Din & 'tonics

It's maybe not the best way to win over the country's favourite fortnightly, but The Subtonics staging a gig atop their recording studio on the night of last year's awards sure got our attention. It also attracted the attention of The Daily Star, and, less advantageously perhaps, the Gardaí. Suitably chastened by the experience, the Subtonics were next in the public eye due to a concert they performed on a barge on the Liffey. Next to The Point Theatre. Which was staging the MTV awards at the time. Cue more headlines, in Ireland on Sunday amongst others. What is it with the Subtonics and this agit-pop? Are they just trying to piss us off?

The five-piece beam at the suggestion, but the answer, from guitarist/songwriter Mark Healy is considered.

"We've got a band and it's a good band. A band needs a profile, a following, in order to survive. It's no longer the case that a record company or even a manager is going to look at a band like the Subtonics and say 'okay, how can I help you?'. We've met people already who've promised us the sun, moon and stars, and delivered nothing. If you wait around for people like that you can forget it. The other option is to do it yourself. Since we didn't know any journalists or music industry heads, we had to come up with a way of attracting your attention.

"This is our second hotpress interview in a year. We've just released the single 'Half Time Holiday' on our own Main Aim Music label and we've got an album in the can, awaiting post-production. We've supported Stiff Little Fingers and Mad For The Racket. We attract a following to any gig we play, even outside Dublin. We undertake a mini-tour in February. So you tell me, was it a good idea?"

It's a fair point, particularly as the Subtonics have backed up their initial notoriety with a series of concerts that have confirmed a considerable ability and generated a growing following. That aside, how in the name of Jayzus did they get Bobby Gillespie to dedicate 'Kick Out The Jams' to the band at Primal Scream's recent Point Theatre show.

"It's a bit of a shaggy-dog story," explains drummer, concussionist and cider connoisseur Shane Walsh. "My uncle breeds Staffordshire Bull Terriers and Mani from the 'Scream bought a dog from him, and then we met him and passed him some demos. He liked it and asked us to support Mad For The Racket at Whelans, and we've become mates. We go on the tear when he's in Dublin, and he invited us down to the Point show."

It's no surprise that Mani might have been tickled by the Subtonics sound, even to the point where the band are considering working with him on the production of their forthcoming album. A power-pop concoction that nods in the direction of post-punk outfits like the Undertones, the Jam and the Blades, it's a welcome contrast to the understated Indie currently enjoying chart success.

"I'd describe it as melody with attitude," says vocalist Stefan Murphy. "While we come from different musical backgrounds, we do have a common interest in songs, real songs with hooks, choruses and that whistle factor. I can imagine people singing our songs on football terraces."

Mark agrees: "It's a pure-pop ideal, in a way that people don't really do it anymore."

'Half Time Holiday' is a perfect example of a band who are getting there. While the playing has a chaotic quality that you'd never find on a Travis recording, the energy is infectious. Lyrically, Stefan Murphy takes a swipe at lethargy in the title track: "Make yourself do something new/Days like these are far and few"; at hum-drum day-jobs in 'Sub-Blast': "I am not your boy"; and a heartfelt plea for calm on the anthemic 'Musical Dust': "Wandering minstrels have to sit down and rest…".

Resting is not an option in February as the band embark on a promotional tour which includes dates at the Strand Hotel, Dunmore East, Feb 2nd; Connollys of Leap on Feb 4th: The Sheds, Clontarf on Feb 16th; AOH, Dundalk on Feb 23rd; No 4, Drogheda on Feb 25th and Whelans, Dublin on Mar 1st with additional dates tbc.

Put it in your diary - The Subtonics, wandering minstrels with attitude, are coming your way now.

'Half Time Holiday' (7'' Vinyl and CD) on Main Aim Music available in most record shops or from thesubtonics.ie