Homework: 27 Sept 2001

Vitaminic.ie have just launched their first ever compilation that features “the best sounds from indie Ireland”, if such a thing really exists. Petty chin-stroking aside, the tracklist features Mundy, NPB, babelfish, Chequerboard, Estel, Colm Quearney, Alazarussoul, Nina Hynes, The Jimmy Cake, Adrian Crowley and TenSpeedRacer, so maybe there is some truth in the blurb after all. On an another online tip, artists and bands interested in releasing their music independently would do themselves no harm by having a peek at the rather superb web site www.theblackrag.com, which includes a “round table discussion” with some familar names...

Dæmien Frost have just released their debut album Corpus Dæmo. Allegedly, the mini supergroup that includes Hag – scene stalwart and former member of The Null Set – and David Layde (ex-Spudgun) thought Dæmien Frost was the most evil name they could possibly conjure. “He is nature’s way of dealing with mutated and inconsiderate facets of itself”, state the trio, who also include Mark McManus (ex-’O’) on bass. “He is the deitic manifestation of our existence’s most devastating forces.” Fair enough. Also getting it on with the forces of darkness are Joss Moorkens (Joan Of Arse /The Dudley Corporation) and Diarmuid MacDiarmada (The Jimmy Cake/David Kitt), who both make guest appearances on the album.

Guitarist Andrew Ferris and bass player Jamie Burchell, formerly of the hotly tipped, sorely missed and predictably dropped noise pop Cuckoo, have reconvened under the Jetplane Landing moniker with Jamie’s brother Raife, who formerly drummed with My Drug Hell. You can check ‘em out in The Pine Lodge, Myrtleville, Co. Cork next week... Worth wrapping an ear or two around is the debut album from Noonday Underground, the latest signings to Keith Cullen’s historic Setanta Records imprint which was responsible for so much great music from The Divine Comedy, The Frank n’ Walters and a whole a lot more. Noonday Underground’s delirious grooves have been described as “like The Kinks doing Northern Soul, produced by David Holmes”. As they’d say on The Fast Show... niiiiccce!

Ollie Cole from Turn took the place of Joe Chester of TenSpeedRacer for the Dublin debut from Hopper last week – another supergroup led by Graham Hopkins of Therapy? fame which also enlists Joe Doyle from The Frames, Binnzer from Bell-X1 and other Turn man Gavin Fox. Finally on the supergroup front, Richard Colburn from Belle and SebastiAn recently scotched rumours that the Scottish/Irish outfit that answers to the name The Reindeer Section are in any way to be taken at face value. “It’s more like a supper group,” claimed Colburn before laughing like a very large and very drunk Scottish drain.