ONE OF the few broadcasting bright spots in an otherwise grim past few months has been the emergence of the Cork-based No Disco as a long-awaited and much-needed outlet for videos regarded as too left-of-centre for Beatbox. It was on this show that the Smithwicks/Hot Press Awards – shortlisted video for Sack’s ‘What Did The Christians Ever Do For Us?’ was first shown in all its grainy glory. With a budget of £26, a significant proportion of which went towards the fruit consumed by the band to capture the seedy, fall of the Roman Empire decadence to best effect, this promo clip was an excellent example of imaginative use of zero resources and it’s to No Disco’s credit that they picked up on it immediately.

Even more startling was the subsequent interview with the band where lead singer Martin McCann spoke frankly about his homosexuality. Anyone who’d ever met Sack – either in their present incarnation or during their years as Lord John White – was never in doubt as to Martin’s sexual leaning. He’d been openly out for several years but there’s a considerable difference between his gayness being known in musical circles and sitting there discussing the subject for ten minutes on national television.

“I was actually quite nervous on the programme,” he says, supping the first of several pints of stout in The George. “When Donal Dineen asked me the question ‘Well Martin, what’s the story about this whole gay thing?’ I was stunned into silence. They stopped the cameras while I gathered my thoughts and then rolled away again. It was half ten in the morning and we were stone cold sober. No Disco? No Gargle! But I’m very glad I did it anyway, even though I felt much better in hindsight than I did at the time. It was all a bit sudden like!”