Love hurts

Call me a cynic but I always knew it… Romance Is Dead. Confirmation of this fact arrived in my Inbox in the form of an email from disillusioned former RiD vocalist Blake Norton. Citing various examples of alleged industry waywardness as the final straw, the idealistic young soul has decided to call it a day. ’Tis a shame to see one bow out so early…
One lot who have been once around the world and are still standing strong are The Walls. Following the success of their Trash the Bunker tour the band are en route to Black Box studio in France to record their forthcoming album with Dave Odlum. The tour showcased some previously unheard tracks and also the talent of new bass player Jon O’Connell who fills the void left by Carl Harms. At the recent Whelans gig the crowd got a taste of what’s to come as the lads roadtested new songs Passing Through, Drowning Pool, Know your Love and Black And Blue – excellent stuff it was too, appetites were indeed whetted for more new material. The album is scheduled for an autumn release with a single to precede it in late summer…
On another continental note, Les Keye is currently on an Iberian tour. He’s strutting his stuff in Portugal before coming back to Ireland to put the finishing touches to his second album Plan B... Again which is due for release this summer…
From southbound to northbound… Belfast jazz punks, EWF have released their second album, Whiteman Who Would Be God. The album contains 11 tracks of scintillating tunes ranging from the high-energy title track (used in the current Rover MG ad) to the low-down groove of The Interloper and Wherever…
Also watch out for the second studio album from Pop Machine titled Machine Reaction. The CD is available from Backbeat and Cathedral Records in Belfast…
In an attempt to capture the cream of northern talent, Defaced Records are in the process of putting together a compilation album of tracks from local musicians. Most of the collection will be culled from the fine selection of music already recorded in the Defaced Studio. Other interested parties should drop a line to [email protected]…
Other items to look forward to in the coming months include the highly anticipated album from Cork rockers Fred and a long-play offering from Athlone’s finest Bunny…
Congratulations to both Morello and Ginseng on their recent chart success. Morello hit number 20 in the singles chart with Alarm/Hold On while Ginseng reached number 24 with Killers…
Following the acclaim accorded his solo EP The Unplugged Session, Waterford singer-song writer Neil McGrath has formed a new creative collective Tooskin Blooskin. Neil and co have already unofficially released three songs to local radio. The demo includes some very promising material such as the title track ‘Pull Me Up’ – dubbed “a work of pure (mellow) rock genius” by Beat FM DJ Edel Dooley. The second track ‘Charles’, reflects the funkier tendancies of the group and has already been picked up by local djs/producers Swerve (aka Ray Colclough and Gavin Boyce) who are in the process of completing a remix…
Galway rebels Fuktifino, after welcoming new guitarist Stephen to the band, are on the look out for a new bass player. If you think you can rise to the occasion drop a line to [email protected]…
Finally don’t forget to catch The Last Splash Live when it rolls into Dublin, Dundalk and Cork bringing a fine selection of tunesmiths to a venue near you. Check hotpress.com for details…