to be free on the first day of the Electric Picnic there’s a good chance you’ll find him and his wooly hat front of stage for reformed post-punks Magazine.
Unofficial curator of the New York club scene and head of a creative emporium many have described as a contemporary version of Warhol’s factory, LCD Soundsystem mastermind James Murphy is rapidly emerging as one of the biggest players in the U.S. underground. He tells Barry O’Donoghue how it happened
With titles like ‘Cum When You Cum’, ‘Cafe Necrofilia’ and ‘Wasted So Ferociously Stoned’, The Unsuspecting Public will probably not be playing at a folk mass anywhere near you in the forseeable future
GREAT WESTERN SQUARES frontman gary fitzpatrick has built a career out of crafting beautifully heartfelt C'n'W vignettes, prowling around ancient pubs and being "a sad bastard who drinks too much". nick kelly says: "Cheers!"
Irish guitarist bernie torme no relation to Mel has played with Ian Gillan, Atomic Rooster and Ozzy Osbourne, and lived to tell the tale. Interview: colm o hare.
His admirers have included Kurt Cobain, Beck and Jack White. But Billy Childish is far from your average cult musician. He’s dabbled in conceptual art, is equally influenced by The Kinks and Joe Strummer and doesn’t listen to music – especially if it has anything to do with Leonard Cohen.
SEBADOH, for so long the epitome of the slacker rock band,
seem poised to finally make the breakthrough.
NICK KELLY met them in Dublin only to be asked for cocaine,
and told that Kurt Cobain was so lame he killed himself .
So says Phil Harnoll of the hugely influential electronic duo, Orbital, but then he's a man whose views are just as radical and progressive as the band's music. Interview: Helen Toland
You can count on it happening at least once a year – an album so singular it cuts through arbitrary notions of taste and unites disparate audiences in a brief consensus.
KMLA ARE a band who have no difficulty articulating a vision and a sound that?s at one and the same time intrinsically Irish yet insistent in glancing outward at the shapes and colours of music from all over the globe. Rossa O?Snodaigh, one of Kmla?s main movers and shakers sees roots music?s popularity as an inevitable result of the disillusionment with pop and rock formats.
The 25th anniversary edition of London Calling includes an album’s worth of previously unheard material, and most of it’s amazing! Stuart Clark talks to Mick Jones.
He’s remixed Franz Ferdinand, Mylo and Radio 4, and released one of the most innovative titles of recent years in 2001’s It Rough. Now Robi Insinna, aka Manhead, is set to take his music to a larger audience with his eponymously titled new album.
From being bottled off stage in Italy to supporting Garbage on a major European tour, to their excellent second album I Am Not A Doctor, life has certainly not been boring for Moloko. John Walshe caught up with them.
They've been known to hand-craft their own instruments and, just for the hell of it, once toured Korea. Little wonder that boy/girl partnership Mirakil Whip are fast earning a reputation as one of the country's most eclectic new bands.
Uber-hip electro-rock merchants The Bravery are brewing up a storm on the UK indie scene thanks to their blindingly inventive records and raw and energetic live shows. Interview by Hannah Hamilton.
It's eyes down and no conferring as Colm Russell asks We Are Scientists about their new album, intra-band bullying and why Alex Turner wouldn't know a hit single if it bit him in the ass.
The Police's reformation is the reunion they said would never happen, and according to guitarist Andy Summers the band is still the same mix of egos and visionaries.
On the eve of Kraftwerk’s headlining appearance at the Electric Picnic, mainman Ralf Hütter talks with rare candour about David Bowie, U2, hip-hop, cycling and why sometimes even man-machines have to smile.
He's not a Christmassy guy, he says, but perhaps the season has made Jape's Richie Egan reflective. Patrick Freyne talks to him about the past, present and future.
Shakespear s Sister siobhAN FAHEY makes her acting debut in a powerful new short movie that goes to the heart of the Dublin heroin epidemic. Here, she tells craig fitzsimons about the legitimate highs of working in both music and film.
They’re named after a saucy Playboy model – well, sort of. As their debut album hits the streets, irascible punk-popsters SUPERJIMINEZ discuss their unconventional moniker and tell us why, recession or not, they’re determined to bring their feel-good party music to the masses.
The angry young(ish) man of Irish preacher-punk is back, bleeding righteous indignation from every pore. Jinx Lennon tells us why it's time for a revolution.
Internationalist jet-setting dance-pop playboy Sam Sparro has been propelled to ubiquity by the single 'Black And Gold', but he's not above offering HP a bite of his cheese toastie. Ahem.
Everyone's favourite punk-pop pranksters Fight Like Apes report exclusively from their recent trips to Canadian Music Week and the South By South West indie festival in Austin, Texas.
When punk-funk art rockers The Rapture emerged a couple of years ago, they failed to translate tragic hipness into big sales. Road psychosis aggravated the problem, but they weathered in-fighting to ditch the DFA production and strike out on their own.
The twisted dance-punk of Hard-Fi is inspired by the angst of suburbia. But that hasn’t stopped them reaching for the stars – or breaking into an airport.
Paul Smith of Geordie punk-pop sensations Maxïmo Park talks to Phil Udell about breaking out of stylistic straight-jackets, the band's affinity with fellow northerners The Futureheads, and why Jose Mourinho's managerial philiosophy is equally as applicable to music as it is to football.
The star of cult movies such as Natural Born Killers, Kalifornia and Strange Days, Juliette Lewis appeared to have a direct entry to rock's premier league when she turned her attention to her punk outfit The Licks. Instead, she opted to embark on a small-scale tour and play a series of small venues throughout the US and Europe. Peter Murphy was on hand as Lewis' magical mystery tour reached Ireland, and was witness to some truly fascinating scenes as the singer and her band bewitched the Dublin indie cognoscenti, travelled south to rock Limerick and strolled the red carpet to join the glitterati backstage at the Meteor Awards. Photography by Liam Sweeney.
Paul Weller has a reputation as one of the most truculent men in pop, with a deep-seated dislike of the promotional process. But with the release of his latest solo album Illumination, the man who once led The Jam and the Style Council agreed to put himself in the firing line. Looking back over a career that's studded with success, he's reflective and forthright - but the anger that inspired much of The Jam's finest output still burns
Age has not withered them. twenty years after they rose out of the new york underground, Sonic Youth have managed to grow old and stay hardcore. Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon reveal how it’s done
There s very little torture involved in making a record until it s released and then the audience gets to suffer. PETER MURPHY meets the one and only LYDIA LUNCH.
When Patti Smith came up with Rock N Roll Nigger in the 70s, she marked herself out as one of the most articulate and confrontational performers of her generation. On the eve of her visit to Ireland, the High Priestess of American Punk Poetry talks to Peter Murphy about art, music, the people she s lost and why she ll never give in to political correctness
After two years of being that bloke who used to be in the Stone Roses, John Squire is back in the saddle with The Seahorses. On the eve of their Heineken Green Energy appearance at Dublin Castle, Madchester s answer to Jimmy Page talks to Stuart Clark about old friends, new challenges and his penchant for obscure Belfast punk bands.
One of the highlights of this year's Witnness festival Basement Jaxx drop hints about their forthcoming third album, explain why Brixton is so important to their sound and preview the live show
Domestic metal bands may find it difficult to make themselves heard over their hipper contemporaries, but Dublin rockers Mike Got Spiked look set to add to their growing army of devotees courtesy of their scorching debut album, Caveat Emptor.
In going back to her roots on her latest album, Nanci Griffith also shines a light on one of the great backing bands of rock n roll Buddy Holly s Crickets. Interview: Joe Jackson.
If anyone had told me a year ago that I’d be flinging my knickers at a bloke in a catsuit and another who used to be in a boy band I’d have told them to fuck right off. But, they wore me down and I eventually succumbed to the cock rockin’ charms of The Darkness (albeit with the help of a persistent Stuart Clark). And as for old Trousersnake, well, frankly, who wouldn’t?
From Sheffield via New York to Montreal, Stars vocalist Tarquill Campbell is happy to fetch up in a place where “loving The Smiths is not against the law, yet”.
With a growing reputation for exuberant live shows that has seen them banned from no fewer than four London venues and rumours that they ve turned down a #1 million record deal, symposium are not your orthodox wannabes, as john walshe found out.
The emergence of The Boomtown Rats inspired a new generation of in-your-face Irish bands who re-energised an Irish music scene that has become moribund and predictable.
New York house DJ/producer Junior Sanchez has joined forces with Dutch techno prodigy Laidback Luke to create Riot Society’s impressive ‘Understand Me’.
"I used to always take clothes off people as well, like little kids after gigs who would go 'You were brilliant' and I’d go, 'Can I have your jacket?'”
His tearful acoustic ballads have become a phenomenon. In a forthright interview José González discusses his terror of writing lyrics and meeting Craig David and tells of his parents’ flight from oppression.
Fifteen years since they first topped the Irish charts, The Saw Doctors remain one of this country’s most successful bands. So why do so many people still consider them a novelty act?
Having broken up Pavement, STEPHEN MALKMUS has had plenty of time to devote to making his eponymous solo album and indulging his obsession with all things Irish from U2 to Thin Lizzy to Planxty. NIALL CRUMLISH cocks an ear and raises an eyebrow
John O’Neill of legendary northern rockers The Undertones talks to Colin Carberry about the creation of their most famous hits, becoming godfathers to a new generation of garage rock heroes, and why the band won’t be happy until they’ve written a multi-million selling album.
She’s been dubbed America’s answer to M.I.A. and blown Bjork off stage in Madison Square Garden. Brooklyn rapper Santogold explains how it feels to be hyped as New York’s next big thing.
Never ones to be left behind the times, Bono and chums have gone 3D with the release of U2 3D. Director Catherine Owens gives us the inside track on the historic project.
It was a Jubilee ago that The Sex Pistols exploded onto the world stage and changed music forever. Except little has changed, according to John Lydon and that's why he's back
FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM is a major new six-part RTE series. Directed by DAVID HEFFERNAN, and featuring new interviews with the major players including Van Morrison, Bob Geldof, U2 and Siniad O Connor it traces the history of Irish music, from showbands to boybands and beyond. By PETER MURPHY.
Irish journalist, novelist and musician JOE AMBROSE has JUST published The Violent World Of Mosh Pit Culture (book), an explosive first-hand account of life inside the mosh pit. STEPHEN ROBINSON spoke to him about the sex, brutality and freedom to be discovered within the ‘pits.
Tanya Sweeney talks to Hot Hot Heat frontman Steve Bays about guitarist Dante DeCaro’s departure from the band, the creation of their long-awaited new album Elevator, trading Nirvana’s producer for Marilyn Manson’s, and why Ireland remains a favourite destination on the group’s itinerary.
Edwyn Collins, late of Orange Juice and whose third solo album was recently released, gets all acidic about the state of the music business. Interview: Patrick Brennan.
Known for his hyperactive - even threatening - live performances, Iggy Pop is sure to deliver one of Féile '93's most invigorating performances. Here, with an overview of the ex - Stooge's unconventional career, Hot Press prepares you for what's to come.
Best-selling author Colin Bateman has just published his 21st book, which is being hailed by critics as a cracker. He talks to Hot Press about cutting his teeth as a writer in Northern Ireland
The Alien vs Predator movie has resurrected two of the most successful action movie franchises of recent years. You’ll kick yourself – in slow motion, and with gratuitous blood loss, of course – if you miss it, according to the film’s star Colin Salmon.
NO LONGER ANGRY YOUNG MEN, BUT STILL PRETTY PISSED OFF THIRTY SOMETHINGS, JAKE BURNS AND BRUCE FOXTON TELL STUART CLARK WHY STIFF LITTLE FINGERS REFUSE TO LAY DOWN AND DIE. PIX.: CATHAL DAWSON.
Shop-assistant by day, budding songwriter by night, Funzo's Liam McDermott has finally gotten around to unleashing his debut album. He talks about forging his own path and his love for musical cross-pollination.
Twenty five years after The Jam went their separate ways, bassist Bruce Foxton and drummer Rick Buckler are back playing together under the name From The Jam.
Two house calls for the price of one? Jackie Hayden calls in on political satirist Paddy Cullivan and Clint Velour of Camembert Quartet, resident ingredient of RTÉ TV’s Tubridy Show, only to find they are one and the same person!
As suede prepare for their headline slot at Dublin Castle next month, their stock has never been higher, thanks mainly to the success of their fantastic third album Coming Up. craig fitzsimons talks to singer brett anderson about it and invites him to take stock of the last few wildly successful months.
Back at the turn of the decade there were three mad bands from Downpatrick Vietnam, Lazer Gun Nun and Confusion. The first of these dropped the dodgy heavy metal element and became Ash. The second toned down the Stooges sound to give room for the Backwater experience. Two-thirds of the last act have come back to haunt us in the form of Griswold.
They’re the Highest Band In Ireland (a more wholesome title than it sounds) but that doesn’t mean Killarney three-piece TEN PAST SEVEN are stopping at the top. Bassist Matt Shallow chats to Celina Murphy about going instrumental, spotting their name in horror movies and serenading mountain goats.
On the eve of his appearance in the Dublin Theatre Festival and with a nationwide Irish tour pending, Jimeoin, the award-winning Irish comedian, talks to Tony Clayton-Lea about his journey to fame, from his early jobs as a builder in London and a carpenter in Sydney to his current status as the funniest man in Australia. He may own ten Van Morrison albums but he's still the best man around to liven up a night on the town.
On the eve of his appearance in the Dublin Theatre Festival and with a nationwide Irish tour pending, Jimeoin, the award-winning Irish comedian, talks to Tony Clayton-Lea about his journey to fame, from his early jobs as a builder in London and a carpenter in Sydney to his current status as the funniest man in Australia. He may own ten Van Morrison albums but he's still the best man around to liven up a night on the town.
The border counties may not exactly be a hotbed of indie rock but that hasn’t stopped Monaghan hopefuls The Flaws from producing one of the year’s most mesmerising debuts.
Having scored huge chart success with the dance anthem ‘Maniac’, acclaimed Irish DJ Mark McCabe is now broadening his musical horizons with his intriguing debut album, Music From The Fourth Place.
In another case of “Bono made me do it”, former hotpress-er and U2 biographer Neil McCormick explains to Jackie Hayden how he ended up living near Bob The Builder and about the travails of interviewing all four U2 men on four different continents in the same evening. Photos by Mark Harrison.
Grunge is back, apparently. And the hotbed for the revival is the English city of Leeds, where Dinosaur Pile-Up are among the newcomer acts leading the charge.
As Scottish tunesmiths BIFFY CLYRO prepare to release their fifth record Only Revolutions, Edwin McFee chats with bassist James Johnston and hears all about working with Josh Homme, why their latest sonic manifesto is their most positive to date and why he’s glad he doesn’t have to support Limp Bizkit anymore.
Paul Nolan talks to Neil Hegarty, author of Waking Up In Dublin, a new book which offers an outsider’s view of the music scene – and more – in the capital
The Hives’ irrepressible Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist talks to Tanya Sweeney about the band’s uproarious live shows, their most Spinal Tap moment to date, and how they keep their white suits in pristine shape throughout the rigours of the festival season
He’s played with The Corrs and was a member of the real-life Commitments. CONOR BRADY talks about life as one of the great unsung mainstays of Irish rock and roll. photos Ruth Medjber
They dress as surgeons on stage and punctuate their records with spoken-word monologues. You could say indie electro oddballs Clinic are determined to do things their own way.
Forget The Sunset Grill or Whisky A Go Go, it was Osborne Mushet Tools that gave birth to the only hard rock band capable of giving Madge and Wacko a run for their money. The man who put the steel into Sheffield tells the story
As rock’n’roll’s finest get ready to remake ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ Colm O’Hare talks to the man who kickstarted it and numerous other hits, Midge Ure.
From Stone Roses' stringsman to stand alone soloist, John Squire's musical journey has had both highs and lows, yet he's returned with a new album and this time he's getting vocal
Hard rocking Cork heroes Rulers Of The Planet recently toured the Czech Republic and Slovakia, along with Dublin electro-poppers Autamata. The Rulers’ Mick Hayes gives us the backstage lowdown, with these exclusive extracts from his tour diary.
As the summer festival season goes into overdrive, Richard Brophy talks to Slam's Stuart Mc Millan about his involvement in the T in the Park knees up in Scotland next month.
With Paul McGuinness now taking care of business, The Rapture can’t be entirely kidding when they tell Stuart Clark that they have no problem with becoming the biggest band in the world.
With their debut single 'I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor' zooming to no.1 in the UK, Arctic Monkeys ended 2005 on a high. They are destined to be the new band of 2006.
Colm O’Hare talks to Katie Larmour, presenter of UTV’s new music show Live At The Limelight, which will be showcasing the best young artists from around Ireland.
Their contribution to Robbie Williams' 'Rock DJ' may have gone unacknowledged, but Soul Mekanik, aka brothers and acid house veterans Kelvin Andrews and Danny Spencer, are now earning kudos in their own right for their dynamic and eclectic '80s-influenced debut album, Eighty One.
With Franz Ferdinand sweeping all before them, Tanya Sweeney talks to Domino Records’ latest star in waiting – and favourite son of Ireland’s singer-songwriter community.
Get your dancing shoes on. Electro newcomers Magistrates are here to rock your blocks off. They talk about hanging out with Damon Albarn, worshipping Michael Jackson and living up to the legacy of heroes like Bowie and Talking Heads
From small-time ramshackle punk'n'Irish troubadours to 'international touring act' in the space of six incident-packed years, The Pogues have not only produced music to consistently surprise and delight - they've put it in the charts too! With the help of band members Phil Chevron and Jem Finer, Bill Graham examines The Pogues' enigma in advance of the outfit's impending Christmas single 'Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah' (phew!) and their seasonal show at The Point Depot in Dublin.
Hot Press looks ahead to the Guinness Jazz Festival which takes place in Cork over the bank holiday weekend.
Music | Interview
29% | 22 Oct 2003
Phil Udell
Had enough of “PMS, Screaming, ‘Fuck Men!’” bands? well, let us introduce you to Fair Verona, the all-girl Tipperary trio who are flying the flag for melodic alt. rock.
Erasure - namely Vince Clarke and Andy Bell have been creating electronic pop for over a decade. John Walshe catches up with them on a recent promotional tour.
Funk, Disco, Breakbeat and a testicle-admiring Gary Numan. All this - and more - is to be found on the new Plump DJs album. Ronan Fitzgerald meets the Glaswegian dance mavericks.
Jinx Lennon is a true original, a rock'n'roll outsider whose music throbs to the pulse of rural Ireland. Here he talks about attending cocktail parties with David Norris and explains why Dundalk just might be the strangest town in Ireland.
It wasn't too long ago that The Blizzards were unknown outside of their native Mullingar. Now they've three top 10 Irish singles to their credit and an album, A Public Display Of Affection, that has the potential to explode internationally.
After the spiking of their last album led to the demise of co.dot, Joe Brush decided he couldn’t jump around on a stage anymore. The result is a new sound and a new band, Vapor Lounge.
With 1993 going down as the year that Irish rock finally emerged from U2’s shadow, HOT PRESS takes an introductory look at four of the rapidly emerging outfits that are poised to make headlines and sell bucket–loads of records in ’94.
Schtum, Ash, Joyrider, Compulsion.
Annual article: Bright young things like Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen captured the HP critics’ hearts this year, though they somehow neglected Johnny Cash and Mark Lanegan...
Bad-ass rockers The Cult have reconvened following half a decade in the wilderness. Frontman Ian Astbury talks about standing-in for Jim Morrison, jamming with UNKLE and explains why it's good to return to his day-job.
Akron singer-songwriter Tim Easton has just settled in Alaska, a place where people “go mad or die”. Thankfully, he’s still alive and sane enough to tell the tale.
Gaspard Augé of acclaimed electro duo Justice on the group’s stunning live performances, upstaging Kanye West and putting the humour back into dance music.
Having one’s bare arse dragged along sandpaper is one thing – but having said raw arse doused in salt and vinegar is something else again. Paul Nolan meets the team behind the UK’s answer to Jackass, Dirty Sanchez
Torch-song troubadour marc almond had his greatest commercial success during his days with Soft Cell, but it s as a solo artist that he s really reached his creative pinnacle. Interview: adrienne murphy
Having befriended Joe Strummer before the Clash man’s untimely death, artists such as Adam Duritz, Ryan Adams and Shane MacGowan are also now lining up to give kudos to New York singer-songwriter Jesse Malin.
Canadian songwriter Emm Gryner has released a covers album of Irish rock classics. But what inspired her to tackle Horslips, The Undertones and Gilbeert O'Sullivan? And why didn't The Pogues make the cut?
Having conquered the music scene in their native Sweden, purveyors of dark electro-pop and socially aware lyrics The Knife have turned their attention to the rest of Europe.
EAMON SWEENEY meets RELISH, a northern band just signed to EMI. Up for discussion: Ash, landing a deal, Van Morrison and ghosts in the (studio) machines.
After laying At The Drive-In to rest, two of their members have put together another outfit who are determined to push back the boundaries of modern music. In a far-ranging interview, Peter Murphy talks to The Mars Volta about reincarnation, hanging out with the Chili Peppers and their Hispanic roots.
PFM! Tolkien! Tales from Topographic Oceans! Myths and legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table! On ice!!! Yes, what fun we had back in the good old days of Prog Rock. GEORGE BYRNE outs himself as a recovered progster and recalls the glory days in the company of CHRIS SQUIRE from YES.
THERAPY? are back. ANDY CAIRNS talks to Peter Murphy about losing (and re-finding) the plot, hardcore, and the new album s resonances with the Northern peace process.
Now taking the solo route, Hugh Cornwell talks about his latest album, reminsces about kicking back with David Bowie, squaring off back-stage with U2 and cooling his heels in Pentonville.
You can tell how highly regarded she is by the number of top stars who want her to sing with them. But for Emmylou Harris such collaborations are a two-way street.
Defecating lemurs, exploding dogs, dirty movies, alien abduction and, of course, the longest feet in pop. it can all only mean that Gruff Rhys & Co. are back.
Domino Records – home of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Max Tundra, Franz Ferdinand and Four Tet – turns ten. Kim Porcelli talks pop culture with label boss Laurence Bell.
Irony-deficient Nordic rockers Turbonegro are one of the world’s most credible hardcore acts, with a fanlist that includes Queens Of The Stone Age and Therapy?
Forget Liam and Nicole and Pete and Kate, the hottest rock 'n' roll couple in town at the moment are The Subways' Charlotte Cooper and Billy Lunn. The female half of the duo tells Ed Power about the highs and lows of making beautiful music together.
The Subtonics first came to our attention when they attempted to sabotage last year's hotpress award's ceremony with a nearby rooftop gig. But what have they done for us lately? Stephen Robinson Sub-scribes
