PETRONELLA
Sligo has hardly been a hotbed of music and mayhem over the decades. In fact, Yeats County has a lot to answer for, having contributed a rather large percentage of personnel to Westlife, albeit the less irritating members. That is all set to change in 2001, however, as Petronella gear up to kidnap our souls with their brand of cheeky, riffed-up rock n roll.
The Sligo three-piece, formed in 1996, were allegedly named after a Swedish dance, a Scottish dance or a local girl one of them fancied the myth is surely more interesting than the truth. Their indendiary live shows quickly garnered attention, mainly thanks to enigmatic and far-from-shy frontman, Tabby Callaghan. Runners-up in the Heineken Green Energy Band Challenge, Petronella have even managed to appear on a certain BBC talent show without losing credibility no mean feat in itself.
July 2000 saw the release of their debut single, the wonderful Drowning , which was crowned HotPress Single of the Fortnight, a salivating Stephen Robinson enthusing that the band sounded like Richard Ashcroft with Rory Gallagher on guitar The Cult doing AC/DC Simon and Garfunkel sleeping with Bowie . Watch out for these guys in 2001: as the frontman himself notes, This is alive, not synthetic .

TEN SPEED RACER

The Barrett Brothers may sound like a notorious gang of ne er-do-wells from the Old West, but as soon as they were joined by drummer Terri Cullen, the Dublin siblings transformed immediately into that most sublime of musical beasts, Ten Speed Racer.
The Ten Speeds, as they are affectionately referred to by those in the know, first came to our attention in early 2000 with the release of their magical debut single, Ballad Of Greedy Man , which soon became a firm favourite on discerning Dublin pirate, Phantom FM, as did the follow-up, Death To Disco , which also featured the world s first interactive 360-degree music video.
Tasty morsels indeed, but both releases proved a mere appetiser for the wonderful delights of Eskimo Beach Boy, released on Irish independent Reverb Records. Recorded in just two weeks, the album chews up elements of The Stooges, The Dandy Warhols, Rollerskate Skinny and Volebeats, and spits them out in a style that is all Ten Speed Racer.
The band s live show sees them continuing to make friends and influence people every time they take to the stage, and a support slot with The Rollins Band resulted in praise from none other than the tatooed street poet himself. They step up their quest for world domination in early 2001, with the release of their third single, aptly entitled January .

CREATIVE CONTROL
Once in a blue moon a demo slips into a CD player, and within seconds everyone within earshot is transfixed. Creative Control are a three piece hip-hop group from Dublin, consisting of Messiah J (MC), The Expert (production) and Mayhem (DJ). They only formed in 1999, but all three members have been involved in their individual fields for years. Creative Control's energetic, "no-nonsense" style is based on the fusion of expressive lyrics, original production, razor-sharp cuts and everything that is integral to the the essence of quality hip-hop. In August of this year they recorded a CD called The Dose, which has thrilled and delighted every set of ears it has encountered from hip-hop heads to the most casual of music listeners. At a recent eclectic club night, people danced away to their heart's content to the CC track 'Triple Trouble', and blanked the current Fatboy Slim single! Creative Control bring out an EP entitled Blood Rush early in 2001.

SKINDIVE
Mid-September: it s a typically cold Friday night in Dublin and I m heading to Vicar St. to check out a band I ve been promised are really exciting. I ve already made plans to meet some friends later, so I m not sure if I ll be able to hang around for the whole gig. And then something magical happens, something so rare that if it could be bottled, it would fetch astronomical sums on markets of every shade throughout the world. A band arrive on stage to the strains of a 10-piece string section and set about taking your breath away: stealing your heart and not giving it back until the last chord has faded, the last loop has gone its merry way into the ether, the last beat has echoed into the night air. That band are Skindive and they are going to be absofuckinglutely HUGE make no mistake about it.
Another punter who didn t intend staying for an entire Skindive set earlier in the year was a certain Chris Blackwell. The former Island Records supremo was so impressed he invited the band back to his Penthouse Suite in The Clarence and signed them on the spot to his new Palm Pictures label.
For the uninitiated, Skindive are the Irish trio of Gerry Owens, Ger Farrell and Alan Lee, along with Los Angeles chanteuse, Danielle. As for their music, think Smashing Pumpkins and Portishead creating a James Bond theme and you re somewhere near their power, ferocity and grace.
Their debut single, Tranquiliser earned Skindive their first, and surely not their last, hotpress Single of the Fortnight in November, to be followed by their debut album, tentatively entitled Supertenxcombo in February 2001. Skindive are going to take over the world, sign on before it s too late.

CARLY HENNESSY
With Samantha Mumba demonstrating that Irish pop is capable of much more than blandness, there s a growing belief that 2001 will see homegrown artists challenging Britney and Christina s dominance of the American teen market.
While Ms. Mumba s chart-topping credentials are well-established at this stage, few hotpress readers will have heard of her Dublin neighbour Carly Hennessy.
Signed directly to MCA by label President Jay Bobar, the 16-year-old has spent the past eighteen months too-ing and fro-ing to the States, where she s been put to work with a variety of top producers and songwriters.
In spite of her youth, Hennessy s management are adamant that she won t be going for the bubblegum market.
"Put it this way, she s no Lolly," laughs Derek Gleeson. "Although she s got bags of personality, the main selling-point with Carly is her voice. I can honestly see her in 10 or 15 years time with half-a-dozen albums to her credit."
Ah yes, her voice. While still waiting on a growth spurt, Hennessy s voice is as fully formed as singers twice her age, and equally suited to rock as it is to fluffier pursuits. The quest for global domination starts in March when the Gregg Alexander-penned Blow Your Mind receives its American release.
With MCA s millions behind her, there s no telling what she might achieve.

EL DIABLO
El Diablo are Anna Carey, Patrick Freyne, and Pol O'Conghaile. This year, they released one of the finest 7" singles around ('Bellies Of Gold' b/w 'Long Broken Year') and played alongside Glen Hansard, Jubilee Allstars and the Pernice Brothers. The trio's oeuvre delves deep into all the darkness and loss of a little something called lurve, embellished with delicate arrangements reminiscent of all the finest country troubadours from Emmylou Harris to Will Oldham. Freyne and Carey's duets are absolutely stunning, undershot with all the magic and loss unrequited, misguided and mistaken love induces. Their live set also includes a heart-stopping and tearjerking version of 'Love Hurts'.
In addition to further appearances in the New Year, the trio have scheduled a January release for an EP entitled The Wandering One on the Catchy GoGo imprint. Their debut album will follow later in the Spring. Stay tuned for more tunes that simultaneoulsy mourn and celebrate everything that is precious in love, life and the universe.

ESTEL
Three girls, one boy and a variety of musical instruments adds up to one of the most original, intoxicating musical outfits this country has produced in some time. Estel are Ashley and Sarah Sheil, Grainne Donahue and Andrew Bushe and their debut album, Angelpie I Think I Ate Your Face was one of 2000 s more beguiling releases.
Formed, in the loosest sense of the word, in Dublin around 1998, Estel, then a drummerless, all-female trio, began cutting their teeth on stage in Dublin s Eamonn Doran s, where one gig-goer was immediately smitten with their brand of white noise: Andrew introduced himself, the three became four and Estel had a drummer. Two years later, they released their debut 7 single, One Deep Breath / Crunch Crunch It s So Quiet , limited to just 200 vinyl copies, soon followed by the magical Angelpie on Dublin independent Phlegeton and Benjamin Records.
Recorded in a day and a half and originally limited to just one hundred vinyl copies, October 30th saw Estel re-launch Angelpie on CD. It s a good thing for most of us that they did. Otherwise, we might never have heard what Eamonn Sweeney described in this very organ as a perfectly formed cyclical record exploring a dark and twisted popscape . Turn on, tune in, bliss out during 2001 as Estel will undoubtedly mess with your head.

CRASH DADDY
Paul McMahon went to school with Robert McLiam Wilson, boxed at light heavyweight for Cambridge, sorted out scuffles as a West End doorman, and worked for a law firm in London. He also took great pleasure dropping in Nick Drake songs at any club where he found himself deejaying.
In 1996 he returned back to Belfast wanting to make music but not sure how to go about it. A few PC manuals, some dubiously collected software, and months of blind-alley wandering later and Paul was sitting on some well impressive tracks.
That s when the split occurred. Musical differences were cited. One faction wanted to get dubbed up and hit the dance hall with some party tunes. That became Neon Junkie. The other was more languid and laid back, it wanted to stay in a bit more close the blinds and put on the headphones. That would be Crash Daddy then.
Since then, Paul has tried to play the honest broker keeping the two sides happy, maintaining the balance. Making sure neither is neglected. But what can you do when one shoots ahead of the other?
At the moment Crash Daddy is walking taller, with more of a spring in its step. Some time in the New Year it will really come into its own. Neon Junkie was (courtesy of the Skank EP on Brightstar) out of the traps earlier, but may have to take a back seat for a while as its sibling in sound starts walking the walk.
Whatever the next twelve months hold for Paul McMahon, you can rely on his splinter groups for some top notch tunes.

FERGIE
Having just turned 21 in November, the world is most definitely an oyster belonging to the cat that they call the Fergster. The Banbridge whizzkid christened Robert Ferguson has achieved more in the past twelve months than most DJs do in a lifetime. Apart from playing half a dozen or so guest spots around the UK most weekends, he landed residencies at The Met in Armagh, UK clubs God s Kitchen, Passion and Inside Out, and spun for Ibiza superclub Amnesia on a weekly basis throughout the summer. He released three mix albums and three singles, signed to Duty Free s management company and record label, and was voted 8th most popular DJ in the world by the readers of DJ Magazine. The big question now is where does he go from here?
I want to take on the world now. I m touring America with Amnesia, I m doing a lot with BBC1FM live Essential Mixes from around the globe, and a mix CD and Ministry s starting a new compilation series that revolves around me (the first volume will also be mixed by fellow Irishman Paul Yomanda Masterson ED).
I m also working on an artist album for Duty Free. I want to show that there s more to hard house than the 150pm banging stuff and that I m into other stuff too. I ve always played different styles alongside hard house, and the next single (out in spring) is very different from what I ve done so far. I can see it shocking quite a few people.
Hard house and albums are not noted for their compatibility, but with Fergie, it seems that anything is possible.
I m only getting started, he quips before we hang up, and boy does he mean it. Watch out world the Fergster is coming to get you!

DESERT HEARTS
Desert Hearts couldn t get into the wrap party for this year s Belfest. The bouncer wouldn t allow Charlie Mooney through the venue s door following a backstage altercation some weeks earlier when the band supported JJ72. As far as anyone knows, Mark Greaney hasn t had any subsequent problems gaining access.
If Desert Hearts were from Scotland they d more than likely be surrounded by some like-minded souls right now, probably recording an album with Dave Fridmann and a string quartet. But they re not they re from North Antrim, and like-minded souls have been relatively thin on the ground for the boyfriend/girlfriend duo of Charlie and Roisin Stewart. They ve experimented with a number of different line-ups without ever settling on one that they seem particularly comfortably with.
That, though, hasn t stopped them from forging a reputation as the unpredictably clever wild cards of the Northern scene. Nor has it stopped Tugboat home of Low and Life Without Buildings from adding them to their impressively clued-up roster.
First single No More Art seemingly about vegetarianism, theology, and Mexico, but who knows? had a barmily, serrated Surfer Rosa lyricism that promised much. The follow up will be put together, logically enough, given their mutual love of Celt-flecked, spacey Americana, at the home studio of The Delgados.
2001 will still be making its introductions when it, hopefully, sees the light of day.
The clock is ticking. For too long Desert Hearts have been a well-hidden secret. If this is the year that their ambition and expectations start to reflect the scope of the music, then get ready for something special.
This band need to be successful, after all. If they re not, they ll never find anywhere to serve them drink.