The sky's the limit

As I write, the overwhelming positivity of last week’s Skylarkin’ event for the late Mic Christopher is still toasting the cockles of my heart. On nights like these, one truly believes that love can conquer all. Rest in peace Mic…

While a simplistic nuts and bolts overview of the year would conclude that rock and guitar based music made a so-called comeback, anyone with half a brain or a functioning pair of ears will know that it wasn’t dead in the first place. But personally, I’m getting sick of the sight of another bunch of hair-saloned chancers parading for our attention every week. The Datsuns, The D4, The Cooper Temple Clause and a host of others not worth mentioning didn’t even remotely deliver on the promise of their preposterous press releases. The Libertines came close, but apart from The Strokes and BRMC, I don’t give a damn about the new rock revolution. Pass me that copy of Kid A pronto.

However, it must be said this was genuinely a very fine year for albums, headed by South London based and Brummie born genius Mike Skinner, who produced the outstanding long player of the year, hands down, in Original Pirate Material. Low, Boards of Canada, Queens Of The Stone Age and… And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead also delivered the finest work of their careers to date.

The year’s most outstanding gig was Low in Christchurch – a remarkable band in a suitably stunning setting. Whelan’s gave us some unforgettable nights – chiefly cLOUDDEAD, Christy Moore, The Moldy Peaches, Damien Dempsey and The Jimmy Cake. The Frames and The White Stripes played two wonderful shows at Dublin Castle in May and Mercury Rev and Sonic Youth alone made it worth heading to Witnness. Morrissey and Queens Of The Stone Age transcended the limitations of the Ambassador to play two blinders in October.

The bummer of the summer (apart from the truly awful weather) was that World Cup 2002 will be remembered for the Saipan soap opera and not because our brilliant little nation made it to the last 16 for the third time. Overall, the moan of the year wasn’t so much the euro as euro-inflation – which also hit the music fan in the pocket. It’s all very well for us lucky-bugger blagging types, but for the paying punter being asked to part with the guts of €30 or €40 every time they want to check out a name act is tough.

Not surprisingly, the best value events of the season were the Wonky beanos in the Storehouse and the myriad of gigs staged during the Dublin Electronic Arts Festival (DEAF).

Despite what anyone else tells you, music in 2002 is in a ruddy good state. What’s more, it’s coming up via the underground, all over the globe. Keep the faith and peace out.