Rats on Rafts + M(h)aol – Whelans Review

Rats on Rafts + M(h)aol

Whelans

September 28

It’s kind of strange living a private life publicly at times. I was never one for putting my picture on things and always refer to things I’m involved in as a collective we even if that numbers just me.

It’s also kind of strange that after gong to gigs for over 30 years I end up standing on my own at many offerings. And i’m happy with that, happy to talk or not. I guess I’m used to my own company even though as a family man with a great partner and three wonderful kids that solitary existence is rare, bar when I go to gigs.

It’s getting greater now as I become more age conscious as years go by. The youthful exuberance has given way to self doubt and contemplation. And so I can get lost when m(h)aol play. They don’t care what I think or anyone else by the sound of it on stage. It is a chaotic cathartic noise and is deadly. We can get lost together in a brashness that reminds me of bikini kill with a sound less rooted in melody but more annoyance.

Rats on rafts, like me say nothing between songs. I guess they don’t have to. Their sound brings them everywhere with a psycadehlic pop beginning to a hardcore no age ending. This was a great noise to get your toe tapping. Of course I would like some between song banter but the band are from Rotterdam, maybe their English isn’t so good. Maybe the music does the talking, I couldn’t understand a work being sung but it was some noise alright

niallhope

A celebration of DIY -Dublin October 8+9

Hope Collective are proud to be part of the Dublin DIY Festival taking place next month.   Having come together last year for a night of punk rock and hip-hop, The Hope Collective have once more joined forces with State Magazine and are proud to present an all ages day long event in Dublin Workman’s Club, supporting Oxjam Ireland’s work for female rights and the Dublin Simon Community.  This festival falls under the Community Tourism Diaspora Initiative and provides a chance to highlight the great work going on around Dublins Underground music community.

The previous night Hope are joining with FOAD Musick to announce the launch of Steve Ignorant with Paranoid Visions new album “Now and Then…!” in the Hangar

Profits from this gig will go to Inner City Helping Homelessness 

Saturday October 8 – The Hangar 

Steve Ignorant with Paranoid Visions
plus
the Gakk
Steven VX and the Art Rats

Now and Then…! is the highly anticipated follow up to 2013’s “When…?” album from the collaboration of Dublin art terrorists Paranoid Visions and Crass frontman Steve Ignorant.
Over the past 2 years the band have played major festivals in the UK, Holland, America and Canada and garbered a significant following that surpassed the expectations of the original project. This is the collaborations only Irish appearance.

Sunday October 9 – The Workmans Club

Bill Blood – as part of Flexihead, Jackbeast and Redneck Manifesto, Niall Byrne has graced many DIY stages in the country and beyond. Bill Blood is his latest musical incarnation.

Carol Hodge – described as “Shakespeares Sister fighting Amanda Palmer and Tori Amos in a dimly lit Victorian pub”, Carol is a seven fingered pianist best for her singing work with Steve Ignorant (co-founder of punk legends CRASS) on his Last Supper world tour.

Ed Wenn – first visiting Ireland with the band Sink in 1992, Ed made his name with The Stupids, where his Ed Shred persona blasted out some early UK skatecore riffs. He has also been the main songwriter behind Bad Dress Sense, Big Ray, K-Line and more.

Mhaol – having made their live debut at last year’s WSO, M(h)aol have established themselves as one of the most fiercly political bands in Ireland today, with music to match.

Not Monsters – the meeting of deliciously experimental melodies and in your face power, Not Monsters are firmly in the DIY tradition – springing from a network of shared gigs, spaces and ideas.

Simon Wells – one of the founding members of UK Hardcore legends Snuff, Simon has continued to play and tour throughout the world with Your Mum, Southport and many others.

the objectorZ – sitting somewhere between hard rock n’ roll and punk, the Dublin band flter in a power pop influence.

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What Is We Shall Overcome?

We Shall Overcome is a movement of musicians, artists and community organisers who are angry about the human costs of austerity policies but who want to do something practical to help those affected. For one week from 3-9 October we’re encouraging people to organise gigs and events that will –
1. Get direct help to those in our local communities who have been adversely affected by austerity policies.
2. Raise awareness, show solidarity or apply pressure to those who have political power
We operate under the tagline ‘A RAISED FIST & A HELPING HAND’

Welcome to the camboys, anyone want in?

Camboys

Curve

10 songs of sadness and recovery but somewhere deep down there’s hope. It’s a reflection of life and jack Williams sings of relationships in a lo-if manner that just seem to relate.

 I’m thinking more as a parent of a teenager and what they might be going through as their adventures of life progress as camboys sings “and I thought when I finally grew up id stop falling in love with my best friends. But is there such a thing as growing up?”

Musically it is basic guitar, drum machine and keyboard thrown in for good measure. I sometimes watch programmes on tv wondering why I’m wasting so much time when the remote control is out of reach. Starting off I was like this with camboys but something clicked. It’s basic but catchy riffs take over and i sing along to songs about rape apologists and the vagaries of same sex relationships.

niallhope

My Favourite Gig – Derrick Johnston

This is the eleventh in a series all taken from the Fanzine Hope *.2. The fanzine sees a collection of 70 contributors from the punk rock world.  All asked the same question What is Your Favourite Gig.

The zine is €5 including postage to anywhere  It is a benefit for Pikpa Refugee Centre, Lesvos  

 Pay by paypal, here

This week it is Derrick Johnston, head honcho of make that a take records

Leatherface headlining Book Yer Ane Fest V

Dundee in 2011

 

To answer a question about a favourite gig is pretty difficult; do I pick one that I’ve attended, one that I’ve played or one that we’ve put on?

 

There are loads that spring to mind; seeing At The Drive In back in 2000, Beastie Boys at T In The Park ’98, Against Me in King Tuts years ago, so many shows jump out at me; Kula Shaker at The Caird Hall in Dundee was my first “big” show way back in 1997 and I remember that I lost a shoe trying to crowd surf. That was when I figured out that hardcore and indie rock crowds didn’t necessarily mix!

Of equal importance was the gig at the now non-existent Westport Bar in Dundee on my 16th birthday when my band (Humus Kife) played with Mercury Tilt Switch, Tenesee Kait and Agent Orange (now Kaddish). That show was seminal and of great importance to me.

I’ve played some incredible shows with my various bands across the years too; from playing with some of my favourites (Off With Their Heads, The Flatliners, RVIVR; a sold out show in Edinburgh that was Uniforms’ first ever gig) to playing our first ever show in America at Pre-Fest 10 in Gainesville, Florida.

 

However, I think the greatest set I’ve ever seen with my own eyes was watching the mighty Leatherface headlining Book Yer Ane Fest V at Kage Nightclub, Dundee in 2011. I will never forget the feeling of being absolutely exhausted after playing earlier that day and running the show, which was our first three-day BYAF. I had lost my phone the previous evening and was running around demented all day. I was so nervous when Leatherface arrived as they’ve long been one of my favourite bands and to see them up “on stage” in our club at a sold-out festival was a surreal experience. We’re usually razor-sharp when it comes to timekeeping but nobody gave a shit that Leatherface were running over their set time. I mean, come on, would you go and tell Frankie Stubbs that time was up?

 

I’ll never forget that night. I believe pride can be a dangerous emotion but there are few times when I’ve felt more proud of being involved in punk rock than standing at the back watching a few hundred punks lose their minds while Leatherface blasted out classic after classic. A truly humbling and educational experience for which I shall be eternally grateful.

 

Fanzine of the week – Circa ’91

Circa 91
the zine
A celebration of Sunny Days are here again fanzine exhibition
Cork City Library August 16-27

Days just seem to fly by. You can have many good intentions and time prevents these from taking fruition. That was the case wiith the recent Fanzine exhibtion which was on in Cork City Library. The timing of it was to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the tmioe Nirvana played Sir henry’s in Cork with Sonic youth. I didn’t go to the Dublin version of this gig as I wasn’t rushing out to see bands play “BIG” gigs. I was young (enough) and idealistic. My gigs were diy and rarely did I venture beyond this. There are exceptions (I did see Sonic Youth with Teenage Fan Cluib – and Nirvana in the Point with the Breeders and Teenage Fan Club – there’s a link between these two). In August 1991 Nirvana were on the cusp of something, nevermind was about to be released and commentators were about to have the chance to say a band changed the face of the music industry once more.

Circa 91 is a celebration of Cork at that time. A great little read with contributions from people who were involved in the thriving music scene of the time. Cork is s small enough big city, most venues within walking distance and once you got into the City you accessability was not an issue. Many great bands travelled there and good music sprang up. This kis a celebration of a strong independent community and a great artefact to have to really document an important part of our music history
corkcity91@gmail.com for more info