Everybody Is Fantastic
(36/100 Greatest Irish Albums)

Formed in Cork in 1980, Microdisney brought the wildly different talents of two of the city by the Lee’s most legendary musical sons, Cathal Coughlan and Sean O’Hagan, together in the one band. Having relocated to London, the Micros were pioneered by the late John Peel and signed to Rough Trade. They released what was their debut album proper in 1984. Knowing the bleak and often angry worldview of Coughlan, the Up With People-ish title could never have been anything other than ironic – and so it proved. The songs on Everybody Is Fantastic are sugar-coated and melodic – but lyrically they have an ascerbic heart. It was this tantalising combination of gleam and grime that made Microdisney such a challenging proposition – and this, such a memorable record.