Hope Show 52 – The lowdown

A year of shows in more than a year. it’s not supposed to be straightforward is it?

Hope SHow 52

1. Crystal Grenade – Shape Of Things
2. King Champion SOunds – Orbit Macht Frei
3. Chumbawamba – THe Land of Do What You’re told
4. The SHorts – Bring Me the Skinned and Mutilated Corpse of Bear Gryllis
5. Erase Today – Managing Director of Earth PLC
6. Pleasure Cell – New Age
7. Flies On You – Slashing IT DOwn
8. Freebooters – St Pauli
9. Jon Langford – Living A Lie
10. Decadence Within – Backbitter
11. Membranes – THe Universe Explained
12. Mexican Pets – Subside
13. Paranoid Visions – Outsider Artist
14. Menshevik – Security
15. Joe Solo – Madrid
16. Hard Skin – You Still Here?

Tonights show features people who are in the new issue of the Hope Zine . The same question was asked of a number of contributors. What does punk rock mean to you. Carol Hodge plays with Steve Ignorant in Spice OF Life, she also has a couple of other bands on the go. One is her alter ego- Crystal Grenade, a departure from her other sound but an enthralling voice

King Champion Sounds are like the regular band on the show these days. I keep playing them, I have a good excuse this week as Ajay has contributed to the zine. GW Sok was a great vocalist for the Ex and it is nice to hear him on record once more

One of these days I will play tubthumping by Chumbawamba. It really was a good song, amazing how much it sold and how it transformed things for the band. BOff Whalley, from the band, is still doing things, his latest is a play called the wrong ‘un. He’s a child of punk and it is stuck fast in his belly.

I’ve been playing Stay Clean Jolene a fair bit recently. They are on Just Say No To Government Music records (well their 7″ was a split release on the label). Label originator is Andy Higgins, formerly of Erase Today. Punk has “been an ever present reference point which I have used to help me navigate and negotiate my way through life”

Whilst none of the playing members of the pleasure cell are featured in the zine they are a huge reference point for me and their non playing band member has written a piece. This is their new age 7″ that was self released, if only it had better production to break through that echo-y sound. This was one class band

Flies On You should be know to regular listeners to this show. Doug and Andy have both written pieces and have been great supporters of this show and the zine. Slashing it down is a great sing along number from them

The freebooters are sadly no longer. Sing along punk oi sound from all corners of Ireland, conor can now be found on the floor, literally

Jon Langford is a legend in my house. I have a postcard he sent many moons ago before a three johns gig i was travelling to in Leeds pinned proudly to my heart. The man can do no wrong I tell you

Ian Glasper has written some great books on punk rock. For anyone interested in the history of our movement you should seek these out. Before writing books Ian played guitar in decadence Within who visited Ireland twice. Punk to him is that we are all equal. Here here

Membranes kick started so much of it off for me. We helped put them on in Dublin way back. They showed that anyone can be in a band, anyone can play what they like and treat each other well. They are back again and will be over in Ireland in May. I can’t wait. “Punk rock means making your own art and music on your own terms, whatever that looks and sounds like”

We’ve come back to Ireland for the next two songs. Mexican Pets are one of those classic Irish bands that seemed to be ignored. Tehy got some gigs in the Uk but not enough exposure for the many great songs they had.

Paranoid Visions have a new liease of life and I’m delighted to see this. They seem to be playing so many great gigs. Trips to the UK and Amsterdam are on the horizon, not before playing with Outcasts and Goldblade next week in Dublin.

Before that Goldblade gig Menshevik will be over with Killswitch Engine. Seems like a pleasant way to spend Wednesday Evening. Steve, from Menshevik, is known to me as Steve Pod as he played over here with Vanilla Pod. I asked him for some words on punk rock and his point that “if I lived without it my life would have definitely been much sadder, duller and uninspiring” is well made.

I seem to be always able to place Joe Solo in somewhere which is a bonus for me and hopefully you. His new album, No Pasaran is out now and available for you to check out. “Find a way”

I finish tonight with Hard skin, there’s others who have contributed to the zine but I wanted to give the last word to Fat Bob and his two mates. “Punk is still everything to me”. You still here?

Hope Zine

Hope *1 is a collection of people from the punk rock movement giving their thoughts on what Punk rock means to them.

Buy fanzine for 2 Euro + 1 Euro P+P

Contributors include John Robb, Steven Malley, Anto Loserdom, Doug Aikman, Sean Forbes, Peter Jones, Carol Hodge, Karren Ablaze, Jon Langford and many more. 28 A4 pages.

Payment is by Paypal via link below . Please click on the picture for more info. – should you not have this please mail niall@thumped.com for more info

Hope Show 50 – the lowdown

hopeshowNumber50

One half of a CENTURY

1. Palma Violets – Best of Friends
2. The Answer Lies – A Political Song for my Emoticon To Sing
3. the objectorz – It’s 10 o clock
4. Revenge of the Psychotronic Man – Red Top Bullshit
5. Menshevik – Draw The Line
6. HDQ – Down But Not Out
7. Stay Clean Jolene – Record
8. Fes Parker – UNtitled No 1
9. King Champion SOunds – Shouting At The Moon
10. Folk IMplosion – One Part Lullaby
11. The Mighty Stef – She can see the angels coming
12. Sullivan and Gold – Jigsaws
13. Stand Out Riot – British Nazi Parade
13. The Ungnomes – Religion
15. Loose Dudes – I’m Poor
16. Office Of Future Plans – The Loyal Opposition
17. Crash of Rhinos – Sum OF All Parts
18. So COw – Inish Meain
19. Statics – Track4
20. Joe Solo – Blood Runs Red

First Show of 2014 and with plenty planned for the new year I’ve
gone for the underdogs tonight. not with everything as it still
needs to be mixed up a bit and I wanted to start of with Palma
Violets.

After that it’s fast for a few minutes. the objectorz rock out and revenge of psychotronic man speed things up with their
hardcore sound. menshevik show influneces from New York Hardcore
for their new 7″ HDQ have been flying the flag for years. Down
But Not Out is from their re-issued Soulfinder record. HDQ are
playing in Bolton with Stay Clean Jolene and SOuthport in
February. I’m very excited about it, so much so that I will be travelling over to it

Just over 16 minutes and 7 songs in. Wow that was quick. Manchester institution Fes Parker has never been played on the
show so what better time to redress that. If Ajay was still
living in Manchester I have no doubt he would be involved in the
Fes Parker album. He moved to Amsterdam many moons ago and
instead is playing in King Champion Sounds. This is from their
new album.
In the real world Ajay tour manages and provides excellent sound
to bands. One of these people os Lou Barlow so in the interests
of contiuity I’ve decided to play One Part Lullaby by Lou’s folk implosion. I could have played Sebadoh or Dinosaur Jnr but went for the sweet sound instead.

There is something about the Mighty Stef that I really like but can’t quite explain. I bet he listens to the Clash, that must be
it. The dublin folk troubador issued this just before Christmas together with a few festive soings that I wll have to wait til
next December to play

Sullivan and Gold released and intersting record last year.
Thoughtful and sombre but most of all NICE.
It is now time for a speed change so where better to turn to then Stand Out Riot with an Anti-Fascsit song. Good to send a reminder at the start of 2014 that fascism is evil. Never forget!

A band that has stood out against fascism down through the years were the mekons from leeds. Main protaganist , John Langford, was also in the Three Johns and I’ve played some of his solo stuff here. In what could well be a first for this show his son is now in a band, ungnomes – here is a song from their new record. Like father like son eh?

Office Of Future PLans s/t album on Dischord is pone that I keep going back to so why not make it onto the first show of the year.

Crash of Rhinos are new to me but have that yangent noise sound I like in a band

I rre-read So Cows interview in Razorcake this week. It reminded me of the Galway based band who don’t get the recognition they deserve.

The Statics have been like their name in recent times but I got some tracks sent to me before Christmas. I hope they do something with these as they are both winners.

What better way to finish of the first show of 2014 than with a song by Joe Solo. The new album is No Pasaran, officially released this week so it can make 2014 bext of. Recommended.

Happy new year

Pawmarks on my poems – Pat Ingoldsby

Pawmarks on my poems
Pat Ingoldsby
Willow Publications
3 Vernon Court
Clontarf
Dublin 3

Hanging In

Sometimes the effects of polio
bury me in a pit of exhaustion
every ounce of me is crushed
and so I sleep and sleep
And somehow, wondrously,
inside the heavy laden lump,
a little peom begins to stir
and polio is meeting its match.
Again!

ANd so to sum up Pat Ingoldsby. Much like your favourite indie band Pat has been hanging around for years writing and publishing his own books on his own terms and then selling them on his streets. Dublin’s streets. It is from these streets that many of his poems tell stories of. It is the Dublin the romantics don’t talk about. It is not just the people in the City Centre but also in Howth where Pat spends much of the Summer months. We hear about the Seagulls and the Irish Sea and tales of his own youth. His books are almost diary like, we hear of his surprise 70th birthday party, of days when sales aren’t going too well but there’s always hope around the corner.

In a slight departure to previous books Pat tells us a story of when as a young boy he wanted to play soccer with his peers on the road. Like all young boys he had dreams of playing for his country but being picked on these road games was its equivalent. Pat is the perfect representative for the underdog. He didn’t let the inability to use his left arm prevent him from being a goalkeeper and More Than Anything Else is a story that will find echos of peoples lives in many different fasjhions as they try and be the best they can.

I really wish I could make you buy this book, it’s the perfect present for anyone at any stage.

As always, excellent

niallhope