Barry Warner - No Nostalgia

Barry Warner emerged from Limerick in the early 1980s, heavily influenced by the electronic pop of the Human League, Heaven 17 and Cabaret Voltaire – the so-called “Sheffield sound”. A singular voice in Irish music at the time, he blended electronic rhythms and textures with a pop/dance sensibility. Singles ‘Real Man’ and ‘Dancing Without You’ remain classics.

No Nostalgia finds him looking back in anger, so to speak, with an updated sound, albeit still heavily rooted in electronica. Glockenspiel and swirling Dr Who synths preface the title track as it ignites into a metronomic rhythm with New Order guitar sounds. The angry ‘Parasite’ is in a similar vein while ‘PhotoRomance’ boasts a riff Michael Jackson could have taken to the top of the charts.

Elsewhere the more cinematic ‘The Ritual’ is an overload of electro melodies and soaring textures while the Depeche Mode tinged ‘Fake’ appears to take aim at the often fraudulent nature of modern life. A surprise inclusion is a robotic version of Nick Lowe’s ‘Cracking Up’, which fits nicely alongside Warner’s own creations. An intriguing and enjoyable listen.