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Archive for the ‘Music’ Category

‘Wells for Zoë’ fundraiser – Whelans, 6 Decemeber

Posted in Events, Music on November 26, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Plugging a decent gig, for a good cause, being organised by an old friend. It’s only a fiver in to hear four great, hardworking Dublin bands – stall it.

D.I.T. ‘Wells for Zoë’ present…

Morning Hush
“Dublin based four piece with a penchant for melodic hooks, catchy tunes and heavy pop music.”

Morning Hush @ Workman's Club. 9 Nov 2011. Photo - Jen.

The Blades Club
“Catchy garage rock … healthy mix of glaring guitars and shaking bass backed by speedy percussion and distinguished vocals”

The Blades Club @ King Kong Club, Pravda. 2010. Photo - Betty D.

My Mind Races
“Four piece instrumental band … together since June 2008”

My Mind Races @ Crawdaddy. April 9 2010. Photo - Ciaran McGowan

Trap Door (formerly Triple Drop)
“A dangerous energy, from where The Clash, The Specials and The Pogues left off, mixed with pumping back beats and dirty bass lines a la Soulwax and LCD Soundsystem”

Triple Drop @ The Mercantile. April 25 2011. Photo - Unknown.

Upstairs, Whelans (25 Wexford St.)
Doors, 8pm
Tickets, €5

All proceeds go to Wells for Zoë; an Irish sustainable development organization helping communities in Malawi accessing clean drinking water and nurturing organic agriculture and education.

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Street Literature – Products Of The Environment

Posted in Music on November 22, 2011| 2 Comments »

It’s great to see Dublin rappers Street Literature, who we’ve featured on the site before, picking up some attention in recent weeks. From gigging with Patrik Fitzgerald to gigging outside of the Central Bank, people are talking about the lads debut album and hunting it down. I said on here before it’s my favourite piece of hip hop to come out of this city in a long time, and one of the best albums I’ve picked up this year. The entire album is available not only to stream but also to download off Soundcloud for free. You can’t fault that, and when you get something free the least you can do is pass it on to someone else. Enjoy if you’ve not been converted yet.

The album is available from here.

Products Of The Environment

Working Class Warrior

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‘One For The Road’

Posted in Events, Music on November 22, 2011| 1 Comment »

Absolutely brilliant news, in that sadly-missed Dublin institution Road Records is the star of a new upcoming documentary, titled ‘One For The Road’. Opening in 1997, Road lasted an impressive 13 years championing that most beautiful of musical format, the vinyl record. It was an early victim of the crash, and many great independent music shops have sadly followed.

As I posted on here before at the time when the shop closed its doors for good, many of my favourite records in my collection were purchased there. ‘Everything Flows’ from Teenage Fanclub was the last song to get an airing in the shop. Everything does indeed flow, and thankfully it’s another shop with an appreciation for vinyl that occupies the space now with the lads from R.A.G.E at home there.

Mark O’Toole has directed ‘One For The Road’, a tribute to Road, and it will be shown in Whelan’s on December 4th. I look forward to attending. The trailer is below.

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Bik McFarlane and Damien Dempsey, Cassidy’s

Posted in Events, Music, Photography, Pubs, Reviews, Uncategorized on November 11, 2011| 3 Comments »

Reviews a week after a gig don’t generally make sense so I’m sorry. My excuse here is that a gig it took me two days to get over and then a further three days to get my act together and get the pictures up online whilst struggling to get coherent words together to get out into the blogosphere MUST have been good. That, and the fact that I haven’t written a review or well… anything on here in ages. (Again, my apologies.)

The legend that is Bik McFarlane

Probably Dublin’s worst kept secret started doing the rounds last week after it was announced  Brendan “Bik” McFarlane was to play his first gig in Dublin. The secret being that Damien Dempsey was to share the stage with him in a fundraiser for the Preda foundation, an organisation whose purpose is the ” promotion and protection of the dignity and the Human Rights of the Filipino people, especially of women and children.” Initially to be held out in the Setanta Club in Ballymun, due to circumstances  beyond the organisers control it was moved to Cassidy’s on Westmoreland Street in what I think may have been the first gig downstairs since its recent re-opening. DFallon has spoken of Cassidy’s highly on here before and I love the place so much its starting to vie with Brogan’s for my local, and thats saying something.

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaamo

And what a night it turned out to be. There was nobody stealing the limelight at this gig, both of the lads more than willing to chat to the seventy or so people who paid in, mingling with the crowd and sharing the mic. There was definitely no headliner and no support, each of the lads equally supporting the other – Bik got up, then Damo, then Bik, the two of them, Damo again before it became a bit of a free for all. Cassidy’s was the perfect venue for the gig; no stage, no queue for the bar and an appreciative audience.

(more…)

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A “lunatic fringe element” rock Richmond Park.

Posted in Dublin History, Music, Social History on November 8, 2011| 3 Comments »

I was taken aback recently to read that Richmond Park, home of Saint Patrick’s Athletic, hosted what was supposedly Ireland’s first ever outdoor Rock Festival on September 4, 1970. The event was headlined by Mungo Jerry, but also included a performance from Dubliners Thin Lizzy. Researching it further, I found some interesting newspaper reports from the time which suggested that there was a real fear of what kind of element would be attracted to outdoor music festivals in the capital.

Irish Press. September 4 1970

Reports like the one above from The Irish Press appeared throughout the media in the days and weeks leading up to the festival. The Irish Independent reported that something in the region of 4,000 people had been expected to attend the festival, and that the ground could potentially hold double that. Repeating the sort of tone of The Irish Press piece, the paper wrote that “fears of rowdyism” were dispelled by officials at Saint Patrick’s Athletic.

In the end, the festival proved to be an absolute disaster. “I’ve been to better wakes” was a quote from one discontented young punter in The Irish Times, which ran with the headline ‘Open Air Festival Hardly Pops’. The paper noted that only several hundred young people had attended the festival, perhaps unsurprising giving the scare-tactics in the media in the run up to the event.

Mungo Jerry headlined the show, yet The Irish Times did not have much to say of their appearance, noting that “they appeared finally, like post-Christmas tinsil, on a shabby stand.”

Of course while Thin Lizzy are a legendary Dublin band today, at the time they were a new prospect having only formed in late 1969 and released their first single The Farmer/I Need You only two months prior to the Richmond Park performance.

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Dublin Punk & New Wave singles timeline (1977 – 1983)

Posted in Music on November 1, 2011| 37 Comments »

Updated – Dec 2021

Starting with The Radiators From Space’s ‘Television Screen’ in April 1977 and finishing with The Blades’ ‘Downmarket’ in October 1983. Two of the greatest songs ever to come out of this city.

This was actually a quite a big undertaking:

1. I went through the full list of all Irish Punk & New Wave bands, figuring out which ones were from Dublin.

2. I made sure all these bands were 1st wave i.e. active before 1983

3. Out of them, I picked out the ones that actually released singles. (A surprising number of seminal Dublin punks never got signed or only ever release one single!)

4. Then, I had to find out which singles were already on Youtube and which weren’t. Trying to fill the gaps best I could.

So without further ado, here’s what should be a complete list of Dublin 1st wave punk/new wave singles released from 1977 to 1983.

How can you help?

As you can see, there’s quite a few gaps. I’m suggesting people if they have a single which is currently not digitzed and on Youtube do one of three things:

– Digitize it and upload it

– Give it to me and I can digitize it, upload it and hand it back

– Give to me, I can digitize, upload it and give it a lovely new home!

Finally, if you can help with dates for any of the single release dates (those marked ‘?’) please let me know.

Johnny Thunders with The Radiators From Space, 1977.

1977

April
The Radiators From Space –  Television Screen / Love Detective

Aug
The Boomtown Rats –  Lookin’ After Number 1 / Born To Burn / Barefootin’ (Live)

Sep
The Radiators From Space – Enemies / Psychotic Reactions
The Radiators From Space – Sunday World / (Why Can’t I Be A) Teenager In Love [Live version not single]

Nov
The Boomtown Rats – Mary Of The 4th Form (Alternate Version) / Do The Rat

Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats, nd. Photographer – Danny Clifford

1978

May
The Radiators From Space – Million Dollar Hero / Blitzin’ At The Ritz (live)
The Boomtown Rats –  She’s So Modern / Lying Again

June
The Boomtown Rats – Like Clockwork / Dún Laoghaire
Revolver – Silently Screaming  /  On The Run

October (Recorded)
The Vipers –  I’ve Got You / No Such Thing

The Atrix, c. 1979

1979

?
Strange Movements – Dancing In The Ghetto / Amuse Yourself
The Romantiks – Said If You Needed Me / Little Queenie
Square Meal – Love Attack / Hold On

June
The Radiators From Space – Let’s Talk About The Weather /  Hucklebuck /Try And Stop Me
Sacre Bleu – Broken Promises / Mademoiselle Goodnight

July
The Atrix –  The Moon Is Puce / Wendy’s In Amsterdam
The Boomtown Rats –  I Don’t Like Mondays / It’s All The Rage

Aug
The Radiators From Space – Kitty Ricketts / Song of the Faithful Departed (Acoustic)

Oct
The Boomtown Rats – Rat Trap / So Strange
Sacre Bleu – Move It / Just Another Saturday Night

Nov
The Defenders –  Happy Surfin’ Santa / Xmas Up On Venus

Dec
The Boomtown Rats –  Diamond Smiles / Late Last Night
Berlin –  Over 21 / Waiting For The Future
Tony Koklin – Cinderella / Living With The Times

U2, Dandelion Market.

1980

?
Katmandu – I Can Make The Future / Australia [TV version not single version] [Belfast, Dublin-based]
Square Meal –  Someone’s Out To Git Ya / Another Boy
The Alligators – Thrill Power / Having A Party // Just A Little Bit
The Boddis EP:
– Big Self – Concrete Curtains [Belfast]
– The Departure – Stop
– The peridots – Precious Blood
– Chant! Chant! Chant! – What Do You Know?

The Resistors (For Jeanie EP) – Jeanie / Takeaway Love / End of the Line

The Spies – Thinking About The Sun / Hippy Hangover

Feb
The Boomtown Rats – Someone’s Looking at You / When The Night Comes
DC Nien – Nightclub / Things Japanese
U2 – Another Day / Twilight

May
U2 – 11 O’Clock Tick Tock / Touch [remastered version not single]

July
The Radiators From Space – Stranger Than Fiction / Prison Bars / Who Are The Strangers?
Soul Survivors – Move On / Done Stayin’ Around

Aug
U2 – A Day Without Me [remastered version] / Things to Make and Do [album version]

Sep
The Radiators From Space – Dancing Years / Electric Shares, Sunday World, Enemies (On Stage At The Roundhouse London, Feb 1978)
The Blades – Hot For You / The Reunion

Oct
The Atrix – Treasure On The Wasteland / Graphite Pile
U2 – I Will Follow / Boy-Girl (live)

Nov
The Boomtown Rats – Banana Republic / Man At The Top
Berlin – Boyfriends / Central Station

The Blades, nd.

1981

?
New Versions – Like Gordon of Khartoum / What You Want
The Shade – 6:05 / Talk To Me
The Sussed – Don’t Swim On The East Coast / I Wanna Conform
The Blades – Ghost Of A Chance / Real Emotion
The Threat – Lullaby in C / High Cost Of Living
Tokyo Olympics –  Dance Movement // Some Kind Of Wonderful –  Just Like Me
The Zen Alligators – Call Me Lucky / The Ticket

Jan
Tony Koklin – Claude Monet  / Lucky Man

Feb
The Virgin Prunes – Twenty Tens (I’ve been smoking all night) / Revenge /  The Children Are Crying / …Greylight

The Brown Thomas Band / The BTs – My Life / Murder On Their Minds
April
The Radiators From Space – Song Of The Faithful Departed / They’re Looting The Town
The Peridots – Open Season / Calm

June
The Zen Alligators – Who Can That Someone Be? / Berlin Wall

July
Chant! Chant! Chant! –  Quicksand / Play Safe

Aug
The Virgin Prunes – Moments and Mine / In The Greylight/War

Oct
The Atrix – Procession / The Eleventh Hour
The Teen Commandments – Private World / Italian Girls

Dec
Tokyo Olympics –  Radio (Turns Her On) / Radio 2

Tokyo Olympics, 1982

Tokyo Olympics, 1982

1982

?
A Further Room – Psychedelic Disco / Strange In Rome
The Alsations – 5 Honours And A 175 / Denise Denise
The Camino Organisation – Human Voices // Executivity / The Bust Up Of Love
Kissed Air – Kariba / Kissed Air [Belfast, Dublin-based]
Pop Mecanics – Soldier Boys / It Feels Like I’m Alone Again
Stano – Room / Town
The Shade – Watching You / Touch Sensitive
The Tabs – Million Miles / Gotta Get Away
The Fashions – All I Own In Dublin (Are The Bars) / The Secrets Of Young Brides
The Zen Alligators – You Make My Day (Radio mix) / People Who Make People’s Day

Jan
Autobop –  Secrets / Advertising

March
The Blades –  The Bride Wore White / Animation

April
Tokyo Olympics –  One Step From Paradise /  Paradise (Disco Mix)

June
The Zen Alligators –  The Invisible Man / The Scorpio Function

Oct
The Blades –  Revelations Of Heartbreak / Rules of Love

Nov
Tokyo Olympics –  Shot By Love / Shot By Love (Instrumental)
Kissed Air – Out of the Night / Change of Attention

The Zen Alligators, nd.

1983

May
Very Mental – Slaughtered and Maimed EP

June
The Zen Alligators – I Never Forget A Face / Caught In The Crossfire // Side One – Diary Of A Forgotten War

July
Resistors –  That’s It / Steal My Love

Oct
The Blades –  Downmarket / You Never Ask

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Rockin’ Kev

Posted in Music on October 31, 2011| 5 Comments »

A cool snap of Rockin’ Kev from the Evening Herald dating back to 1976.

Kevin Connolly, Evening Hearld 1976

The text reads:

Dublin’s only genuine Teddy Boy, Kevin Connolly, keeps on rocking at the R. & R. Disco.

I had the pleasure of meeting Kevin at the Magnet reunion earlier this year. He’s still as sharply dressed as ever!

Credit to Garry from Where Were You? for uploading this image onto their FB page:

Piece from February 1973 on Rockin Kev. The Sunday Independent.

Piece from February 1973 on Rockin Kev. The Sunday Independent.

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“My mother was from Cork … it’s good to be home in Ireland!”.

Posted in Events, Music on October 31, 2011| 1 Comment »

So ‘Sir’ David ‘Ram Jam’ Rodigan, legendary British reggae DJ, told the packed crowd in Twisted Pepper last night halfway through his amazing 2.5hr set.

Definitely one of the best gigs I’ve been to in Dublin. Everyone should see this guy in action at least once in their lives.

Rodigan in action. Twisted Pepper, 30 Oct 2011. (Picture - Carax)

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Shay Healy – Take A Walk On The Northside

Posted in Music on October 27, 2011| 2 Comments »

One of our cities greatest journalists and songwriters. We wish him all the best as he bravely battles Parkinson’s.

Here’s two versions, 25 years apart, of his classic ‘Take A Walk On The Northside’. Enjoy.

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The Reggae Movement Exhibition fundraiser and exhibition

Posted in Events, Music on October 20, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Fundraiser, 05 November 2011:

8.30pm-2.30am
King 7, Capel Street, Dublin 1
€5 before 11pm, €7 after 11pm

Poster Fish Presents .... ReggaeMovement Exhibition Fundraiser

Bands//

The Bionic Rats (Ska, Reggae)
Madu (Dub, Reggae, Jazz, Soul)

DJs//

Enda Star (Firehouse Skank)
Tuathal (Roots Corner)
Carax (Punky Reggae Party)

 

Exhibition, 09 November – 15 November 2011:

The Little Green Street Gallery, Dublin 1

Sound System: The Hidden History: The story of the sound system is one of technological innovation, creative enterprise and musical genius, but it is also a story of deep spiritual and cultural significance. From its first incarnation in 1950s Jamaica, the sound system was the radio of the people. Through artists and producers from Prince Buster to King Tubby and Augustus Pablo, the music expressed the aspirations, sufferings and joys of everyday life. The exhibition follows the growth of sound system culture from Kingston across Jamaica, to the UK and then to Europe, spreading the sounds of ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub and planting the seeds of a new generation of singers, musicians, DJs, producers and dancers.

Exhibition in Berlin

Exhibition: The text is written by Ronan Lynch, an historian of music who has written widely about reggae, politics and culture. He is editor and publisher of Irie Up magazine. The show is designed by Paula Strzelecka, who is a graphic designer and photo editor of Irie Up magazine. The artwork for the show is produced by Michael Thompson and Mau Mau. Thompson, also known as Freestylee, is a designer and graphic artist from Jamaica who specializes in political and revolutionary themes. He lives in the USA. Mau Mau is the English artist whose graphic works adorn many lanes and walls in Kingston, Jamaica, Berlin and other reggae hotspots around the world.

Evening Programme: There are several evening events planned to run alongside the exhibition. The official opening party is 6.30 on Wednesday night, 9th November. On Thursday night, at 7pm, we will be showing the Irish premiere of the film ‘Holding On To Jah’. On Friday night, Irieland Sound and guests will nice up the area from 8pm and the Dublin Reggae Crews will be on the decks on Saturday night, also from 8pm. There will be a second screening of the film at 2pm on Saturday afternoon.

 

 

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Classic Dublin Punk/New Wave Singles (The search continues…) [Part 2]

Posted in Dublin History, Music on October 11, 2011| 1 Comment »

(Note: If you have any old Dublin punk singles gathering dust in your attic, I’d love to take them off your hands. I promise to give them a good home)

Since my last appeal/update in September 2010, a number of classic Dublin punk/new wave singles have been digitised and found themselves online.

On Nov 13 2010, Youtube user cadlagh1 uploaded Real Emotion, the B-Side to The Blades 1981 single Ghost Of A Chance.

The Blades – Ghost Of A Chance (1981)

On March 1 2011, Bristol Boy from the My Life’s A Jigsaw blog uploaded the first and only single Million Miles from The Tabs that came out in 1982.

The Tabs – Millions Miles (1982)

On Aug 11 2011, Youtube user cadlagh1 uploaded Sadlands, the B-Side to The Blades 1984 single The Last Man In Europe.

The Blades – Last Man In Europe (1984)

On Oct 9 2011, I uploaded the first single 5 Honors And A 175 and Denise, Denise (B-Side) from pub rock band The Alsatians that came out in 1982. (Thanks to EoinH)

The Alsatians – 5 Honours And A 175 (1982)

On Oct 9 2011, I uploaded the second single Watching You and Touch Sensitive (B-Side) from The Shade that came out in 1982. (Thanks to Jack from Deadbeats & No-Ones)

The Shade – Watching You (1982)

On Oct 12 2011, I uploaded the b-side I Wanna Conform to the classic 1981 single Don’t Swim On The East Coast from The Sussed. (Thanks to Rory Stokes).

The Sussed – I Wanna Conform (1981)

However, there are still a good few classic singles still not online. If you have the following, please get in touch.

The Alsatians:

• I Wanna Be Your Man / Money Back
7″ – Libra Records – LHS003 – IRL – 1982

• I’ll Never Forget It (AKA Two Sucks) / Suicide
7″ – Scoff Records – DT028 – IRL – 2 September 1983 – PS

The Boomtown Rats:

• Neon Heart, Etc.. (At Home And Away)
K7 – Demo – 1976

Camino Organisation:

• Human Voices // Executivity / The Bust Up Of Love
7″ – Reekus Records – RKS 004 – 1982 – PS

New Versions:

• Like Gordon of Khartoum / What You Want
7″ – Mulligan Records – LUNS 744 – IRL – 1981 – PS

Negatives:

• Love Potion No.9 / The Prize
7″ – WEA Records – K18420 – 1980 – PS

Pop Mechanics:

• Soldier Boys / It Feels Like I’m Alone Again
7″ – Polydor Records – 2078 144 – IRL – 1982 – PS

Revolver:

• Silently Screaming / On The Run
7″ – Rockburgh Records – ROCS203 – UK – 1978 – PS

The Romantiks:

• Said If You Needed Me / Little Queenie
7″ – G.I.Records – GI003 – 1978 – no PS

The Shade:

• 6:05 / Talk To Me
7″ – Juverna Records – JUV-001 – 1981 – no PS?

Strange Movements:

• Dancing In The Ghetto / Amuse Yourself
7″ – Good Vibrations International – GVI GOT-5 – N.IRL – 1980 – poster PS

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Jay Carax interviews Garry O’Neill (Audio)

Posted in Dublin History, Music on October 3, 2011| 2 Comments »

Front cover of the book

Last month I interviewed Garry O’Neill author of the upcoming Where Were You? photography book, a comprehensive history of Dublin’s music scenes and youth cultures from 1950 to 2000, which will be out next month.

The interview, which I used for two articles; one for Rabble and one for the upcoming issue of Look Left which is due out this week, took place in a nice quiet snug in Doyles on College Green.

Here’s a short ten minute extract from the interview where Garry talks about Dublin’s 1970s Boot Boys, Garry’s long search to find decent pictures of the legendary Bridge Boot Boy gang and the reaction after handing out leaflets, asking for photos, around pubs on Dorset St. on the days of Dublin matches.

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