Troublegum
(25/100 Greatest Irish Albums)

The most unlikely record to get into the UK top 5 since Motörhead’s No Sleep ’Til Hammersmith, Troublegum turned Therapy? into pop stars for one gloriously rambunctious summer.
With a cover of Joy Division’s ‘Isolation’ and Andy Cairns admitting that ‘Screamager’ was inspired by The Undertones’ ‘Teenage Kicks’, there’s a strong sense of the trio paying tribute to their heroes. The stand-out was ‘Nowhere’, a classic tale of youf alienation, which ten years on still raises a smile with its opening “Heaven kicked you out/You wouldn’t wear a tie!” gambit. It also confirmed Fyfe Ewing as one of the best drummers to paradiddle his way out of this isle.
If you’re wondering who the bloke with his head in the dustbin is, it’s celebrated artist and photographer Nigel Rolfe who’s made something of a career of getting bollock-naked in public.