So it s heartening to hear reports of a recent live music initiative by David Dwayne of the Western People newspaper in Ballina. Dwayne, fired up by the lack of opportunities for local bands to chalk up some essential stage experience, decided that it was time for action and took it upon himself to run a series of Rock Showcase gigs in the Downhill House Hotel, Ballina during the summer.
By all accounts this series of gigs has proved to be hugely successful, with some fine young local bands attracting reasonable crowds and a lot of people having a lot of fun.
According to Dwayne, I wanted to give young rock bands from the region an opportunity to perform before an audience drawn from their peers. The current state of the live music industry in Ireland is such that there are too few venues for these bands to gig in public, so it was not surprising to find that some groups were playing before a live audience almost for the very first time. The showcase gigs revealed a depth of musical talent previously unexposed in this area.
The showcases featured various rock genres, from indie to metal, funk to grunge. By all accounts, the better bands on offer delivered fast-paced sets that were generally taut and exhilarating, but rarely dull, and worthwhile careers were forecast for some of them. Those who scored most heavily included Seventh (from Ballina), Steel Tormentor (Ballina), The Anthill Mob (Castlebar), Petronella (Sligo), Just (Enniscrone) and Palatic (Castlebar). Keep both your ears peeled for them all.
In the meantime, be upstanding and raise a glass to the likes of Dwayne and his fellow westerner Jon Richards of Galway Bay FM for services to Irish music above and beyond the call of duty.
No such encouragement need be directed at Susie, the irrepressible band from Nenagh who have just released a dynamite CD on which the title track by some simple twist of fate just happens to be called Susie . Coincidence, or proof positive that Tipperary is the X-Files capital of the world?
Susie have also set up their own recording studio called Studio 666 and, doubtlessly with a collective tongue firmly in cheek, a record label called Rich And Famous Records. Their own video is viewable on their web-site at (imntv.com for the USA), and they will even consider other bands to release on their label. Interested parties should send stuff to them at 4 Millview, Toomevara, Nenagh, Co Tipperary.
The Susie CD is blistering indeed, packaged above the major label norm, with exciting slabs of guitar pop-rock generously flavoured with humour and attitude. Describing themselves as small but handsome they re as wacky as Green Day, as energetic as The Ramones, as sneering as The Buzzcocks and as impish as Supergrass.
(Hate Me) Everyday will make the hair on the back of your hand stand up, and Crossroads opens like a Bruce Hornsby piss-take, moves into cod Eye Of The Tiger mode, then zaps along at a frantically exhilarating pace before mischievously putting the brakes on for a piano solo, after which it resumes it s supersonic journey.
In what must be the bargain of the year, Susie s four-track CD is available to all readers of Demo Dip for a mere 30p stamp and an A5 envelope, also from the above-mentioned address (i.e. don t write to me).
Susie are the band most bands only think they are. They have drive, energy, commitment and humour. They can play and write songs as well as setting up their own cottage industry! They plan an album for release next year.
According to David Spain, Susie s spokesperson and drummer, Unsigned Irish bands with a small budget need not compromise on production values, sound quality or presentation if they put their minds to it and work with people who are as interested in the Irish music scene as the artists themselves. Why wait for a deal that may never come?
I could hardly have put it better myself. But looking at that photo on the cover, I wouldn t actually want them for neighbours.