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Illegal Art
This article originally feature in print in April 2008.…
What do 57 year old Jewish advertising consultant Steve Stein and 26 year old former biomedical engineer Greg Gillis have in common? Quite a lot actually. Both men are purveyors of highly contentious music based on samples of other artists’ original works that thus far has
My Favorite Worst Nightmare…Billy Childish in Berlin
‘And now I’d like to start this evening with some poetry’‘¦if there was any phrase that could strike fear into the hearts of the young, stupid and drunk, it was that, the second one being’¦‘Here’s a piece I wrote about my girlfriend’s abortion’¦’… What a blissful way to start the first night of
Beats, Bodhráns and Bloody Mayhem – the story of Scary Éire
Smoke fills the room, sweat drips from every forehead, stray bikers wonder what’s going on and Scary Éire rule everything in their sights. Get into it or make your way back outside into the pissing rain on Capel Street. The concrete floor and indescribable sheeting used on the walls can barely be seen at the…
This Ain’t No Party – The Story of No Disco
Far more than a mere musical footnote, for the decade between 1993 and 2003, No Disco was required viewing for Ireland’s quality-starved music fans and manna from heaven for local acts.
Hey Hope, Let’s Go! – The story of the Hope Collective
When Green Day‘s Billie Joe Armstrong spoke about his memories of the band’s first visit to Dublin from the stage at the massive 02 last week, few in the audience probably realised to what gig he was referring or were even born when the Californian three piece came to town one Saturday in the winter…
My Favourite Worst Nightmare – Morrissey & Madstock
In retrospect, it had all the makings of catastrophe about it. London ska-pop legends Madness had reformed for a one-off weekend reunion in North London, and elected to turn it into something of a -Best of British’ showcase. On the bill were newcomers Gallon Drunk and Flowered Up, followed by Ian Dury and Morrissey. 75,000…
My Favourite Worst Nightmare – Creed
I confess. I hadn’t heard a Creed song before I accepted the free flight to Washington DC. By virtue of nearly ten million albums sold in 2000 alone, I guessed they were among the top 10 most horrible bands in America, but it wasn’t until I stopped by a CD store en route to the…
The Virgin Prunes
From coming up from the same inner city Dublin streets as U2 to defecating on plates, urinating in wine glasses, getting bottled off stage supporting The Clash and generally getting right up the noses of 1980s’ Ireland – of all the bands to come out of this country in the past 30 years, few have…
Behind REM’s Irish sojourn
The Olympia Theatre’s Production Manager Eamonn Ryan’s full insight into REM’s working rehearsals in the venue last summer.
Interview: Portishead
If you ever get the chance to talk to Portishead, whatever you do, don’t ask them why their third record took so long to make. To head off any potential awkward moments, they’ve issued a succinct run-down of the past 14 years – made an album, went on tour, made another one, then a live…
My Roots Are Showing – Adam & The Ants
‘Ridicule is nothing to be scared of…‘. Perhaps this is an obvious statement from a man sporting an Antplaster from cheek to blushered cheek, a man who proudly dances in a bizarre Vogue-like fashion with Diana Dors. But apart from being a great bold lyric, that line is a manifesto for the best
My Roots Are Showing – Queen
Christmas 1981 and there was a revolution going on. Punk had blown itself out, new wave was passing and the tribes were on the move – the festive number one was Human League’s ‘Don’t You Want Me’. Not round our house though, the prized gift of the year being Queen‘s Greatest Hits…. I suspect
